Guy N. Smith was born and raised in the village of Hopwas in Staffordshire. His mother was a historical author writing under the name E.M. Weale and she encouraged Guy to write from an early age. He was first published at the age of twelve in a local newspaper and this led to the creation of 56 short stories. Written between 1952 and 1957, some of these early works were novellas and serialised.
It is fair to say that Guy's father did not share the same creative passion as his wife and son and did not see writing as 'a proper job'. Guy was encouraged to follow in his father's footsteps and entered a career in banking. He started work for the Midland bank when he was just sixteen, eventually rising to the position of Bank Manager. His writing, however, was not totally put aside and his secretary was kept extremely busy copy typing his first three novels, 'Werewolf by Moonlight', 'The Sucking Pit' and 'Slime Beast'. But surviving as an author demands versatility and Guy enjoyed welcome additional income producing 'titillating tales' of an adult theme for Goldstar Publications.
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The summer of 1976 saw record high temperatures. The great British public flocked to the beach and looked for a good read to take with them. Guy is the first to admit that he was surprised when 'Night of the Crabs' became the book of choice that summer and went on to become a hugely popular best seller. A further five books followed in the 'Crabs'' series but it was the original that is still incredibly popular some 34 years later. 'Night of the Crabs' was published in 2009 for the first time as a hardback and was totally embraced by his fans.
Guy has been married to Jean for 38 years and they have four children and one grandchild. In 1977 they moved to Black Hill, a fairly remote area on the Shropshire/Welsh borders and this is still their home today. Many people think that Guy is a recluse and he only leaves his home or goes away when he has to. This is not really the case, he is one of the few people who is genuinely contented with his home and surroundings and does not feel the need to seek external stimulation. He leads an extremely full and active lifestyle and has many hobbies among them are Subbuteo and football but his true passion is the countryside and its preservation. He hunts all year round and the seasonal game from his private shoot and immediate surroundings provides self sufficiency in meat. He is also a keen gardener with a very productive vegetable plot.
In addition to the 116 books he has written since 1974 he has always considered himself primarily a journalist. He began writing for the sporting press in 1960 and has published around 3,000 articles on shooting, deer stalking, big-game hunting and many other subjects. Guy has been the Gun Editor of 'The Countryman's Weekly' for the past 11 years with a deadline of 5 features per week, mostly technical articles on guns and ammunition. His knowledge is extensive and is frequently asked to review and test rifles and shotguns.
As if all of this was not enough Guy also runs Black Hill Books, a business he started in 1972 selling vintage and modern books. With over 200 regular, mail order clients the business features crime/mystery and Western books both vintage and modern. However, there came a point when even Mr Smith had to admit that he was mere mortal and needed some help if he was ever to get back to writing and he now has two assistants Ceri and Annie.
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