Look and Listen

Biography

Roxanne Smolen was born in Detroit, the eldest daughter of five children. She learned to read at an early age and read voraciously, be it classic novels, comic books, or cereal boxes. As a child, her summers were spent on her aunt’s farm, a devout woman who encouraged her to read the Bible. Smolen became obsessed with Revelation and the apocalypse. She turned to science in an attempt to explain the phenomenon. Along the way, she discovered science fiction. She was drawn to stories about the end of the world but soon branched off to outer space and a limitless future. She decided to become an astronaut. But reality intervened. She married right out of high school and started a family. When her children were school-aged, she enrolled in Wayne State University, intent on becoming a scientist. However, she took a course in creative writing, and it became her passion. She decided if she couldn’t visit the stars in person, she would do it page by page. Yet again, life took another turn. Smolen was diagnosed with a genetic eye disease and lost her vision. Her husband gave her one year to mope and feel sorry for herself. Then he sent her to a local Lighthouse of the Blind to learn how to use a computer without looking. She has since written eight novels in the science fiction realm, ranging from sci fi romance to horror. Her underlying themes are always the same. Believe in yourself and never give up.

Inspiration

My latest release, Satan's Mirror, was inspired by the story of Persephone, the goddess of Spring who was kidnapped by Hades and taken to the underworld. Satan's Mirror is about a woman who journeys to hell to rescue her six-year-old daughter. My granddaughter's name is Persephone. I would go to hell and back for her.