Biography, Education, Hobbies, Fun Facts, Social Media, Books, Book Awards, Quotes, Comparisons
Author Interviews, Work Experience

Biography

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.

Education

• Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Mathematics and German from Linfield College, McMinnville, Oregon (1971-1975)
• Math and German at Ludwig Maximilian University (via Wayne State University) in Munich, Germany (19073-1974)
• Master of Arts (M.A.) in Mathematics from Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona (1975-1977)
• One post masters year in Mathematics from Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona (1977-1978)
• Evening classes (e.g., human genetics and paleontology) at Portland State University (1978-1980).

Hobbies

• Reading. What author doesn’t like to read? I especially love to read science fiction, fantasy, popular science (e.g., physics, biology, paleontology, climate crisis, and consciousness), and technology (e.g., space travel and AI) books. I get a lot of my science fiction ideas reading popular science magazines, including Scientific American, Discovery, and New Scientist.
• Magic Wands. I make one-of-a-kind, traditional magic wands from wood and gemstones.
• Hiking. I love hiking, although I have far less opportunity now that all my children have moved out of state.

Fun Facts

1. As a student member of the American Nuclear Society, Donald Firesmith 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).
2. He stood at the snow line of Mount St. Helens three days before it blew.
3. He spent 90 days on a bicycle riding 5,000 kilometers across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
4. He lived overseas for several years, living in Germany twice and Switzerland once, and has also traveled to 32 countries.
5. In 1974, He traveled to the Soviet Union, where he visited Moscow and Leningrad. On the way, he stopped by at West Berlin and went through the Berlin Wall at Checkpoint Charlie.
6. In India, he once had a dancing blindfolded man with a sword slice a watermelon in two on his naked stomach.

Social Media

Author Website
Facebook
Instagram
TikTok
Twitter
YouTube

Books

Current Projects

1. Hell Holes: Insurrection, Donald G. Firesmith, Magical Wand Press
2. Secrets 2: The Secrets of Sanctuary Cove, Donald G. Firesmith, Magical Wand Press
3. Free and Low-Cost Marketing for Indie Authors, Donald G. Firesmith, Magical Wand Press

Fiction Books

1. Jimmy and the Halloween Candy Monster, Donald G. Firesmith, Magical Wand Press, 7 October 2023, 48 pages, ISBN-13: TBD
2. Future Dreams and Nightmares, Donald G. Firesmith, Magical Wand Press, 1 May 2023, 250 pages, ISBN-13: 979-8390605646
3. Hell Holes: A Slave’s Revenge, Donald G. Firesmith, Magical Wand Press, 1 August 2021, 470 pages, ISBN-13: 979-8527374209
4. A Cauldron of Uncanny Dreams, Donald G. Firesmith, Magical Wand Press, 30 October 2020, 91 pages, ISBN-13: 979-8694609104
5. Hell Holes 3: To Hell and Back, Donald G. Firesmith, Magical Wand Press, 30 October 2020, 382 pages, ISBN-13: 979-8694609104
6. Secrets 1: The Secrets of Hawthorne House, Donald G. Firesmith, Magical Wand Press, 1 October 2018, 413 pages, ISBN-13: 978-1726283151
7. Hell Hole: The Official Screenplay, Donald G. Firesmith, Magical Wand Press, 11 April 2018, 172 pages, ASIN: B07C5DVKCP
8. Hell Holes 2: Demons on the Dalton, Donald G. Firesmith, Magical Wand Press, 1 June 2016, 202 pages, ISBN-13: 978-1523241767
9. Hell Holes 1: What Lurks Below, Donald G. Firesmith, Magical Wand Press, 31 July 2015, 160 pages, ISBN-13: 978-1515068075
10. Magical Wands: A Cornucopia of Wand Lore, Donald G. Firesmith, Magical Wand Press, 1 April 2014, 476 pages, ASIN: B07ZLNFJ39

Non-Fiction Books

1. The Simulation Theory of Consciousness (or Your Autonomous Car is Sentient), Donald G. Firesmith, Magical Wand Press, 27 October 2019, 90 pages, ISBN: 978-0463669518, ASIN: B07ZLNFJ39
2. Common Testing Pitfalls and Ways to Prevent and Mitigate Them: Descriptions, Symptoms, Consequences, Causes, and Recommendations (SEI Series in Software Engineering), Donald G. Firesmith, Addison Wesley, 29 December 2013, 256 pages, ISBN-13: 978-0133748550
3. The Method Framework for Engineering System Architectures (MFESA), Donald G. Firesmith with Peter Capell, Dietrich Falkenthal, Charles B. Hammons, DeWitt Latimer, and Tom Merendino, Auerbach, 20 November 2008, 512 pages, ISBN-13: 978-1420085754
4. The OPEN Process Framework, Donald G. Firesmith and Brian Henderson-Sellers, Addison-Wesley Professional, 21 December 2001, 272 pages, ISBN-13: 978-0201675108
5. OPEN Modeling Language (OML) Reference Manual, Donald G. Firesmith, Brian Henderson-Sellers, and Ian Graham, Cambridge University Books, New York, New York, 1 June 1998, 288 pages, ISBN-13: 978-1884842757
6. Documenting a Complete Java Application using OPEN, Donald G. Firesmith, Scott Krutsch, Marshall Stowe, and Greg Hendley, Addison-Wesley Longman, Boston, Massachusetts, May 1998, 432 pages, ISBN-13: 978-0201342772
7. Wisdom of the Gurus: A Vision For Object Technology, Charles F. Bowman ed., Donald G. Firesmith (author of 2 chapters), SIGS Reference Library, Cambridge University Press, New York, New York, 13 March 1998, 468 pages, ISBN-13: 978-0134998497
8. Dictionary of Object Technology: the Definitive Desk Reference, Donald G. Firesmith and Ed Eykholt, SIGS Books, New York, New York, 13 January 1998, pp. 636, ISBN-13: 978-0133738872
9. Object-Oriented Requirements Analysis and Logical Design: A Software Engineering Approach, Donald G. Firesmith, Wiley Professional Computing, 20 January 1993, 592 pages, ISBN-13: 978-0471578062

Book Awards

Donald Firesmith’s books have won the following awards:

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.”

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