In your own words, how would you describe your creative work?

I’m a published author of both historical fact and fiction books. I love to research the lives of ordinary people – everybody knows about royalty but I’m more interested in how the local butcher or baker, his wife and neighbours got on with their daily chores, what they did for fun or how they managed if they fell ill or got in trouble with the law.

When did you first discover your passion for art/writing/photography?

Even in primary school I loved telling and writing stories. I think story-telling was a family thing as both my Mum and Dad were great at relating fireside tales on winter evenings. When I began reading fiction in my teens – I preferred nature books as a child – I often thought ‘what a shame that happened’ or ‘this would’ve been a better ending’, so I rewrote other author’s novels in my head. I hated it when Dickens had Sidney guillotined at the end of ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ so the Scarlet Pimpernel, borrowed from Baroness Orczy’s novel, rushed in to save the day. Much better!

What's the creative process?

Unreliable at best. Sometimes, my head is so full of ideas I hardly know where to start. And then there are the barren patches. I just try to work through those, tidying up chapters or magazine articles I’ve already written, hoping inspiration will strike. It usually does, eventually, often unexpectedly, when I’m washing up or trying to sleep.

I belong to the Stephen King school of seat-of-the-pants writing: invent your characters, put them in a sticky situation, wind ’em up and let them go. I’ve tried planning stories in advance but that rarely works. My characters are in charge and tend to dictate the events, often surprising me with a twist I never expected and if I’m surprised, hopefully my readers will be, too.

What does a typical day look like to you?

Breakfast. Emails and daily Wordle. Typing. Coffee. Typing. Lunch. Typing. Tea. Typing. Watching Pointless, House of Games. Dinner. Read. Bed. Repeat. This happens 24/7 except it’s interrupted by occasional housework, yoga once a week, and creative writing group meetings – one meets on alternate Tuesdays at the Three Daws Pub in Gravesend; the other meets on the first Friday of the month at Rochester. Sometimes, I give talks to various groups and societies and we do historical re-enactment events at weekends, in costume.

What have you learned most about yourself in recent times?

That life is too short to waste a day. Whatever it is, do it sooner rather than later.

Do you have any wisdom you can share with others who are thinking of launching a creative business?

The chances are it’s going to be harder and more time consuming than you think so you have to feel passionate about it, be determined, self-disciplined and not easily put off. Go for it. You can do it. And it’s never too late – I was sixty when my first book was published.

What is on your mind right now?

My latest Sebastian Foxley medieval murder mystery, ‘The Colour of Malice’, set in 1480s London, has just been published so I’ve written blogs to promote that and we’re doing a book launch. But future projects are in the pipeline – a Victorian melodrama/novella and a new series of medieval novels.

Links

www.tonimount.com