About The Author


​David R. Smith lives in Livonia, NY with his wife and two children. He is a teacher in the Canandaigua City School District. Ever since he was a young boy he's been writing fiction. He loves a good fantasy or ghost story. His favorite authors include Ray Bradbury, Mary Downing Hahn, Neil Gaiman, Vivian Vande Velde, and Stephen King. He's won numerous narrative writing contests and published short stories in e-zines and local magazines. ​

Events

My friend and illustrator will be starting a mini book tour soon to read our new picture book, Ronald and the Lake Monster. Stay tuned for dates and locations!

Featured Books

Ronald was excited to tell his friends about what he saw over the weekend. The Canandale Lake monster was real! But as he learns more about the supposed monster, doubt creeps in, and he is forced to make a choice: believe in the legend or accept what science has taught him.​

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Amazon reviews for Ronald and the Lake Monster:

"First of all, this is a great story for any kid, especially those who may let the unknown scare them. The story helps kids utilize questions to squelch misinformation, and the illustrations are lovely and bring the story to life. My kids are dinosaur lovers, so including a plesiosaur in this story was a fun bonus!"

Liz Smith-Rossiter

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    This is such a wonderful book. Throughout the story, it teaches readers to ask questions and think critically. It encourages people to not just accept what they hear or see but to question it and think outside the box. It encourages lifelong learning. This book is beautifully written and illustrated. It grabs the readers' interest and evokes beautiful conversations among its readers.

Angelica Clark

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Amazon Reviews for The Dead of Night:
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We love this book! We like all of Mr. Smith's books, but this is great. It's very dark though. I started this with my 7th grade class and we had to stop because it was... Dark. The first story they were complaining because it was 'kiddy' but by the end of that story they were all "Whoa! That was scary." Lol

Robert Lawton

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I stumbled upon this anthology while looking for something scary to read for Halloween. I loved every story in this book! The author and his daughter, who apparently wrote some stories with him, have a way of drawing you in from the first page on. My personal favorite is The Trapdoor and The Lighthouse. Both were spooky from start to finish. If you're looking for good scares without all the gore that you get in a lot of anthologies, try this book out.

Bibliophile999

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Praise for Animal Quest:
​A celebration of love and loyalty. With a different setting for each story, each book has a different feel to it. What I especially like is how the author handles the relationship between the siblings. They are not perfect children and can get annoyed with each other, but in the end they work together in a caring and supportive way. 

Vivian Vande Velde
YA author of Spellbound and Never Trust a Dead Man

Author of Spellbound and Never Trust a Dead Man 
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David is an amazing author, teacher, friend! His Animal Quest books were the first books that sparked a passion for reading in my son! Thanks David, you rock!

MacKenzie B.
Occupational Therapist and Parent

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