Donald Firesmith
Donald 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. Due to his strong background in software engineering, systems engineering, and science, his science fiction is well-researched. 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, one-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. |
News
- My current writing projects are:
- My 4-book multi-planet, near-future, artificial superintelligence science fiction series, The Fifth Future. I am currently finalizing the completed manuscript of The Fifth Future: 1 – Discovery. I have finished first drafts of the next 3 books: The Fifth Future: 2 – Exodus, The Fifth Future: 3 – Two Planets, and The Fifth Future: 4 – New Neighbors.
- My third collection of science fiction short stories, Even More Future Dreams and Nightmares.
- My second collection of paranormal horror short stories, Another Cauldron of Uncanny Dreams.
- I hope to get back to finishing my Hell Holes sequel novel, Hell Holes 5: Insurrection.
- I hope to start working on my second Secrets YA Fantasy novel, Secrets 2: The Secrets of Sanctuary Cove.
- I have updated my “books” webpage.
- I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease a couple of years ago. Now that I’ve started taking the standard medicine, my typing is better, I am making fewer typos, and my writing is progressing rapidly.
Links / Social Media
Newest Books
Book and Short Story Awards
Book Awards
Donald Firesmith’s books have won the following 28 awards:






























Short Story Awards
- “Albert” – 2025 Indies United Small Bites Short Story Contest – Third Place.
- “Albert” – 2024 Next Generation Short Story Award – Finalist in the Scary Stories / Paranormal Category.
- “The Companion” – 2024 Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews Short Story Contest – Second Place.
- “The Manikin” – 2024 BooksShelf Book Awards Short Story Contest – First Place.
- “The Manikin” – 2024 Indies United Small Bites Short Story Contest – Second Place.
- “The Manikin” – 2024 Next Generation Short Story Award – Finalist in the Wild Card Category.
- “The Mind Trap” – 2025 Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews Short Story Contest – Third Place.





News
- My book, The Foundling: Heir to Ash and Blood, just won 2025 Fall BookFest – Second Place – Fantasy – Action and Adventure.
- 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.
Donald 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. Due to his strong background in software engineering, systems engineering, and science, his science fiction is well-researched. He relies on numerous science, technology, and military technical advisors to ensure that the non-speculative aspects of his stories are realistic and believable.




