R.D. Smithson – Author | Shadows Among the Peaks
Meet the Storyteller
About R.D. Smithson
R.D. Smithson writes slow-burn suspense and literary fiction rooted in themes of courage, quiet faith, and the enduring light that breaks through darkness. His stories reflect a deep respect for the human spirit’s resilience—where hope is hard-won, justice unfolds through patience, and faith is lived more through actions than words. Inspired by scripture, history, and the quiet heroism of everyday people.
"Good still overcomes evil, even when the fight feels long." — R.D. Smithson
Raised among the mountains and open spaces of rural Montana, Smithson draws from a life shaped by simple pleasures and deeper truths. When he’s not writing, he can often be found exploring backcountry trails, reading under the shade of a willow tree, tinkering with projects in the workshop, or enjoying slow mornings with family and faith at the center. A man of quiet temperament but open heart, he’s known for lending a helping hand, offering a listening ear, and finding joy in the rhythm of nature, craft, and conversation.
Whether crafting words on a page or carving wood by hand, Smithson believes every small, faithful act carries the weight of something eternal.
Shadows Among The Peaks
Book 1: The Shephard Chronicles
Some lights aren’t meant to fade. They’re meant to lead.
Fear rules Valle Oscuro.
The powerful profit from silence. The innocent vanish without trace.
And no one dares to speak.
In the remote mountain village of Valle Oscuro, silence has become a way of life. Fear lingers in the streets, enforced by unseen hands and whispered threats. Families vanish. Children disappear. The powerful profit. And the world looks away.
Into this forgotten place walks Eli Shephard—a man carrying no banners, making no promises, and bound only by his quiet sense of right and wrong. What begins as silent observation becomes something more when Eli crosses paths with a boy too brave for his years and a village teetering on the edge of despair. In a place where survival demands obedience, Eli becomes a catalyst for something dangerous: hope.
As whispers of defiance stir beneath layers of fear, Eli finds himself entangled in a web that stretches far beyond Valle Oscuro—through corrupt politicians, global corporations, and those who manipulate truth itself. But this isn’t a story of heroes and villains.
"It’s a story of the overlooked, the oppressed, and the ordinary people who choose, against all odds, to stand." — R.D. Smithson
With quiet intensity, grounded faith, and unflinching humanity, Shadows Among the Peaks is a story of resistance born not from grand speeches or violence, but from small acts of courage, quiet acts of defiance, and the enduring belief that light still breaks through darkness—even in the most unlikely places.