Zarreich – The Draft Covers
I cleaned up Draft 2 a bit since the previous blog post but froze it there and created a document for a potential Draft 3. Along the way I decided I wanted a cover to focus the project, and wound … Continue reading →
Michael D. Smith
Zarreich: The Unexpected Second Draft
This summer’s successful resurrection of The University of Mars got me wondering if I couldn’t do the same for another older novel I’d once declared dead. I’ve just finished a second draft of Zarreich, but this novel isn’t ready for … Continue reading →
The University of Mars – Publication
In a dysfunctional 2065 where religious zealots restrict the world to outdated twentieth-century technology, eighteen-year-old Zeke Venan dedicates himself to the life of the mind and to the further evolution of humanity. He drags his Australian girlfriend to an impoverished … Continue reading →
A Brief History of The University of Mars
As I mull over a forthcoming post to celebrate the long-overdue publication of The University of Mars, I’ve reflected a bit on its extended history. I. Draft 1, 1980-1981 The novel began with a longing to describe an archetypal University … Continue reading →
The Soul Institute: The 2024 Update
Flagship I’ve just finished republishing The Soul Institute, my flagship novel. Exploring my main themes via numerous archetypal characters, complex at 183,000 words and 552 pages, TSI is nevertheless tight and reads quickly; I find its energies high all the … Continue reading →
Supreme Commander Laurie Publication
United System Space Force leader Jack Commer has resigned to probe a dangerous cosmic irregularity, elevating physician/engineer Laurie Lachrer to take his place. But when she finds herself inexplicably transported onto his suicide mission, she must struggle to assert herself … Continue reading →
Just Published – Man Against the Horses!
Four Theater of the Absurd Novelettes Bumbling officer Marty Brimfeeler probes the death of a brainwashed terrorist in Houston. Five horses break out of their corral and reduce the city of Dallas to rubble. Hapless insurance executive Bobby Thompson proves … Continue reading →
So What Did I See on May 13, 1968?
I don’t think I’ve ever written in any detail the story of May 13, 1968 at the Art Institute in Chicago, the day I realized I was an artist. May 13, 1968 was a Monday, and I rode a bus … Continue reading →
A Writing Biography, Part VI: Failures, Successes, Rhythms and Swerves, 1983-1994
I’m struck by the veering between successes and failures in this period, losing control and skidding across all four lanes until I’d finally get enough sense to stop the car and take a good look around. Had I never learned … Continue reading →
Final 2023 Greatest Hits Drawings
A final batch of the best 2023 drawings. Most are in the 8″ x 8″ journal; this size has helped redefine the art journal for me. The redefinition is basically to think of each page as abstract art, as a … Continue reading →