About
Tony Peak is an Active Member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, and an Associate Member of the Horror Writers Association. He is represented by Ethan Ellenberg of the Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency. His interests include progressive thinking, music, wine, history, transhumanism, and planetary exploration. He resides in southwest Virginia with a great view of the New River.
Only when facing the extremes of environment, physics, and reality, do my characters realize who they are. Then I realize who I am.
Being a writer is like having things live and die inside of you every day. The next day, you try to capture the dead things in words, try to resurrect that moment, that memory, that person, so you will recall it for one more day, one more instance of joy, one more second of glory. You hope someone else will read those words and share that experience, see the world you see, love the person you loved. It provides the illusion that nothing really dies, it simply passes on to other minds, other realities. Then the next day begins, and something lives, something dies, all over again. And you type, you type so damn fast that the words no longer matter, only that thing in your mind, that beautiful thing you wish could be alive just one more day.
I started taking writing seriously in 2008, made my first sale the next year, and haven’t looked back. As a lifelong reader, I’d always wanted to create my own worlds, to craft a story I’d be proud of. But it still feels strange whenever I see my work in print. Those words seem to be spoken by another person, from another time.
Though it took me years to figure it out, one should be the writer they want to be, not one they assume will sell millions of books. Keep your expectations realistic, be patient, develop a thick skin, keep submitting your work—and write like hell.
Other little tidbits about me: I love music, and have a collection that spans practically every genre—from classical to electronica to rock to jazz to world music. Each month I read National Geographic, Locus Magazine, Archaeology Magazine, and Astronomy Magazine (all of my subscriptions are digital). I regularly buy courses from the Teaching Company, with subjects ranging from astrophysics, Alexander the Great, to wine. I read comics, such as The Wicked + The Divine, Sex Criminals, and Saga (again, all digital). I watch Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, and Star Trek: Disocvery. Monty Python and the Holy Grail remains my favorite comedy. I play Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons. And…I love both physical books and ebooks. Enjoy the best of the old and new, I say.
Though it took me years to figure it out, one should be the writer they want to be, not one they assume will sell millions of books. Keep your expectations realistic, be patient, develop a thick skin, keep submitting your work—and write like hell.
Other little tidbits about me: I love music, and have a collection that spans practically every genre—from classical to electronica to rock to jazz to world music. Each month I read National Geographic, Locus Magazine, Archaeology Magazine, and Astronomy Magazine (all of my subscriptions are digital). I regularly buy courses from the Teaching Company, with subjects ranging from astrophysics, Alexander the Great, to wine. I read comics, such as The Wicked + The Divine, Sex Criminals, and Saga (again, all digital). I watch Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, and Star Trek: Disocvery. Monty Python and the Holy Grail remains my favorite comedy. I play Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons. And…I love both physical books and ebooks. Enjoy the best of the old and new, I say.
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Favorite Authors & Novels
Arthur C. Clarke: 2001: A Space Odyssey remains my favorite science fiction work, in novel or film. Clarke embodied a positive but mature outlook into humanity’s future, and how small we really are compared to the larger universe.
Frank Herbert: The Dune universe, with its massive scope, long-lived personas, and intrigue-laden machinations, is one of my favorite series. Frank took science fiction to a new level.
Ursula K. Le Guin: The Left Hand of Darkness made me rethink gender roles and how they are changing in our society. Ursula crafted such a believable world and characters, that one wonders if she didn’t actually visit the world of Winter herself.
Robert E. Howard: I love Howard’s pacing and energy, and his penchant for brutal, gritty situations where one’s sheer will to survive is all that keeps one going. His original Conan stories are among the finest adventure fiction.
Jeff Vandermeer: Never have I read a book that tells so much with so little as Vandermeer’s Annihilation. Using vague details, characters with titles rather than names, and eerie atmosphere, he created one of the most surreal works I’ve ever read.
Harlan Ellison: A Boy and His Dog exemplifies Ellison’s unbelievable style: energetic, shocking, unafraid to take chances, and packed with such narrative power that you can’t put it down. He’s a genius.
Rachel Swirsky: Her Nebula-nominated story, The Grand Jete, was emotionally moving, and stuck with me long afterward. Never have I read such a presentation of artificial intelligence, childhood struggles with identity, and the weight of mortality on another’s conscience, all combined into an unforgettable narrative.
Philip K. Dick: The paranoia permeating Dick’s work, and his morphing of reality and perception, really grips me. Ubik blew my mind the first time I read it.
J.R.R. Tolkien: His masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, holds me in awe with its world-building details. The gold standard of epic fantasy.
Carl Sagan: Even today, Sagan’s The Demon Haunted World reminds us to think rationally, apply the principles of the scientific method to defy superstition, and that extraordinary claims requires extraordinary evidence.
