I’m elated to have with us today author and all-around mystic, Sandra Carrington-Smith. I’m particularly happy to have her because she’s a friend and North Carolina author, and because she’s one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. Her story is unique, and I hope you enjoy learning about her.
How would you describe your work/path/art to a beginner?
My writing revolves around self-expression of inner truth. I love to talk about spirituality, and the way seemingly opposite paths can merge to create a powerful and solid system of belief. I find it harder to address a point using non-fiction, so I choose to do it with fiction. Novels paint mental pictures and they make it easier for the reader to absorb abstract concepts. My novels are suspenseful, but they are all heavily laced with spiritual reflections.
How did this work call you? At what life stage?
I started writing poetry when I was very young, but I didn’t go very far with it. Novel writing began when I was in my mid-thirties and it took me by surprise. The Book of Obeah was initially going to be just a short story that I was going to pen for myself, then it became infused with life of its own and decided it wanted to be a full-length novel.
Describe your experience of spirituality as a teen/young adult.
I grew up in a very eclectic system of belief. It was almost like being a small child raised in a family where several languages were spoken at once. It was a bit confusing at the time, but as years went by it became obvious to me that we all seek a very similar truth, and although we might follow different paths to get to it, the end goal is the same. The paths themselves aren’t all that separate if one looks at them with a clinical eye – we all strive to find God; God works through existing life forms and elevated forms of energy to help us evolve; we all are vulnerable to and afraid of evil.
How does that experience speak through your work, today?
My personal spiritual beliefs, which of course stemmed and evolved from my upbringing, play a tremendous part in my writing.
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Sandra Carrington-Smith is an Italian-born author who relocated to the United States in the late 80’s after marrying a US soldier who was serving overseas. Although writing was Sandra’s deepest passion since childhood, her dream of becoming a published author had to be placed on hold for several years. Moving to a new country provided several challenges, the biggest one being the language barrier she encountered when she first arrived.
In order to become fully integrated, Sandra tapped into her love for reading, and over time her vocabulary grew extensively. She gave birth to three children and devoted most of her time to raising a family. By the time she was in her late 30’s, Sandra decided to revisit her old passion for writing, and penned a novel of paranormal suspense, The Book of Obeah, followed by a self-improvement book, Housekeeping for the Soul: A Practical Guide to Restoring Your Inner Sanctuary. Both titles were sold to the same publisher and released in 2010. Killer in Sight (A Tom Lackey Mystery) was released in May 2012, and The Rosaries (sequel of The Book of Obeah) was released in December 2012.
The Book of Obeah went on to win an international book award. It was released as an audio book in the second quarter of 2013 by Cherry Hill Publishing, and it is narrated by Dave Fennoy. The title is a finalist in the prestigious 2014 Audie Awards, in the category of thriller/suspense. Currently, Sandra is working on two new novels: Shadows of a Tuscan Moon and The Key. She lives in Raleigh, NC, with her husband, children and three cats.
Thank you for letting others know about Sandra and her books. She is an amazing lady.