The RV Book Fair 2026: Interview with Gary Smith

You’re both an award-winning author and photographer. How has photography influenced the way you build scenes and suspense in your novels?

Years ago, walking around with a large view camera, you didn’t have the tools you have on today’s phone. You would do most of the composing of the scene on the camera’s ground glass. After many years of photographing, I see the world as if I’m looking through the lens of a camera. While talking with someone, I might take a slight step to the side, changing the perspective to remove the tree behind them out of the scene. Writing a chapter for me is the same. I visualize the scene as a photo and compose it that way before writing it. Similar to storyboarding in a film.

Your Warren Steelgrave series has captivated readers through multiple books. What first inspired you to create Warren, and how has he evolved over the course of the series?

I started writing my first book to see if I had a voice. As I started the first chapter, my father came to mind. Warren Steelgrave is ninety percent my father. He was a cement finisher, a tough craft. If he was doing a side job on the weekend, he would take me with him from the time I was eight years old. When I was in high school, I worked for my uncle, a cement contractor, and was in the crew with my father. It was a huge influence on my life.

Your latest novel, “And So It Goes,” once again places Warren in the middle of an international conspiracy. Without giving away spoilers, what makes this story different from your previous books?

In this story, the main character is Jenny Stone, a very successful criminal prosecutor. Her world is black or white, right or wrong, no gray area. She finds herself being hunted and asks her husband’s cousin, Warren Steelgrave, to help her. In no time at all, she finds herself in a world of gray. Laws are being broken, and people are being killed all to protect her from being killed. With her worldview shattered, she has a very difficult time adjusting to this new world.

Many of your novels take readers through Italy and the United States. What draws you to these settings, and how do they become characters in your stories?

I live in Italy for a lot of the year in a small village of my great-grandfather, Muriaglio. I write about the things I know; I know Italy and the United States. I enjoy sharing the two cultures in the same story. I have heard from some of my readers who have traveled to Italy on vacation that they enjoy an intimate perspective of Florence or Verona from someone who knows and lives in Italy with a local perspective.

Your books explore justice, morality, terrorism, organized crime, and corruption. Why do these themes continue to fascinate you as a storyteller?

I grew up in a neighborhood where Justice, morality, crime, and corruption were played out every day. These are themes I understand. You had to understand them to survive, and if you didn’t develop a sense of morality, there was no reason for you to. I hope the reader sees a little of their life in the story and it sparks some introspective thinking.

Readers often mention the unexpected twists in your novels. Do you outline every twist in advance, or do some surprises emerge as you write?

I never outline a story or a chapter. I never get a thought and write it down for later. Every day life writes on my personal page and changes me a little or a lot. I will sit down to write. I read yesterday’s writing and continue the story. I find the mood of the characters changes to match my mood at the moment. They decide what’s happening in the story. I get surprised as much as readers are as to where the characters take the story.

Besides writing thrillers, you’ve also published A Collection of Short Stories & Poems. What did writing that collection allow you to express that your suspense novels could not?

Writing twenty-eight short stories I found to be a daunting task. To finish a story and start another with different characters, different themes, and a different story challenged my creativity. To write a short story, then another a month later is one thing; to write twenty-eight one after another is a whole different thing. It made me a better writer.

Your stories often place ordinary people in extraordinary situations. What do you hope readers discover about themselves through Warren Steelgrave’s journey?

My hope is that my readers, no matter what situation they find themselves in, realize it will pass. There is always a logical solution if you don’t panic and never give in to victimhood.

After writing such a long-running series, how do you keep each new book fresh while remaining true to the characters your readers love?

I find it easy to look at situations around you to find a theme. Whether it is courtly love, the loss of a friend, or elderly abuse. Warren Steelgrave, an award-winning and best-selling writer, has government agencies wanting to use his notoriety to get him into places as cover to gather information. The book I am writing now is about elder abuse. A good friend in Italy received a cryptic message from an Aunt living in America. She asked Warren to come with her to see why. They find her in her darkened bedroom, near death, abandoned by her sons. So begins the mystery.

What projects are you working on now, and what can readers look forward to next?

I’m working on a new book and should finish it by the end of the year. I am preparing for an hour-long interview on a nationwide television show. Two film companies have shown an interest in two of my books. With some luck, it could be a very busy year.

Gary E. Smith developed an early love of reading, imagination, and observing human behavior. After high school, he became an electrician and founded an electrical contracting company, eventually building it into a multimillion-dollar national business. His artistic journey began with photography, leading to a solo exhibition and an invitation from Ansel Adams to attend his workshop. Smith began writing during a California leadership project, where three of his pieces were published. After a grieving reader told him that his article about losing his son had changed his life, Smith understood the transformative power and purpose of writing.

Find out more at: https://garysmithauthor.com.

Interview published in The Relatable Voice Magazine - The RV Book Fair 2026 - Special. Download the full magazine for free at The RV Book Fair | Relatable Media.