Brenda Smith

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your hobbies and interests.

I became spellbound by wanderlust after working as a whitewater river guide while in my 20s. I've lived, worked or traveled in over forty countries. While living overseas I pursued adventures on less traveled roads through remote villages and meeting people of many cultures and religions.

When and why did you start writing books?

I started on this book about 3 years ago because I wanted to show people that fear is a personal choice that can be overcome. I also wanted to warn people of the dramatic losses of wilderness that have occurred in just the last four decades in the name of human "progress"

What made you decide to tackle writing as a career?

I worked for most of my career as a Certified Public Accountant or Chief Financial Officer. Only recently have I begun my "second" career as an author, because I felt the need to share my stories of places I've been and things I've that either don't exist any longer or that most people would never have the opportunity to experience.

Which one of your books or characters is your favourite?

The two Tanzanian friends I made while in Tanzania. The young girl who taught me my first word in Swahili, rafiki, which means friend, and Solomon, who I met on the train ride to our rafting put-in in the remote village of Ifakara.

Which one of your books was the hardest to write and stretched you the most as a writer?

Probably this first book will end up being the hardest as I feel my writing skills improve the more that I write.

Who is your favourite author and book?

There are so many books that I love, from the Pippi Longstocking books of my youth, to more recent favorites such as the Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan Philip Sendkot, Into the Jungle by Erica Ferencik and A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline.

What book are you reading right now?

The Art of Living Dangerously: True Stories from a Life on the Edge by Richard Bangs

Where do you get your inspiration for your books?

The fabulous memories of living and working overseas.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I love to play bridge, or any games that are challenging. I enjoy cooking, watching movies (I never watch a movie twice except Out of Africa), observing the many moods of the ocean.

Do you have any new books in the works?

Two. A follow on to Becoming Fearless, taking the form of a collection of shorter stories reflecting the lessons I've learned from my wanderlust-guided life. The second is about living with the extremely rare progressive, incurable condition called Stiff Persons Syndrome (SPS) that a neuromuscular doctor diagnosed me as having seven years ago.