Biography, Quotes, Fun Facts, Author Websites, Comparisons
Awards, Author Interviews, Work Experience
Biography
Donald Firesmith is a multi-award-winning author of speculative fiction, including science fiction (alien invasion), fantasy (magical wands), horror, and modern urban paranormal novels and anthologies of short stories.
Prior to retiring to devote himself full-time to his novels, Donald Firesmith earned an international reputation as a distinguished engineer, authoring seven system/software engineering books based on his 40+ years spent developing large, complex software-intensive systems.
He lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with his wife Becky, his daughter Sera, and varying numbers of dogs and cats.
Popular Quotes
- Hell Holes: What Lurks Below
- “I nearly said something, but then thought better of it. It doesn’t pay to publicly point out the failings of the person providing your paycheck.”
- “Woe to any climate denier who called climate change a hoax when she was nearby.”
- “We spent a few hours struggling to come up with better explanations, but each suggestion was shot down almost as soon as it was made. The suggestions became wilder, eventually to the point of silliness.”
- “Well, Dr. Oswald, where does that leave us?” O’Shannon asked. “Surely, you do not think that little green men came down and stole the dirt to fuel their spacecraft.” I almost started to laugh at her tabloid suggestion, when I saw from Kowalski’s expression that he was seriously considering it.”
- “Nothing prepared me for the unbelievably loud sound made by firing the shotgun inside that confined space. My ears were ringing, and my face was splattered by black blood and bits of things I shuddered to consider. I cried out in pain as the thick black ichor dripped into my eyes, where it burned like acid.”
- “Low demons, like hellhounds and gargoyles, are merely the mindless beasts of Hell. Far deadlier are the high demons, such as imps, fiends, and devils. High demons are humanoids, thinking beings with the ability to use dark magic.”
- Hell Holes: Demons on the Dalton
- “He leaned towards me, and I did what any reasonable person would do when facing imminent death by being eaten alive. I screamed.”
- “As long as we’re comparing analogies,” Jack added, “how about this one? A person being chased by a bear doesn’t have to be able to run faster than the bear. He only has to be faster than his slowest companion. Driver picks. I’m going to catch up with the convoy, find a way to pass several of the cars, and not be last in line.”
- “They prefer their meals alive and terrified, for fear is their favorite sauce.”
- “Nothing seems to tempt fate more than mentioning the possibility of something bad happening.”
- Hell Holes: A Slave’s Revenge
- “One only truly fails to succeed if one fails to try. Anything more, no matter how small it might seem, is a partial success.”
- Software and System Engineering:
- “Software bugs are like cockroaches; there are probably dozens hiding in difficult to reach places for every one you find and fix.”
Fun Facts
- I was a student member of the American Nuclear Society, operated a Triga Mark III pool reactor, and once stood INSIDE a nuclear reactor core, specifically the core of the Zero Power Plutonium Reactor (ZPPR).
- I stood at the snow line of Mount St. Helens three days before it blew.
- I spent 90 days on a bicycle riding 5,000 kilometers across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
- I have lived overseas for several years, living in Germany twice and Switzerland once. I have also traveled to 32 countries.
- In 1974, I traveled to the Soviet Union, where I visited Moscow and Leningrad. On the way, I stopped by at West Berlin and went through the Berlin Wall at Checkpoint Charlie.
- In India, I once had a dancing blindfolded man with a sword slice a watermelon in two on my naked stomach.
Author Webpages
Check out my author pages on:
Comparisons
Reviewers of my books have compared my writing to that of the following famous authors. If you like their books, you might also like mine:
| Famous Author | Reviews |
|---|---|
| Dan Brown (Thriller) | 1 |
| Edgar Rice Burroughs (Fantasy, Science Fiction) | 1 |
| Michael Crichton (Science Fiction, Thriller) | 3 |
| Clive Cussler (Thriller) | 1 |
| Rider Haggard (Adventure) | 1 |
| Frank Herbert (Science Fiction) | 1 |
| Stephen King (Horror) | 2 |
| Dean R. Koontz (Suspense, Thriller) | 2 |
| Mathew Reilly (Action, Thriller) | 1 |
| James Rollins (Action, Mystery, Thriller) | 1 |
| J.K. Rowling (Fantasy) | 4 |
| R. L. Stein (Children’s Ghost Stories) | 1 |
| J. R. R. Tolkien (Fantasy) | 1 |
