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Halloween Extravaganza: Maternity Halloween Costumes

megHan

— Stevie Kopas —

It’s that special time of year again, folks! The time of year when the smell of apple cider is in the air, the weather begins to turn, scary movie marathons abound, and we all revel in the season that is Halloween. I’ve always celebrated with friends, horror movies and books, and a tradition of heading to the historic city of New Orleans for Voodoo Fest and Halloween weekend.

This year, though, things have changed a little bit in my life. For the first time in years we won’t be heading to Louisiana for Voodoo Fest. Partly because the lineup has made a steep decline, but also in part because, well, this pregnant lady doesn’t really want to navigate the port-a-potties and day-trippers in her condition this year. (And by day-tripper I don’t mean local travelers.)

You might be reading it here first, so cool, I’m happy to share this news with you that, yes, I am pregnant with my first born, and no, I haven’t yet signed it away to Satan. I’m still waiting on a decent offer.

This year for my Halloween guest post on Meghan’s House of Books, I’ve decided to share with you my Top Six Picks for favorite maternity costumes, both gory and safe for work. I’m pretty lazy, so all these are simple costumes that can be done at home or purchased online and look rad as hell. Even if you don’t have a Halloween themed cocktail or tasty, pumpkin craft beer in your hand this year, who says the pregnant lady can’t win the costume contest?

Now, like I said, I’m lazy AF so I have no intention of modeling any of these costumes for you, but we have this amazing thing called the Internet that can do this for me.

I’m a horror hound, so you know I’ve got to lead with my bloody picks first! Without further ado, let’s get to these costumes!

The Gore Ward

Mama Unicorn & the Impatient Foal

This costume is number one on my list for several reasons. I am a glitter whore, I love unicorns, and I love anything bloody and disgusting. This costume is the perfect wayt o combine all three of those things.

The trick is to use lots of fake blood on your bump so everyone sees that your baby unicorn is ready to get the hell out of there and wreak havoc on humans Cabin in the Woods-style. (If you don’t get the reference, shame on you. Look it up.)

Not only do you have a glittery, bloody horn bursting from your pregnant belly, but you can totally slay a glam make up look as well as wear a ridiculous amount of everything rainbow and sparkle.

You can see the look here, and of course change how you see fit. Personally, I’d add more glitter and fake blood, but that’s just me.

Alien Chestburster

I am not your typical person who likes to sit around and think that being pregnant is a beautiful thing. For me, it’s like having a parasite or an alien inside of me that constantly pukes up good food and steals all my life force, making me pass out at 10pm every night. So, this Alien inspired maternity costume is the perfect homage to my sentiments.

Shower yourself in fake blood and pack the black and blue shadow on under those eyes. (If you’re like me, you’ve got those dark circles already, so you won’t need to work so hard.) Glue or sew your chestburster prop to your bump and get ready to lure Ellen Ripley out for the fight of your life.

An alien chestburster toy can be purchased online for like $20-$30.

Zombie Baby Wants to Play

With zombies being my favorite, of course I’d include some kind of undead costume on this list.

This particular costume was inspired, in part, by the 2004 Dawn of The Dead remake, or at least I like to think so, so yeah, we’re going with that. In this particular scene, poor zombie Luda has given birth to a ravenous zombie baby!

So, go ahead, girl, zombify yourself in the most disgusting way you can and get some doll parts to stick to your bump. The bloodier the better, and bonus points if you paint the baby doll parts a nasty color. You can get an idea of how it should look from this Pin, but I recommend going even wilder.

The Safe for Work Stuff

Magic 8 Ball

If nostalgia is your thing, channel your inner 90s baby into that fetus of yours for the perfect (and easy as hell) Halloween costume. If you’re like me, you may want to give 8 ball answer seeking folks a heads up: a) do not touch or rub your belly without permission, and b) definitely do not shake you, this makes the vomit happen.

You can either make this yourself or just buy the t-shirt online like I would do. There are plenty of options to choose from, you can head to Amazon or Café Press to purchase. Here’s one I found on Amazon.

White Trash Beer Gut Guy

I feel like this costume needs no further explanation, but for the sake of the blog post, I’ll elaborate.

Basically, you’re going to want to find yourself an empty can of Natural Light (or something equally disgusting) and set that to the side. Then, don a filthy wife-beater tank and your favorite obnoxious trucker hat to complete the look! Don’t forget to paste on a fake mustache or at least attempt to pencil in some gross looking facial hair. The tighter the tank the better, don’t be shy with that bump turned beer belly! Bonus points if you walk around all day saying things like “war eagle!” and “roll tide!”

