Meet Westley Smith

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Westley Smith. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Westley below.

Westley, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

I grew up poor in a small town in Pennsylvania. I had trouble learning in school. I was terrible at Math and spelling—still am—and a lot of people wrote me off as just another dumb kid who wouldn’t do anything special with his life. But what I didn’t know (nor did anyone else) was that I was dyslexic. It’s hard being dyslexic. You have to learn everything differently from everyone else.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg: Both of my parents were ill growing up. My father was a diabetic who lost his sight when I was four years old and then had both of his legs amputated. I had to help my mother with all his medical needs (and there were a lot) until he passed away when I was twelve. My mother fell ill a few years after that due to complications with asthma. She ended up bedridden like my father and then suffered a heart attack that left her on life support. I was eighteen and had to give the order to cut her off life support. So, my resilience comes from growing up dealing with all of that.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I started writing when I was ten years old. My fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Applegate, assigned us to write a Halloween story. From that moment on, I was hooked on storytelling. My first short story, Off to War, was published nationally when I was sixteen. Early in my writing career, I submitted stories to magazines and got some nibbles occasionally but could never break out. I sent countless manuscripts to agents and publishers but couldn’t land one. But I kept trying because this was my dream, and after going through what I lived through, the rejection wasn’t anywhere near as hard as losing my father and having to shut my mother off life support.

In 2013, I had an idea for a horror story. Self-publishing was starting to become a thing at that time (nowhere near what it is now), so I self-published two horror novels – Along Came the Tricksters and All Hallows Eve.

Out of that experience, reviewers of All Hallows Eve told me how great of a mystery/thriller writer I was and that I should write mysteries instead of horror. Taking their advice, I did just that.

In 2020, I sold my first crime thriller, Some Kind of Truth, to Wicked House Publishing. Since then, I sold two more books to Watertower Hill Publishing: In The Pale Light (which hit the #1 spot on Ingarmsparks Mystery/Thriller bestseller list and will release August 13th, 2024) and They Came At Night (releasing May of 2025).

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Surround yourself with people who support you.
Have a strong work ethic and be self-motivated.
Don’t let the naysayers win, especially the one in your head.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

There are a few people:

First is my Aunt Sandy Smith: She was (and still is) one of the biggest influences in my life. She taught me to stand up for who I am and the person I want to be and not let anyone tell me differently. I miss her dearly. She passed in 2014 and never got to see my accomplishments.

The second is Clay Campbell. Clay was my high school science teacher. He’s the big brother and the father I never had, A man who taught me how to be a man.

Third is my wife, Laurie Smith: Without her love, support, and advice, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://westleysmithbooks.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wsmithbooks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westleysmith100/

Image Credits

For In The Pale Light: Watertower Hill Publishing
For Some Kind of Truth: Wicked House Publishing.