Just Talking #1

A conversation with S.D. Smith

Just Talking is a series of conversations with authors I love.

S. D. Smith is the author of The Green Ember Series, a bestselling middle-grade adventure saga. The Green Ember has reached hundreds of thousands of readers and spent time as the number one bestselling audiobook in the world on Audible. Smith’s stories are captivating readers across the globe who are hungry for “new stories with an old soul.” Enthusiastic families can’t get enough of these tales.

When he’s not writing adventurous tales of #RabbitsWithSwords in his writing shed, dubbed The Forge, Smith loves to speak to audiences about storytelling, imagination, and seeing yourself as a character in the Story.

S. D. Smith lives in West Virginia with his wife and four kids.

Jennifer: Thank you for joining me today, Sam—or S.D., as most of my readers know you. Since I love your books and you as a writer, I wanted to bring you to my newsletter for a conversation about you, your books, and writing. Let’s start with your books. In case my readers have never heard of The Green Ember series, can you describe it in one sentence?

S.D.: The Green Ember is a hopeful, hard, and moving tale about two young rabbit siblings caught up in an epic adventure.

Jennifer: Epic it is. What did you do before you were a writer?

S.D.: Before I started writing full-time, I worked in adult eduction, working with low-income folks in many rural counties of West Virginia. 

Jennifer: That doesn't sound as “fun” as writing (although important).

Many avid readers love books with animals as the main characters. I am an avid reader, but I am not an animal person. We do not own a pet. I do not want a pet. And my poor kids don’t go to the zoo much since I do not enjoy the smell or sight of animals. But I love your books! I often had to remind myself that your characters were rabbits. What do you tell people who hesitate to read a book about rabbits?

S.D.: Personified animals make some more intense stories accessible to kids, and I think that’s something that happens in my books. People often forget my characters are rabbits, because it’s really a story about humanity. It’s relatable in many ways (good and bad). I’m not a “rabbit” person, really. I like rabbits, but the story isn’t “about rabbits” even though it is for sure about rabbits.

Jennifer: Let's switch gears.

Every mom wants to know how some moms seem to do it all. But how do dads seem to do it all? You’re a dad of four kids. How do you juggle work AND being a dad?

S.D.: I don’t know. I love my kids and want to be with them, so I am. I also don’t always “feel like it”, and I press in because of commitments I’ve made. But I’m not always faithful. I hope, in the big picture, I’m a good dad. I am pretty keenly aware that I can’t be the provider and protector I want to be. It sounds cliche, but only God can be that. I am working to answer the call of God on my life as a dad. I am trying to “show up” and walk in love and lead my kids on the path of life. I don’t have super clear lines of juggling between work and home. It’s pretty intertwined, along with other vocations. 

Jennifer: As a work-from-home dad, are you involved in the kids’ homeschooling?

S.D.: Not much, formally. Informally, or “in normal life,” I’m very involved in their education and formation, and we do a lot of talking through everything from the Bible to the Beatles and the Civil War and sports. 

Jennifer: So, you are but you aren't. Kind of like how The Green Ember isn't about rabbits when it is indeed about rabbits.

Do you have any encouragement for dads who don’t see themselves as creative people that can invest in their children as you invest in yours by storytelling?

S.D.: You don’t have to be an expert. You have to be present, faithful, and generous. Kids respond to effort. To modeling. If you’re stagnate and surrender the game before you ever play, you’re sunk. Show up and try. Kids love it when we try. Start small. Read a story. You don’t have to be J. R. R. Tolkien. Just be you. Read them a little story and give it a go. Think small. Start small. Grow. Go. Don’t believe lies. Try!

Jennifer: I love that. As a runner I think: You can't finish the race if you don't start.

Another thing I'm curious about is your life as a missionary kid. I lived in West Africa for a time as opposed to you living in South Africa which is pretty different. Are there things you miss about South Africa? A few of the things I miss are fresh bread delivered every day, the slowness of life, the streets filled with kids playing, the dancing, couscous, and fried plantains. 

S.D.: I miss the sky, the smells, and the people. I miss the languages, and the color. I miss Zulus and cricket and township soccer. I miss braais. I miss individuals most of all. Old friends. I love South Africa. 

Jennifer: Do you have advice for parents who feel God is leading them onto the mission field?

S.D.: I would say that if you can’t function faithfully in your current church and organizations, it won’t solve your problems to take them elsewhere. We have exported a lot of disfunction across the globe in missions. For kids, I’d just be aware that it’s a life-altering event and you should consider them in your plans. God doesn’t call a married man with four kids to the mission field alone. So, I would listen to others. Talk to missionaries who have had kids with them. It can be sobering. For me, it was a largely good experience that I’m grateful for. I’ve seen it bear lots of good fruit for me and many others. I’m pro-missions. But many/most folks shouldn’t be vocational missionaries. Consider the cost. Sometimes a “call” isn’t from God. Love your kids. Check your Caller I.D. 

Jennifer: Are you still involved in global missions in any way?

S.D.: In some ways, yes. I care a great deal about missionary kids and, of course, believe in the power of the Gospel to rescue sinners like me. 

Jennifer: Let's talk about Jane Austen.

