When temptation calls - Carolyn A. Smith’s journey from Brooklyn educator to Christian author

For Carolyn A. Smith, writing The Siren’s Call was not simply an exercise in retelling the biblical story of Samson and Delilah. It was an opportunity to explore a question that has followed her throughout her Christian journey: What happens when someone who knows better slowly begins to compromise?

Smith is an award-winning Christian fiction author, educator, mentor and speaker whose work explores faith, redemption and the transforming power of God’s grace. A Brooklyn, New York native and the daughter of Jamaican immigrants from St Elizabeth, Jamaica, she draws heavily on the values instilled by her parents: faith in God, perseverance, integrity, education and service to others.

Those values are evident in her debut novel, The Siren’s Call, Book 1, winner of the 2026 ChristLit Award for Christian Fiction.

Loosely inspired by Samson and Delilah, the novel follows Julius ‘July’ Harris, a promising pastoral studies student whose faith, future and sense of purpose appear firmly grounded. Everything begins to shift when he meets Cinnamon Mayers, an alluring and mysterious older woman who awakens desires he struggles to resist.

But Smith’s novel is not simply about a man and a woman. It is about temptation, compromise, spiritual warfare, unhealthy soul ties, and the struggle to remain faithful to one’s values when desires begin competing with purpose.

“I have always been fascinated by the story of Samson and Delilah, but I didn’t want to simply retell it. I wanted to explore what temptation looks like today and how emotional wounds, loneliness, pride and misplaced desire can quietly pull someone away from God’s purpose,” she said.

Smith grew up in a strict Christian home and conservative Christian assembly. As a young person, she often wondered how someone who knows God and understands right from wrong can nevertheless find themselves drifting.

That question became the heartbeat of July’s story. Early in the novel, July tells his best friend Trevor, “The church girls don’t do it for me. I want adventure.”

The statement may seem harmless but, for Smith, it represents the beginning of a much larger problem. July begins looking beyond what he already has, believing that something more exciting awaits him.

“What makes July vulnerable is that he is completely caught off guard. He truly does not see what’s coming,” she said.

That vulnerability is central to Smith’s exploration of compromise. She believes people rarely abandon their convictions in one dramatic moment.

“Compromise rarely announces itself. It usually begins with one small decision, one rationalisation,” she said.

From there, one compromise can lead to another until a person finds themselves somewhere they never intended to be. Cinnamon represents that danger, but Smith was determined not to make her a stereotypical villain.

In the early stages of writing, Cinnamon was simply there to take July off the beaten path. Then Smith began asking questions about the woman behind the temptation. “Why is she this way? What happened in her life before she met July?” she said.

Those questions transformed Cinnamon Tru Mayers into a more complex character with her own history, fears, strengths and weaknesses.

Smith’s approach to character development has been shaped by years of education and creative study. Before pursuing her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, she spent countless hours at the Grand Army Plaza Library studying character development. She also took scriptwriting and theatre courses.

As an educator who has spent more than two decades working with students, Smith understands the importance of giving people room to develop their voices.

Whether teaching secondary English Language Arts or college students, she has remained passionate about helping young people gain confidence through reading, writing and meaningful dialogue

That experience has also influenced her fiction. “We were taught to build complete character profiles. Name, birthday, family, birth order, education, favourite foods, quirks, fears, strengths, weaknesses. Everything,” she said.

The reader may never see every detail, she explained, but the writer needs to know them because ‘that depth finds its way onto the page’. The result is a Cinnamon readers may dislike, understand, question, and perhaps even sympathise with at different points.

“I couldn’t write her as a one-dimensional villain. I wanted readers to have mixed emotions about her.”

That complexity reflects Smith’s broader belief that people can be held accountable for their choices while still being understood in the context of their experiences.

DAILY STRUGGLES

The novel’s themes of temptation and unhealthy soul ties also come from Smith’s desire to address struggles that many people experience quietly. She hopes readers will examine the relationships in their own lives and ask a deeper question than whether someone is simply ‘right’ for them.

“Is this relationship drawing me closer to God or pulling me farther away?” she asks.

Smith also emphasises the importance of boundaries, describing them not as a way of controlling others but as a means of protecting one’s heart, mind and relationship with Christ.

As July begins distancing himself from his family, friends and calling, those relationships become increasingly important. His loved ones do not simply abandon him when he begins making poor choices. They continue to love him and pray for him.

Smith credits her own church upbringing for that perspective, particularly her experiences at Gospel Hall Christian Assembly on Classon Avenue in Brooklyn.

“I learned very early that the prayers of the saints avail much,” she said.

Her faith has remained central throughout her life and career. Smith describes herself as a lifelong believer, but she is careful to present faith not as perfection, but as an ongoing relationship with God.

That perspective is reflected in the novel’s message about grace.

Although Smith does not want to reveal the ending, she says The Siren’s Call examines the difference between consequences and condemnation. “We cannot always avoid the consequences of our choices but, through Christ, we are never beyond the possibility of forgiveness, restoration and hope,” she said.

For believers, Smith also wants the novel to challenge the assumption that faith guarantees an easy life. “The Lord never promised life would be easy. The Lord promised that He would be with us. There is a difference,” she said.

That distinction is central to July’s journey. Although he is Korrey and Cyndia Harris’ son, a theology student and someone preparing for ministry, those titles cannot replace a personal relationship with God.

The story will continue in Book Two, where the consequences of July’s decisions will unfold. New relationships will emerge, old wounds will resurface and unanswered questions will begin to make sense.

“If readers think they have him figured out by the end of Book One, I would encourage them to think again,” Smith said.

Smith is currently completing The Siren’s Call trilogy and remains committed to telling stories that inspire faith, ignite hope and encourage honest self-reflection.

“If readers close the book still thinking about July days later, wondering what they would have done in his place, or recognizing pieces of themselves in his journey, then I feel I have done my job,” she said.

Ultimately, The Siren’s Call is a story about the choices that can pull people away from who they were meant to be, and the grace that continues calling them home.

Smith’s message is simple but powerful: no matter how far someone has wandered, redemption remains possible.

“My prayer is that The Siren’s Call is more than an entertaining story,” she said. “I hope it starts conversations, encourages self-reflection, and reminds readers that, no matter where life takes us, God’s grace is always greater than our failures.”

keisha.hill@gleanerjm.com