Gumball Machine

Now, as basic as this one seems, it’s probably going to be a bit tedious to individually stick colored cotton balls onto your shirt so that you look like the perfect candy-filled woman. I mean, if that’s your idea of a good time, then go nuts. You have the option, however, to purchase a shirt like the 8 ball or you can just get somebody to do this for you. No matter which way you go, you can have a fun, colorful costume that everyone will be jealous of.

This one is super cute because, and my mind always returns to the same place, you can create a really great make up look to go with it. Always remember: less bitter, more glitter, ladies, because there’s really not much better in this life than glitter. Fight me on that.

Bonus points if you use real candy and/or somehow manage to swindle quarters out of everyone you meet.

You can buy something like this online.

There you have it! I hope you find some of my suggestions helpful or at least mildly entertaining. Even if you don’t try the looks out for yourselves, you probably know somebody that will appreciate something on this list, so share it with them. And, hey, if you’re not pregnant, any of these costumes can be pulled off with the help of a round bowl or helmet of some kind. You can even slut ‘em up if that’s what you’re looking for.

Happy Halloween to all, keep it creepy, and be good to one another.

I’m a horror author and reviewer. Interested in other things I’ve written? Head on over to my Amazon Author Page or my Facebook page and check out my books and short stories.

Stevie Kopas was born and raised in New Jersey. She is a gamer, a writer, and an apocalypse enthusiast. Stevie will never turn down a good cup of coffee and might even be a bit of a caffeine addict.

Stevie is the Managing Editor of the website Horror Metal Sounds and a writer/reviewer for the site.

Her work includes The Breadwinner Trilogy (The Breadwinner, Haven, All Good Things), Madness Burns, Never Say Die: Stories of The Zombie Apocalypses, and the co-authored novel Slashvivor.

Kopas also participates in the At Hell’s Gates horror anthologies and all profits are donated to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund as well as the all-female author charity anthology Man Behind The Mask; all proceeds are donated to breast cancer research.

She currently resides in Florida and tries to spend as much time as she can in the sun.

She is an avid reader and watcher of horror and post-apocalyptic fiction (especially zom-poc). Offline, Stevie is a telecommunications professional.

Halloween Extravaganza: INTERVIEW: Kristopher Triana

megHan

I had the pleasure of meeting Kristopher last year around this time, when he agreed to take part in the 2018 Halloween Extravaganza. When I saw that he won the Splatterpunk Awards a few months ago at KillerCon in Austin, I knew I needed to have him back again. He is a man with a lot of talent, and one of the most interesting and entertaining guys I’ve met in awhile.

Meghan: Hey, Kris. Welcome back. It’s been awhile since we sat down together. What’s been going on since we last spoke?

Kristopher Triana: A great deal, actually. I’ve had several things come out in the past year and my novel, Full Brutal, won the Splatterpunk Award for Best Horror Novel of the Year. My next book comes out today. It’s a Halloween-themed novel called The Long Shadows of October.

Meghan: Who are you outside of writing?

Kristopher Triana: A dog nut and a horror fanatic.

Meghan: How do you feel about friends and close relatives reading your work?

Kristopher Triana: That’s no problem. It’s when coworkers want to read it that I get nervous, given how extreme my books can be. You never know how someone is going to take it.

Meghan: Is being a writer a gift or a curse?

Kristopher Triana: It’s neither. Being a writer (or at least a good one) takes years of hard work and dedication to the craft. It isn’t something you’re born with. The imagination, however, I think is a gift.

Meghan: How has your environment and upbringing colored your writing?

Kristopher Triana: Greatly, but I think that goes for all writers. You can always find a chunk of our hearts in what we create, bits and pieces of our history.

Meghan: What’s the strangest thing you have ever had to research for your books?

Kristopher Triana: Crime scene cleanup for Toxic Love. And it made for one twisted book. That is one bizarre profession. I like to think I could handle it but…

Meghan: Which do you find the hardest to write: the beginning, the middle, or the end?

Kristopher Triana: It depends on the story, really, but getting started tends to be the most challenging. I always end up going back to the beginning and changing it as I write the book.

Meghan: Do you outline? Do you start with characters or plot? Do you just sit down and start writing? What works best for you?