I think it was Karen Swallow Prior as a guest on the Table of (Mal)Contents podcast who was shocked that Barnabas Piper had never read Jane Austen. We talked about this when I was on their show, and I tried to tell Barnabas not to worry about it, thinking he wouldn’t like her novels since he was a man. However, I’ve heard you say that you’re an Austen fan. What makes you like her work?

S.D.: I love Austen. C. S. Lewis loved Austen. I do question Barnabas. Maybe he’s not a good Christian? (Wink.)

Jennifer: Right? Perhaps we should evangelize to him. Which of Austen’s novels is your favorite?

S.D.: I think Pride and Prejudice is hard to beat. Austen is a treasure. Her characters are so profoundly realistic and faithful to humankind. We will all meet good men like her good men, and bad men like her bad men. Same with women. I love her heroically virtuous and humble women. A brilliant writer with deep insight. Who is better? 

Jennifer: That is the question.

Tell me about The Princess of Lava Mountain. My four-year-old girl obsesses over lava. It constantly shows up in her pretend play, so I’m interested in this story you tell one of your daughters. Will we see this story in print one day? You already have a target audience over here. 

S.D.: It could make it into print one day. You’ll have to wait! Till then, it’ll be between me and my Norah. 

Jennifer: I respect that—although I am slightly jealous of Norah.

So, I recently moved to the Charlotte, NC, area. The way I found out about my local bookstore was from one of your posts on Instagram. I’m curious. How do you know the owners of Goldberry Books? Side note: I bought one of your books for a Christmas gift there. 

S.D.: I’ve known David Kern for years, through Circe’s conferences. He’s been to my house to do interviews and we’ve been at lots of conferences together. We met through my cousin, Tyler, who went to college with David, many years ago. 

Jennifer: Awesome. Well, his bookstore is beautiful, and from what I've seen from his newsletter, he has great taste in books.

It seems like your family works as a team to promote your books. How is it that you get people on your team? I’m not talking about platform or numbers. I mostly mean your inner circle. For me, it seems like I have to pull the hair of some tender-headed family members and close friends to care about my writing. How did you get people to care about your writing, especially in the beginning?

S.D.: “Excellence is the best business plan.” John Lasseter said that. Most of what we as writers do is not write. So we don’t get better. We need to write to get better. (This is groundbreaking insight!) I have always been blessed by enthusiastic encouragers and enablers. First, it was a very small group. Now, it’s bigger. I faced rejection, sometimes on a large scale, sometimes smaller. I think it might help writers to think not of how to burden your friends about your writing and instead tell yourself a faithful story about how you are aiming to be generous and you are genuinely keen to invite others—without guilt and where appropriate—on that journey. We think very “marketingy.” We think we need help SEEMING like something and that that’s a shortcut. Take the long cut and BE something. BE someone who is generous and who works hard at loving and serving readers. As Steve Martin said, “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” I’m not sure anything else works and, if it does, it’s a negative. 

Jennifer: Wow.

Do you feel that God made us to create—that we’re all creative in our own ways?

S.D.: Yes. Absolutely. We make new worlds all the time in our small (compared to God) ways. We are always making and saying, “It’s good,” or not. We can’t help it. We are story people and sub-creating people and we would be wise to take our “Enlightenment” blinders off and see more than mere info for brains. 

Jennifer: What do you think about art that costs then? Should we be okay with selling our art, or should we give it away? You often talk about being hospitable with your writing, so I wonder how you think of hospitality when you’re selling your books—although you give away some too. In fact, you chose one of my friends recently to give your series to because of her story of hospitality. 

S.D.: I think about it in terms of an ordinary Christian vocation. Like the farmer, I’m “tending a field” and selling some of the results and giving some away. I think we make a mistake by over-estimating “elite” vocations and underestimating “modest” ones. I kind of think they’re all elite and modest at the same time. I don’t have anything at all against selling art. I wish more of us would see it as valuable. I think that would be good for buyers and sellers. 

Jennifer: Amen.

Did you know any other writers before you decided to be one?

S.D.: No. Meeting a “real author” for me as a kid would have been like meeting Magic Johnson or Neil Armstrong. 

Jennifer: Ha.

What are some mistakes you’ve made as a writer? What did you learn from them?

S.D.: I have spent way too much time not writing. I have spent way too much time looking for shortcuts. I’ve learned that habits are the gateway to what kind of life we will lead. Small, modest, good habits will help us go and grow. Bad ones allow us to spiral into a negative momentum. We have to get out of our own way. 

Jennifer: Do you revise as you go, or do you get a first draft down first? 

S.D.: “They” say you shouldn’t revise as you go, but I often do. 

Jennifer: That makes me feel better. I can't help but revise as I go. It's an OCD thing.

Are you a pantser or plotter?

S.D.: A plantser. 

Jennifer: Haha. Me too.

Lastly, I’m borrowing this question from my friend Hunter at the Journeywomen Podcast. What are your three simple joys? 

S.D.: I love this question. 1) I love church. 2) I love affection and family. 3) I love making. 

*To learn more about S.D. Smith’s books, you can go to his website, sign up for his newsletter, read 3k worth of 5-star reviews on Amazon, or visit your local bookstore.