E. A. Smith
E. A. Smith is a fanfic author and former moderator at the PPMB.
Biographical Information[edit]
Born and raised in Athens, GA, E(ric) A(dam) Smith earned a BS in Physics from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and an MS (and ABD) in Astrophysics from Vanderbilt University. In 2008, after three years of teaching part-time, he accepted a position as a full-time Lecturer in Physics and Astronomy at Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, GA.
Writing History[edit]
E. A. Smith began writing fiction shortly after learning to read at the age of three, and began to take his writing seriously at the age of 17, writing his first novella. An attempt at a novel soon followed, along with several shorter works, and he has many story ideas left to pursue. An idea for a Daria college-era fanfic series formed shortly after he discovered Daria fanfic in early 2002, but he did not begin act on these ideas until January of 2005, when he wrote the Love's Labours Trilogy, a series of three interconnected short stories that took some of his older fanfic ideas and spun them in a new direction. Seven Days, Nowhere Man, and The Tempest (a direct sequel to the original trilogy) followed in the next few months. After this, Smith's output slowed considerably, and he produced only two fics between October 2005 and March 2007—So Long As Men Can Breathe, another college-era work, and Good Intentions, Smith's only fully canon fic. In 2015, Smith adapted an original story entitled "A Faerie Tale" into the Charles Ruthheimer-centered fic A Faerie Tale for Chuck. Finally, in 2023, Smith returned to his main fanfic continuum with the fic That Undiscovered Country, which opens nearly 20 years after So Long As Men Can Breathe (though the majority of the fic is an extended flashback which occurs a few years earlier than the opening scene) and portrays an adult version of Daria.
Smith's fics are all angst-driven to various degrees, and focus more on the inner life and struggles of the characters (especially Daria) than on external plot (though Seven Days could be considered an exception to this rule, as it is easily the most plot-driven of all of Smith's fics). This is especially true of the Love's Labours Trilogy, its sequel The Tempest, and the long-delayed continuation That Undiscovered Country, which are all written in first person from Daria's perspective, a style that naturally steers the story towards the examination of Daria's thoughts and motives rather than actions. These fics, along with Good Intentions, have also been described as "Daria mental-torture fiction", because they involve Daria facing the results of and trying to rectify her own character flaws, a painful process driven by very angst-ridden circumstances. A partial departure from this trend is So Long As Men Can Breathe, which—though still angst-driven—concerns both Daria and Jane struggling with the nature and use of their creativity and art, rather than negative aspects of their characters. Despite their sometimes-depressing tone, Smith's fics (again, except for Seven Days) end on a hopeful and redemptive note.
Because of his interest, both academic and personal, in the art and craft of writing fiction, E. A. Smith conducted a series of interviews with various fanfic authors concerning their best and most popular works, using questions of both his own devising and those submitted by fellow fans. These interviews can be found at The Lawndale High Message Board].
Daria Fanworks Awards[edit]
- Favorite New Author
Bibliography of Major Works[edit]
College-era Fics:
- Love's Labours Trilogy
- The Tempest
- So Long As Men Can Breathe
- That Undiscovered Country (not college-era, but in that same continuum)
Other Fics: