Darran Smith grew up surrounded by storytellers who could turn a trip to the grocery store into an expedition through the Amazon—danger lurking somewhere near the produce section. He set aside dreams of becoming a comic book artist to study Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University, but never stopped writing.

For years, his work lived mostly as half-finished ideas tucked away in hidden folders on his hard drive. The Alphabet Lovers is his debut novel, evolving from a series of short erotic stories inspired by Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Series.

He lives in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., where he spends his time taking photographs, building LEGO, and finally finishing a story or two.