Kristopher Triana: Ideas come to me and I jot them down. The dots start to connect in my head and the characters are given an outline, but they really reveal themselves to me as I write the story.

Meghan: What do you do when characters don’t follow the outline/plan?

Kristopher Triana: I adapt to what I think they would do, based on what they’ve become throughout the book. A character fleshes out as you write the book and are never exactly the same as when you first gave them life.

Meghan: What do you do to motivate yourself to sit down and write?

Kristopher Triana: I’m one of those writers who are compelled to do it. I enjoy it so much that there’s rarely a day I have to push myself into the chair.

Meghan: Are you an avid reader?

Kristopher Triana: Definitely. You can’t be a good writer without being an avid reader.

Meghan: What kind of books do you absolutely love to read?

Kristopher Triana: The more disturbing the better.

Meghan: How do you feel about movies based on books?

Kristopher Triana: Depends. Some can be great adaptations, like No Country for Old Men and Requiem for a Dream. Others can be terrible bastardizations, like Come Back to Me, based on Wrath James White’s novel, The Resurrectionist, or mediocre efforts like The Lost, based on the Jack Ketchum novel.

Meghan: Have you ever killed a main character?

Kristopher Triana: Of course! That’s what they’re there for.

Meghan: Do you enjoy making your characters suffer?

Kristopher Triana: Not in a sadistic way. The stuff I write is dark and violent. Bad things happen in my books, often to good people. I’m not adverse to the bad guy winning. Suffering is the nature of humanity. We all feel it, endure it. Expressing it through art helps us cope.

Meghan: What’s the weirdest character concept that you’ve ever come up with?

Kristopher Triana: The Goddess in Body Art. She is stitched together by a twisted mortician using various body parts, ending up with multiple legs and arms and breasts. An unexplained evil makes her a sentient being.

Meghan: What’s the best piece of feedback you’ve ever received? What’s the worst?

Kristopher Triana: Praise from some of my idols like Brian Keene, Edward Lee, and Jack Ketchum were huge for me. As far as constructive criticism, I ask for it from my editors. I want to know if I’m doing something wrong or if it isn’t effective. If your beta readers give you nothing but praise, they’re too damn nice and aren’t being helpful. The worst kind of criticism is when people bash your work because they just don’t understand it or didn’t realize what they were getting into as far as the horror element goes.

Meghan: What do your fans mean to you?

Kristopher Triana: The world and then some. That I can share my stories with them and that they ask for more is everything I’ve ever wanted in life.

Meghan: If you could steal one character from another author and make them yours, who would it be and why?

Kristopher Triana: That’s a tough one. I’m going to say I’d take Michael Myers from John Carpenter’s Halloween. I could write a brand new story that picks up where part four left off, ignoring all the other sequels and remakes.

Meghan: If you could write the next book in a series, which one would it be, and what would you make the book about?

Kristopher Triana: Ted Lewis’ Get Carter, just so I could write a fourth novel in the series. It would deal with Carter’s childhood and his earliest days in the criminal underground.

Meghan: If you could write a collaboration with another author, who would it be and what would you write about?

Kristopher Triana: Clive Barker was such an enormous influence on me. Id’ love to write a supernatural horror story with him and bring him back to his days of splatter.

Meghan: What can we expect from you in the future?

Kristopher Triana: Many things, indeed! I have at least three books coming out in 2020, plus two special edition hardbacks. Lots of projects going on. And there will be a German edition of Toxic Love for my fans overseas.

Meghan: Where can we find you?

Kristopher Triana: All the social media sites and my website. And look for me at the Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival on October 12th in Haverhill, Massachusetts. I’ll also be signing books at Scares That Care next summer, as well as Killercon and some other events.

Meghan: Do you have any closing words for your fans or anything you’d like to say that we didn’t get to cover in this interview or the last?

Kristopher Triana: Halloween comes but once a year. Make it count!

Kristopher Triana is a Splatterpunk Award Winning author of horror, southern gothic, and crime fiction.

His books include Full Brutal (Winner of the 2019 Splatterpunk Award: Best Horror Novel), Toxic Love, The Shepherd of the Black Sheep, Body Art, The Ruin Season, The Detained, and Growing Dark, the latter of which was called “a must read” by Rue Morgue Magazine. His work has drawn praise from Publisher’s Weekly, Cemetery Dance, and The Ginger Nuts of Horror. Triana’s short stories have appeared in many magazines and anthologies, including Cemetery Dance, Blood Bound Book’s D.O.A. series, Year’s Best Hardcore Horror, Stiff Things, and Selfies from the End of the World, to name a few. His work has also been translated into several languages.

