Daniel A Smith talks about the story behind the Storykeeper.
One summer weekend, my wife and I were enjoying one of our favorite pastimes, exploring the back roads of Arkansas. The state has such a diversity of landscapes and inspiring scenery, a day drive is always an adventure. We happened to drive through an out-of-the-way community with a number of unusual spherically-shaped boulders or orbs (diameters ranging from 1 to 4.5 feet), prominently displayed in front of homes, businesses, and even the local post office. These intriguing boulders piqued my curiosity and pulled me back to the mysterious area many times over the next few years. In the orb stones, I didn’t find the story I was searching for and needing to write, but I discovered a palatable mystic, an inquisitive urge and inspirations that influenced and contributed my historical novel, Storykeeper.
How did you come up with the concept and characters for Storykeeper?
Early on, while doing research for the project, I realized that the book had to be built around a concept of generational storytelling. It was and is an essential element of the Native American life and important in their effort to combat the further loss of their rich cultures, traditions and knowledge.
As for the three main characters, I had nothing to do with creating them. They came to me of their own volition and on their own time-table. They came full-formed each with a story that needed to be told. I had only to be quiet, patient and listen for those faint, distant voices.
Where did you come up with the names in the story?
Names were the same kind of situation as the concept, I did not create them. As I wrote each of the three-different storyline, the main characters would eventually reveal their name.
What attracted you to this story, and how much research did you have to do?
I have always been interested in ancient historical monuments, intrigued by their mysteries and drawn into the effort of so many to uncover their lost stories. Driving around my home state on business in the 1990s, I realized that there were prehistoric monuments, mounds, canals, earthworks, and an astonishing host of ancient artifacts in my own backyard. I began reading about Arkansas’s prehistory and learned that the first documented expedition into the state, led by Hernando de Soto, recorded twelve different nations, many densely populated and some eight hundred years old. Within a few years, it is estimated that 90% of that native population had died from diseases carried by the Europeans, famines, drought, and wars.
I wondered, what would it be like to be the last person who remembers? The scenario piqued my curiosity. Over the next three or four years, I visited museums, archeological sites, studied old maps and read all I could find on the time period. But it was an image that came to me on a late-night drive through the Ozark Mountains of old man filled with suppressed stories of haunting losses finding a small abandoned child in her own grave that pushed me to begin writing Storykeeper.
Orb Stones and Geoglyphs: A Writer’s Journey by Daniel A. Smith
Genre: NonFiction, Biography, Geology
A soulful mix of writing, geology, rock and roll, and ancient lost nations comes from the author of the award winning historical novel, Storykeeper. The thought-provoking account of a ten-year search for mystical orbs, mysterious earthworks, and forgotten history intends to inspire the storyteller in all of us to begin their own journey.
“Highly recommended for a wide audience.” Donovan’s Literary Services – Midwest Book Review
“More an adventure tale than a chronicle of schooling.” Big Al – Books and Pals
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About Daniel A Smith
Daniel grew up in Arkansas. In his youth, he began working for his father riding in a Studebaker pick-up truck around the state, servicing refrigeration units in tourist courts and small country stores. Years later, Daniel traveled some of those same back roads for his own business, installing sound systems. For the first time, he began to notice the surprising number of ancient earthworks that covered the state.
He realized that like most everyone else, he had no idea who built them, when, or why. What began as an observation grew to a driving curiosity to research historical documents and the state’s vast archeological findings. The untold stories and lost history all around him inspired Daniel’s debut novel, Storykeeper.
Smith began his artistic career as a professional audio engineer. For over thirty-five years, he crossed the country, providing sound engineering services for all types of events from outdoor music festivals, concerts, and political rallies to lectures. A parcel list of celebrities Smith worked with includes numerous dignitaries such as Presidents: Ronald Reagan, George H. Bush, William Jefferson Clinton, and George W. Bush, also Bob Hope, Colin Powell, Paul Harvey, Martha Stewart, and Dr. Ruth, and a wide variety of entertainers, including, Kris Kristofferson, Alice Cooper, Dolly Parton, Steve Martin, Allman Brothers Band, Jimmy Buffet, Barbara Mandrell, Ray Charles, Reba McEntire, Dizzy Gillespie, Iron Butterfly, Dave Brubeck Quartet and Willie Nelson.
Connect with Daniel on his Website | Bookbub | Amazon | Goodreads
