For more than two decades after receiving an MFA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute, Lonon Smith was a screenwriter/script doctor for hire in in the Hollywood film industry (along with writing the occasional series episode). A screenplay based on his first novel is currently optioned for a film. Two of his plays have been nominated for best original script by the Sacramento Area Regional Theater Association, and his open adaptation of Stevenson’s “Treasure Island” won that award in 2018. His current novel “Dirt on Fire,” set in the Stockton area, was completed in 2020 but not yet published.