Bio

LaMont Sudbury (born May 7, 1959) is an American author, contractor/designer. Sudbury, known by his Nom de Plume L. Sudbury, is recognized as The Picture Writer. Like the artist who uses colorful paint to create an image on canvas to tell a story, Sudbury is wonderful in his employment of words to describe an experience, thus painting a movie in the mind. He is the author of Montyne’s Inferno – The book that reads like a motion picture, the first of the Montyne trilogy.

L. Sudbury was born in Portland, Oregon, the son of American artist /performer Montyne and Madeline Hosford, a beautiful model. He has one step-sister, Cynthia Evans, and three step brothers, Tony, Marc, and Michael Evans. Sudbury’s ancestry is intriguing, polite, and full of history. With the name first mentioned in the Catholic Church, it is recorded on 4 May 1375 that Simon of Sudbury became the Archbishop of Canterbury, the son of Nigel Theobald, succeeding William Whittlesey. Sudbury, a city in southeastern Ontario, Canada produces about 50% of the world’s nickel, and the artist Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) is referenced in Montyne’s Inferno by Sudbury for the fact he was born in Sudbury, Suffolk, England. Sudbury’s father is one of America’s great artists’ whom is recognized by his peers as The Sculptor/Painter for fussing these two art forms into one. This added a third dimension to what is normally a two dimensional medium. Montyne’s work and life is credited for inspiring Sudbury’s writings.

Sudbury is an accomplished Swordsman. After three years as a student in the art of fencing, and inheriting a unique style of footwork, when the young writer was 11 his father awarded him with a unique and very special sword. This irreplaceable weapon was hand-made by his father, a grand example of art and engineering. The sword motivated him to write his first script and has always been a source of inspiration in his story telling. The special rapier, desired by others, was copied and later stolen from the author’s collection of more than one hundred blades. This was another life experience that adds to Sudbury’s writings… In 1981 the father-son fencers posed for a photo that was featured on the front cover of the Nevadan magazine. The art of a real sword has stayed with Sudbury his entire life, knowing that when a sword is sharp, no one can hide behind a mask.

Sudbury’s family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada from Portland, Oregon on October 5th, 1968, where his father created five heroic statues which embraced the front palm anode of the Circus Circus, Hotel and subsequently influenced the way hotels were constructed – the themed hotel would forever cover the Las Vegas strip. Sudbury lived in a moderate home that on the outside avoided any extremes. On the inside, his father changed, redesigned, and constructed into its interior a wonderful modern renaissance environment. This unique house was full of art, mesmerizing everyone that entered, and especially affecting the imagination of young Sudbury. World champions from the golden Era of Bodybuilding like George Eiferman, and entertainers like Babette DeCastro from the female singing group The DeCastro Sisters, and business entrepreneurs and executives like Jay Sarno would traverse the Montynes’ home. At times, derision would enter young Sudbury’s life by way of a contemptible and jealous neighbor, but Sudbury’s parents never swayed from their pure and honest beliefs. This laid the foundation for Sudbury, giving him a strong and unique personal philosophy that is easily discovered in his writing.

Sudbury graduated from high school with top honors in 1977. He was one of the few students to achieve 500 points every year on the military 500 test, and held the record for chin-ups and push-ups every year while in school, and was a member of the school championship soccer team. During those years he performed a hand balancing act, which was modeled after his father’s dangerous act. While still in high school, and not yet an adult, Sudbury’s father was approached by Ringling Brothers to contract the young performer. Sudbury’s parents wouldn’t let him work for the circus, feeling that his education at this time in his life was more important, so he continued to perform for free in every school and many Las Vegas hotels. In 1978, while contemporaneously attending the University of Nevada Las Vegas and Clark County Community College Sudbury began acting. He was one of the first students, if not the first student, to enroll in the theater arts department at CCCC. His first performance was in Bye Bye Birdy, as Hugo Peabody, directed by Robert Cox. He went on to do West Side Story, as Baby John, then Man of LaMancha, while still performing his hand balancing act. Sudbury said, “You learn how to dance West Side Story, then you know how to dance.”

In 1979, Sudbury moved to Reno, Nevada to attend its University. His major was architecture. To support his schooling he worked as a printer and artist at his half-brothers specialty advertizing company, The Add Factory, and on the weekends as a bellboy at the Mapes Hotel. On a winter night, Sudbury looked down from a class room and noticed a stranger driving a corvette. From the third floor he watched the car park. The thought of copying Frank Lloyd Wright prints for the rest of his schooling made it hard for him to study. Sudbury wanted to create. A life changing event took place that would take many years to fulfill. His architectural teacher said, after reviewing his calligraphy paper, that he should be a writer. While practicing lettering, Sudbury would write a story – in the text of the day. Soon after, in November of 1980, a terrible fire broke-out in the MGM Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, killing 84 people and injuring 679 others. Like any tragedy, the loss of life was shocking and premature for a process that is natural. The felt heartbreaking physical loses by this fire where compounded by the loss of artwork by Sudbury’s father Montyne. What was another tragedy for the art community was the destruction of the massive ceiling murals that Sudbury’s father had created. In the wake of this catastrophe, Sudbury returned home to his father’s house in the anticipation of recreating the murals. The commission was never finalized, as hotel executives didn’t want to pay Montyne’s price.

