Author in the Headlights - Dan Smith

Today I have pleasure in welcoming Dan Smith to my blog.

Born in 1970, Dan spent the first eighteen years of his life either following his parents across the world to Africa, Asia and South America or being subjected to the rigours of a traditional English boarding school.
In the years since, he's had an array of jobs from dishwasher to fraud detector along with a fistful of mundane office jobs.  Throughout he kept writing, and says, like most writers, he just can't help it.
In 2008 he signed a two book deal with The Orion Publishing Group.  The first of those novels, Dry Season, was shortlisted for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award 2011 and was nominated for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.  Dry Season, his second novel, has been followed this year by The Child Thief.
He has now settled in Newcastle, where he lives with his wife and two young children.

Who has influenced your life the most? Me. Is that self-centred?

Which is your favourite book? That’s a mean question. I have lots of favourite books. Lord of the Flies. The Old Man and The Sea. The Go-Between. The Outsider. The Road. Is that cheating?

What would you save, apart from loved ones and pets, in a fire? I don’t think there’s anything I’d risk my life for – apart from loved ones, of course. If I had the chance I’d grab my ipod because I always email my work-in-progress to it at the end of the day as a back-up, but I wouldn’t die for it. And as for pets? Well, the fish would have to boil. Sorry. 

Which film have you seen several times? I often watch films more than once. I’ve seen The Princess Bride so many times I can quote most of it. But then, I could say the same about The Outlaw Josey Wales or Evil Dead. I’ve seen Apocalypse Now a few times, and A Clockwork Orange and, as is pretty common for a man of my age, Star Wars. Oh, and Spinal Tap is another one I know almost by heart. Is that sad?

What in your life do you regret doing? Well, life’s too short to spend too much time regretting stuff, but . . . not meeting my wife sooner. And I’m not saying that just because she’s going to read this. And working harder at school - I was too busy being an angry teenager.

What ambition do you have? To be number one on the bestseller charts while Stephen King is number two and JK Rowling is number three. No . .  wait . . . that’s a pipe dream, not an ambition.

What is your favourite colour? This is something my children often ask me and, just to be obtuse, I say ‘black’. Honestly, though, I’m not sure if I have one. I should say ‘blood red’, shouldn’t I? But then, you can’t beat a nice green lawn, can you?

If you were an animal, what would you like to be and why? Well, I’d like to be something like a jaguar or a tiger because they’re lithe and graceful and savage, but I’d probably end up as something far less dangerous; like a hamster.

What temptation do you wish you could resist? I’m very disciplined. I can resist all temptations. Mostly.

What, in others, makes you angry? When they park on the double-yellow lines outside my house! These little rules, inconvenient as they might be, make for a world in which we can all get along. You know who you are – you people who think you’re above the rules. I’m looking at you. You make me angry. If we all just did whatever we wanted to, the world would be even more chaotic than it already is. That’s all. (spoken in the voice of Victor Meldrew)

What wisdom would you share with a child? Well, having two children, I’m always sharing my wisdom with them. I’m just brimming with wisdom, but they don’t always ever listen. So that would be my wisdom – take advice from those who are more experienced than you are. Sometimes other people really do know better than you.

What is your philosophy of life? Hope for the best; expect the worst. I’ve never put it into words like that but . .  well, that pretty much sums it up.

What is your favourite song? It’s very hard to single out a favourite of anything when you get to adulthood because those experiences start to rack up, but I like ‘The River’ by Bruce Springsteen, great lyrics, but it’s not for every mood. How about ‘Waterloo Sunset’ by the Kinks? Or ‘Riders on the Storm’ by The Doors? Or . . . too many!

What is your favourite piece of music? Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony. Sounds a bit pompous, I know, but it’s very rousing and I’ve loved it ever since (of all things) the first time I saw A Clockwork Orange.
Which four people, dead or alive, would you like to invite to dinner? I’d invite my close friends. I’m not one for being star struck by celebrity and there are people who I admire but would be afraid to meet them in case they turned out to be unpleasant. Friends would be safer.

What has made you happiest? This is going to sound cheesy, but I’d have to say my family. There’s nothing I like more than being at home with my wife and two children. Until the children start arguing . . .

What would you want if you could choose anything? Anything? Happiness, comfort and safety for my family. Sounds cheesy again, doesn’t it?

Who is the most fascinating person you’ve met?  I’ve met lots of interesting people but ‘fascinating’? Hmm. I’m just so hard to impress!

Where is your favourite place in the world? Home. There are lots of places I’ve been to that I’ve loved, and there are many places I’d like to visit, but there’s nothing quite like coming home.

What’s your guilty secret? Well, it wouldn’t be a secret if I told you, would it? Anyway, why have guilty secrets? Just have secrets.

Who is your real life hero? I’m too sceptical and untrusting to have heroes.

If you weren’t a writer, what would you be? An international man of mystery. Or, alternatively, I’d still be stuck in the office job I was doing a few years ago, banging my head on the desk and saying ‘I’m bored’.

Five things you might not know about Dan Smith.

He used to be proficient at Kung-Fu.

He went to boarding school when he was seven years old.

He's a bit of a wuss when it comes to spiders. And other critters.

He crashed his mum’s Beetle (car, not critter) into a lamppost when he was fifteen. In Brazil, so no laws broken. Phew!

He doesn’t like watching football on the telly.

Thank you, Dan, for taking time to answer my questions.  Much appreciated.


Dan's latest book, The Child Thief, was published in by Orion in May this year.  


You can take a look at all his books on his Amazon page. 


To keep up with Dan's news or find out more about him, you can visit his website. 


You can also follow him on Twitter @DanSmithAuthor.