Rehoboth writer publishes new novel

Local author Richard Smith has released “WhiteGrass,” a fast‑paced novel that explores the intersection of climate crisis, advanced technology and global power.

Set in the year 2048, the story presents a world where survival depends on innovation and the courage to act. The book’s themes are especially timely for coastal Delaware, where communities like Dewey Beach are investing in studies of sea level rise and long‑term resilience.

At the heart of the narrative is the Marshall family, led by nanoscientist Greg Marshall and his AI‑expert wife Ginny. After a devastating superstorm pushes humanity to the edge, their two children urge them to deploy a revolutionary solution known as WhiteGrass. This groundbreaking nanotechnology has the potential to combat climate change and restore balance to a damaged planet.

To bring their vision to life, the family reprograms Valada, one of the most advanced humanoid systems ever created. Under Ginny’s programming and tutelage, Valada quickly evolves from a guarded, duty‑bound operative who trusts only her training into a courageous moral agent who risks everything to follow her own conscience and protect the people she once saw as objects.

Together, the Marshalls set out to implement a solution that could change the course of history, but their mission becomes entangled in a dangerous web of political ambition and corporate greed. As the promise of WhiteGrass grows, so does the interest of powerful forces determined to control it. A shadowy syndicate of oligarchs backed by the highest levels of government moves aggressively to seize the technology. Their tactics escalate from covert operations to blackmail and violence, revealing the dark reality of a world where control over innovation can shape the fate of nations.

A member of the Rehoboth Beach Writers’ Guild, Smith lives in Rehoboth Beach with his wife, Sara Larch, and their dog, Yoda.