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Info
- Summary
Bob Smiley is an L.A.-based writer and author.
Smiley began his writing career as a research assistant to the late, great William F. Buckley, Jr. In 2008, Smiley wrote the sports memoir FOLLOW THE ROAR, chronicling his journey around the globe as he followed Tiger Woods for every hole of an entire season.
In 2012, Smiley authored the satiric novel DON'T MESS WITH TRAVIS from Thomas Dunne Books and St. Martin's Press.
Smiley also works in television and film. He recently adapted William Gildea's "The Longest Fight" into a feature film for Warner Brothers-based Langley Park Productions and is currently on the writing staff of the Nickelodeon show THE HAUNTED HATHAWAYS, premiering in Sept. 2013.
Working with fellow writer Justin Hensley, Smiley also has a feature project in development for Jason Sudeikis with directors Will Speck & Josh Gordon.
Experience- Jan 2009 - PresentScreenwriter/Television Writer / Self-employed writer
Current projects include:
--staff writer for Nickelodeon's THE HAUNTED HATHAWAYS, premiering Sept. 2013
--a boxing adaptation of "The Longest Fight" for WB-based Langley Park Productions
--a comedy feature with Jason Sudeikis for directors Will Speck & Josh Gordon
--a comedy feature for McG's Wonderland Sound & Vision - Jan 2011 - May 2012Author / Thomas Dunne Books
DON'T MESS WITH TRAVIS -- my debut novel -- on sale everywhere from Thomas Dunne Books, a division of St. Martin's Press.
- Nov 2007 - Jun 2011Contributing Golf Writer / ESPN.com
- Jan 2008 - Nov 2008Author / HarperCollins Publishers
I spent 2008 tailing Tiger Woods and writing a book about the adventure, the goal being to follow Tiger from the gallery for every hole of his entire 2008 season. The result was FOLLOW THE ROAR, a memoir that Sports Illustrated called a "must read" for golfers everywhere.
- Jul 2007 - Sept 2007Writer, "Half Hour News Hour" / Fox News Channel
- Jun 2004 - Dec 2005Writer, "YES, DEAR" / 20th Century Fox
Spent two years on staff of the CBS sitcom "Yes, Dear."
- Jun 2001 - Apr 2004Writers' Assistant / 20th Century Fox
Assisted writers on various shows and pilots.
- Jul 1999 - Mar 2000Production Assistant, "Sabrina, The Teenage Witch" / Viacom Productions
Education-
1995 - 1999Princeton UniversityBA in English, Theater
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DON'T MESS WITH TRAVIS
"If there were a Nobel Prize for political wit, Bob Smiley's novel Don't Mess with Travis would win it in a landslide. Much needed in this angry political season!" -- Steve Forbes"In bringing a humane point of view to the pitched election-year conflict between liberals and conservatives, this novel couldn't be timelier. A freewheeling satire that does for politics what Texan Dan Jenkins' antic fictions did for golf and football. Smiley's first novel disproves the notion that conservatives can't be really funny." -- Kirkus Reviews"One of the year's best." -- Breitbart.com"Smiley's incisive and derisive view of the political process makes this razor-sharp debut novel a timely and entertaining read." -- Booklist
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FOLLOW THE ROAR
- Available in hardcover, paperback or e-book.
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Posts
- May 21, 13Don't Mess with Travis gets a mention on the FRONT PAGE of the Wall Street Journal. Check it out here.
- Nov 14, 12Spurred by the Texas petition for "peaceful withdrawal" that awaits an official White House response, I took to The Daily Caller to explain just why Texas is uniquely qualified to break away... and succeed. The piece has been getting a ton of attention. Click here to read!
- Oct 19, 12The Cato Institute is out with a nice new book review. From Senior Fellow in Constitutional Studies Ilya Shapiro:
"I'm a few months late on this, but while the Supreme Court was figuring out what to do with Obamacare, a work of political fiction came out that captures the tone of Washington better than any of Bob Woodward tick-tock tomes."
Click here to read the whole thing... - Sep 28, 12
A great new review from EssentialHM.net...
As Jim Valvano said in his now famous speech, "Every day you should laugh, think, and have your emotions moved to tears." Regardless of your political affiliation, this book certainly can help you do all of those."
Click here to read the whole thing. - Jul 24, 12
Thanks to blogger Z for yesterday's gushing review of Don't Mess with Travis.
If you don't get this book... I swear... you will be missing the FUNNIEST, most terrific book I've read in a long time for pure conservative entertainment.
Click here for more... - Jun 18, 12
- Jun 13, 12
- Jun 04, 12
The LA Weekly recently caught up with me and the story of how a Princeton kid from Southern California ended up writing a political satire about Texas secession...
Click here for the full story. - May 30, 12An incredible review today from Ben Shapiro, editor-at-large over at Breitbart.com. Here's how it opens:
Conservatives aren't supposed to be funny. According to the elites, we can't be, what with our brains so full of racism, misogyny, and greed. Thankfully, no one told this to author Bob Smiley, whose debut novel Don't Mess with Travis is one of the year's best, and arguably the most stinging work of political satire since Christopher Buckley's Boomsday.
Read on for more... - May 13, 12With me heading to Texas on Tuesday, this review from one of America's biggest papers couldn't come at a more perfect time:
Who says conservatives don't have a sense of humor? For years, conservative patron saint William F. Buckley Jr. regaled audiences with both his humor and his books, including several works of fiction. Now, a former Buckley research assistant, Bob Smiley, has delivered his debut novel just time for election season.
It only gets better. Full review available here. - Apr 23, 12
From Kirkus Reviews. Since reading the whole thing might give away too many of the book's plot points, let's cut to the chase:
"...In bringing a humane point of view to the pitched election-year conflict between liberals and conservatives, this novel couldn't be timelier... A freewheeling satire that does for politics what Texan Dan Jenkins' antic fictions did for golf and football. Smiley's first novel disproves the notion that conservatives can't be really funny."
Love it. Just two weeks till the book's available everywhere. Don't rely on me to remind you again. Pre-order today! - Mar 29, 12
From Booklist. And it's a good one:
"Ben Travis, a thoroughly inexperienced Texas senator more concerned with the state of his mesquite growth than the state of the union, is appointed the governor of Texas after a freak car accident claims the lives of the current governor and his second in command. Travis quickly learns that speechifying and posturing aren’t his strong suits and wins an impressive amount of public support based on his folksy attitude and no-nonsense approach to politics. Shocked by the continuing growth of big government under the leadership of the current president, Travis decides that secession is the only way to preserve the values of the Lone Star State.
Although author Smiley, a former research assistant for William F. Buckley Jr., makes his right-leaning values fairly obvious, the political humor and witty dialogue in Don’t Mess with Travis should elicit chuckles from readers on both ends of the political spectrum. With shades of the movie Swing Vote and the novels Advise and Consent (1959), Primary Colors (1996), and State of Rebellion (2010), Smiley’s incisive and derisive view of the political process makes this razor-sharp debut novel a timely and entertaining read."
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