Why I Write Thrillers

In my day job I work for the Washington State Department of Ecology on the safe management,
transport, and disposal of hazardous wastes.  One of the largest solid waste trade groups is the Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Organizations (ASTSWMO).

Recently, ASTSWMO interviewed me about my life outside of work. The link below is to the ASTSWMO summer newsletter and includes my interview on why I write national park thrillers.

Check out the interview here. Scroll down to the bottom of the newsletter.

Thanks ASTSWMO for interviewing me for the newsletter!


Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

Writing Fiction? Doing things we can't do in reality

May 21, 2013: One of the fun things about fiction, is writing about things and events we are unlikely to do in reality.  For example in Unleashing Colter's Hell, I created a president and his administration.  In the novel, John Paine is the President of the United States.  He is required to deal with foreign and domestic terrorist threats, a possible volcanic eruption, and the pending death of his best friend and Vice President.  It's all in the life of a commander in chief.  One of the ways I attempt to make President Paine more real to the readers is to give him a history and hint of the values that guide his decisions.

Tradition holds that presidents decorate the cabinet room with four portraits of their favorite presidents from the national gallery of art.  Which portrait the president chooses to hang gives some indication of what values and leadership style his plans to emulate.

In Unleashing Colter's Hell, President Paine chose the portraits of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Truman, and Clinton.  Paine appreciates Lincoln's laser like focus on saving the Union, Roosevelt's attention to the future, Truman's remaining humble and an "every man" even while the White House, and Clinton's deft political skill.

Who would you pick for your cabinet room?

What's the sound a person's feet make walking on sand?

May 17, 2013: One of the greatest challenges I find in writing compelling stories is engaging all human senses through the mere written word.  I make it a habit to describe places and settings with appeals to as many human senses as possible.  The wind rustled through the leaves, the sun danced on the water, the water chilled her feet, the air had the burnt taste of electricity in it, are all metaphors used to describe the scene and give the reader a deeper sense of place, intrigue, or drama.

I struggle sometimes to find the right words to capture the image I'm trying to paint.  For example, I was stumped recently by the sound feet make on sand.  What is it?  I can hear it in my head, but I'll be darned if I know the word that gives one the sense of feet squeaking across a beach. 

Do you have similar challenges?  How do you come up with the right word or words that best capture the emotion and feel for a scene? 

What is the sound a person's feet make walking on sand?

###

Sean Smith is an award-winning conservationist and author. He is a former National Park Ranger at Yellowstone, Glacier, and the North Cascades. He is a TEDx speaker and a private pilot. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1989 with a degree in Political Science. He got his master's in Natural Resources Management from Central Washington University in 1996. He currently runs Washington State's efforts to reduce and eliminate toxic chemicals from consumer products and serves as the Mayor Pro Tem of Covington.

He has been writing stories and books since he was a child, and currently writes national park thrillers from the shadow of Mount Rainier.

All his novels can be found here: Mr. Sean D Smith