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Danielle D. Smith

Danielle D. Smith

About

Danielle D. Smith was born in 1980 in San Diego, California, USA. In addition to being a writer of urban fantasy stories she is an accomplished fine artist and illustrator whose visual work has appeared in various public, private, and gallery exhibitions and in national publications. Dani, as she is known by many who are close to her, lives in San Diego with an ever-growing collection of books, documentaries, independent and foreign films. Her novels appeal to dreamers, troublemakers, dark romantics, and general escapists.

A Shadow in Yucatan

A Shadow in Yucatan

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Description

<p>A mythical jewel of a story… A true story told on a beach in Yucatan, A Shadow tells Stephanie's story but it was also the story of the golden time. Its nostalgia sings like cicadas in the heat.</p><p>An American ‘Under Milkwood’, this distilled novel of the Sixties evokes the sounds, music and optimism on the free-wheelin streets and parks of Coconut Grove. You can hear Bob Dylan still strumming acoustic; smoke a joint with Fred Neil; and Everybody’s Talkin is carried on the wind.</p><p>Stephanie, a young hairdresser living in lodgings finds herself pregnant. Refused help from her hard Catholic mother in New York, unable to abort her baby, she accepts the kindness of Miriam, her Jewish landlady, whose own barren life spills into compassionate assistance for the daughter she never had.</p><p>The poignancy of its ending, its generosity and acceptance, echoes the bitter disappointment of those of us who hoped for so much more, but who remember its joy, and its promise, as though untarnished by time.</p>

Story Behind The Book

Alexius is a powerful warrior angel, once one of the highest ranking soldiers in the Army of Heaven. Brutally stripped of his wings and condemned to unendingly roam the earth, he suddenly finds himself offered a chance at redemption. Psyche is a young visual artist struggling to jumpstart her painting career. Immensely talented but penniless and alone, Psyche is ready to give up all hope of artistic success until she receives word of a wealthy patron willing to offer her the commission of a lifetime. Little does she know that her mysterious benefactor is an ancient and evil being planning to use her creative power for his own wicked means. Alexius must stop this talented human from creating an opus for a demon, even if that means killing her himself. But when the paths of celestial warrior and mortal maid cross, Alexius realizes that he cannot go through with his task. Instead, he will do all in his power to keep Psyche from harm. But a romance between angel and human is forbidden, and their actions will impact not only their own destiny, but the fate of all Creation....

Media Links

Laurie J's Book Reviews Character Interview with Alexius

🔗 http://lauriethoughts-reviews.blogspot.com/p/interviews.html

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Author Interview at From The Shadows

🔗 http://www.fromtheshadows.info/2010/09/guest-author-interview-danielle-d-smith.html

