Ostensibly THE PITS is about a man rescuing a dog from war-torn Afghanistan and how the two work together to survive another battle they find themselves involved with after returning home to California.

The keyword there is ‘ostensibly’, right? Tell us about this man.  We presume he’s a soldier?
Captain Kramer, USMC is the main character. He has committed almost 20 years of his life to the Corps after joining it as a teen straight out of high school. A farm boy by nature, his life values have been instilled in him by his Mid Western hard-toiling parents. His closest friend is his beloved dog, Rusty. The two are inseparable until just prior to Kramer leaving for bootcamp. The yearning to see more of the world beyond the hills confining his farming world leads Kramer into wars. Somewhat of an idealist, he cannot abide anyone abusing others who seem incapable of fending for themselves, especially animals. He has the Marine’s inordinate sense of duty but never lets it impede his role as peace maker.

And the dog from Afghanistan?
Shadow, Kramer’s rescue dog, fills the gaping wound in the Marine’s heart left by the loss of his best friend, Rusty. Once again, man and dog become inseparable and Shadow devotes all his attention to loving and protecting his new master — almost at the cost of his own life.

Is there anyone else we need to meet?
Special Agent Ashley Hunter encounters Kramer after he has rotated home and thinks he’s left behind the end of his fighting other people’s wars and battles. Appointed to head a major FBI operation, Hunter is your stereotypical fed; headstrong, bureaucratic, controlling. But she has a softer side and one which opens itself slowly to Kramer as they work closely together. Both single, unattached, but not necessarily looking for a relationship, nonetheless are drawn to one another.

This is sounding more and more like a romance story. Is it?
I wasn’t sure of that myself, so asked my editor the same question. She classified it as a crime novel.

Who is it aimed at?
It’s aimed primarily at animal lovers, dog lovers in particular. But I believe those who are into crime stories will like it.

Have you written any other books that we should check out next?
My first published book was born of a dare and one I’m slightly embarrassed to associate myself with, although a lot of people have liked it—including my wife. It’s an erotic crime thriller called KILLING SOFTLY.

But, back to my newest release. I have plans for a sequel to THE PITS. And I plan to attempt something I think has never been tried by another writer. I have already begun soliciting for people who may be interested to actually role play some of the sequel’s new characters. I will put these people into the actual scenes of the story, have them tell me how they would react, then interweave their reactions into the story.

That is something new. We can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Tell us about yourself.
I’m originally from Sydney, Australia and moved to America after marrying the woman of my life whom I met on the Internet way back in 1997. I am a graphic designer with over 30 years experience in the printing and publishing industries, and I’m now trying my hand at the craft of wordsmith. I love meeting new people, seeing new sights, traveling, reading (when I can), and enjoying my new life with my wife and two dogs.

What’s your website address?
http://gregsmith-writer.weebly.com/

How can we find you on social media?
Twitter — @GregVSmith48 and Facebook — www.facebook.com/GVSmith.Author & www.facebook.com/DesignerSmith

There’s a little game we play. We give authors four words and ask them to think up a story line.  Is that something you’re good at?
One of my main problems is that my mind never stops working on new storylines. I attribute that to my artistic imagination.

In that case, here are our four words: Man, Woman, Airport, Darkness.
The worst winter ever recorded howls down from the Arctic and slams into Denver. The international airport is totally caught off guard and chaos ensues as numerous flights encounter the storm and several disasters erupt at once all over the area. The storm blacks out the northern half of America and threatens to encompass the entire nation. Amid the calamity, a man and woman are thrown together as they fight for their very survival…

Write that and we’d buy it! 
What’s next for you? Concentrating on your sequel to The Pits?
As well as working on plans for THE PITS sequel, I intend to get back to an historical fiction novel I’ve been working on sporadically for the last 5-6 years. I sense I have come up with a great story that I need to set on paper. At the same time though, I sometimes feel I have the tiger by the tail.