The early ‘80s were interesting, Sudbury taught fencing for a club his father had founded with members of the community and performed his balancing act in night clubs. The last show he ever did was in 1984 for the Silver Dollar Saloon. Sudbury stopped and has never performed the act since. Because the manager only paid him $25.00, when it was to be his usual $250.00, the young Sudbury didn’t want to have to fight for respect at the expense of his pocket book – He framed the money. During this time he co-authored a movie script, which is a subject very close to his heart. The Swordsman was a romantic thriller that used the art of a sword to create a modern day duel with real blades. Rejected because of its size and detail, the thought of producing such an idea was a few years before its time. Nevertheless, the next few years for Sudbury would prove to be as challenging as it gets when it come to the human experience.

Discouraged with the advice and professional opinions given about The Swordsman, he cast off the idea of moving the script and turned to his knowledge from school and started working in building design. The FIB Tower in Las Vegas would be his first major work. A concrete company was contracted to produce the vehicular designs around the building, and while at dinner with the owner to this company, Sudbury invented how to produce the architects two color design in one monolithic pour. But, as success came so did tragedy. Sudbury’s father dropped into a coma. This was a difficult time, as financial ruin and broken contracts for the great artist took its toll on Sudbury’s best friend and father and family. Montyne would never recover, and he died in Sudbury’s arms on March 17th, 1989. The events that took place during this time in his life would inspire him to produce a novel.

Having appeared on thirty minute news shows like Inside Edition and being involved in some of the biggest stories of the day, Sudbury filed all of this away knowing that his life would make for a great character in an epic novel. Taylor Blackmoore was born, and in 1997, after surviving a true life drama, Sudbury started on Montyne’s Inferno. The story was developed in a small house in Las Vegas, Nevada while running his business with a friend in architecture. Sudbury helped with stag design on the show Legends in Concert and the development of upper custom homes where design build was his major source of income. The first draft of Montyne’s Inferno was completed in almost nine months. The project was placed in a box and stored away. Periodically he would send out a query letter, only to receive the typical mass produced memo that rejects art. After a few years it was time for a change and he moved to Northern California where he opened a construction company named after his father.

Sudbury began in 2001 to build Montyne Construction into a small successful business, getting all the due diligences completed by 2003. By 2004 he had disappeared into another life and once again began to feel the muse of the writer whispering in his ears. The relentless mailing of query letters to agents and publishers produced no interest, so in 2007 he created Montyne Press and in late 2008 published his first novel by himself. Above Sudbury’s bed, on the ceiling is his personal motto he lives by. It says, “Save, Book, You should be working…” This is a perfect example of better late than never. The buying public has been wonderful, some wanting the next story. This is turning into a great adventure….

In 1992, while keeping his distance from the press, Sudbury lived in a tiny room for three weeks. During this time he penned The Wholelife Workout. This was a turbulent period for the city where he lived; a bitter battle was constructing the foundation for miles of controversy concerning the university’s championship basketball team and its associations with unpopular influences.

The Wholelife Workout’s creation was inevitable, especially by the system in which Sudbury was raised.  His family’s unique attitude sparked a wonderful idea in his mind – Ever so involved in living a healthy lifestyle, this perpetual positive manner gave birth to the obvious – it is our entire life, not just two hours at the gym, that is the workout. Over-flowing with excitement, Sudbury placed his idea down on paper. The early work received some tiny interest – always improving everyone’s approach on life that read the manual.  What started out to be a workout system has developed into a positive life altering style by which a person can live. Sudbury produced a simple method of exercise and attitude for anyone who desired to take control of their special life. Because you have to live is the unnoticeable problem, and the majority of people living just do that – they just live. By removing thoughts that subconsciously tarnish our internal happiness, we can start to feel alive again!

Montyne, Inc. and Montyne Press has always been pointed toward delivering to the public the exciting story, work, and art surrounding Montyne. Late 2011, The Wholelife Workout was rediscovered. A blanket of clouds covered the night sky, as the crepuscular rays from the setting sun filled the room where Sudbury sat. A few days later a new life was given to the work. It was astounding to Sudbury when he went to register the title. It was available for the taking! No one had clamed the words Wholelife Workout. For nearly twenty years the name and idea remained all Sudbury’s. This gave the author more inspiration, especially when everyone is looking for the miracle cure for health. W/W had a reboot and is becoming a life changing experience for all who discover a simple truth, “LIFE IS ALL OF IT!”