When one thinks of cozy mysteries, comfy parlors, quaint gardens, and picturesque settings often come to mind. But author J. Allan Smith has turned the mystery world on its head with his Clovis Belden Series, a trio of tantalizing mysteries with a unique western slant.
Though originally planning to write a memoir, the world and characters of The Assassination Arrow, the first book in the Clovis Belden Series, came to him while traveling out west. In fact, the Assassination Arrow was written in large part around a campfire, and the experience of writing under the stars seemed to have seeped into the very pages of his novel as the world of his creation comes to life.
The love J. Allan Smith has for the West is apparent in both his manner of living as well as his creative work. It bleeds through as he describes his youth spent in Colorado and Montana. After all, as J. Allan Smith himself says, most of his writing comes from personal experiences and observations.
And the impact he has had on others by relating his own experiences is clear. J. Allan Smith has had readers share with him how his writing has affected their lives. After teaching at an alternative school, J. Allan Smith was inspired to write a children’s book entitled Tiger the Mule, which includes messages such as setting attainable expectations and rewarding good behavior, much like J. Allan Smith does in his daily work with his horses on his farm. He now tours with the real Tiger the mule, introducing Tiger to children while instilling the critical lessons in his book. As he so aptly puts it, kids understand his message, and he uses his book to encourage them to find the people in their lives they can trust.
But even his books aimed at an older audience have reached their mark with one reader reportedly telling J. Allan Smith that she had highlighted many sections of books in the Clovis Belden series just as she did her bible. And though his first book based on a modern-day young Montana man taking a job in Chicago only to wind up involved in the assassination of the Vice President of the United States began as a stand-alone novel, five years after the publication of The Assassination Arrow and with the urging of his fans, the beginnings of a sequel came to J. Allan Smith, and the series was born.
The Venom of Vengeance and Alone On The Sun, the second and third books in the Clovis Belden series, have been published in quick succession to the delight of avid fans. Now with three books available in the series and a fourth titled Take No Captives coming soon, J. Allan looks forward to further adventures along with his characters under a western sky.
Connect with J. Allan Smith on Facebook.
Recent Comments