He lives in Connecticut.

Long Shadows of October

When Joe and Danny take on the job of housesitting Snowden Manor, they fail to realize they won’t be in the house alone. Inside the walls swarms a specter made of equal parts ghost, succubus and witch, and she uses the manse as a prison for souls. Now that October’s supermoon is falling over the mountains, she is ready to rise and reclaim her flesh.

Kayla has a crush on Joe, so when he asks her to come to a party at the manor she accepts his invitation. But no sooner do they get there than strange things start to unfold. People go missing, a mysterious dog appears, and then the boys begin to change . . .

Wraiths warn Kayla to save her friends before they’re devoured by the seductive witch. But she must hurry. For as Halloween approaches, the manor becomes a vessel for the black magic of the mountains, and the shadows that rule the woods return home.

Full Brutal

Kim White is a very popular cheerleader. She’s pretty, healthy, and comes from a well-off family. She has everything a girl of sixteen is supposed to want. And she’s sick to death of it. 

In search of something to pull her out of suicidal thoughts, she decides to lose her virginity, having heard it’s a life-changing event. But Kim doesn’t want to do it the same way the other girls do. She seduces one of her teachers, hoping to ruin his life just for the fun of it. This starts Kim on a runaway train of sadism as she makes every effort to destroy the lives of those around her. But soon simple backstabbing is not enough to keep her excited, and she nosedives into sabotage, violence and even murder. 

When Kim finds out she’s pregnant with her teacher’s child, a new madness overtakes her, and she realizes there’s only one thing that will satisfy her baby’s hunger . . .

Halloween Extravaganza: A Run Down

megHan

Welcome to the 6th Annual Halloween Extravaganza. Where each year it gets bigger and bigger.

I realized the other day that I’ve never actually written a post talking about the Halloween Extravaganza, just started posting on October 1st. That means that the authors participating know what’s going on… and I sometimes know what’s going on haha… but no one else does. I mean, I love leaving y’all in the dark a little bit, letting y’all be surprised by who is coming next (which is why I never post a schedule), but I think it’s time to discuss a little bit of the history behind this whole shebang.

The History

Six years ago, my Halloween Extravaganza began with seven men and was only a six day celebration. I was still new to this whole thing, but knew that I wanted to not just celebrate Halloween and horror, but my blog’s birthday, which was the month before (it actually began on September 2nd, with an introduction post, but I never really considered that the birthday; as far as I was concerned, it was the 30th, when I posted my first review). I asked a few of the horror authors that I had met along the way to participate and they all agreed. It was all interviews – two of them, brothers, did a group one – because I knew, as horror authors, October was a busy month for them and wanted to be easy on them.

The next year, I decided that it needed to be… a little bigger. That year, it became a 31 day celebration. A few of the people that were part of the original celebration came back to take part again, and since I was no longer “new,” I was able to add a whole lot more people to it. The month was full of author interviews and guest posts they had written me about Halloween. Some even surprised me with short stories, which was amazing.

That November, when the shenanigans were over, I wrote a half-joking post on Facebook about how, since Christmas (decorations) take over Halloween every year, it was time for us to take over Christmas (with scary holiday-themed stories). I was surprised by the reaction I got to this post. People were not just excited to read this, but excited to take part, and the next year, before I had even sent out invitations, I had received ten short story submissions.

In 2016, Christmas Takeover (which is part of the Halloween Extravaganza) became a thing. I had thirty authors submit stories, quite a few of them originals that they had written specifically for my blog.

Last year, I changed it from 31 days to three months of shenanigans – and when all was said and done, I had eighty days of posts last year. Eighty days.

I never thought that I could beat that, but here we are this year, 2019, and as of today, 140 people have signed up to be a part of my Halloween Extravaganza.

I have to say that again. 140 people.

And quite a few of them have signed up for more than one option.

The Plan

From October 1st to November 30th, I will be posting author interviews and guest posts. The theme for these posts was “Halloween,” and I can’t tell you how excited it makes me to see how authors interpret that. I have some who took the theme quite literally, and others who were quite abstract in their thinking. I even have a few that came up with the “perfect” idea that isn’t necessarily Halloween, but they were so good I couldn’t turn them down.