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Reviews

<span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"><em>&quot;Long ago, warrior angel Alexius was banished from heaven and brutally stripped of his wings. Now he has a chance at redemption. He must stop a powerfully talented human artist from being used by a demon to to create something that can bring forth the most deadly of evils. However, after seeing Psyche, the woman whose life he cannot spare, Alexius knows that he cannot go through with his task. Instead, he will do all in his power to keep Psyche from harm. But a romance between angel and human is forbidden and their actions will impact not only their own destiny, but the fate of all creation.</em></span> <p><font color="#000000"></font> </p> <p><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"><em>Enter the world of angels, demons, and art in the evocative Psyche's Gate. Danielle D. Smith has penned a fantastically  vivid tale of good, evil, and everything in between. I admit I found Psyche's Gate to be a fascinating read. It's interesting, frequently dark, and each character is developed with great care...I absolutely loved Alexius...I admire how Ms. Smith brought the world of Psyche's Gate to life in such great detail and look forward to reading more of her work.&quot;</em></span></p><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';">-- Joyfully Reviewed<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"><em>***<br /><br />&quot;I am honored to be present for the birthing of a fiction star. <span>Danielle D. Smith</span> is headed for the Hall of Greats with her gunshot-fast wit and storytelling style that sucks you in...&quot;</em> <br />--Annee Pfau, author of &quot;Redemption: the Blood Curse&quot; <br /><br />***<br />Psyche's Gate is an amazingly brilliant book. Danielle D. Smith has created a whole other world that sucks you in straight from the start. This is not your average angel story; there is a depth, emotion and a real plot! I have read far too many fantasy books that have left me disappointed and Psyche's Gate is NOT one of them.. Cheers to Danielle D. Smith for her amazing story telling and attention to detail that most authors lack!<br /><br />--Danielle &quot;Bite Me, Please&quot; Barone<br /><br />***<br />Psyche is a very gifted and talented artist that hardly earns enough money to eat and pay her bills. She has to work two jobs. She has been very lonely since her mother died. When Psyche finally meets the man from her dreams and is offered a great paying job she thinks that everything will get better. Until she learns that the man from her dreams is actually a fallen Angel sent to stop her from doing the mural that will change her life for the better. Psyche is a very well developed character that is very beleivable. You feel yourself hurting with her through the book. <br /><br />Alexius is a fallen angel that is given a chance a redemption. All that he has to do to get his wings back and also his spot back in the heavenly army is to stop the women that he loves from paiting the mural that will launch her career. Alexius is tormented about wanting his life back but he also wants to be able to be with Psyche. Alexius is an Angel completly in love with a motal girl. Alexius is also tormented by the battle between good vs evil. <br /><br />As for the two people that comissioned Psyche to do the mural are the most evil out there. They want the mural completed so that they can unleash the evil prince Lucifer himself from his prison. You can feel the evil in them through out the whole book. <br /><br />This is a love story about good vs evil and the ever on going battle betweem heaven and hell, with poor Psyche as the pawn. <br /><br />Danielle Smith has such a passion for her work and it really shows in this story. This story is a great story with compeling charaters, unforgetable events and just all around great story. This is one of those stories for me that once I started reading I could not put it down. And when I was not reading I could not get it out of my head. This story really draws you into it. I would recommend this story to anyone who is not affected by foul language. I can not wait for the rest of the series. <br /><br />Keep up the great writing Danielle. <br /><br />--Catie at Black Rose Reviews<br /><br />***<br /><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Psyche is an extremely gifted young, unknown artist who is struggling day to day to earn enough for life’s necessities. Seemingly, out of the blue, she is offered a commission to paint a mural for a very wealthy, generous benefactor.<span>  </span>She is overjoyed, believing her dreams will be fulfilled.<span>  </span>What she finds instead is a nightmare of celestial dimension.</span></span></span> <div style="border-bottom:medium none;border-left:medium none;margin:0in 0in 0pt;border-top:medium none;border-right:medium none;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></div> <div style="border-bottom:medium none;border-left:medium none;margin:0in 0in 0pt;border-top:medium none;border-right:medium none;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';">Shunned by his Immortal brethren, Alexius is a tormented soul cast out from his home thousands of years ago because of a consequential error in judgment.<span>  </span><span> </span>He has finally been given the opportunity to regain his rightful position as one of the highest ranking and most fierce of the Angelic Warriors.<span>  </span>His mission is simple – the mural must not be created.</span></span></span></div> <div style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"><br /></span></div> <div style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This novel casts the eternal battle of heaven and hell, good and evil into a sonorous mosaic.<span>  </span>Very little is as it seems.<span>  </span>This time the battlefield is on earth and Psyche the unwilling pawn upon which the outcome hinges.<span>  </span>It takes every ounce of strength and determination that Alexius possesses to protect his beloved Psyche.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is difficult for me to describe how very unusual and haunting this story was for me.<span>  </span>The sentence structure flowed with a rhythmic cadence that was glorious.<span>  </span>The author flawlessly created a gothic, brooding type atmosphere that was maintained throughout the entire book.<span>  </span>The cadence of the story pulsed with lyrical complexity. Filled with Angels, Demons and all manner of other denizens of mythology this story will at times astound and shock with its brutal, unflinching candor. </span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I recommend this book to anyone who likes stories of immortal conflict written in a dark, gothic tone with richly patterned descriptions and who can overlook occasional excessive profanity.</span></span></span> <br /></span></div><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';">--Laurie J. of Laurie's Thoughts and Reviews<br />Professional Book Reviewer<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>