Tony Peake was born in South Africa, growing up largely in a small village situated between Johannesburg and Pretoria, which is where he went to school. He then attended Rhodes University, where he majored in English, before moving to London with his wife and young son (a daughter was born soon afterwards) to work as production manager at the Open Space Theatre in Tottenham Court Road. Next came a spell on Ibiza, teaching English, History, and Drama at the Morna Valley School. His marriage ended at around this time and he returned to London, where (until retiring recently) he worked as a literary agent. He currently spends most of his time, when not travelling, in north east Essex, where he lives with his civil partner.