Tony Duxbury is an expat Brit living in Guatemala, Central America. He has lived there for over 20 years. He is now a retired English Language teacher. He claims that title only because it is the longest job he has ever had. Previous work has been anything from commercial artist to dishwasher.
1.Why storytelling? What made you yearn to tell a good story, and how long was this story within you before it came out?
I got to the stage in my life when I wanted to do something creative. I was encouraged by others to try my hand at writing. I sat down and wrote six pages, of my first book, and then suffered acute writers block, but a couple of years later I took it up again and finished it.
2.What is it about your genre that speaks to you?
I was hooked after I read Lord of the Rings. The creation of a complete world with different races and cultures just amazed me.
3.Without giving any spoilers, what is your favorite thing about this book?
My latest book was compared by another author to the Conan the Barbarian series. I loved Conan, so I was very pleased. My character isn’t a hero, just a scared and traumatized boy who sees through the task he sets himself through sheer will and determination.
4.If I were stuck in a room with your main character, what would we be doing?
You would probably be looking for a way out. The main character from my first book would probably bore you to death with the trivia of his mundane life. The one from the second book is the quiet and deadly type. He would probably be watching you closely for hostile intent. Don’t expect scintillating conversation from either one of them.
5.When you are writing, tell me about the emotions that are running through you and what it takes to work alongside them.
I put myself in my protagonist’s shoes and try to experience the same emotions. It’s just a question of shifting your point of view to theirs and choosing what feelings to show in the given situation. It depends on the personality that you give your character.
6.Everyone has at least one specific challenge that holds them back. What is that challenge in your work and how do you overcome it?
I still lack confidence. I worry if it is too short, too long, too flowery, too sharp, etc. In the end I tell myself all that doesn’t matter. I should write how I feel at the moment, it’s my creation, nobody else’s.
7.Let’s talk about tools. Do you have a word processor that you would tell us to use? Is there a certain computer that has become your favorite? What do you look for in a keyboard? What would you absolutely have to have if you were to sit down and write your next book?
I’m not a techy, I use my computer like a typewriter. I don’t really trust the bastard thing. I’ve deleted too many things and have no idea why. I use one now, but don’t really understand what I’m doing half the time. Most of my manuscripts were written out in longhand.
8.Describe your muse.
I don’t have one. It sounds very feminine and my missus wouldn’t like that.
9.If you could live anywhere other than where you are, where would it be?
I wouldn’t mind going back to India for a while. Or maybe spend some time in China. Actually, there’s a long list of places.
10.If you could choose any other writer, living or dead, to be your mentor, whom would you choose and why?
I would really like to have a gab and a few drinks with Tolkien. I would also like to do the same with contemporary writers like Scott Lynch, Joe Abercrombie, Robin Hobb, George Martin and a few others, but I’m not really looking for a mentor.
11.Now that you have published your first book, do you have any dreams you have not reached? Goals for new books, series beyond this publication, or anything else that can tantalize the fantasy public?
I have only published two books so far, but I have a backlog of other completed works that I wish to see published. An audience and some sales would also go down a treat. My second published book is a set of short stories and I’ve already started working on another book to turn it into a series.
12.If we reach beyond the written word into visual media, and you could choose how your story is consumed, would you want a television show, a movie series, or anime to tell the story of the book and the world it takes place in?
Movie. I like films. There are some fantastic book adaptions nowadays.
13.Do you have any regrets about the story you told? Would you make any changes to its telling or did you capture exactly what you were looking for?
There’s always room for improvement, but if you keep adding or changing you will never get finished.
Find Tony Duxbury online:
Jesse Teller 