Chris Smith was born and raised in Maidstone, Kent.
His first paid employment was debt-collecting for the High Sheriff of Kent, but after a wide variety of jobs around the world, he moved into his first love: books. A successful career in bookselling led to him being recruited as the Editor of the Tolkien list, a position he has held now for five years.
Chris Smith still lives in Maidstone, with his partner and their two cats. He is the only one vaguely interested in weapons and warfare.