From December 1st to the end of the year… or until I run out of them… I will be posting Christmas Takeover stories because it is back and back with a vengeance. (Some of these are quite excellent.)

Throughout, there will be some reviews of books that are already out and some that are coming out between now and the end of the year.

Make sure that you check back every day for the next installment.

Follow me on Twitter – @Raiyine and @megHanHblogs – and keep an eye out for the hashtag #meghanshouseofbooks – to help you not miss a thing.

REVIEW: A Spot of Vengeance

megHan

Author: C.J. Anthony
Publishing Company: Troubador Publishing
Publication Date: 10 July 2019
Pages: 268
Genre: Thriller

Ex-Army intelligence Danny Swift has always yearned to be an artist. By coincidence, he meets art dealer Hafiz De Mercurio who promises to help him launch his career. Little does Danny know that Hafiz hides behind a deadly cloak of deception until British intelligence recruit Danny, and his perilous mission is to covertly observe the elusive Hafiz. They believe something big is coming, something coordinated, a terror spectacular to rival anything seen before, and the key lies in a cypher hidden in works of art. Unable to refuse, Danny is drawn into a world he’d turned his back on, a world of lies, deception and double-dealing.

As the clock ticks down and Danny begins to crack the code surrounding the enigmatic Hafiz, Danny will be tested in ways he never imagined… including preventing the massacre of innocent people and artworks on display in the eleven Gagosian galleries around the world.

When this book came across my desk, the description of it really caught my attention. I thoroughly enjoy thrillers, especially ones that involve British intelligence, and the fact that this included the art world and a possible terrorist attack had me intrigued.

The story itself is very interesting, and I found myself continuing to read, despite some issues that I had with different aspects of it, because I wanted to know the conclusion of the story and how everything came together. I love how the author made the center point of the entire thing the art world, and how the different paintings were used as part of the plot, though I think the descriptions of them could have been better.

The setting of London, specifically places like Hafiz’s apartment, Bernadette’s gallery, and The Tate Modern Gallery, were well written. You almost felt like you were there as you read the story because of the detail that he included. For example, when Danny (the main character) visited the Tate Modern, there were groups of school children there, and the author pointed out that, because of these, it was easier for him to hide in plain sight, going with the flow of these groups as if he was part of them.

The characters, for the most part, kept me coming back for more, though I can honestly say I really didn’t care what happened to any of them as the story went on. It was more general curiosity of how the story would unfold, rather than an emotional connection to any of them, despite the fact that a good portion of the beginning of the novel is getting to know both the main character, a few of the side characters, and the art world itself. To me, the art world was more a character than a setting, and the best one at that.

Once Thom got involved, there was quite a bit of adventure, as Danny went from trying to prove Thom wrong to trying to stop things from happening, and parts of it were really good. Unfortunately, there were some parts that needed a better explanation, and therefore got confusing, leaving me unsure how Danny was coming to the conclusions that he was coming to. Specifically the cracking of the code. I had to go back and reread a couple of places after realizing that I’d missed something.

I enjoyed the conclusion of the story, but not the conclusion of the book. To me, the story ended with the terrorist plot being averted (I’m not giving anything away saying that, as it wouldn’t be a good book at all if everyone died in the end and the terrorists won), and although I didn’t like that it was just over and nothing really happened after that, I would have rather it ended that way, without all the extra things that happened in the end. Neither part really added to the story, and I couldn’t help but wonder, when the book concluded, if I had read the entire story wrong.

Characters

Danny was a bit of a let down. He’s supposed to be this ex-military intelligence guy, now artist, who has great potential as a character, but there’s just too many times that his behavior and attitude aren’t consistent with the type of background he has, or maybe not consistent with the way I expected him to be portrayed. He just happens to fall into this whole thing. After being quickly accepted and connecting, oddly enough, with this great art dealer, he’s immediately thrust into this art world, and then, because of his closeness with Hafiz, British intelligence reaches out to him for his help. There was too much whining, for lack of a better word. Too much bellyaching about the “predicament” he’s in. And then all the lovey-dovey longing for this woman he just met. It just felt so… forced. Like, they had to be in a relationship to continue the story. It didn’t feel fluid or real.

Hafiz was a bit of a letdown as well, and I think that was more upsetting to me than the letdown of Danny. He is another character that has such great potential, especially after an event at the beginning of the story that sort of pushes this whole thing along. Unfortunately, that event is only slightly touched upon through the rest of the story even though it is so very important. I wanted more from him.

