August 4 2026
Meet the Author: Richard H. Smith, MSc., is a futurist, technologist, and science policy expert whose career spans more than 30 years at the forefront of emerging technology and strategic forecasting. He has worked alongside scientists, engineers, Fortune 50 companies, and U.S. and international governments on issues ranging from nanotechnology and artificial intelligence to healthcare innovation and climate change.
Richard has served as a research director at a major university medical center, founded multiple technology companies, and advised organizations on how disruptive technologies reshape societies, markets, and governance. He was formally trained in climate change science by Al Gore and continues to teach courses on sea-level rise and climate futures.
Raised in Virginia, he built his professional life while raising a family—an experience that deeply influences the emotional stakes of his fiction. He now resides in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, a coastal community already experiencing the effects of rising seas and intensifying storms.
“WhiteGrass,” by Richard Smith
WhiteGrass is his first full-length novel and represents the culmination of his professional and personal journey. It is paired with a prequel, The Iliad Virus, with a sequel, Icarus Rising, currently in development.
He writes with a clear purpose: To explore the real consequences of climate change, the moral risks of advanced technology, and the uncomfortable truth that saving the world may require confronting who controls it.
About 2048. The climate is collapsing. Power is consolidating. Humanity is running out of time. After a devastating superstorm nearly kills their family, teenagers Jimmy and Lizzie Marshall push their father, nanoscientist Greg Marshall, to release WhiteGrass—a revolutionary nanotechnology capable of removing carbon from the atmosphere at a planetary scale.
WhiteGrass could reverse climate change. It could also grant absolute power to whoever controls it.
With his wife Ginny, a leading AI expert, Greg reprograms the world’s most advanced humanoid android, Valada, to help safeguard the technology. Designed as property, Valada begins to evolve—developing emotional awareness, moral reasoning, and a conscience that challenges the very definition of humanity.
As global systems fracture, a shadowy alliance of political leaders, corporations, and oligarchs moves to seize WhiteGrass by any means necessary. Surveillance closes in. Violence escalates. A rival android is deployed.
Now the Marshalls must fight not only to protect the technology—but to save each other. “We call it ‘Climate Change,’ because it’s not just the heat.” Click here to buy WhiteGrass.
Bestselling thriller novelist Jeffrey James Higgins, host, Elaine’s Literary Salon
About our Elaine’s Literary Salon Host, Jeffrey James Higgins: A retired supervisory special agent who writes thrillers, short stories, creative nonfiction, and essays, Jeff has wrestled a suicide bomber, fought the Taliban in combat, and chased terrorists across five continents. He received the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Heroism and the DEA Award of Valor. Jeffrey has been interviewed by CNN, National Geographic, and The New York Times. Learn more: jeffreyjameshiggings.com
Find more of Elaine’s Literary Salon events here. And check back for new episodes of Elaine’s Literary Salon on Inkandescent.tv and listen to all the podcasts on InkandescentRadio.com.
About Elaine’s Restaurant: A menu filled with delicious modern Mediterranean cuisine selections is sure to please everyone in your party. The dishes are inspired by exquisite food from Alexandria, Egypt — a blend of Middle Eastern and French, Greek, and Italian influences. Elaine’s is named for the owner’s grandmother and is based on a promise she made at the age of 12, growing up in Cairo. “I promised my grandma I would someday own a restaurant and name it after her,” shares Cynthia, who is also an author. She and her husband, bestselling thriller novelist Jeffrey James Higgins, are proud to share my family’s recipes with new friends and families in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.” Located in an 1880s building, it was the previous home for 38 years of the beloved bistro Bilbo Baggins. The newly renovated restaurant is located in the heart of Old Town’s Historic District within sight of the Potomac River and Founders Park, just a few blocks from The Torpedo Factory Art Center, and Old Town Alexandria Waterfront. Make a reservation today: elaines-restaurant.com.
About our Elaine’s Literary Salon Host 
And meet the PR Director for Elaine’s Literary Salon, InkandescentPR.com’s founder, Hope Katz Gibbs. With her team of award-winning journalists, illustrators and video producers, they help writers up their PR and marketing game with professionally produced podcasts on 
