About the Author

Tony Simmons is a Florida boy. He’s the assistant managing editor for news at The News Herald in Panama City, where he lives with his wife, Debra, and their children, Nathaniel and Jessica. He was born and raised in Century, and graduated from Century High School in 1982, sixth in a class of 60. He has degrees in television production and print journalism from, respectively, Pensacola Junior College and the University of West Florida, both located in Pensacola.

He has won numerous awards for his newspaper work, including recognitions by the Florida School Boards Association, Florida Society of Newspaper Editors, Florida Press Club, Florida Department of Education, the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution, and the National Society of Newspaper Design.

His short fiction has appeared in the anthologies, Postcards from Pottersville, volumes one and two, and has received honorable mention in the L.Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest.

A Web log (or "blog") about his debut literary novel, Welcome to the Dawning of a New Century — including insight about his inspirations and steps the work followed between the writing and publication process — is on the Web at http://dawningofanewcentury.blogspot.com

When he’s not writing, Tony listens to music, reads books and watches movies — but then, that’s what he does while he’s writing, too. He listened to albums by Tori Amos, David Bowie, Dave Matthews and Sarah McLachlan while working on the Century manuscript. During that time, he also read books by Rick Moody, John Dufresne, Neil Gaiman, Audrey Niffenegger, Bill Bryson, Michael Lister, and others.

He drinks too much coffee.