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I’m a Trekkie fan, amongst many other obsessions of mine, and I’m thrilled to hear that Star Trek is finally returning to television with Star Trek: Discovery. The new show is still somewhat shrouded in mystery, but it comes out this September, and I’ll definitely be eagerly looking forward to it. I grew up watching everything from NextGen to DS9 to Enterprise, so now that I can finally watch a completely new series I’m pretty pumped!
As for the plot itself, the Star Trek franchise is playing it pretty close to the chest so far. It’ll be the first series that doesn’t focus on a captain as the main character, and it’ll feature various new species and plotlines previously unrevealed in the greater Star Trek universe. It also includes a star-studded cast with parts being played by famous actors, such as Michelle Yeoh, Sonequah Martin-Green, and Jason Issacs, just to name a few.
But don’t take my word for it. Check out the trailer and the rumors about it online. No matter what, it ought to be another fantastic journey where no one has gone before�

I’ll be at the Sacramento State Fair this weekend signing copies of Between Two Fires! If you’re in Northern California, stop on by. Even if not to see me, the corn dogs and rides are fun too;)
It’s my first year doing a book signing at a state fair, although I’ve enjoyed attending the fair for years. It’ll be interesting to see how it goes, and there should also be other authors there as well. The best part is, I’ll be in an AC building, no joke in 100+ degree weather.
I’ll also plan to be there the following Saturday as well. It should be lots of fun! Hope to see some of you there!

We had a great 4th of July this year, and have the garden going too. What with the drought being long over in California, it’s nice to be growing tomatoes, pumpkins, and other goodies this year in the yard. I really enjoy the nice summer weather and the promise of fresh produce as the months go by.
Of course, I’m finding that kids in the garden is a delightful, if somewhat mixed blessing. They love to help out in the dirt, but sometimes they’re as much a hazard to the plants as they are to themselves. But then again, it’s all part of the fun and chaos, I suppose.
We lit fireworks in the street afterward with some friends in the neighborhood. The kids really enjoyed it. Can you guess at what point some of the fireworks went off when I wasn’t expecting it?  :)

I just got some lovely ARCs for my upcoming novel, Dark Winds Rising, via St. Martin’s Press. My second published novel, it comes out December 5th this year, but you don’t have to wait that long.ÌýI’m running a giveaway this week amongst everyone on my mailing list.
Simply go to enter and get a chance to win an early copy.

I’m super pumped to be sharing Dark Winds Rising as the sequel to Between Two Fires. Amazon already has my budding series listed online as the Queen Branwen Series. Below is a brief blurb about it. Enjoy!

Dark Winds Rising
Queen Branwen finds her world once again turned upside down as Pictish raiders harry the shores of her kingdom. Rallying her people once more, she must face her most dangerous foe yet, the Queen of the Picts. Ruthless and cunning, the Pictish Queen turns the Welsh against each other in a bloody civil war, and Branwen must attempt to stop her before her country threatens to tear itself apart. All the while Branwen is heavy with child, and finds her young son’s footsteps dogged by a mysterious assassin. Branwen must somehow defeat the Picts and save her people before the Pictish Queen and a mysterious assassin threaten to destroy their lives from the inside out.

Lately, my wife and I have really gotten into a new TV murder mystery series, Endeavour. Set in 1960s Oxford, England, it follows a young Inspector Morse and his boss Thursday through some pretty awesome mysteries. Not only is the acting good and the sets realistic, but the show’s writing is pretty phenomenal too.
They basically took the idea of the old Inspector Morse series, and gave it a serious revamp with this retro 60s prequel crime thriller. Shaun Evans and Roger Allam are spectacular in this series, and many of the secondary characters are incredibly intriguing as well. If you simply enjoy a well-told mystery, plus some 1960s Britain thrown into the mix, then this is the show for you.
They just came out with the 4th season, which I’m catching up on now. I hope they make a ton more of these because the people who put this series together really know how to make a compelling mystery along with some characters that you can’t help but care about. So check it out, especially you mystery buffs and writers, I promise you’ll enjoy it! 

I’ve got a newly completed manuscript I’m pretty pumped about and looking for some discerning eyes to give it a read. I’ve got some of my awesome reviewers already reading it, but I wanted to ping my fellow bloggers/writers to see if any of you were interested in reading some or all of my newest MS. What’s it about?
I’ve stuck to historical fiction, but in this case it’s a murder mystery set in London during the Blitz. Below is a blurb on it. If interested, please give email me at [email protected]Thanks a million!

Murder Under the Blitz
1940. London. Jane and Clive come from different worlds. She’s a proper young secretary and he’s a devil-may-care adventurer, but when their boss in British Intelligence dies under mysterious circumstances they team up to track down the murderer. Their investigation quickly turns dangerous when they discover that the unknown murderer is a Nazi spy preparing the way for an Axis invasion of Britain. Time runs short as Jane and Clive struggle to solve the case before the bombs of the Blitz and the mysterious spy threaten to destroy them both.

Summer’s almost here and I’m working on my summer reading list. I generally like to reread some of my favorite novels over the summer, in addition to new works. I’ve already started on a few.
Old Favorites I’m Rereading
- Edgar Allen Poe � short stories like The Gold Bugand The Purloined Letter.
- Hawaiian Mythology � I have a collection of these legends I intend to reread again.
- Alexandre Dumas � The Three Musketeers, because I’ll always love Dumas� work.

