About the Author

M. J. Smith standing on the bridge near Blarney Castle where the Murphy family found Kevin after his first encounter with The Father of Lies.

The bridge, like all of the places visits in the six books, is real.

M. J. Smith was raised listening to Irish tales told by his mother and grandmother. The tales generally had very little to do with reality but often had a message that he needed to hear when the story was told. Those stories, and their messages, have stuck with Smith throughout his life.

After graduating from Marquette University with an MBA in business, he put his storytelling talents on hold and entered a career in the data and information management field. For over twenty years, as president of WestGroup Management Resources, his creativity was directed toward development of the ACquire Data Warehouse and Report Management System that continues to be used by companies and organizations throughout the world. When WestGroup was sold, and Smith decided to write the Kevin Murphy series, he visited Ireland five times to research the many details of the story to ensure their accuracy. One of the things that separates the Kevin Murphy series from other fantasies is that every place in each book is a real place.

Smith's favorite books are The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Chronicles of Narnia, The Prince and the Pauper, Peter Pan, The Princess Bride, and the Harry Potter series.

As a Cub Scout leader, his favorite responsibility was performing magic at the monthly pack meetings. He loved seeing the reaction of the young and old alike when they were surprised by a trick and found that things weren't what they thought they were. His love for good magic is the basic building block for each story.

As a Boy Scout leader, his favorite activity was the monthly backpacking trip. He especially enjoyed places that had an interesting history like Reevis Ranch outside of Phoenix, Arizona.

In 2007 Smith suffered from a debilitating eye problem that left him legally blind in his right eye. By Spring, 2008, his sight in that eye was restored to 20/25 through prayer and the application of a newly developed treatment.

In October 2008, the judges of the 77th Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition selected Smith to receive an Honorable Mention in the Children/Young Adult category. This award was especially gratifying because there were a total of 17,000 entries in the competition and it was Smith's first short story.

In addition to the Kevin Murphy series, Smith has also published Cutter, My Christmas Gift. It is a heartwarming story which examines the redemption of  a man who is filled with regrets for not doing more for his now deceased mother. It is available in eBook form at major retailers.