Covington City Councilman Sean Smith often sits quietly at the dais during council meetings, listening. However, beneath his staid exterior lives a bundle of suspense and high adventure.
Smith released his third novel in January titled, “Need to Know”, which he describes as a “national park thriller.”
Before landing in Covington he worked for the National Forest Service as a ranger at Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park in Montana. His experience as a ranger is where he has drawn the inspiration for his stories.
His first novel, “Unleashing Colter’s Hell”, was set in Yellowstone and “Need to Know” is set in Mount Rainier National Park. The time is 1947. His main character is a park ranger, Grayson Cole. The story centers on nine silver discs and a world-wide conspiracy with an avalanche, blizzards and deadly agents.
Smith said he has been captivated by thrillers and adventure stories and he began writing in grade school.
“My mom brought some of my school work over and there was a story about Magellan and Santa Claus,” he said.
He now works for the Department of Ecology as a superintendent for the Hazardous Waste and Toxic Reduction Program. Smith said he writes during his lunch breaks and listens to recorded books for research during his commute.
“I like being able to captivate people,” Smith said. “I really respect good writing. You can see it in your head; it’s hypnotic.”
Smith self-publishes his novels through Amazon’s CreateSpace.
“It’s a great way for authors to get publishing and create a body of work,” Smith said.
He said the next step now that he has three books completed is to work on securing an agent and publisher.
All three novels are available on Amazon’s website at Mr. Sean D Smith.
With three down, Smith is not resting. He has already started his fourth titled, “Friends Like These.” This story is set in Glacier National Park.
Smith said will be doing a reading at the Covington Library in the near future. Check the News and Notes section of The Reporter when a date has been set.
