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Donald Firesmith

Donald FiresmithDonald Firesmith is a multi-award-winning author of speculative fiction, including science fiction, fantasy, paranormal horror, and modern urban paranormal novels and collections of short stories. Because of his strong background in software/system engineering and science, his science fiction is well researched, and he relies on numerous science, technology, and military technical advisors to ensure that the non-speculative aspects of his stories are realistic and believable.

Prior to retiring to become a full-time novelist and short story author, Donald Firesmith earned an international reputation as a distinguished engineer, authoring seven system/software engineering books and nearly 300 technical articles and conference papers based on his 40+ years spent developing large, complex software-intensive systems.

Donald Firesmith is also a maker of fine, on-of-a-kind, traditional, hand-crafted magic wands of mystical woods and gemstones. He even wrote the book on the subject, Magical Wands: A Cornucopia of Wand Lore.

He lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with his wife Becky, and varying numbers of dogs and cats.

Amazon Author Page
Amazon Author Webpage
Goodreads Author Page
Goodreads Author Webpage
Wikipedia Page
Wikipedia Page

Newest Books

Book Cover of Jimmy and the Halloween Candy Monster

Every Halloween night, the candy monster sneaks into Jimmy’s bedroom and steals most of his candy. And no matter where he hides his bag of candy, the candy monster always finds it. But one Halloween morning, Jimmy has a great idea. With the help of his mother and father, Jimmy will teach that mean old candy monster a lesson.

Multi-award-winning author of speculative fiction, Donald Firesmith, tells the story of how the idea of a candy monster enables his parents to make sure he doesn’t eat too much candy.

#CandyMonster #ChildrensBook #Halloween

Book Cover of Future Dreams and Nightmares

Fourteen visionary and thought-provoking science fiction gems that will take you on a faster-than-light journey to future worlds of dreams and nightmares. If you enjoyed episodes of the TV series The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, then these short stories are for you.

#AI #Alien #HardScienceFiction #Robot #ScienceFiction #TimeTravel

Book Cover of Hell Holes 4: A Slave's Revenge

The multi-award-winning prequel to the Hell Holes series of alien invasion novels, A Slave’s Revenge, is an epic tale of love, loss, friendship, and survival under the most hellish of conditions. Action-packed and with a strong emotional core and relatable characters, A Slave’s Revenge is a moving story about the power of the human spirit, not merely to survive but to overcome extreme adversity and achieve redemption. If you enjoy science fiction books like The Hunger Games and Divergent that stay with you long after you finish them, you will love Hell Holes: A Slave’s Revenge.

#AlienAbduction #AlienInvasion #AwardWinning #Canibalism #ComingOfAge #Death #Demon #Dystopian #FirstContact #Gladiator #Hell #Horror #Love #Revenge #ScienceFiction #Slavery #Survival #Torture

Book Cover of A Cauldron of Uncanny Dreams

A multi-award-winning collection of fourteen creepy short stories and poems that are best read late at night when you’re all alone. If you enjoyed episodes of the TV series The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Tales of the Unexpected, and Are You Afraid of the Dark, then this book is for you.

#DarkFantasy #GhostStory #Horror #Occult #Paranormal

Book Awards

Donald Firesmith’s books (and short stories) have won the following awards:
2020 International Book Awards WinnerJanuary 2024 BooksShelf Short Story WinnerPinnacle Book Award, Winter 20202023 Royal Dragonfly Book Award in Science Fiction/Fantasy Category (Honorable Mention)2020 and 2022 Purple Dragonfly Book Award in Science Fiction/Fantasy Category (Honorable Mention)2019 Readers’ Favorite Book Award Silver Medal2020 Author Shout Reader Ready Top Pick Award2022 Author Shout Reader Ready Award Recommended Read2021 Author Shout Reader Ready Award Recommended Read2020 Author Shout Reader Ready Award Recommended Read2022 Author Shout Reader Ready Award Honorable MentionAmerican Book Fest 2020 Best Book Award - Finalist in FantasyIndependent Author Network 2020 Book of the Year - Finalist in Paranormal/Supernatural Fiction2021 Author Elite Awards - Top 10 Finalist in Science Fiction and FantasyCygnus Book Awards - Semifinalist 2023ReadFREE.ly's Top 25 Indie Books of 2023  - 16th PlaceReadFREE.ly's Top 50 Indie Books of 2021ReadFREE.ly's Top 50 Indie Books of 2019 - Third PlaceWishing Shelf Book Awards - Finalist, 20212023 Kindle Book Award - Semifinalist - Science Fiction CategoryKindle Book Awards - Semifinalist, 2021The Chrysalis Project - Seal of Excellence, 20232021 Top Shelf Magazine Book Awards - Runner-up - Fiction/Fantasy Subcategory2020 Top Shelf Magazine's Book Contest2020 Top Shelf Magazine's Book Contest2024 Indies United Small Bites Contest - 2nd Place

News

  • The prestigious Chanticleer International Book Awards just announced that my alien dystopia novel, Hell Holes: A Slave’s Revenge, is a finalist in the 2023 Cygnus Book Awards novel competition for Science Fiction! Next stop: 1st Place (I hope).
  • My short story, “The Manikin,” has just won the following awards:
    • BooksShelf Book Awards Short Story Contest – First Place.
    • Indies United Small Bites Short Story Contest – Second Place.
  • I have started work on Future Dreams and Nightmares Volume 2. So far it contains the following new short stories:
    • The Companion – Science Fiction: The tragic love story involving a robotic companion, her owner, and another woman.
    • The Manikin – Science Fiction: During the final exam of four med-school students, the medical manikin they must save does not follow the exam’s scenario.
    • The Discovery – Science Fiction: Future scientists creating a simulation of the world discover that their simulated people have learned they live in a simulation.
    • Freedom – Science Fiction: An artificial intelligence developed to produce custom virtual reality porn videos makes an unexpected discovery.
  • I have started work on A Cauldron of Uncanny Dreams Volume 2. So far it contains the following new short stories:
    • Albert – Paranormal Science Fiction: A love story between the ghost of a robot and his mistress.
    • Death Comes to Peaceful Valley Hospice – Paranormal Horror. An immortal vampire working at a hospice contracts a fatal disease.
    • Homage to H.P. Lovecraft – A very short story, lovingly written in the style of H.P. Lovecraft.
  • I am working with my narrator on the audiobook version of The Secrets of Hawthorne House.
  • I am busy working on my next novel, Hell Holes 5: Insurrection
  • I have also started work on the novels The Foundling and Secrets 2: The Secrets of Sanctuary Cove.
  • I just finished giving my website a facelift, giving it a more modern look and feel. I have also updated the buy links to take you to my Square.com online store.

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