... Tony Simmons ...

The Best of Days...

2010-10-14T17:22:00.000-05:00

... is a collection of the best short stories, flash fictions, haiku, poems, character sketches and experimental pieces to come out of Tony's "366 Days" project. This eclectic explosion of creative writing resulted from the author's personal challenge to write every day for a year, a challenge born of the pain of loss, a struggle to drag himself out of the darkness after the deaths of loved ones.

Here are ghost stories; the tales of weird items found in the Museum of Alternate Histories; "what if?" stories and "why not?" stories; gothic poetry and humorous haiku. Here walk aliens, devils, bank robbers, widows, dreamers, vampires, robots, and Beat-generation zombie fighters. Here are ruminations upon the human spirit and extrapolations of where technology may someday propel human desire.

The Best of Days * Tony Simmons
Trade Paperback * October 2010

Second Time Around the Block ...

2009-01-08T17:19:00.006-06:00

... 'CITY LIMITS' (Volume Two) is now available. The Official Literary Anthology of the Panama City Centennial continues to offer fiction, poetry, memoirs, art, photography, and more, celebrating the talents of Southern artists and wordsmiths. Tony edited this volume, which includes his latest short story, "The Girl from the Wrong End of Time." It's available for order online using this handy-dandy button:

City Limits * Edited by Tony Simmons

Trade Paperback * Volume 2, January 2009

366 Days ...

2009-01-01T20:39:00.004-06:00

... is not just a measure of time. It's also the name of my current ongoing daily fiction project at PCityLive, the Panama City, Florida, social network site. Standalone tales, poetry, character studies, and serialized tales as well. The project began on July 24, 2008, and will end on July 24, 2009.

"366 Days."

Now entering ...

2007-02-06T16:30:00.000-06:00

... "City Limits"

Tony edited this new literary anthology in cooperation with the Panama City (Fla.) Centennial Committee. It includes his new short story, "Love in the Year of the Comet," along with other short fiction, poetry, memoirs, art and photography based in and around the Emerald Coast city on the occasion of its 100th birthday. "City Limits" will be an annual event for Southern artists and wordsmiths, culminating in a three-volume set by 2009, and a hardcover omnibus edition. For purchasing and submission information, go here.

City Limits * Edited by Tony Simmons
Trade Paperback * Volume 1 September 2007

Some world ...

2006-12-18T13:42:00.000-06:00

... Not This

Tony's newest short story, "Some World Not This," is featured in the inaugural anthology from WritersCafe.org. It fits into the world of his debut novel, but stands alone as a journey into the quantum edge of life and death.

WritersCafe.org Anthology 2006 * Short Story by Tony Simmons * Trade Paperback * Nov. 2006

North Florida ...

2006-06-07T10:57:00.000-05:00

... Noir

There's a dark side to the Sunshine State, and this collection of crime stories captures the black heart of the Florida underworld. Tony's story in this collection, "Nothing was Real but the Girl," takes place one night in Century, and ties tangentally into one of the characters from his novel, "Welcome to the Dawning of a New Century." It's the first of a series of new short stories set in what he calls his "Century-universe" to see publication.

North Florida Noir * Edited by Michael Lister
Hardcover * September 2006

What's New?

2006-01-26T23:11:00.001-06:00

> ... Click here for the latest ... <

Welcome to the Dawning ...

2006-01-04T22:28:00.000-06:00

... of a New Century:
You may not be from around here, but you know these folks just the same: the thrice-cursed mayor angling for re-election; the Piggly Wiggly meat cutter with the Vegan wife; the small-town Lolita around whom a universe revolves. We find ourselves in Century at the end of the 20th century and the dawn of the 21st — the eve of celebrating its centennial in the first week of April 2001. There’s a parade to plan, and a murder to plot, a marriage to save and one to let go, loves blossoming and lives rotting on the vine.
Welcome to the Dawning of a New Century * By Tony Simmons
ISBN: 1-888146-08-7 * Hardcover * 165 pages

Dazed and Raving ...

2006-01-04T22:07:00.000-06:00

... in the Undercurrents:
For the better part of ten years, newspaper writer and editor Tony Simmons has commented upon life in the unique environs of the Florida Panhandle while delving into universal themes of love, loss, discovery, and hope. Now his work — selected columns from The News Herald, Panama City’s daily newspaper — are collected into a career-spanning retrospective, running the gamut from the absurd to the sublime.
Dazed and Raving in the Undercurrents * By Tony Simmons * $18.95
Trade Paperback * 234 pages * ISBN: 0-595-33694-9

... He's on fire, baby ...

2006-01-03T22:02:00.000-06:00

"Tony has his fingers all over the pulse of Florida funk — probably a blessing and a curse for him — but always a delight to readers of this state’s fiction."
— Tim Dorsey
(Florida Roadkill, Torpedo Juice)
***
"After I read the book I woke up with the people of Century on my mind. ... I really loved the threading of the lives together. There is a wonderful beat to the book. The characters are downright touchable — and not many writers, even the most commercially successful, can accomplish that. I was amazed at the chameleon-like way that you entered each character and told their truth from their perspective. That is truly the gift of a great writer. But then your freakin’ quantum theory knitting piece blew me away."
— River Jordan
(The Gin Girl, The Messenger of Magnolia Street)
***
"I think it’s the dawn of a stellar new literary career. Son. This thing is funny as (CENSORED)."
— Michael Lister
(Power in the Blood, Blood of the Lamb)
***
"... Simmons' journalism background solidified his story and made it easy to get swept along. It was a gritty ride."
-- David Angier, The News Herald, Panama City, FL