The two female characters – Marina and Bernadette – were both perfectly perfect as perfect can be and mentioned often is their perfectly perfectness – too often. So often, in fact, that it becomes disgusting, annoying, and truly unbelievable. That’s really all you get to know about either of them, which is odd considering how integral they are to the story. The little bit we do find out about them is quickly dropped in favor of talking about how they look in their tight outfit of the moment and sex with them. It’s as if they hardly exist outside of how the men in the novel saw them, the sexual attraction, when both of them have careers and pasts that, had the author shared more about them and fleshed them out better, would have explained their motivations behind certain actions and choices they both make.

Thom, the British intelligence man, seemed very interesting, but he wasn’t around enough to really get to know him, which was strange, and a whole other complaint I have about this story.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

The adventures that are undertaken throughout the story, and not just by Danny.

The Art World itself. I really enjoyed learning about the selling of art, the paintings, the artist who created these, and other aspects of the art world that I had previously not known. Because of the fact that he was using one character teaching things to another, it didn’t often feel like an information dump.

The description of the surroundings, as I stated above, were well done, as well as the details that he put into it. Sometimes the description helped you get to know the character a little better i.e. upon visiting Hafiz’s apartment, Danny could tell, before even coming to the door, the kind of mood the man was in based on how the shades were.

The paintings as part of the plot. That was very intriguing, though again, it could have been described a lot better.

Cons:

A confusing timeline.

Disappointing altercation between the two females in the story. The confrontation between the two could have been so much better. It would have even given us a great opportunity to learn more about the two of them and, again, their motivations behind the choices they made.

The lack of real meat in the characters. Or maybe I should say meat that mattered. We have a lot of information about some, not near enough about others, but none of them felt like real people to me. As I stated above, I was reading to find out the end of the story and how we got there, not reading to find out what happened to the characters, and when things did happen to the characters, it wasn’t meaningful. There wasn’t enough depth to them to make me sad or angry or happy or upset or whatever when things happened to them.

The end of the book. Thinking about it now, I guess we can say that the author left it open for a second story, at least in some ways, but he didn’t leave it open in a way that made me want to read book two, if there is going to be one, to find out what happens. The ending is all wrapped up in this not-so-neat little package, with some of those conclusions feeling like puzzle pieces that don’t fit being forced to fit, even if one has to cut one of them to make it fit with the other.

The editing of the book was, for me, a shambles, and I brought this (with some specific points) up to the author. I put this at the end of my Cons because, as an editor, I have a harder time ignoring things that others might be able to just look past. I think the author’s editor did him and this book a disservice, and hopefully my notes were able to help the author out in the future.

Final Thoughts

All in all, I’d say it was a good debut novel, and I wouldn’t be opposed to reading his next piece when it is published. It had issues, but it also had things about it that made it worth reading until the end. The author has talent, and as he writes more, he will be able to hone in on ways that will make the story even better.

INTERVIEW: C.J. Anthony

megHan

I met C.J. Anthony a few months ago through his publishing consultant and was so completely intrigued by the plot idea of his debut book that I agreed to read it. I wanted to know more about him, especially after we exchanged a few emails, so here we are, sitting down for an interview together.

Meghan: Hi, C.J. Thanks for agreeing to sit down with me today. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

C.J. Anthony: I’m a former British soldier and currently a security specialist mainly working within the Middle East. I had toyed with the idea of writing a book for some time. I had some ingredients – characters, settings, and genre – but I just needed the right plot to bring it all together. I’m inspired by my experiences that have happened in my life, taking certain events that I think would make an interesting story, and put them creatively together. By altering the truth, I create a more engaging story. A book needs a kind of organic identity.

I’m passionate about anything creative, I’m an avid art collector, a keen painter, and I have exhibited in London. For as long as I can remember, I have always been creative, and I’m obsessed with it. To produce something to evoke an emotion in others is quite overwhelming.

Meghan: What are four things most people don’t know about you?

C.J. Anthony: I’m an art collector. Artist. I’m sat in my office now – in Baghdad. I have assisted a friend who is a military technical advisor on a feature film.

Meghan: What is the first book you remember reading?

C.J. Anthony: The Village with Three Corners. I read it while I was at primary school. What a classic.

Meghan: What are you reading now?

C.J. Anthony: Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan and The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan.

Meghan: What made you decide you want to write? When did you begin writing?

