{"id":29,"date":"2026-06-10T08:41:33","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T08:41:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bookpublish.online\/luke\/?page_id=29"},"modified":"2026-11-03T06:12:43","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T06:12:43","slug":"about-the-author","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bookpublish.online\/luke\/about-the-author\/","title":{"rendered":"ABOUT THE AUTHOR"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"29\" class=\"elementor elementor-29\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3bdc10b e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"3bdc10b\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-45c0afe elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"45c0afe\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<link rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\/css2?family=Cormorant+Garamond:ital,wght@0,500;0,600;1,500&family=Jost:wght@400;500;600&family=Mrs+Saint+Delafield&display=swap\">\r\n<style>\r\n\/* ============ ABOUT PAGE \u00b7 HEADER (#lwsHero) ============ *\/\r\n.e-con:has(#lwsHero),\r\n.e-con-inner:has(#lwsHero),\r\n.elementor-widget-html:has(#lwsHero){width:100%!important;max-width:none!important;min-height:0!important;margin:0!important;padding:0!important;gap:0!important;overflow:visible!important}\r\n\r\n.lws-abh{\r\n  --ink:#081a28;\r\n  --cream:#f6f1e7;\r\n  --gold:#c9a46a;\r\n  --gold-hi:#e8cf9f;\r\n  --mist:#a9b8c6;\r\n  --serif:\"Cormorant Garamond\",Georgia,\"Times New Roman\",serif;\r\n  --sans:\"Jost\",\"Helvetica Neue\",Arial,sans-serif;\r\n  --script:\"Mrs Saint Delafield\",\"Brush Script MT\",cursive;\r\n  --ease:cubic-bezier(.22,.7,.2,1);\r\n  --max:var(--ho-max,1320px);\r\n  --gutter:var(--ho-gutter,clamp(16px,4vw,56px));\r\n  --top:var(--ho-h,100px);\r\n  position:relative;\r\n  \/* clip, not hidden, so the portrait can stay in view while the text scrolls *\/\r\n  overflow:hidden;\r\n  overflow:clip;\r\n  padding:calc(var(--top) + clamp(28px,4vw,56px)) 0 clamp(56px,6vw,88px);\r\n  background:\r\n    radial-gradient(760px 520px at 80% 22%,rgba(232,207,159,.14),rgba(232,207,159,0) 62%),\r\n    linear-gradient(160deg,#10283c 0%,#0b1f30 60%,#081a28 100%);\r\n  color:var(--cream);\r\n  font-family:var(--sans);\r\n  text-align:left;\r\n}\r\nbody.elementor-editor-active .lws-abh{--top:0px}\r\n.lws-abh *,.lws-abh *::before,.lws-abh *::after{box-sizing:border-box}\r\n\/* the theme forces its own font and colour on p; 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His life has been shaped by resilience, reinvention, and an enduring determination to understand and connect with the world around him.<\/p>\r\n        <p>Writing began at an early age, as something deeply personal&mdash;a private refuge and a way of making sense of experiences that were often difficult to understand while living through them. Over time, that refuge developed into something more deliberate. His autobiography.<\/p>\r\n        <p class=\"lah-book\">&ldquo;The Boy I Was, the Man I Became&rdquo;<\/p>\r\n        <p>Upon travelling overseas on a journey of self-discovery, to living and battling on the streets of his hometown, and then eventually striving to success in the field of engineering. Luke would turn his thoughts, experiences, imagination, and wisdom into stories. His work explores different worlds, characters, periods, and circumstances, but beneath those differences lies a recurring fascination with the human experience:<\/p>\r\n        <p>Loneliness and belonging, fear and courage, love and loss, regret and redemption, survival and the enduring desire to matter. At the centre of his work is a philosophy that has emerged from decades of storytelling:<\/p>\r\n        <blockquote class=\"lah-quote\">&ldquo;Even an ordinary life holds extraordinary value when it is lived, examined, and shared authentically from the heart.&rdquo;<\/blockquote>\r\n        <p>Eventually writing a lexicon of titles, spanning multiple genres, Luke continues to this day his legacy of wonder. Entertaining future generations and reminding us all that life is a gift. It is ours to make of it whatever we want it to be.<\/p>\r\n        <span class=\"lah-sign\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Luke William Smith<\/span>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n\r\n    <div class=\"lah-portrait\">\r\n      <div class=\"lah-arch\">\r\n        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" src=\"https:\/\/bookpublish.online\/luke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-21.webp\" alt=\"Luke William Smith speaking on stage\" width=\"702\" height=\"607\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/section>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6523208 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"6523208\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-269cbf7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"269cbf7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<link rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\/css2?family=Cormorant+Garamond:ital,wght@0,500;0,600;1,500&family=Jost:wght@400;500;600&family=Mrs+Saint+Delafield&display=swap\">\r\n<style>\r\n\/* ============ ABOUT PAGE \u00b7 WHAT HE BELIEVES (#lwsBeliefs) ============ *\/\r\n.e-con:has(#lwsBeliefs),\r\n.e-con-inner:has(#lwsBeliefs),\r\n.elementor-widget-html:has(#lwsBeliefs){width:100%!important;max-width:none!important;min-height:0!important;margin:0!important;padding:0!important;gap:0!important}\r\n\r\n.lws-blf{\r\n  --ink:#0d2436;\r\n  --paper:#efe6d6;\r\n  --gold:#c9a46a;\r\n  --clay:#a5583c;\r\n  --text:#3e3a38;\r\n  --muted:#6f6762;\r\n  --line:rgba(62,40,30,.14);\r\n  --serif:\"Cormorant Garamond\",Georgia,\"Times New Roman\",serif;\r\n  --sans:\"Jost\",\"Helvetica Neue\",Arial,sans-serif;\r\n  --ease:cubic-bezier(.22,.7,.2,1);\r\n  --max:var(--ho-max,1320px);\r\n  --gutter:var(--ho-gutter,clamp(16px,4vw,56px));\r\n  --pad:clamp(56px,7vw,96px);\r\n  padding:var(--pad) 0;\r\n  background:var(--paper);\r\n  color:var(--ink);\r\n  font-family:var(--sans);\r\n  text-align:left;\r\n}\r\n.lws-blf *,.lws-blf *::before,.lws-blf *::after{box-sizing:border-box}\r\n\/* the theme forces its own font and colour on p; 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Change is possible, and it starts with three things.<\/p>\r\n        <p class=\"lbf-belief\">Belief is a powerful force. It allows ordinary people to do extraordinary things.<\/p>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <ol class=\"lbf-list\">\r\n      <li class=\"lw-r\" style=\"--d:.16s\"><span class=\"lbf-n\">01<\/span><b>Awareness<\/b><p>Confront your own reality and understand your struggles. Real growth starts when you see clearly where you stand.<\/p><\/li>\r\n      <li class=\"lw-r\" style=\"--d:.24s\"><span class=\"lbf-n\">02<\/span><b>Accountability<\/b><p>Own your choices and your story. Responsibility, not circumstance, is what moves a life forward.<\/p><\/li>\r\n      <li class=\"lw-r\" style=\"--d:.32s\"><span class=\"lbf-n\">03<\/span><b>Determination<\/b><p><q>A person is not defined by their environment if their determination outshines their circumstance.<\/q><\/p><\/li>\r\n    <\/ol>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/section>\r\n\r\n<script>\r\n(function () {\r\n  var ID = 'lwsBeliefs';\r\n  var KEY = '_' + ID + 'Cleanup';\r\n  var script = document.currentScript;\r\n  var root = document.documentElement;\r\n\r\n  function boot() {\r\n    var scope = script && script.parentNode;\r\n    var sec = (scope && scope.querySelector && scope.querySelector('#' + ID)) || document.getElementById(ID);\r\n    if (!sec) return;\r\n    if (typeof root[KEY] === 'function') root[KEY]();\r\n    if (typeof sec[KEY] === 'function') sec[KEY]();\r\n\r\n    var reduce = window.matchMedia('(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)');\r\n    var io = null;\r\n    var timer = 0;\r\n\r\n    \/\/ scroll reveal; a scroll\/timer check backs up the observer so content can never stay hidden\r\n    function reveal() {\r\n      sec.classList.add('is-in');\r\n      if (io) io.disconnect();\r\n      window.removeEventListener('scroll', check);\r\n      clearTimeout(timer);\r\n    }\r\n    function check() {\r\n      var r = sec.getBoundingClientRect();\r\n      if (r.top < window.innerHeight * 0.9 && r.bottom > 0) reveal();\r\n    }\r\n    if (!reduce.matches && window.IntersectionObserver) {\r\n      sec.classList.add('lw-js');\r\n      io = new IntersectionObserver(function (entries) {\r\n        if (entries[0].isIntersecting) reveal();\r\n      }, { threshold: 0.12 });\r\n      io.observe(sec);\r\n      window.addEventListener('scroll', check, { passive: true });\r\n      timer = setTimeout(check, 1200);\r\n    } else {\r\n      reveal();\r\n    }\r\n\r\n    function cleanup() {\r\n      if (io) io.disconnect();\r\n      clearTimeout(timer);\r\n      window.removeEventListener('scroll', check);\r\n      sec.classList.remove('lw-js');\r\n      if (sec[KEY] === cleanup) sec[KEY] = null;\r\n      if (root[KEY] === cleanup) root[KEY] = null;\r\n    }\r\n    sec[KEY] = cleanup;\r\n    root[KEY] = cleanup;\r\n  }\r\n\r\n  if (document.readyState === 'loading') document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', boot, { once: true });\r\n  else boot();\r\n})();\r\n<\/script>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>About the Author Luke William Smith Luke William Smith is an Australian author, mechanical engineer, and motivational speaker. His life has been shaped by resilience, reinvention, and an enduring determination to understand and connect with the world around him. Writing began at an early age, as something deeply personal&mdash;a private refuge and a way of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-29","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookpublish.online\/luke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookpublish.online\/luke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookpublish.online\/luke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookpublish.online\/luke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookpublish.online\/luke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29"}],"version-history":[{"count":46,"href":"https:\/\/bookpublish.online\/luke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":470,"href":"https:\/\/bookpublish.online\/luke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29\/revisions\/470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookpublish.online\/luke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}