Stanley Smith is here today to talk about his first book, The Adventures of Cotton Top and Earnest.
Stan was born and raised in Southern Oklahoma and has fond memories of growing up in the history-rich and naturally beautiful state. When Stan was a teenager, his family moved to Dallas, Texas, but his heart stayed in the OK state.
He now resides in Ennis, Texas where he is a US Army veteran, respected father and grandfather, retired General Motors mechanic, and avid horseman. He is currently pursuing a degree in Education through Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas. Since starting college for the first time, his love for story-telling has been fired and he has taken to writing novels and short stories.
Please tell us about your current release, The Adventures of Cotton Top and Earnest.
The Smith brothers, Cotton Top and Earnest, are in for the adventure of their lives. Cotton Top, being fourteen, takes his responsibility as a big brother to Earnest seriously. His twelve-year-old brother Earnest is always curious and every once in awhile a little foolhardy. He is smarter than Cotton Top so he doesn’t seem to get himself into as much trouble as Cotton Top does. Dissimilar in personality, yet the two are simply inseparable. From hunting to fishing to going to school to performing pranks, they do everything together.
What inspired you to write this book?
The two things that inspired me the most are (1) I saw what my grandchildren were watching on TV and believed I could do better (too much foul language).(2) After I was injured on the job and could no longer work my brother told me to write the story of the two of us growing up on the Washita River in Oklahoma.
What exciting story are you working on next?
While going to college full time, I am working on the next part of the book. It will be a little more adventerous and have wilder adventures.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Until I completed the first book I was just a story teller. For fun I enjoy, more than anything, horse racing.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
An interesting quirk is most people cannot tell if I am telling the truth or making up a story. Even my professors have questioned some of my stories.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Growing up I wanted to be a farmer, but I was taken from that when I was fifteen.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I think there is a lot of wisdom and good information in my story plus it is easy to read, entertaining and a book all ages can enjoy.
In order to increase sales I tell eveyone that if they read The Adventures of Cotton Top and Earnest there is a good chance they will never get the flu again. *grin*
Folks can read an excerpt on my website.
This is a great and easy read. As Mr. Smith said, there is too much foul language on TV these days; you won't find any of that here. The story line is fun and engaging. It's appropriate for all ages. Old timers can reminisce, youngsters can ask "really?", and everyone in between can laugh and remember the stories their parents told them.
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