S.D. Smith's Blog, page 16

My Place BESIDE You…

“My place beside you…”

That’s the start of the sacred oath the characters recite in The Green Ember that resonated deeply with me when it first flowed from my fingers into the tale and has since moved so many readers.

I don’t view my work as a platform to achieve “elite artist status” but as a magical-ordinary vocation where God has called me to be an ally in imagination to families who are desperate for daring adventures that are dangerous to the darkness. Tales that help make us all dangerous to the darkness.

So it’s not just in the stories. It’s in the calling of creating and sharing them too.

My place BESIDE you.
Always.

The post My Place BESIDE You… appeared first on S. D. Smith.

Be a Maker Not a Faker

Be a maker not a faker. We are bonkers over fake endeavors. Fake war. (Fortnite, Call of Duty etc.) Fake love. (You know what I’m talking about.) Fake public service/citizenship. (Social media fights.) Fake. Fake. Fake.

No. Be a real human. And really make things. Don’t fake it till you make it. Make it. Then you don’t have to fake it. Make. Make better. Make more. Zach Franzen told me that being is better than seeming. Yes. 

Also, be a maker not a faker.

I’m cheering you on! I’m praying for you. Please pray for me. 

The post Be a Maker Not a Faker appeared first on S. D. Smith.

S. D. Smith and Dude Perfect

So, my kids are VERY big Dude Perfect fans. I mean, as much as I looked up to athletes or other stars as a kid, my kids adore Coby, Cory, Garrett, Cody, and Tyler. 

And it’s not just them. These guys are some of the most popular entertainers alive, with 13 BILLION views on their videos. No. Joke. 

We got tickets to see DP at Bristol Motor Speedway last Friday and surprised the kids! We sometimes piggy-back on work-travel for vacations, but we kinda stink at actually taking time to do something fun and haven’t really vacationed much or in a long time. Well, we did this little trip and the kids had a blast. 

We all cheered the guys on during their entertaining antics and my daughter even brought her homemade “Go TT!” sign she made and uses at home during their battles. She’s a big fan. We’re all big fans. 

And we have a few things in common with DP. 

1) They are authors. My books have sometimes—on rare occasions—dipped into the top 100 overall sales on Amazon. Their new book is currently #1. (Yeah, that’s a LOT of book sales!)

2) They are Christians. I love that these guys are unashamed and do their work intentionally, without being defensive or fearful. I think they are great examples to others (like me) who do work in public, but—as followers of Jesus—sometimes face unique obstacles in the world of entertainment/arts. 

3) Our entertainment lawyer is their entertainment lawyer. He’s an awesome guy, also named Sam, and we love working with him. He’s fantastic. And that leads us to what happened Friday night…

I met up with Sam at the event, but I never asked, or expected, to get to meet the Dudes. But Sam surprised us big time and took us with him to meet the guys after the show. My kids were speechless, starstruck, and absolutely delighted. 

Bucket List: CHECKED. 

And they were awesome in person. My kids kept saying they were just like they are in their videos. 

My son got his book signed by all the Dudes, and my daughter got her homemade “Go TT!” sign autographed as well. 

This was such a fun night, one that my family will never forget. 

We feel thankful, and encouraged. 

Next Bucket List? Doing a video with DP.

(Someday.)

The post S. D. Smith and Dude Perfect appeared first on S. D. Smith.

Sam and Gina: 21 Years!

My Gina!

I’m so grateful for these past 21 years of life together. 

TWO became ONE twenty-one years ago on this date in the year of our Lord, 2000.

Thank you for marrying me, for sticking with me through the many dark days we’ve faced and for being the brightest part of the sunny ones. 

I love you. I will never leave you. 

Your Sam

The post Sam and Gina: 21 Years! appeared first on S. D. Smith.

Enjoy Books and Ignore Authors (Mostly)

Don’t take advice from the wrong people. Everyone is telling a story. Everyone is kind of marketing all the time.
So, if we believe the big problem of the world is bee stings, then we’re going to be telling everyone how [whatever is in the news] is reason for extra vigilance about bee stings and how our solution is more crucial than ever.

The saying is wise: When you have a hammer, everything looks like nail.
And we all have hammers.

My hammer, or my calling in life, is about stories. So I naturally see how important they are and I see them everywhere.

But I don’t recommend looking to artists and authors to be your doctors, your political action mentors, your pastors, or even as substitutes for your actual friends—just look to them for their art. This is good advice all the time, I believe, but perhaps especially now.

It’s okay to just enjoy a movie without idolizing the movie star. It’s okay to read a story and not be discipled on politics or religion by the author. Celebrities and entertainers are often foolish, as are the most noisy and angry partisans in media. It’s wise not to invest wide trust in them. It is almost entirely unearned.

It’s so noisy. You have permission to disengage from the media maelstrom.

You have permission to get really local and concern yourself with your community and value it—like valuing your pastor’s wisdom over the pundit you’ve been catechized by for years.

Authors and other artists can be great, sure. But don’t look to them for what they aren’t meant to give. If you need to ignore me, please do.

Enjoy books and ignore authors. (Mostly.)

God draws straight lines with crooked sticks. But look to the line, and the drawer, not the sticks, for your truth and worship.

: Graeme Pittman

The post Enjoy Books and Ignore Authors (Mostly) appeared first on S. D. Smith.

Ender’s Game Made Me a Reader; Its Author Helped Me Become a Writer

Flash back to that time we went to see Orson Scott Card and I got to thank him for his influence on me as a writer and a reader.

Nearly thirty years ago, Ender’s Game got me hooked on reading. It showed me reading books could be a delightful experience.

