Darren Smith (author)

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Darren Smith (born 29th December 1972) in Kent, England is a New York based author and script-wright, working in the realm of contemporary and subversive fiction.

Raised in the stock broker belt south of London and in the rich farming communities of Devon, Smith moved a dozen times before finishing grammar school and starting his first job, as an engineer for German mechanical handling firm APV. When the company relocated he attended university in the Midlands before starting work for Lloyd's of London as an analyst. In 2000 after completing work on his Masters degree he switched to working on Equity trading systems in the financial institutions of London and New York where he found his love for writing.

Inspired by his surroundings in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, and taking from his experiences of living in California, he penned his first novel The Bends [1] as a response to a challenge set in the foreword of his copy of Catcher in The Rye. The academic who penned said foreword described J. D. Salinger's Caulfield as the archetypal anti-hero, one for whom you would cheer on no matter what he did. Smith then set about creating Thomas Greene, a character of the foulest nature, as a counter, publishing The Bends in February 2006.

Following only two months later he published Shadow's Bliss [2] , another Manhattan based saunter through modern life, narrated by Daniel Bliss, an unemployed and cynical actor. Both novels are adorned with the artwork of San Francisco artist Peter Max Lawrence [3].

The motion picture scripts of both novels are currently in production and he is near to completing his third novel.

Darren Smith was also the founder of The New Bohemians art group in New York City.

[edit] Publication History

1. The Bends ISBN 0-595-37957-5 Published February 2006

2. Shadow's Bliss ISBN 0-595-38528-1 Published April 2006