The Weekly Word:
RJ
Morgan Smith
Welcome! Fáilte!
Grata!
Bienvenue!
Officially...
RJ Morgan Smith doesn't know diddly-squat about the publishing industry, but she's learning. What RJ does know is writing-- how to put words together to inform, motivate, pull a reader's heart-strings and entertain. She also knows that writing is almost as important as breathing to her and other writers like her.
Smith began her love affair with the written word early in life-- age seven saw her the author/editor of a neighborhood newspaper. Throughout her school years, she consistently won awards for her writings, to include academic scholarships. University professors urged her to submit course-required articles for publication in academic journals. (Some of those articles are being used now by professors as part of their course curriculums.)
Having written numerous freelance articles, RJ decided to try her hand at fiction and completed her first full-length novel, 701 Miracle Place. Classified as contemporary literary fiction, 701 Miracle Place is approximately 110,000 words in length and allegorical in nature, emphasizing 'meaning of life' through its narrative.
RJ Morgan Smith returned to the academic world after completing 701 Miracle Place, adding to her Bachelor of Arts in History (minor, English Literature) by earning a Master of Philosophy in Medieval Studies from Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland. The title of RJ's dissertation was The History of the Horse in Medieval Ireland, with research establishing the presence of a truly Irish horse on the island early in history and its subsequent influence and impact on equestrian genealogies throughout Europe and America.
Smith picked up the fiction quill, again, after her academic requirements were met and is now in the process of completing her second contemporary literary fiction novel, Life After Death. Composed in the grey area where life and death intersect, the novel explores the concept of 'moving on' after experiencing the effects of tragedy. Age and youth, past and present collide in this twisting novel about dealing with the unknown.
With two other novels already begun (including a sequel to 701 Miracle Place) and two more outlined (one a non-fiction novel based in medieval Ireland), RJ Morgan Smith's name is about to resound in the book industry. Feel free to drop her a line about what you're writing, reading, or interested in reading. She'd love to hear from you...
If you'd like to know more About She...
RJ Morgan Smith-- that's me! Born and raised (mostly!) in Amarillo-- I reside now in College Station, Texas. My dad (an independent businessman) and mom (a school teacher) provided numerous opportunities for traveling. Accompanied by my parents and older siblings, I was privileged to explore most of western America (along with parts of Mexico and Canada) during my childhood. Whether it meant cruising along the highways in a little Winnebago Brave motorhome or camping in a canvas army tent and washing in cold mountain streams, I loved being on-the-go.
After graduating from Tascosa High School, I attended Auburn University in Alabama, before marrying my Marine and beginning a new adventure that would continue for more than 22 years. The travel-and-adventure gene that I was blessed with in my childhood served to encourage my exploration of different cultures all over this nation and around the world. ​
Below: Mont St. Michel, France
My family and I eventually settled in College Station, Texas where I resumed my academic career at Texas A&M University, graduating in 2013 at the top of my class. My degree in History (with a heavy thread of English literature) reflects my interest in both times & places, peoples and creations.
During my time at Texas A&M, I was blessed with two unexpected opportunities. The first, an internship at Cushing Memorial Library, on the Texas A&M main campus at College Station, allowed me to work behind the scenes in one of my favourite environments... a library! My 'job' entailed cataloguing and preserving rare books and manuscripts, researching historic figures and events, and evaluating donated collections-- as well as helping set up special exhibits.
Almost a decade later, I chased a dream back to Ireland. In August, 2022, I walked through the tall, narrow, wooden-doored front entrance of Trinity College Dublin. Here, I studied not only medieval history, but also paleography, medieval manuscript and book-making, higher-level research methods, religions, and literatures.
And, Latin. (Mustn't forget the Latin.)
Accompanying me on this journey were my Marine and our youngest daughter. Our adventures in Ireland-- mine and those of my family-- will be the topic in many of the blogs shared on this website. Suffice it to say, they now understand why part of my heart is forever tied to this mystical land and its lovely people.
Americans being not allowed two years for the degree, I completed the requirements for the Master of Philosophy in Medieval Studies by the one-year deadline. Then began the months-long wait for certification of my dissertation (The History of the Horse in Medieval Ireland) and approval by the Trinity College Dublin Board of Gouvernors of my application for graduation, which was granted on 7 December 2023. I retuned to Dublin in May and formally graduated in a ceremony unique to Trinity and a tradition since its founding in 1592.
But, that's a story for another time...
Above: The Rock Of Cashel, Ireland
The second opportunity moved me to Dublin, Ireland, where I slaved for a summer in The National Folklore Collection, at University College Dublin. ("'Twas horrible, it was," she says, tongue-in-cheek.) In the Collection, I sorted and catalogued material artifacts, digitized historical documents for online access and aided in the preservation of The Schools Collection.
This chance to work in Ireland also provided the opportunity to play in Ireland! I took every opportunity to explore both the city of Dublin and the island at large, meeting its people, visiting its unique sites and being amazed at its natural beauty. Often other Americans tagged along; having studied Irish history in depth, these excursions brought my education to life and turned it into adventure!
Back in Texas, College Station is still home plate for the Smith family.
I finished my first full-length novel (Miracle Place) and am working on another literary fiction novel, Life After Death. A sequel to my first novel waits in the wings (Another Year at Miracle Place), as do several other projects.
