Transcript of interview between Caesar’s Move author, Angelo Bain and Imagination Pages, Nick Garrison
 

Nick- OK, so I’m here with Angelo Bain, author of the newly released book titled 'Caesar’s Move, available on Amazon, for a little Q and A pertaining to himself and his works. Welcome.

Angelo- Thank you. Happy to be here.

 

Nick- Let jump right in, shall we? Firstly, how long did it take you to write Caesar’s Move?

Angelo- Much too long. It was a mixture of Finding the time to write, the amount of research that went into its completion, and bit of procrastination. 'Time to write,' yeah, you know how life happens. No excuse, but it does.  'Amount of research,' ok, so take those three words and pump them full of steroids. There was a ton of specific information and locations to be researched to write this book. "Procrastination,' ahh, let's just call it a few instances where brain overload needed a little siesta time to reboot. So yeah, a long time.

 

Nick- You’re not going to give me a number? months? Years? a decade?

Angelo- Well, it's kinda hard to really pin it down, actually. aside from the necessary siesta moments, maybe a couple of years. Much too long. 

 

Nick- Fair enough. Secondly, why did you write it?

Angelo- Because the thoughts and scenarios inside my head forced me to let them out. Haha. I was inspired after reading something my son wrote, it was pretty heartfelt, and thought, why not give it a shot and see what I could come up with. So, I sat down, started with two men speaking to one another, not knowing where I would go with it, what genre of book it would become, or anything. I just started and ran with it. It pretty much created itself as I moved forward. Once in motion, I knew I wanted to finish it. Everything started to slide into place, and it just kept getting better and better, rewrite after rewrite.

 

Nick- And who is Caesar’s Move for?

Angelo- Anyone with an open mind who isn’t afraid to push the envelope a little. I'd call it a murder mystery thriller. I guess, if you're not afraid of a little darkness, then you could be entertained by the read.

 

Nick- What do you want your reader to get out of it?

Angelo- Entertained. If they make it from page one till the very last page, and walk away with smile on their face … I call that success.

 

Nick- What did you enjoy the most about writing Caesar’s Move?

Angelo- Oh, hell. Everything. Creating something this big from nothing. Imagining all of these characters and scenarios and moving them into places where they fit. watching it all come together. Writing in dual POVs, from the good guy's point of view, the bad guy's, everything. I wanted to paint a protagonist that you hated but felt moments of pity for. Trick the mind a bit. I enjoyed the freedom of no limits. 

 

Nick- and the least?

Angelo- The publishing process. There’s fun in it, yes. creating the cover art. I did find a lot of pleasure in this. As well as, deciding on the interior layout and some other things. You're getting closer to that finish line, you know? you're so ready to push that 'Publish' button. but it's just not the same as when you're creating your story. none of it can compare to when you're breathing life into the world you've just created and getting lost in it. that's where the magic is. That is the real rush for me.

 

Nick- Which character did you enjoy creating the most? The main character or-?

Angelo- I can’t really answer that. There are a dozen different characters and each one is different in what they brought to the table. Obviously, the protagonist and the antagonist got more me time but there were challenges that came with creating each one. Did you buy all of that? Haha. No, Caesar was the man to write. He had the most depth.

 

Nick- You mentioned before, ‘rewrite after rewrite’ … did you do that much?

Angelo- Yes. I kept tweaking it until I felt it was good enough. I’m a big fan of writing with a twist. I don’t think my readers are fools … but I’m damn sure going to try and fool you.

 

Nick- A lot of authors speak of writing rituals or things they do to put them in the zone when they take on a project. Do you do anything like that?

Angelo- Music. Music is a very big part of my writing process. The right song will set the mood for the situation. I will find certain songs, based on the vibe needed at that particular point in the story, or certain ones that are just continuous white noise. from many different artists, different genres. I always listen to music while writing. No matter the story. sometimes, there will be one particular song that I’ll listen to, just prior to writing on that story. It'll be like my idea of the opening first song, if my story was on the big screen. That particular song will always set the mood, helping me to quickly reconnect with the book's vibe, start out with that one and when I get to certain spots, I’ll listen to whichever ones I have designated for that situation, that vibe I want to project. Music is very essential for me.

 

nick- And does it help with writer’s block?

Angelo- Sometimes. Sometimes you can change the song and grab hold of a … different angle, sort of. Sometimes not. If your head isn’t in the game you just gotta walk away. Or you’ll write a bunch of garbage and have to come back and clean it up. Wasted time. I’ve learned to recognize and trust when I get to the mindset where I know I need to just walk away.

 

Nick- Do you feel you have a specific flavor in what you write about? A specific type of genre or-?

