If the grandeur of a story lies in its setting, then its soul are the words,’’ says author Wilbur Smith. And as he speaks — narrating amusing anecdotes and incidents from his journey as a writer — it’s evident that words are something that the 78-year-old Smith is never short of.

Smith’s fans hang on to his each word at Bangalore’s Landmark bookstore where he’s promoting his latest book, Those In Peril. And they are not surprised when he says: “I have never experienced writer’s block. I think it’s a stupid excuse made by lazy people who don’t love to write.”

It has been a long haul for the author whose second book, When the Lion Feeds (1964) was a bestseller, after his first book had been rejected and was never published. But, life really changed after the success of When the Lion Feeds and Smith hasn’t looked back since.

“I’m one of those lucky few who have a clear vision at the very beginning as to what they want to do in life and are lucky enough to pursue their dreams,” says Smith.

Though Smith has been to India several times — just travelling through the country — this time round, he’s on a six-city tour of Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Delhi to promote his newest book. Then he intends to go tiger-spotting in Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand.

The peripatetic writer is forever on the trot. He divides his time between his three homes in London, Cape Town and Switzerland. And when he gets down to writing he is unstoppable. “When I have the story and plot in my mind I work businessman’s hours,” smiles Smith. He writes five days a week and sometimes continuously for eight to nine hours a day till the story has been written.

He then takes a break and a month off from writing and heads out on his travels with his wife, Mokhiniso Rakhimova — 39 years his junior and who is always by his side. Avid travellers, they go on safaris or explore new countries and once back, Smith starts polishing the manuscript before dispatching it to his publisher.

Today Smith has some 33 books (including the latest) under his belt. “He works tirelessly,” adds a cheerful Mokhiniso who is accompanying Smith on this trip.

The South Africa born and bred author of British origin is excited about his latest book. His thirst for action and adventure writing is visible in Those in Peril that revolves around the Indian Ocean and kidnappings by pirates.

According to Smith, the pirates who operate in the West Coast of India are seen as heroes in East Africa, because they’ve given a lot of money to the country. “It’s intriguing how a crime is considered to be a virtue in some parts of the world,” says Smith.

What helped Smith write the book was his own observation of pirates in Seychelles where he once owned an island. “I saw some of these pirates frequenting that area and it helped me create the characters in the book,” says the author. But he’s quick to add that he decries piracy. “Cruelty of any kind shocks me. My books are against cruelty,” says Smith.

Known for adventure writing, how is his book different from the others? “The plot is not terribly different,” says Smith but adds that like always, the story is about people. “People like to read about characters they can identify with,” says Smith.

Wilbur Smith at the launch of his latest book, Those In Peril, in Bangalore, pic by Jagadeesh NV; (below) Smith shares a moment with his wife Mokhiniso Rakhimova

While Smith has churned out books under different series like the Ballantyne series (focussing on the drive for colonial wealth), the Courtney series (about the ups and downs and journey of an ambitious family, spanning the 18th to the 20th centuries) and the Egyptian series (set in the land of the ancient Pharaohs, describing ancient Egypt), Those is Peril is a thriller set in contemporary times. “It’s the story of an oil heiress whose teenage daughter is abducted by pirates and revolves around how she manages to rescue her daughter,” says the author.

Smith recalls his formative days in South Africa in Northern Rhodesia, now Kabwe, Zambia. “My life was divided between heaven and hell — heaven on the ranch and hell in the much detested boarding school in Natal in South Africa,” says Smith.

His British father was very strict, had Victorian values and inculcated a deep sense of discipline in Smith besides teaching him to hunt. His mother introduced him to the world of books and to love the English language.

Smith studied in Cordwalles boarding school in Natal and moved to Michaelhouse (known as St Michael’s Academy for Young Gentlemen) to complete senior school. This was situated on the foothills of the Drake-nsberg Mountains.

For vacations he would return home to the ranch. He remembers when he was 14, he shot down his first tigers. “The three tigers had killed some of our cattle and came charging at me,” he recalls.

Smith had decided early in life that he wanted to become a writer. “If I was good at anything in school it was English language and writing essays,” says Smith.

His father didn’t approve of the idea of him becoming a writer. “He often warned me that I would starve as a writer,” he chuckles. So, Smith took up a job as a tax accountant but gave writing a shot and wrote his first book which found no takers.

Smith gave novel-writing a second shot and wrote When the Lion Feeds which was a success. “That started me off and I had my foot on the ladder. I’ve been climbing busily ever since,” smiles Smith.

Smith who started as a writer in 1960s has kept up with the modern times. He wrote his first five books in long-hand but feels the word processor has made life easier for him. He soon plans to get a Kindle so that he can read books on it.

Smith will start working on his next book but doesn’t believe in talking about his book before he has finished it. “I can’t say what I’ll write about but even if I knew I won’t tell,” he chortles gleefully.