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Patrick Smith Books

Patrick Smith at work on a City of Atlanta water infrastructure site
On the job with the City of Atlanta.
Patrick Smith smiling in scuba gear on the beach after a dive
Off the clock: scuba diving.

Patrick Smith is an engineer, project manager, cybersecurity professional, and author whose career has taken him through power generation, industrial controls, cybersecurity, and public infrastructure.

Much of The Turtle Wins grew out of those experiences—working around complex systems, difficult conditions, and situations where the obvious advantage didn’t always determine the outcome. Over the years, Patrick began noticing the same pattern outside of engineering: being outmatched doesn’t necessarily mean being out of options.

That idea became The Turtle Wins: How to Win When You’re Not the Strongest, a book that brings together real-world experience, history, engineering, and practical lessons about timing, rules, leverage, adaptation, and endurance.

Patrick has always had stories in him. After researching how to publish and learning the process step by step, he expanded into fiction with The Game Ain’t a Game, a crime novel told in 18 rules, and Never Speak of It, a novel of adult suspense. Across every genre, his books come back to the same theme: the choices people make when the odds aren’t on their side, and what follows.

Patrick holds a Master of Engineering from Arizona State University and a bachelor’s degree from Clayton State University. He lives in Georgia.

Books by Patrick Smith

The Turtle Wins book cover

Nonfiction · Personal growth

The Turtle Wins

How to Win When You’re Not the Strongest

A practical guide to steady effort, strategy, and the TURTLE framework for anyone who has ever felt outmatched.

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The Game Ain’t a Game book cover

Fiction · Crime

The Game Ain’t a Game

A Novel in 18 Rules

Money, loyalty, betrayal, and what it really costs to get out.

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Never Speak of It book cover

Fiction · Adult suspense

Never Speak of It

A Novel

Masks, desire, and secrets that become dangerous the moment they’re spoken.

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Turtle tracks leading across the sand toward the ocean

Slow and steady still gets to the water.