ANT MIDDLETON has just released his second novel, Red Mist, following on from the success of his previous literary works.
As well as his work on Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins, Middleton has published a non-fiction trilogy including his autobiography.
On Friday, December 16, he visited Waterstones, Broad Street, for a book signing which saw many queueing before 9am to meet him.
Just before the event, he said of his mixture of fiction and non-fiction works: “I like to merge the two together.
“With non-fiction, I write what I’m allowed to, but with fiction I can sort of merge the two worlds.”
The newest novel has been billed as ultra-authentic, with Middleton drawing on his decades of experience in the armed forces, including years in both the Royal Marines and the Special Boat Service.
“I don’t like my fiction to be too… fiction—I don’t want it to be some guy going off on a rampage, it’s about merging my life experiences and my combat experiences, but my family life and travel, too.
“When I first started people wanted shootouts in hospitals and I was like ‘woah, hold back.’
“I want readers to be able to try and relate, ask the question ‘could it be done, if it was me,’ not someone saving a damsel in distress with endless rounds.”
The focus on relatability is evident in much of his work, especially since his messages about mental health and positive outlook are universal in their relevance.
“Life has its stresses, and as long as you’ve got a good purpose that you’re working towards, then you know you’re going to get the setbacks and knockbacks but it’s all heading towards a positive outcome.
“When you look at the stresses on you, are you fighting towards a goal- nine times out of ten we are, but stress automatically fits into that negative category.”
But his outlook, he says, is not even necessarily the result of the considerable, in-depth, and intensive training he has had.
“It’s through exposure, repetition, certain crowds, certain people, you’re going to learn how to harness it – you learn how to make it work for you.
“But it’s about that commitment, it’s about putting yourself out there to do that, and a lot of people get caught up in a negative bubble.
“Are you surrounding yourself with the right people that you know, are they making you feel good – I think that’s a really important thing to break down for yourself.”
Overall, he says there are three things which he seeks to maintain his sunny disposition: “A positive mindset, positive people, and a positive environment.
“I think that’s a by-product of where I’ve come from; when you’re wrapped up in high-intensity situations, you just do it—there’s little thinking.
“Since I’ve gone into TV and written books, I’m learning a lot more about thinking then acting, which comes with growth and maturity,
“My mind is constantly engaged now where before I just didn’t have time to think, and sometimes when you’ve had a really challenging moment it’s good to really dissect it.”
He says he tries to simplify life, which he contends is more complex than ever: “You can get away from the complexities of life.
“But it’s a realness and a warmness that people need; when you’re real and honest, you can take hold of a problem and process it.
“When it’s not clear or understood correctly, it’s like a hot potato and you can’t really grab hold of the problem.
“It becomes layered with complications, layered with B.S. and negativity, and you can scrape that all away by being honest.”
He admits that this can be difficult, however: “I think the honesty and realness is hard.
“It’s tough because a lot of people don’t like the truth, or they don’t like the rawness of it that really strips them down to a point where they feel vulnerable.
“But there’s a way of doing it, but if you want to do that, I think you can find something in my books.”
In his literary work, he says he hopes to find a legacy, of sorts: “Above all; above my TV, above my tours, above everything, that writing is therapeutic.
“I get out everything that goes on in my head, and I know that it’s an archive that anyone can pick up.
“I hope that in 100 years’ time somebody, my book is on the shelf somewhere and I’m long gone, and someone will pick it up and dust it off.
“And hopefully they’ll get something from it that they can pass on—that’s the goal.”
Ant Middleton’s new novel, Red Mist, is available now.
