Dale D. Smith

2 booksFamily DramaMysteryThriller

Dale is a writer whose work has moved through many forms—lyrics, poetry, and short stories. He does not write in pursuit of an audience; he writes because the words will not stay quiet.

Books

Ashes by the Creek

When everything burns to the ground, only the strongest foundations remain standing

Family Drama

The fire didn't just take the family cabin; it stripped away the last veneer of safety for the McBride family. Two years after losing his wife, Anders McBride is a man adrift, standing before a blackened stone chimney that serves as a grim monument to his failures. He is surrounded by three children he no longer recognizes: an eldest daughter obsessed with erasing the past, a teenage son fueled by volatile rage, and a young girl who has retreated into a world of ghosts and sketches. As the family gathers by the indifferent, flowing creek to sift through the cooling ashes, they discover that some things cannot be incinerated. Long-buried secrets about the night of the fire—and the truth behind their mother’s death—begin to surface through the smoke. The scent of char clings to their clothes and their memories, a sensory trigger that threatens to pull them back into the flames. In the aftermath of devastation, Anders must choose between remaining a pillar of silent stone or breaking his silence to save what is left of his fractured home. Ashes by the Creek is a raw, emotional exploration of grief, resilience, and the difficult journey toward healing when the only path forward leads through the ruins.

Open Book

Shift

Five strangers, five eras, one Shift

Mystery
Thriller

The neon sign of the diner promised a refuge, but for five strangers, it is a trap that defies the laws of physics. Maisey, a WWII pilot; Brett, a data-miner from the future; Cooper, an 1893 clockmaker; Jo, a modern-day squatter; and Sarah, a social worker, have all walked through the front door of the same diner. But when they try to leave, they find themselves walking right back in through the kitchen. Behind the counter stands Declan, a man who has seen it all before. He tells them they are simply in the middle of a 'shift.' But as the coffee grows cold and the clock on the wall ticks in rhythms that shouldn't exist, the group realizes this is no ordinary roadside stop. The diner is alive, a metaphysical cage that feeds on the secrets they are all running from. To break the loop, they must face the traumas that brought them here. But Declan has his own agenda, and the 'Owners' of the diner are losing their patience. In a place where time has no meaning, they are running out of it fast. Shift is a mind-bending mystery that explores the loops we create in our own lives and the high cost of finally moving on.

Open Book