SMEDS, Dave 1955-

PERSONAL: Born February 23, 1955, in Reedley, CA; son of Alfred (a farmer) and Josephine (a homemaker; maiden name, Warner) Smeds; married Elizabeth Egan, May 17, 1980 (divorced, May 24, 1981); married Connie Willeford (a registered nurse), June 26, 1982; children: Lerina, Elliott. Education: Sonoma State University, B.A. (English and psychology), 1980. Hobbies and other interests: Martial arts.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, Wildside, P.O. Box 301, Holicong, PA 18928-0301. E-mail—dave smeds@att.net

CAREER: Farm worker in Reedley, CA, 1966-74; manager of fruit packing operation in Reedley, CA, 1971-79; graphic artist, 1979-1990; writer, 1979—.

MEMBER: Science Fiction Writers of America, Spellbinders (vice president, 1981-82; president, 1982—), Goju-Kai Karate-Do U.S.A. (examiner).

WRITINGS:

Hennessey's Test (short stories), Fearon Educational (Belmont, CA), 1987.

Sinking Ship (short stories), Fearon Educational (Belmont, CA), 1987.

X-Men: Law of the Jungle, Boulevard Books (New York, NY), 1998.

Chuck Norris, Rosen (New York, NY), 2002.

Piper in the Night, Wildside (Holicong, PA), 2002.

"war of the dragons" series

The Sorcery Within, Ace Books (New York, NY), 1985.

The Schemes of Dragons, Ace Books (New York, NY), 1989.

The Wizard's Nemesis, Wildside (Holicong, PA), 2004.

Also author of short-story collections Embracing the Starlight and the young-adult nonfiction title Martial Arts Masters. Contributor of short fiction to anthologies, including Dragons of Light, edited by Orson Scott Card, Ace Books, 1980; In the Fields of Fire, edited by Jack and Jeanne Dann, Tor Books, 1986; and Far Frontiers, Volume 6, edited by Jim Baen, Baen Books, 1986. Contributor of short stories to magazines. Translator of "Justy" comic-book series, Viz Comics, 1989.

SIDELIGHTS: Dave Smeds grew up in a California farming family; as a youth he helped manage his family's peach-growing business before becoming a typesetter, a graphic artist, and, most notably, an acclaimed author of novels and short stories. His novels The Sorcery Within and The Schemes of Dragons make up the "War of the Dragons" series, about a dragon who attempts to take over the entire world; and his highly praised short fiction has appeared in magazines and anthologies.

With his novel Piper in the Night Smeds tells of Dennis Short, a medical corpsman back from duty in Vietnam who is assigned for two weeks to an army post on Kahoolawe, an Hawaiian island. The sojourn is anything but relaxing, however. The uninhabited island is patrolled by a herd of wild goats, as well as a nightmarish spectre of more mythical creatures who invade his consciousness. After finding the pipe of the god Pan, Short experiences a split in his personality, and one of the new personae is Tragos, the enemy of Pan. "The tension rises steadily as Tragos and Short engage in a deadly struggle for possession of the corpsman's body and soul," a Publishers Weekly contributor explained, while praising Piper in the Night for its "taut, understated narrative."

Smeds once told CA: "I see myself not as a writer, but as a generalist. I would never be content just to write books, nor, for that matter, am I content to write one type of fiction. Although I love the perks that come with being an author, I am equally proud of my comicbook illustrating, my teaching, and my status as a martial artist (I hold a second-degree black belt in Goju-Ryu karate). I would like to think that I have earned my place, not merely by writing a novel, but by being a person."