Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have had a number of careers, writer, homicide detective, tribal police chief, adjunct professor.
My first two books, Fatal Flowers and Dear Departed, were published by The Berkley Publishing Group, in New York. Of Fatal Flowers, crime writer Ann Rule said, “Fatal Flowers will make the Silence of the Lambs seem almost tame.” I wrote Shadowland Survivors twenty years after Dear Departed was released.
The Cold River Rising series is now into its sixth book, and I’m planning more, so I have published 8 novels, and two non-fiction books, The One Minute Lie Detector, and Live for Almost Free.
Cold River Rising has been optioned for a feature film.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Cold River Renaissance is my latest novel and was inspired by the characters I created in the first four books in the series. I was searching for some closure to the conflict I had presented in books three and four.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write in every situation but usually like to write in the morning. As I get later into a deadline, I write into the night, then wake up, make coffee and breakfast, and start again, often into the night.
I can write at a party, on a plane, in a crowded bar. I can write anywhere and anytime, and if I am off in a corner at a gathering, I’m usually working something out in my latest book.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Numerous. Early on, John D. MacDonald. Then Joseph Wambaugh, Stephen King, Peter Straub, Dan Simmons, David Morrell, and a lot of others.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a television pilot and series bible for Dear Departed.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My website is being modified. When it is up and running again, you can find me at www.enessmith.com. Amazon Kindle has the best representation of my books. Or, you can email me: enes@enessmith.com
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. Don’t listen to friends and family who tell you that you will never publish anything. Believe in yourself. Read the best.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Ray Bradbury said “You only fail if you stop writing.”
What are you reading now?
The Coldest Winter, by David Halberstam
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve written a screenplay for Cold River Rising, and am working on series proposals for Dear Departed and Fatal Flowers. Then book six in the Cold River series.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Anything by Robert Crais
Modern Poets
Crime Fiction Boxed Set: Fatal Flowers, Dear Departed, Shadowland Survivors
Author Websites and Profiles
Enes Smith Amazon Profile