Nearly twenty years ago, I heard him speak on writing at a little college in Virginia and it greatly inspired and informed my subsequent work.

He was so encouraged to hear that I was now doing this full-time. He emphasized how rare it is and it seemed to really surprise and delight him. That was cool.

He was kind to my kids who are also big fans. (It was my son Josiah’s birthday. He signed his book, “To Josiah—the boy who looks like Ender.”)

This event also let me be on the other side of an author event. Listening, clapping, waiting in a long signing line. It was so fun and good for me to experience that side of it. It took away some of the pressure I feel when I’m “featured” at an event or people are waiting in long singing lines for me. I left really encouraged.

Thanks, OSC. Thanks to all the authors who have inspired and encouraged me.

The post Ender’s Game Made Me a Reader; Its Author Helped Me Become a Writer appeared first on S. D. Smith.

Thank You, Fallen Warriors

Every nation, people, or culture has a story. It seems to me that in every one of those cultures there is a place of honor reserved for those whose work it is, or has been, to physically protect all the others. Such is certainly the case in the American story. From our imperfect founding, our heroes have often been warriors. This seems to be the case for most cultures which endure at all (for obvious reasons).

In a world where sin is a universal plague, it is for now necessary to have governments who serve their people by bearing the sword. These abstract considerations find form in so many men and women who serve in the military.

It’s an easy thing to forget that the liberty we enjoy is not produced in a vacuum. It was got the way it is usually got–by warriors with weapons. These men and women have frequently been people of the highest moral character, willingly sacrificing themselves for the love they have for those they would protect. Many have died.

I think it’s a peculiar and grievous kind of selfish delusion to deny gratitude to these servants.

I pray for peace with our enemies. I understand that our enemies are in need of the Gospel, just like we are. I hate violence and war. I understand that as Christians we are called to have an attitude of forgiveness and love. But the world is what it is—a place where many powerful men want to dominate others for evil.

I thank God for soldiers who stand guard at the gates, who work to allow me to live in peace and safety in my home. I don’t want to assign divinity to these servants, provoke or participate in idolatry to the nation they serve, but I want to thank them for being an instrument by which we receive so much kindness in our lives.

So thank you. To everyone who signs a paper that says you are willing to go anywhere and fight anyone so I can be with my family and be a lot less fearful than most people in history have been and many people in the world are.

We honor the memory of the fallen, and say that we won’t forget you. Saying “thank you” doesn’t feel adequate. But may we, with our lives, be a kind of tribute to the cause you laid down your lives for. I’ll love my family and neighbors, serve the vulnerable and oppressed, seek joy and deep meaning in the life I have. And I’ll remember the part you played in securing those joys, with thanks.

The post Thank You, Fallen Warriors appeared first on S. D. Smith.

Hear S. D. Smith on Writing!

I’m excited to share this! I get lots of question about writing and I’m sharing my anchor words in this talk which is a part of Renew Conference ONLINE. What do I mean by “anchor words?”

Five Anchor Words for Every Kind of Writer

You may have a life verse, or some words to live by, but do you have words that anchor you when you write? Beloved Green Ember Series author S. D. Smith offers (and explores) five anchor words to locate and center your identity as a writer in this practical, encouraging session.

Follow this link to register today! (It’s only $20 today as an early-bird deal.) The conference will have lots of great speakers, including Amber Johnston, Cindy West, and Min Hwang. It’s focussed on homeschooling, but I think would benefit many others as well. I hope you’ll join in the fun!

Register Today!

The post Hear S. D. Smith on Writing! appeared first on S. D. Smith.

Sales and Souls: The Green Ember Series is for Beloved Readers

[image error][image error]

It’s not the sales, it’s the souls. I believe stories are catechisms for the soul. I’m not sure who said that first, but it wasn’t me. I did’t say it, but I heard. And I believe it. 

I love selling books and I want to sell millions more. I love that, from rural West Virginia, we’ve created a series that hangs with (and tops) books from huge New York publishers. I love that our sales team (that’s YOU) competes with billion-dollar budgets and comes out on top again and again. I love selling books. Why? Because book sales means book spread. It means the stories reach PEOPLE. 

I write these stories for the human beings, soul and body, who feel more hopeful, brave, and determined when they read them. They also feel happy. I love that. We hear from families going through very painful seasons who have received these stories as hopeful, healing, comforting, and inspirational. I write for them. I fight for them. I’m honored to be allowed to do this work loving and serving so many precious readers all over the world. 

I get lots of letters. They are so, so sweet. This is a little sneak-peek at what I experience every time I wade into the pile of treasure that is my inbox! It’s nuts. I can’t remember the last time I didn’t have stacks of mail waiting for me.

What an incredible honor. Please pray for me, if you think of it, because I want to do a great job of loving and serving my readers (mostly precious kids!) for a many more years. 

Dear God, please may I? 

The post Sales and Souls: The Green Ember Series is for Beloved Readers appeared first on S. D. Smith.

I’m Investing in the Wingfeather Saga Animated Show

This is exciting! My pal Andrew Peterson’s wonderful book series, The Wingfeather Saga, is raising funds for season one of an animated series. Andrew is partnering with Angel Studios, who have helped raise funds to create The Chosen, a spectacular series centered on Jesus and his disciples. 

I’m a big fan of these end-runs around traditional gatekeepers in media—we need more! Of course I’m also a big Andrew Peterson fan and so I’m pitching in as an investor. I hope you will too! 

Check it out here!

The post I’m Investing in the Wingfeather Saga Animated Show appeared first on S. D. Smith.