New Favorites I’m Reading
- Agatha Christie � Poirot mysteries, such as Dumb Witness and Appointment with Death.

- Dashiell Hammett � his noir mysteries, pretty much any of the few I haven’t read yet.
- Maybe some more Lawrence Block, specially his Scudder mysteries (if I haven’t read them all).
Yeah, I guess I’m on a bit of a detective noir kick at the moment, but hey, even a “dark� summer can be a fun one.

How about you? What types of books are you looking forward to perusing this summer?

My wife and I saw U2 in concert last week and they rocked! Mumford and Sons opened for them and they were pretty good too. It’s the first time we’ve been to a rock concert since having kids, so it was cool and surreal to be out without the little ones.
It’s been thirty years since U2 came out with the Joshua Tree Album, so they played the entire album live, which was pretty awesome. They also had lots of other great songs they performed as well, and delivered an uplifting experience. Aside from being awesome musicians, I continue to appreciate U2’s honesty, integrity, and efforts for positive change in our world.
I keep trying to get back on the blogging bandwagon like I used to, but what with work, kids, and writing sequels for my publisher, I find that blogging keeps getting pushed to the back seat. I hope of course to remedy my absence online shortly. Everybody looking forward to summertime?   

I’ve been invited to speak and show off my novel at the California State Fair this summer in Sacramento! I’ve always enjoyed attending the state fair in July when hundreds of thousands of people flock to the state grounds in the heat to try out rides and eat cotton candy. But I also really enjoy the air-conditioned halls where they feature artists and authors along with their books for sale.
Even though it’s about three months out, I’m excited to get to share my novel at this venue where attendance literally peaks at tens of thousands of visitors per day. I can’t wait to talk about Between Two Fireswith so many people over several days. It ought to be fun!
Apologies for having been off the radar for a few weeks. I had some final edits to take care of for my sequel coming out in December (Dark Winds Rising). I’ve also got a third book for a different series I was polishing up, as my agent is pretty excited to start showing it to the publisher. All good stuff in the works.Ìý

COVER REVEAL AND GIVEAWAY:Clean Teen Publishing is pleased to share the cover reveal for the second book in the thrilling DECEPTION GAME series by Kristin Smith. FORGOTTEN is scheduled to release on August 21, 2017. Readers can grab a copy of the first book in this exciting young adult dystopian series at your local Barnes & Noble store, as well as at all online retailers. Check out the new cover for FORGOTTEN and be sure to enter the giveaway!

FORGOTTEN by Kristin Smith(The Deception Game, #2)August 21, 2017Pre-order your copy .Ìý
Book Blurb:
The epic tale of Sienna Preston continues in this second installment of the exhilarating Deception Game series.

Seventeen-year-old Sienna is no stranger to heartache and loss. But this time, it's different; someone―or something―has tampered with a loved one's memories, and she's determined to get answers.

The trail leads her to the glittering skyscrapers and modern luxuries of Rubex, the Capital of Pacifica, where she infiltrates the government's Agency for Intelligence and Genetics. But answers are not always easy to come by, especially when her own memories may have been altered. Luckily, Zane Ryder is there to help her put the pieces back together, his devotion and concern muddying the waters between friendship and something more.

When Sienna gets too close to uncovering dark Agency secrets, she's framed for the murder of a prominent government official, sending her on the run. Sienna's heart may be torn about who she loves, but none of that really matters anymore―because the only thing that awaits her now is a death sentence.


ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:
BOOK ONE IS NOW AVAILABLE IN STORES AND ONLINE! CATALYSTÌý²ú²âÌýKristin Smith
(The Deception Game, #1)

Too pretty. Too smart. Too perfect.

In a crumbling, futuristic Las Vegas where the wealthy choose the characteristics of their children like ordering off a drive-thru menu, seventeen-year-old Sienna Preston doesn’t fit in. As a normal girl surrounded by genetically modified teenagers, all of her imperfections are on display. But after the death of her father, everything she’s ever known and loved changes in an instant.

With little skills to help provide for her family, Sienna clings to the two things that come easily—lying and stealing. But not all thief-for-hire assignments go as planned. When a covert exchange of a stolen computer chip is intercepted, she becomes entangled with a corrupt government official who uses her thieving past as leverage, her mother as collateral, and the genetically modified poster boy she’s falling for as bait.

In order to rescue her mother, there may only be one option—joining forces with the Fringe, an extremist group, and their young leader who’s too hot to be bad. Problem is, these revolutionaries aren’t what they seem, and the secrets they’re hiding could be more dangerous than Sienna is prepared for. In the end, she must be willing to risk everything to save the one thing that matters most.

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CATALYST (The Deception Game #1) Teaser:

Author Bio:

Kristin Smith writes young adult contemporary and science fiction novels. When she’s not writing, you can find her dreaming about the beach, beating her boys at Just Dance, or belting out karaoke (from the comfort of her own home). Kristin currently resides in the middle-of-nowhere North Carolina with her husband and five incredibly loud but extremely cute boys. To read more about her obsession with YA novels or her addiction to chocolate, you can visit her at kristinsmithbooks.com.

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