Dave Smeds

John Gast: Fantasy World Cartographer

Dave Smeds

10 May 202610 May 2026

Now that my The War of the Dragons trilogy is available in full, including the never-before-seen third book, the moment is right to pay tribute to one of the people who hopped on the wagon of its creation for a while, and […]

Writing Career

Throwing Out the Garbage

Dave Smeds

16 Feb 202514 Feb 2025

It was in January, 1971, when I was not quite sixteen years old, that I decided I wanted to take a shot at getting a piece of my fiction published. And by “published,” I didn’t mean doing so by being included in […]

Eulogy

The Silenced Voice

Dave Smeds

22 Dec 202419 Dec 2024

A prime focus of mine, at least as far as this blog series is concerned, is the author-legacy thing. My own, for one. I’ve done a certain amount of fiction writing over the decades that I want people to know about, to […]

Life

When It Changed

Dave Smeds

08 Dec 202406 Dec 2024

In the fall of 1974, about a week after I had moved into on-campus housing at Sonoma State University, I walked from my apartment to the main building to check for mail, then re-traced my steps to go to my car. My […]

Writing Inspiration

The Stray Bits

Dave Smeds

10 Nov 202409 Nov 2024

I had in mind a substantial blog entry to make up for the brevity of the one I uploaded a couple of weeks ago. Best laid plans. Deadline pending. So, instead, I will continue with the series of posts revealing sources of […]

Travel

World Fantasy Convention 2024

Dave Smeds

27 Oct 202427 Oct 2024

A TRIP REPORT “Let’s meet at the bar” is the standard refrain at World Fantasy Conventions. You say it when you bump into a colleague or friend or even when striking up a new acquaintance when there isn’t time to have an […]

Writing Inspiration

Empowered Female Characters

Dave Smeds

13 Oct 202407 Oct 2024

Long ago, during my mid-twenties, I worked for a furniture manufacturer. I was their graphic artist and the guy responsible for generating their marketing materials, from catalog sheets and price lists to the ad slicks, i.e. line illustrations of the product accompanied […]

Writing Inspiration

Stories Leading to Stories

Dave Smeds

29 Sep 202428 Sep 2024

Two weeks ago, in the previous installment of this blog series, I shared the inspiration for “The Wind’s Kiss,” the opening piece in my new short-story collection Swords, Magic, and Heart. This time around I’m sharing the background from which the concluding […]

Genealogy Stories

A Story’s Genesis: The Wind’s Kiss

Dave Smeds

15 Sep 202413 Sep 2024

The headstone — as you can see in the photograph I’ve included here — stood alone, at least thirty paces from any other marker in the little one-acre graveyard. Still, it was there, intact and still upright, and I was grateful for […]

Life

Fruit as It Should Be

Dave Smeds

01 Sep 202431 Aug 2024

I am the son of a fruit farmer. As such, I know what it’s like to enjoy fresh, completely ripe fruit right off the vine or tree. One of my favorite things about my childhood was that each year from some time […]

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