Today we’d like to introduce you to Westley Smith
Hi Westley, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up poor in a small Pennsylvania town. I struggled in school because I was dyslexic, though no one knew that at the time, and most people (family and friends) wrote me off as a dumb kid who had a future in factory work. At a young age, I helped take care of both of my parents, who were sick.
My father went blind when I was four because of diabetes, and he continued to struggle with the disease for the rest of his life, losing both of his legs. He passed when I was twelve. He was forty-five.
My mother had asthma, which caused her a lot of breathing issues. Her health deteriorated over time (from the medication she was on to help with the breathing issues) to the point where she was bedridden. In December of 1998, she had a stroke. I watched helplessly as the paramedics resuscitated her. They got her heart started, but there was no sign of brain activity. I had to give the order to take her off life support. She was thirty-nine. I was eighteen at the time.
Having to make such a decision at such a young age profoundly changed me. It left me scared. And I struggle with PTSD to this day.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Nothing about my life has been easy.
I’ve had a lot of struggles along the way, from trying to keep a roof over my head to keeping gas in the tank so I can make it to work. I’ve gone hungry. I’ve washed my clothes in the bathtub because I couldn’t afford the laundry mat. I’ve slept cold and without hot water to take a shower because I couldn’t afford to pay the electric bill.
Having PTSD makes life hard sometimes, especially around the holidays when you’re the only one who doesn’t have their parents. It just brings all those empty, sad feelings to the forefront of your mind. I manage it the best I can.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a crime/thriller writer.
I’ve been writing since I was ten years old. My fourth-grade teacher assigned the class to write a story for Halloween. From that moment on, I got the writing bug and never looked back.
I wrote short stories when I was young, finally getting my first published story, Off To War, in a national magazine when I was sixteen. I was thrilled. It confirmed in my mind that I could write despite my dyslexia and what people thought about me.
I continued to write short stories and submit them to magazines throughout my twenties and into my thirties while working on novels and in factories to make ends meet. I got a few nibbles here and there but nothing big.
In 2013, I had an idea for a horror story and decided to self-publish my first novel, Along Came the Tricksters. I followed that up with its sequel, All Hallows Eve. But I quickly realized two things. One: I’m not a horror writer. Two: self-publishing wasn’t for me.
After that, I turned my focus to writing crime and thrillers. I wrote a few practice novels to see if I could write crime and thriller stories and novels. Turns out I can and found my writing voice in the process. In 2024, I published Some Kind of Truth with Wicked House Publishing and followed that up in August of 2024 with In The Pale Light for Watertower Hill Publishing.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Good food, good people, good cigars.
Bad food, bad people, bad cigars.
Pricing:
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Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.westleysmithbooks.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wsmithbooks/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westleysmith100
Image Credits
Some Kind of Truth – Wicke House Publishing
In The Pale Light – Watertower Hill Publishing