This month’s featured author is Ian K. Smith.
I love to introduce an author that is new to some of you. Well, this month my featured author is also new to me as well.
It has been fun looking into all of the different things that this author is involved in. At first look, you are like a doctor who writes mysteries. Well, he does and he is very successful at this endeavor. However, Dr. Smith also is the host of The Doctors television show, he writes some diet and lifestyle books. I might need to look into those. Enough of me telling you about him.
Let’s get on with the interview.
Personal
Tell us a little about yourself? Perhaps something not many people know?
I REALLY love the game of golf and all sports for that matter. I love classic cars—mostly European. I aim to be an excellent baker of simple foods. I love music—all kinds—and would love to play in a band one day!
What made you want to become a writer?
I’ve always been a lover of books and stories. I remember winning the MS readathon when I was in elementary school, a competition for who could read the most books in a defined period of time. I find good stories to be transformative. They rattle all the emotions and challenge your brain. They grab and catch you and even when the story is over, they don’t let you go. As much as I enjoyed reading these types of books, I always had a desire to write my own and engender those feelings in others.
What book that you have read has most influenced your life?
Standing at the Scratch Line by Guy Johnson
Who is your favorite author?
This is such a difficult question. I like so many authors. I’m going to list some of them in no particular order. Harlan Coben, Walter Mosley, Lee Child, Guy Johnson, Dennis Lehane, Michael Connelly, Dominick Dunne
What is the first book that made you cry?
Where the Wild Things Are
What do you want your tombstone to say?
A lover of life. He followed his passion without regrets and fought the good fight fearlessly and humbly.
I love that it’s poetic and fits you so well.
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
Invincibility. I’d love to live forever and keep having fun and finding new challenges and enjoy new experiences.
Where is one place you want to visit that you haven’t been before (real or imaginary)?
I am a big traveler. There are so many countries and cities on my list. Sadly, COVID-19 has kept my family grounded and unable to go explore the world like we typically do.
Do you have a bucket list? What is the last item on it?
I don’t have a written bucket list like some might have. There really isn’t an end to my list. There’s so much I want to do, so many experiences that I want to have. The bottom of the list continues to grow the closer I get to it. I enjoy that it’s never-ending. Life would be so boring if there was nothing left in your bucket list.
Writing Style
What do you love most about your writing process?
I love to first write the book in my head. I don’t sit down like some authors and rigorously outline my stories in a traditional sense. I work out the story and characters in my head first, and take some notes during this process, but I really see the story visually in my mind. I visualize the scenes and what the characters look like and how they dress and interact with each other. This visualization is key to my process and a lot of fun, because I can imagine and create whatever I want. Once I have a handle on the story’s direction, then I sit down and release a torrent of all my pent-up thoughts.
Do you like music or silence?
I love music when I write. I usually listen to Top 40 hits, but I also will throw on some classical. It really depends on where I am in the book or what stage of the writing process I’m in. When I’m editing the book, I usually go for classical. When I’m creating, I go for high-energy Top 40. I write a lot during the graveyard shift, so the music keeps me up and engaged while everyone sleeps.
Do you have goals of certain # of words a week or when inspiration strikes?
I’m a zone writer where I can write volumes in a short period of time, because my creative energy is in “the zone”. When the idea has gelled in my head, then I’m ready to sit down and write. I am a good typist, so I can bang out pages rather quickly. I typically set a daily goal of how many original pages I write. I’m very diligent and determined about meeting my page counts. Organization of process is important to me as I like to set goals and meet them, and this drives me to keep going. One of my tricks is that I never start writing unless I have an idea of the direction of where I want to go. I never stop writing when I’m totally out of ideas. I always stop writing with some fuel left in the tank so I can start the car the next day, push the pedal, and go.
Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reins of the story?
