Autobiography
A little bit about me to help understand my work.
"Writers write to influence their readers, their preachers, their auditors, but always, at bottom, to be more themselves."
— Aldous Huxley
Tony Holmes
I was born and raised in northern Michigan — amid the wooded dunes surrounding the village of Elberta. There are few better places to grow up, and I’ve seen enough of the world to know that’s true. The forested hills, freshwater streams, and sandy beaches were my first inspiration. A part of me will always belong to those placid places along the Lake Michigan shore, and the richness of nature remains one of my favorite themes in pros.
I did my secondary education in Frankfort, Michigan. After, I studied at Lansing Community College in the state’s capitol. Then, I eventually earned my bachelor's degree at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Writing did not come naturally to me. Struggling, I got off to a slow start. But I dabbled in short stories and poetry throughout my days as a university student, challenging myself to improve where I could. Professionally, I’ve dedicated my life to public service in one form or another, and writing well was a critical challenge. I served as a press secretary and wrote personal correspondence for a State Senator in Michigan, did a significant amount of technical writing working for the City of New York, and even served as the Community and Communications Manager for the American Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Paris.
After living in Europe, I returned to work in New York City. Writing is predominately a hobby nowadays.
While most of my adult life has been lived in the Big Apple, as alluded to, I did spend seven wonderful years in Paris. Living there, I was enthralled by walking in the footsteps of Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein. The left bank of the Seine will always be one of my favorite places in the world. It’s notably an author’s haven, and I was inspired to refine my writing even more.
Embarking upon writing a novel has been the single most challenging thing I have ever done. Yet, I find I am one who MUST write — so it’s a labor of self-love (a solitary one). I write guided by two quotes made famous by Aldous Huxley:
"Writers write to influence their readers, their preachers, their auditors, but always, at bottom, to be more themselves."
And (ironically)…
“A bad book is as much of a labor to write as a good one; it comes as sincerely from the author's soul.”
These quotes inspire me to keep working at my craft, no matter the difficulty. The most important thing I can say about myself is: I have lived well, loved hard, hurt deeply, and found faith in the providence of higher power. All of that comes out in my pros — just as it should, I think.