SR author takes time to share
SLIPPERY ROCK — Teresa Smith of Slippery Rock doesn't lack ambition.
She's written her first novel, a young adult paranormal romance, “Pyramid of the Moon,” which will be available on Amazon.com Nov. 1.
She plans two more novels to make a trilogy of books.
She already has a short story, “Black Widow Rose,” on Amazon.com.
She's started another novel where she's trying a fresh take on vampires.
And she's doing this all around the schedules of her husband and three girls aged 11 through 8.
Smith said she takes to her computer when her daughters are in school or in bed.
And although she's doing everything from setting up a Facebook site for her book, to contacting bookstores about having her novel available in both e-book and physical forms, to designing the cover for “Pyramid of the Moon” on her own, she said it would be nice to meet “like-minded people.”
Smith might get her chance Oct. 6 when she attends an author meet and greet event from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Slippery Rock Community Library in the Parks and Recreation Center, 316 N. Main St.
Librarian Kim Pierce, the organizer of the event, said area authors attending include Smith; Jordan Calher, author of “Brittle,” a time travel story; Ken Harris, editor of a collection of oral histories of Slippery Rock; Steven Ramey, author of a collection of science-fiction and fantasy stories titled “Triangulations”; and his wife Susan Urbanek-Linville, who co-authored a nonfiction book about establishing a school for AIDS orphans in Africa.
“I'm excited. It's a nice mix of authors. We will get a wide audience. It will be a little something for everyone, maybe,” said Pierce.
Pierce said she got the idea when Calher came to the library to request books to research his novel and later when Smith dropped by to use the computer for her own novel.
“There are all these people right in our neighborhood that could be inspiration for would-be writers,” said Pierce.
“This could lead to a support group or gathering of writers trying to get something established in Slippery Rock,” said Pierce.
That would be alright with Smith, who would like to talk to fellow writers, she said.
But not about story ideas: Smith said she's never had a problem coming up with ideas.
“I've always been into scary movies,” said Smith. “I will see a picture or a word and I can come up with a story. When our parents took us camping in Erie, I would take a notebook and write little stories.”
It took her four months to actually write “Pyramid of the Moon” she said, after filling eight or nine notebooks with a rough draft of the novel.Without giving too much away, Smith said the story is set in Massachusetts and concerns Eva who “becomes the possession” of the Aztec moon goddess on her 18th birthday because her ancient bloodline ties her to the goddess.While fighting forces both within and outside of her, Eva tries to awaken the buried emotions of her true love.She said the novel was inspired by her fascination with the Aztec pyramids of the Sun and the Moon in Teotihuacan, Mexico.The pyramids are connected by what is called the Avenue of the Dead.Smith said the second book of the trilogy will be called “Pyramid of the Sun” and the final book will be “Avenue of the Dead.”“There's so much information in the story that I want to get out. It wouldn't fit in one or two books,” she said.“I love all the mystery behind the pyramids,” she said. “You can really make up a story. But I have lots of facts of the pyramids and the Aztecs.”“By the end of the third book I'm going to have it that they travel to the actual pyramids,” Smith said.Smith said the fact that she plans for her characters to visit Teotihuacan in the third book means she will have to hit the library to do more research on how the ancient Aztecs lived, dressed and built their pyramids.Smith said she's also started another novel, unrelated to the trilogy she is planning and researching.Tentatively called “The Outsiders,” Smith said it is a vampire story.“I know there have been so many of these,” she said. “I'm trying to do something to put a different twist on the vampire story.”She tries to write three hours a day but “some days I can write and some days I can't.”Smith said that's where the vampire novel comes in. “When I get frustrated with these books I will stop and go on to this one. I don't want to force anything,” she said. “I will stop and walk away or I will do the dishes or a load of laundry.”
<B>WHAT: </B>Authors meet and greet<B>WHEN: </B>10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 6<B>WHERE: </B>Slippery Rock Community Library, 316 N. Main St., Slippery Rock<B>WHO: </B>Authors Jordan Calher, Ken Harris, Steven Ramey, Teresa Smith and Susan Urbanek-Linville will answer questions