I have the reins of the story most of the time, however, it’s fun to sometimes allow my characters great latitude to drive the plot and their character arc. Good characters beg you to create good stories for them and great scenes. So while I’m in control, there’s no doubt the characters definitely have a big voice in the finished product, and I’m happy to share authority with them.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
I’m a voracious reader, so I make sure that I’m not in the middle of reading a book while I’m writing my own. I also try not to watch any streaming series in the same genre as the book I’m currently writing. I like to keep my head clear so that I can create my own ideas and not be influenced with what I’ve recently read or seen. Once I get caught up reading a good book or watching a great series, that’s all I want to do, and it can slow my efforts to sit down at my computer and write.
Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?
Never. I am proud of my stories and I work hard to develop them. I always want to stand in front and behind my work and be proud that it’s my creation.
How important are character names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning?
Character names are EXTREMELY important to me. I take a lot of time finding or creating the right name for each character. Names have to sound good, look good, and somehow give you an idea of what the character might look like or how they might behave. I make up names that sound good to me and fit the character. I’m also always in the hunt for good names, so if I meet someone or read a name in an article, I will write a note in my phone where I have a running list of good character names to be used in the future.
Book/Series
What is your favorite part of the book?
There are so many favorite parts in this book that it’s difficult to choose one. However, I really do like the scene where Ashe meets with Chopper, nephew of a notorious Chicago gangster and boyfriend of the missing girl, Tinsley Gerrigan. There’s a lot that’s going on in that meeting psychologically, sociologically, and materially as it relates to the plot development. I really like how the young Chopper unexpectedly one-ups Ashe when he quotes Shakespeare.
Is anything in your book based on real-life experiences or purely all imagination?
Ashe’s golf addiction and desire to lower his handicap into the single digits is absolutely based on my real-life experience of trying to conquer the wonderful, yet constantly challenging game of golf. Ashe’s decision to resign his position as a detective with CPD over a “bad shooting” is based on the real and tragic shooting of Laquan McDonald that started an entire social movement in Chicago.
What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
I really love the scenes with Mechanic, Ashe’s tough, gun-toting righthand man. They have great chemistry and complement each other so well. They have a long and extremely loyal friendship and bromance, and they are both so fearless and determined.
How did you come up with the title?
It wasn’t my original title, but I settled on this one, because so much of what is essential to this story are the things that the characters are not expressing or being truthful about to Ashe. Many of the answers that Ashe is looking for lie in the things that are “unspoken.”
If you could spend time a character from your book whom would it be? And what would you do during that day?
Ashe Cayne, for sure. He’s really a man after my own heart. We would play golf every day, then cruise in his antique Porsche and grab some great food and sit back and talk about life.
If you could cast your characters in the Hollywood adaptation of your book, who would play your characters?
The main character, Ashe Cayne would be played by someone like Michael B. Jordan, Aldis Hodge, or Boris Kodjoe
Jen was picturing Lance Reddick when she was reading The Unspoken.
What project are you working on now?
I have just been tapped to be the new and solo host of the nationally syndicated show THE DOCTORS. The new season premiers on September 21st. I’m extremely excited about this opportunity, especially given the pandemic we currently are struggling with right now. The theme of the season is “Take Your Power Back.” I plan on putting on a positive, informative show that will challenge, inform, and entertain my viewers.
Do you have any other books coming out in the near future?
I have a big new diet book coming out in April 2021 called FAST BURN, and the second installment of my Ashe Cayne series comes out in October of 2021.
Wolf Point (Ashe Cayne Book 2)
You can follow Dr. Ian here:
Make sure you check out Dr. Ian’s other fiction books
Or his nonfiction books
Giveaway
Prize: (1) hardcover copy of THE UNSPOKEN by Ian K. Smith. (the US only)
I hope you enjoyed getting to know more about Dr. Ian Smith. A huge thank you to Ian K. Smith for taking the time to out of his busy schedule to answer my questions and being featured on the Baroness’ Book Trove. Make sure that you check out our book review of The Unspoken. And enter the giveaway for his book.
Until the next time, happy reading!
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