C.J. Anthony: I began writing about two years ago. My current manuscript is directly influenced by my love of art; both collecting and being an artist, also drawing on my knowledge and experiences within the security world. One afternoon I was sitting at home having a coffee with the TV on in the background, whilst flicking through one of my art books published by British artist Damien Hirst. The book illustrates over a thousand of his famous various spot paintings, spanning over twenty-five years (1986-2011).

As part of my art collection, I own a signed limited edition print by Hirst. This limited edition is titled Controlled Substances; the original was publicly on display at the Tate Modern Gallery in London in 1994. The painting is based on the simple format of the grid, the painting features circular ‘spots’ of coloured paint lined up at regular intervals, with the spaces between them always the same distance as their diameter, on a white background. With all the letters of the Alphabet and numbers next to an opposing spot, visually this particular edition resembles some sort of code to produce secret cyphers.

I’d already known about the Damien Hirst exhibition back in 2012, which I missed due to work commitments. It was a major retrospective celebrating his spot painting series, simultaneously across all the eleven Gagosian galleries worldwide. While I was flicking through the pages of the Hirst book, I noticed that the film The Imitation Game was on TV. It stars Benedict Cumberbatch as a British cryptanalyst Alan Turing, who decrypted German intelligence codes for the British government during the second world war.

That very moment was my epiphany, my catalyst to start writing. In my excitement, I got up from off my sofa and walked over toward the Hirst edition print that was hung up on the wall. I took it from off the wall and placed it down in the centre of the living room floor. Pausing for a moment in thought, I then started to carefully tear out pages from the Hirst book, placing them around the print in a sort of strategic pattern. At this stage, it didn’t make sense, but visutally it helped me put together the plot. Eleven galleries, eleven owners, cryptography, and a bit of art and terrorism thrown into the mix. I quickly went to my study and got my notebook and pen and sarted to plan, plot, and prepare – A Spot of Vengeance. Taking me a total of nine weeks to write the full manuscript while I was in my office in Basra.

Meghan: Do you have a special place you like to write?

C.J. Anthony: For me, it’s when I wake up in the early hours and go into my office and write. There’s just calming and inspiring about that time of day, when your still half asleep with a cup of coffee and music playing in the background.

My favorite place to write, when I’m home in the UK is my study as it faces out onto a wooded area, which is very pleasing on the eye, however I get distracted by the wildlife.

Meghan: Do you have any quirks or processes that you go through when you write?

C.J. Anthony: A lot of day dreaming the scenes and a lot of doodling.

Meghan: Is there anything about writing you find most challenging?

C.J. Anthony: That’s the beauty of writing, the challenges are so addictive and when you achieve your aim it’s a great feeling.

Meghan: What’s the most satisfying thing about writing so far?

C.J. Anthony: To actually feel the physical book in your hand and to see others read it! And the great reviews I have received so far is overwhelming.

Meghan: What books have most inspired you? Who are some authors that have inspired your writing style?

C.J. Anthony: The books I have read have all been inspiring in one way or another, but none have inspired me and my writing style. More of a motivation to write.

Meghan: What do you think makes a good story?

C.J. Anthony: Something that makes you want to be a certain character or makes you constantly think about a certain subject matter, long after each chapter or when you have finished the book.

Meghan: What does it take for you to love a character? How do you utilize that when creating your characters?

C.J. Anthony: My characters are all people that I’ve known or I still know them today. (But they don’t know it’s them. I hope ha!)

Meghan: Which, of all your characters, do you think is the most like you?

C.J. Anthony: Danny, with elements of Thom and the style of Hafiz – I love designer clothes, and being a gentleman is a fine art these days.

Meghan: Are you turned off by a bad cover? To what degree were you involved in creating your book covers?

C.J. Anthony: Yes, some book covers don’t do the author any justice, which is unfortunate as it’s a representation of them and their work. I was fortunate enough to design my own book cover, as the publishing design team’s ideas were somewhat poor and their ideas wouldn’t give the reader/viewer an insight into what the books is really about.

I love conceptual art designs on book covers, as it should give you a hint of what to expect; gets the mind working before you have even started to read.

Meghan: What have you learned creating your book?

C.J. Anthony: I’ve learned a lot about the process and mastering the craft as a writer, which is an ongoing process, and that you need to adapt all the time to keep up with trends at the time.

Meghan: What has been the hardest scene for you to write so far?