Alfred Bester: The Stars My Destination is one of the most ambitious and profound science fiction novels ever written. Unapologetic, controversial, and filled with ideas, it’s one of those you want to read over and over again.
Bram Stoker: I first read Dracula when I was twelve, and I never forgot the experience. For me, it is the ultimate gothic horror novel.
George Orwell: Orwell’s prophetic ideas still inspire me to distrust power. I regard Nineteen Eighty-Four as one of the most important novels ever written.
Evan S. Connell: From the fossils discovered at Olduvai Gorge to the crazed, bloody quests for El Dorado, Connell’s collection of essays, The Aztec Treasure House, remains poignant and thought-provoking.
Homer: The blind Greek poet from antiquity who gave us the Iliad and the Odyssey. Those bloody, tragic, passionate tales have inspired me since childhood. I prefer the translations of Robert Fagles.
Tim Powers: The Anubis Gates is so well-crafted, it’s like perusing a hidden narrative of history rather than fiction. Who else but Powers would give us sorcerer clowns, time-travelling poets, and an ancient Egyptian lycanthrope—and make it work?
Alan Moore: His Watchmen graphic novel remains one of the most sophisticated and cerebral examples of comics taken to a higher level.
Stephen King: Of all King’s works, I still love Night Shift, a collection of short stories, the best. It’s raw, fresh, and will still make you think twice about going into a dark basement.
Frank Herbert: The Dune universe, with its massive scope, long-lived personas, and intrigue-laden machinations, is one of my favorite series. Frank took science fiction to a new level.
Ursula K. Le Guin: The Left Hand of Darkness made me rethink gender roles and how they are changing in our society. Ursula crafted such a believable world and characters, that one wonders if she didn’t actually visit the world of Winter herself.
Robert E. Howard: I love Howard’s pacing and energy, and his penchant for brutal, gritty situations where one’s sheer will to survive is all that keeps one going. His original Conan stories are among the finest adventure fiction.
Jeff Vandermeer: Never have I read a book that tells so much with so little as Vandermeer’s Annihilation. Using vague details, characters with titles rather than names, and eerie atmosphere, he created one of the most surreal works I’ve ever read.
Harlan Ellison: A Boy and His Dog exemplifies Ellison’s unbelievable style: energetic, shocking, unafraid to take chances, and packed with such narrative power that you can’t put it down. He’s a genius.
Rachel Swirsky: Her Nebula-nominated story, The Grand Jete, was emotionally moving, and stuck with me long afterward. Never have I read such a presentation of artificial intelligence, childhood struggles with identity, and the weight of mortality on another’s conscience, all combined into an unforgettable narrative.
Philip K. Dick: The paranoia permeating Dick’s work, and his morphing of reality and perception, really grips me. Ubik blew my mind the first time I read it.
J.R.R. Tolkien: His masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, holds me in awe with its world-building details. The gold standard of epic fantasy.
Carl Sagan: Even today, Sagan’s The Demon Haunted World reminds us to think rationally, apply the principles of the scientific method to defy superstition, and that extraordinary claims requires extraordinary evidence.
Alfred Bester: The Stars My Destination is one of the most ambitious and profound science fiction novels ever written. Unapologetic, controversial, and filled with ideas, it’s one of those you want to read over and over again.
Bram Stoker: I first read Dracula when I was twelve, and I never forgot the experience. For me, it is the ultimate gothic horror novel.
George Orwell: Orwell’s prophetic ideas still inspire me to distrust power. I regard Nineteen Eighty-Four as one of the most important novels ever written.
Evan S. Connell: From the fossils discovered at Olduvai Gorge to the crazed, bloody quests for El Dorado, Connell’s collection of essays, The Aztec Treasure House, remains poignant and thought-provoking.
Homer: The blind Greek poet from antiquity who gave us the Iliad and the Odyssey. Those bloody, tragic, passionate tales have inspired me since childhood. I prefer the translations of Robert Fagles.
Tim Powers: The Anubis Gates is so well-crafted, it’s like perusing a hidden narrative of history rather than fiction. Who else but Powers would give us sorcerer clowns, time-travelling poets, and an ancient Egyptian lycanthrope—and make it work?
Alan Moore: His Watchmen graphic novel remains one of the most sophisticated and cerebral examples of comics taken to a higher level.
Stephen King: Of all King’s works, I still love Night Shift, a collection of short stories, the best. It’s raw, fresh, and will still make you think twice about going into a dark basement.
Proud Member & Supporter
The Planetary Society, The Long Now Foundation, The National Geographic Society, The Folio Society, The Science Fiction Book Club
