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. 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.
What if our first contact with aliens wasn’t about trade, war, or exploration — but salvation?
Science Fiction: First Contact, Alien Invasion, Social Science Fiction, Biopunk, Philosophical Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic / Near-Future Dystopia, and Techno-thriller
In the slums of caste-bound Westburg, Ash is a Bottom — a nameless scavenger scraping survival from garbage heaps and prejudice. Abandoned at birth, he has no future and even fewer dreams. But a single act of bravery — saving a young administrator from assassination — changes everything.
Speculative Fiction, Dystopian Fiction, Political Fantasy, Adventure, Coming-of-Age, and Found Family
Join Periwinkle Fae, a spirited young pixie, as she embarks on magical adventures in the Enchanted Forest, where friendship, courage, and creativity bring the community together.
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 and Short Story Awards
Book Awards
Donald Firesmith’s books have won the following awards:
My short stories have just won the following awards:
“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.
“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.
News
The Foundling: Heir to Ash and Blood, my fantasy novella, will be published on 1 July 2025.
The Adventures of Periwinkle Fae: 26 Magical Bedtime Stories, my second children’s book, was published on 31 March 2025.
I have started work on Another Cauldron of Uncanny Dreams. So far it contains the following new short stories
Albert The ghost of a companion robot haunts his mistress’s home.
Death Comes to the Peaceful Valley Hospice A vampire working at a hospice contracts a deadly disease.
Mother and Child A vengeful ghost desires a child.
Midnight Blue The ghost of a dead cop joins a special police task force.
The Black Wand A stranger arrives with a broken wand.
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.