Angelo-Absolutely not. I welcome the challenge of writing about anything. Caesar’s is about a serial killer. Right now, I’m in the process of writing about a vampire, the original vampire. Preceding everything Hollywood has ever given us about them. Set in nineteen fifty-two, Italy. He's the result of cell cloning in the nineteen nineties.

 

Nick- Nineteen nineties? but its set in nineteen fifty-two, italy? how does that work?

Angelo- (laughs) Well, that's the kicker, now, isn't it? He’s slung back into the past, four ninety-four A.D. to be exact, and has spent the last fourteen hundred and fifty-eight years preparing for what will happen when he reaches the moment of his creation. A possible paradox. He is zestful and I believe my reader will fall in love with him. Other stories I already have in motion are a Vietnam war vet struggling with PTSD, discharged and back at home in the states, he's informing all of his loved ones about his upcoming death. they're not sure if he is ill, just old, or what the hell he is talking about. Sounds pretty straightforward, right? Think again. Remember, I do love writing in twist. This one will be a bit of a psychological mindfuck. Also, I'm sitting on an adrenaline paced story of a man who is cast into countless moments of do or die situations without having a clue as to how in the hell he got there, what’s going on, or what he must do to get out of the situation. Split second decisions and the results that follow, that he must deal with. There are some others in the works, as well. a Sci-Fi, space fantasy, and, oh yeah, the sequel to Caesar’s Move has already gotten some writing time underway. So, no. I welcome writing anything. Might even write a children’s book. Haha. The author of a serial killer book writing for kids? it'll be great.

 

Nick- You keep mentioning twist. Would your children’s book have a twist?

Angelo- No, not at all. Kids are like clay ready to be molded. it would be pretty straightforward and positive. Definitely positive. Character building.

 

Nick- So, you have mentioned 'lot of research' in your works. Do you ever reach out for assistance in this?

Angelo- No. I pretty much do it all. Research as I go and stick it in there. Writing books like this is great for learning so many things you never knew before. 

 

Nick- Do you ever surprise yourself when you write?

Angelo- Sometimes, yes. Sometimes the story flows through my head faster than I can type. I make a ton of typing errors but keep it hammered and worry about fixing them later. Gotta get the words out before they dam up and you lose them. I've had moments where I was writing with pen and paper and I wrote so fast, just to save everything, that I went back and had one hell of a time deciphering what the hell I wrote. There have been times when all of the tidbits and pieces of awesomeness are right where the need to be, and the planets are all in line, and I finish typing something and just stop ... and think to myself ... damn, that shit is good. (Laughs) Yeah, sometimes I do surprise myself. 

 

Nick- Disappoint yourself?

Angelo- Absolutely. Re-read something, re-think it, hate it, scrap it, move on. I mentioned earlier about my vampire story that I'm writing. I went back and scraped the very first three pages I wrote. The absolute birth of the story no longer followed the same vibe as everything else after that, and it had to go. It turned out to be the best move, doing so.

 

Nick- Aside from being entertained, what do you hope your readers will take away from reading your works?

Angelo-The satisfaction of feeling like their time spent in an Angelo Bain book was well worth it. 

 

Nick- Well, I wish for you much success with Caesar’s Move.

Angelo- It’s already successful. There are many different levels of success with books. You have a thought, and it turns into a scene followed by another and another until it fully comes together. Success. You let someone read the finished product and they walk away with a “Wow. Great book.” Success. It makes it through the editing process and gets published. Success. People buy it and like it. Success. Royalties start to flow in, and you make a complete return on your initial investment. Success. They keep coming in and you start making bank. You buy that second home in Hawaii and get invited to Denzel Washington’s house for barbeque and margaritas. Success. (Laughs) Let's just say I’m on the lower to mid-range of that success tier. Now, Denzel, if you ever happen to read this, we could skip a few of the levels if you like. I’ll bring the margs. (Laughs)

 

Nick- Well, I do wish you continued success. And perhaps, one day, Denzel could play one of your characters on the big screen. Ok, I saved the best question for last. Angelo, do you think your readers will find it a bit arrogant to find out that I am actually not real and you created me to ask you your own questions?

Angelo- No, not at all. Because that is what I do. You are what I do. I create. Real or not, the answers are mine and they are true. If I can write a five-hundred-page book with one hundred and seventy-nine thousand words, a dozen different characters and many different scenarios … then I can easily create you.

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Nick- Well, OK then. 'Caesar’s Move,' available on Amazon. Pick up a copy and get lost in the world created by Angelo Bain. Thank you for your time here today.

Angelo- My pleasure.