C.J. Anthony: I write in a filmic way and my story is dominated by code breaking. I had to make the code breaking scenes feel very creative, in a way, so that the reader feels they are on the journey with Danny.

Meghan: What makes your book different from others out there in this genre?

C.J. Anthony: It is not only a book for the spy thriller enthusiasts, but it is also for the creatives and art lovers among us. Readers will experience a vicarious feeling of excitement, opulence, and intrigue. Also educating them on a well-researched insight into the world of art, depicting how it’s dominated and manipulated by the chosen few. These are just some of the many incremental differences that readers will receive compared to other works similar to A Spot of Vengeance. Skillfully highlighting the worlds constant threat of terrorism and its shadowy tactics. This intriguing story is loosely based on true events with interesting characters. The ongoing war of critic versus artist, ruthless buyers, and the self-obsessed collectors. While portraying the lengths in which someone would go to manipulat their own position of power, purely for personal revenge. Encouraging the reader to get lost in the narrative and question their own emotional experiences. I believe it sets it apart and makes it all the more interesting as a result.

Meghan: How important is the book title, how hard is it to choose the best one, and how did you choose yours (of course, with no spoilers)?

C.J. Anthony: Originally my book was titled “The Architect” as the British artist Damien Hirst claimed to be an architect, his ideas and designs are then put together by an army of helpers. Just like a real architect designs a building and it is then constructed by builders. However, I was advised to give it a more direct title as readers would think the book was about an architect and buildings.

Meghan: What makes you feel more fulfilled: Writing a novel or writing a short story?

C.J. Anthony: This is my first book and I have really enjoyed the journey. It has been overwhelming at times, but worth it.

Meghan: Can you tell us about some of the deleted scenes/stuff that got left out of your work?

C.J. Anthony: I had written an alternative ending, but when I read it out loud, it just didn’t work and it played on my mind for days so I had to rewrite it.

Meghan: What is in your “trunk”?

C.J. Anthony: My sister passed away three years ago, aged 38. She had learning difficulties and sadly died in her sleep peacefully. Her boyfriend (Scott) of 23 years has Asperger’s and Autism. Throughout their twenty-three-year relationship, they spent every moment they could together, doing activities, youth club, church, movies, etc. (They called themselves the love birds.) They just adored each other. However, every Monday was the only time they spent apart throughout their twenty-three-year relationship, while Scott would work part time at a local charity shop. Due to his condition, he forgets and still waits for her or visits her apartment and his parents have to remind him. I have an idea for a love story/their love story, showing the issues they battled with in society and their own conditions as a couple – with a great twist in the end.

Meghan: What can we expect from you in the future?

C.J. Anthony: A Spot of Vengeance is now being written into a screenplay. Due to having contacts within the film industry, I have secured an agent to represent me.

Meghan: Where can we find you?

C.J. Anthony: I am only on Instagram at the moment. Please connect with me.

Meghan: Do you have any closing words for your fans or anything you’d like to say that we didn’t get to cover in this interview?

C.J. Anthony: Just a big thank you. My older sister, Pamela, has stage 4 cancer – she’s going through chemo therapy for the second time. I’m donating 50% of all sales to cancer research, which is a fantastic charity.

Born in the UK, Birmingham, C.J. Anthony’s debut novel showcases his creative skills and diverse imagination that will lead readers in contemplation long after they turn the last page. Drawing on his experience as a former British soldier, security specialist within the Middle East. He writes in a filmic and seductive prose, adding to the emotive and realistic charge to his narrative. C.J. Anthony is passionate about anything creative, an avid art collector, and a keen painter who has exhibited in London.

A Spot of Vengeance

Ex-Army intelligence Danny Swift has always yearned to be an artist. By coincidence, he meets art dealer Hafiz De Mercurio who promises to help him launch his career. Little does Danny know that Hafiz hides behind a deadly cloak of deception until British intelligence recruit Danny, and his perilous mission is to covertly observe the elusive Hafiz. They believe something big is coming, something coordinated, a terror spectacular to rival anything seen before, and the key lies in a cypher hidden in works of art. Unable to refuse, Danny is drawn into a world he’d turned his back on, a world of lies, deception, and double-dealing.

As the clock ticks down and Danny begins to crack the code surrounding the enigmatic Hafiz, Danny will be tested in ways he never imagined… including preventing the massacre of innocent people and artworks on display in the eleven Gagosian galleries around the world.