Syntell Smith is a successful blogger and novelist known for his out-of-the-box characters and stories. His Call Numbers series taps into these features, as well as his experiences living and working in New York City. With aspirations of taking the series further both in the literary world and on the small screen of television, What We Reading sat down with Syntell to talk about everything from the Big Apple to the world of publishing!
Thanks for speaking with us, Syntell! First off, tell us a bit about yourself and what led you to the world of writing.
Thank you for interviewing me. I’m a blogger who acquired a captive audience to read my blog back in the early 2000s. I lived in New York City at the time and would write about my misadventures that happened in the city that never sleeps. I also did reviews of movies, TV shows, and music albums. Writing was always in me and I always dreamed of screenwriting a TV series based on my work experiences working in the New York Public Library. I studied and taught myself to write a treatment and pilot script, submitted it to several screenwriting contests and then sat on the project for a few years. I came back to the project and decided to make it into a book series and here I am.
Talk to us about the Call Numbers series. What is it about, and how has it evolved from book one to book three?
The Call Numbers series is a workplace ensemble drama surrounding the staff of a library located in the middle of Manhattan during the 90’s. Book 1 (The Not So Quiet Life Of Librarians) starts in 1994 as a new employee transfers in and shakes things up in the already hostile work environment. Now, you would think a place like the library would be quiet and peaceful, but you would be wrong. There are power struggles, cliques, favouritism, and a lot of ‘one hand washes the other’, along with doing favours for favours among the supervisors. The characters of the series are divided into three groups: The Library Clerks, The Librarians themselves, and The Library Pages. As everyone tries to get along, alliances are made, as well as enemies. I’ve jokingly called the series, ‘Game of Thrones in a library’.
The first three books take place from Spring to Winter 1994 with the next two books taking place in 1995. The series is maturing as the characters are changing. From the first book to the third, events throughout the series are helping these characters evolve and they will continue to evolve as the series goes on. By the time the series ends, they will all be in different places in their lives.
What is the number one goal you want your work to have with readers?
I want my readers to relate to the characters in the series. They are from all walks of life, teens, elders, middle-aged, etc… it’s a real diverse collection of individuals, and as the reader takes a look into their lives they can see themselves in my characters. The setting of New York City is a character in itself so those who live outside of the city can feel like the books take them there.
What do you think makes you stand out as an author?
I’m trying to write what I would want to read out there that I haven’t seen yet. Diverse characters, with disabilities, who aren’t in the best shape, or middle-aged, grounded, everyday individuals who step up when adversity arises. Morally grey characters that do questionable things but then do the right thing when the opportunity presents itself. I’m trying to stand out by offering “Out-there-stories”.
What would you say has been your biggest success so far?
My novels have won a few awards, and I’ve received praising reviews for my books. I really can’t think of the biggest success for me yet, I’m just thankful I’ve written three, going on four books so far!
If you could go back in time to one book you read for the first time, what would it be and why?
My all-time favorite author is Walter Mosley and I owe it to my mother who suggested reading his first Easy Rawlings mystery, Devil In a Blue Dress because it was a favorite of Former President Bill Clinton. I would love to read that book again for the first time.
What’s one tip you would give your younger self if you had the opportunity?
I would tell my younger self to start sooner in the publishing process. All the tools were there for me to self-publish back in 2000 but I had no idea about it. I’m glad those options are there because I don’t think the books I write would be published traditionally. In fact, I know they wouldn’t since I tried to query a literary agent and go the traditional route. I’m a perfectionist anyway and wouldn’t conform my work to fit the mainstream. I’m happy being indie and telling my story my way.
And finally, what do you hope the future holds for you and your writing?
One thing I’m shooting for is to still make Call Numbers a TV series. That way I can pull out the original pilot script and tell the producer, “No need to adapt the books, I already did!” and then laugh as the project comes around full circle.
Follow Syntell and his work on his website or on Twitter/X
Check out our author interview with S.F. Baumgartner
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
