Stephen Smoke
Stephen Smoke is the author of 20 novels, including Black Butterfly, Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Blues, Trick of the Light, The Prince of Palos Verdes, and Cathedral of the Senses under his own name and two pseudonyms. Most were published by major New York publishers including HarperCollins, Warner Books, and others. He has also written six non-fiction books.
Stephen has written and directed feature films, including “Street Crimes” (starring Dennis Farina) and “Final Impact,” and has written screenplays for others, including “Magic Kid.” All of Stephen’s HarperCollins novels–and most of the rest of his novels–have been optioned for film. Trick of the Light was published by Beyond Words (publisher of The Secret), and optioned by Hemdale Film Corporation (winner of two Academy Awards for Best Picture: “Platoon” and “The Last Emperor of China”).
Stephen recorded an album (in support of the Trick of the Light novel) on which several well-known musicians, including Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member, Garth Hudson (the keyboard player for The Band), played on various tracks.
He is also a published songwriter and still occasionally performs in local venues.
A Novel With its Own “Soundtrack”
His most recent novel (Parallel) is about a 50-year-old lawyer who gets in an automobile accident, briefly loses consciousness, and awakens in a parallel reality where, instead of being a lawyer, he is a faded rock star. (For more information on the book and the accompanying album, click here.) Parallel is the ultimate “What would it be like to be a rock star?” fantasy, with the “message” that the choices we make determine the lives we experience. The novel is entertaining, provocative, and inspirational without being preachy. All the songs referenced in the book appear on the Parallel album, and are available on popular streaming and download sites, including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, et al.
Stephen is the founder of Old Guys Still Rockin. The website and Facebook page cater to 50+ very active men and women who grew up with rock and roll and still listen to and–in many cases–still play rock and roll music.
He is also the author of the Bill of Responsibilities series.
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