Inside the Mind | Dana Smith A raw interview with the author of "Reflection"

A: This book was born in chaos. At the time, I didn’t know if I was going to make it. I was running from the law, ducking charges that could’ve put me away for 90 months while my wife was pregnant My mama’s house got shot up while we were inside — I’ll never forget that night. The fear. The silence afterward. You can read my story here https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HcdqSJS97/ I started writing “Reflection” because I had to — not for fame, but to survive. It became the one place where I could put all my pain without getting judged or buried by it. > 🔗 You can read it now here: https://a.co/d/8gSI3Ht

They're going to feel shaken… but understood. I want someone out there who’s drowning to know that even if your house got shot up, even if your people left you, even if your past is ugly — you are not beyond redemption. This book helped me start over. I truly believe it may have helped save my life. Because now, I'm a father myself, and my son Allen deserves a better man. I couldn’t give him that until I dealt with my demons.

First — don’t run from your story. Use it. Whether you write it down, spit it into a mic, or scream it to the wind — get it out. Your silence will kill you faster than the pain. I was supposed to be another number in the system. Instead, I’m a free man, a father, and now… an author. If “Reflection” can open one eye, heal one heart, or slow one kid from picking up the wrong bag — then everything I went through had purpose.

It’s what I saw the moment I decided I couldn’t keep living the way I was. It’s the mirror I avoided, the guilt I carried, the man I feared I’d become. It’s also the reason I’m still alive. Because once I faced my reflection — I started fighting for my future. --- 🔥 Final Words: “Reflection” by Dana Smith is available now. If you’ve ever felt haunted by your past, abandoned by your people, or unsure of your future — this book is for you.

Reflection By Dana Smith Meet Emily. A woman whose name isn’t really hers — just a borrowed identity. She lives in a body stolen from someone erased. Her reflection doesn’t just stare back—it blinks early, smiles when she doesn’t, and remembers things she’s never done. But what if the mirror is lying? Emily’s real name is buried beneath layers of memory and trauma—a ghost whose life others decided for her. As the mirror cracks, the truth about who she really is— or was— starts bleeding through. She must fight to reclaim her name, her mind, and her soul. > *Reflection isn’t just a horror novel—it’s identity theft on the level of the psyche.* This story is personal. Written from scars I carry, it’s the language I use to whisper truths no one wants to hear—and to show survivors what redemption can look like. If you’ve ever felt unseen, unheard, or erased... this ghost story might just resurrect your truth.