About Me — Steven Smith
I’ve always been a book lover. As a young child I loved reading books, above and beyond what was required at school. This love of books has stayed with me over the years, and even now I love nothing more than diving into a good book. If I was picking out go-to authors, I’d have to list Stephen King and Terry Pratchett right up at the top of my list. I love the way they craft vivid worlds and intriguing characters.
At school, we used to have time dedicated to writing extended stories, an activity I loved. Sadly, as school progressed and the focus moved to careers, writing was not considered an option and so found myself moving away from it. Until 2015. I was reading more, and had just discovered the Discworld series of books. I started reviewing each book as I read them. Then I branched out to review other books I was reading. In time, I started getting requests from independent authors and small publishers to review their books. It became a wonderful chance to read some amazing books I’d otherwise not have found, and have met some great friends along the way.
It also sparked something in me. Here I was, reviewing and critiquing the work of others, but had no idea just what went into creating a book. An idea hit me, and I started to run with it. It was a historical fiction based on Jack the Ripper. I’ve always had a fascination with Victorian London, and with the infamous Jack. I researched it, visited locations, and dove into old maps to build up the world for the story. But this presented me with a problem — so much research stifled my creativity. The story faded into nothing more than a series of continuously rewritten, unfinished drafts.
But my love for Victoriana extended to an interest in steampunk. A number of years on, this came to the fore as a new idea took seed. This one, unburdened by research into real events, blossomed into what became my first novel, Chasing Shadows. The process was something I really enjoyed, seeing the story unfold before me as the characters and locations grew. I released it in April 2021. And now, in December 2023 I’m approaching the end of my edits for the sequel As the Crow Flies. The third book in the series is also in the works.
When I’m not writing steampunk novels, I also enjoy working on short stories across a range of genres. They really stretch my writing, developing characters and building worlds in a compressed format. I’ve also got the early workings of a crime thriller based upon The Twelve Days of Christmas song.
Outside of writing, I live in Bedfordshire, England, with my wife and two cats. I enjoy travelling, Lego collecting and video games. I’m also a massive Disney fan. You can find my various social media platforms, books, and website here.
“Books are a uniquely portable magic.” — Stephen King
