Mark Simon Smith

In much the same way George Mallory wanted to climb Mt. Everest "because it is there", I want to feed the imagination of children - because it is there! Yes, that's right ... I envision the imagination of children as a craggy mountain of treacherous snow and ice that no sane man dare to tread. Have you ever listened to the crazed ramblings of a child at play?They're all insane, I tell you, but in a good way.

And it's that chaotic landscape of invention that I want to explore and encourage. With goofy, colorful worlds of silliness, my books are written to fan the flames of pure imagination. Through the use of absurd scenes and situations, I demonstrate anything is possible in the inventive land of creativity. My goal is to continue hearing from parents, especially those of reluctant readers, "my children enjoy the book so much I can't get them to put it down!"

My books have been used in a few elementary school writing and reading curriculums, including a Talented and Gifted Program. When I visit with classrooms to talk about my work, I encourage the same creative message - it's your story and you can write it however you want. If you imagine it, up can be down, black can be white and the world can be populated with ridiculous creatures with silly names, like Hobnobber Squirrels, PigWiggles and Cuddle Cows.

So far, there are 3 books in the Somewhat Silly Story series, with a fourth in the works. They are fantasy adventures sprinkled heavily with a dose of absurd humor and it is my hope to create a tale enjoyable for the whole family to read together.