Today we’d like to introduce you to Randi Smith.
Hi Randi, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Believe it or not, I actually wasn’t much of a reader until I picked up the Percy Jackson series in middle school. After that, I was hooked, and as an avid daydreamer, I always imagined writing my own stories. I very rarely shared that dream either anyone, though. It was more of a “what if” for my imagination.
In high school, I joined a club where several of us wrote, edited, and self-published novels in roughly two months. It was such a fun experience, and although it kickstarted some great writing ideas, I only ever got a few chapters in before those ideas lost momentum. I graduated high school, went to college, and chose to study publishing with the idea that while I love books and stories, I didn’t think it was possible for me to create my own.
That started to change my junior year of college when I met a fellow Bruin and motion pictures major. Aaron and I worked in the same residence hall, and we often stayed up during each other’s late shifts talking about our favorite books and movies. He was working on several scripts at the time, and he actually inspired me to get back into writing my own ideas down.
Not long after, I got involved in Belmont’s creative writing club and made friends with other writers on campus. At that point, I was finally dedicating some of my free time to writing, and while it wasn’t some of my best work, it was just the consistency I needed to call myself a writer.
In the spring of 2023, I took a fiction editing class where we had to write a short story and offer edits on another student’s work. I had just attended a seminar where a speaker talked about book banning, and after subscribing to PW Daily, I learned just how prevalent book bans were in the US. That research inspired a 20 page short story, very unoriginally titled BOOK CLUB, that stuck with me. And others, as fate would have it.
My professor, Sara Wigal, encouraged me to expand on that story for another class I took the spring of 2024. I turned BOOK CLUB into the first 18,000 words of a manuscript. It was that summer after I graduated that Sara reached back out to me. She really loved what I’d written—I very clearly remember the phrase “no notes” being said!—and had just joined a new literary agency. I was the first former-student she signed.
Two years later, that story is ADA HOLLOWAY’S HAD ENOUGH, a YA novel detailing a teen’s journey of self-discovery, finding her voice, and fighting for public libraries and censorship-free history in her small town. Pre-orders are live wherever you get your books, and I’m so excited for this novels release on April 21.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The process of getting an agent was smoother than I could have ever dreamed. Everything else was a sometimes tough learning curve—getting into the habit of writing, sticking to a 60,000 word story, and finding a publisher were all difficult at times.
We originally went the traditional publishing route, but realistic YA isn’t the most popular genre right now, and traditional publishing takes a long time, time we didn’t feel we had with how pressing book banning has become in the US. Choosing self-publishing was a difficult but necessary decision, and I’m glad we went with it in the end.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My debut novel, ADA HOLLOWAY’S HAD ENOUGH, releases April 21. It’s a realistic YA novel following a fictional teen’s efforts to oppose a book ban at her local public library. I’m very proud of the reception I’ve received for this book, including positive reviews from industry professionals like Kirkus, BookLife, and Foreword Clarion. But what really sets this novel apart, and what I’m absolutely pleased to put into the world, is a fictional story aimed at teens that offers a look into what it takes to speak your mind, stand up for what you believe in, and navigate life when the people you love might not agree with you. There’s not another book like this in the market right now, but I think it’s desperately needed as communities across the US fight to save their libraries from censorship.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Contrary to the norm, I didn’t discover my love of reading till middle school. Before that, I spent most of my time outdoors or watching my favorite TV shows. After I re-discovered how amazing books are, it was pretty rare to find me not obsessively reading from my favorite authors, like Victoria Aveyard and Holly Black. I occasionally auditioned for the odd musical or two, acting in favorites like Shrek Jr, Addams Family, and Once Upon a Mattress. I also played the cello in school for 8 years and still dabble with it to this day.
Pricing:
- ADA HOLLOWAY’S HAD ENOUGH releases April 21. It retails for $15.99.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.randismithwrites.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/randismithwrites
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/173Fz7hKiR/
- Other: https://substack.com/@randismithwrites
