Black Voices: "Shell of a Man" is a Must Read Coming of Age Story
Exclusive Q&A with the mind behind this new novel
Vincent, a young and unfocused man, meets Faye, a seemingly put-together free- spirit, while on hiatus from Navy bootcamp. The ensuing relationship between the two helps shape the man that he becomes in this intimate, coming of age story by Chicago Author Mario Anthony. "Shell of a Man: A Screenplay Novel" is the debut book by Anthony and his first opportunity to present his unique style of storytelling to the world. Rather than tell an audience what to feel in his work, Mario Anthony presents fully fleshed out, humanized characters complete with flaws, redeeming qualities and ambitions. The book bursts with the kind of personal touch that could only be pulled off by an author who knows these characters, one who's lived amongst them and cares deeply about them. This search for truth by the author, and the ability to communicate it to us all, makes "Shell of a Man" an essential read from one of the culture's rising Black Voices.Like some of our favorite books ("Monster" by the Late Great Walter Dean Myers comes to mind), "Shell of a Man" is presented in a screenplay format. The unorthodox approach in a debut book was a bold choice for Anthony, one that came about as the pandemic forced him to shift gears creatively from filmmaking. The story itself grew along with its author, taking over seven years from ideation to completion, continually evolving and changing its form along the way. Now that it's arrived (Available for purchase now on Amazon) it serves as a vehicle both for its talented author and over a dozen of other creatives who contributed artwork for the novel. We had the honor of chatting with Mario Anthony about what to expect from his new book, he provided some added context about the story along with his process, and also drops some jewels for the next dope black authors as well. Read up below:
1. Let's start from the beginning. Can you let us know a bit about your upbringing creatively and how you got into writing?
Well, with regard to my creative upbringing, I can’t ever remember not being creative. I grew up living within the imagination for longer periods of time than was probably healthy for me, yet I never saw it as any differently from experiencing the real world. Meaning, I married my thoughts with my actual life, to such a degree, that oftentimes the lines became blurred. Not always for the best. I spent much of my time creating. Whether that was a new impression/character, a drawing, a story, a song. Creativity was my outlet. I never limited myself to one way of self expression. Probably because all of it fascinated and inspired me. That said, my foray into becoming an author was an unusual one. I came to it through writing screenplays. At 25, with no college degree, and limited resources for stability, my dream was always to make films, which itself is quite ambitious all things considered. Ironically enough, the year I was determined to finally make that happen, the pandemic hit, and I was faced with the difficult task of finding an outlet that served my creative needs, while also fulfilling them. I came across a book I had sitting in my bedroom, and it was written in screenplay format. It took me aback, and from that moment, I was determined to publish my very own screenplay that I had been sitting with for several years.
"it’s crazy to think that from beginning to end, this journey has taken over seven years. I feel as though I’ve lived many lifetimes since then, which, I guess, ultimately made the story and characters richer."
2. Congrats on your debut book. I seen online that you worked on "Shell of a Man" for seven years leading up to its release. Can you give us some insight on what that journey was like and how it feels to see your hard work pay off?
Yeah, it’s crazy to think that from beginning to end, this journey has taken over seven years. I feel as though I’ve lived many lifetimes since then, which, I guess, ultimately made the story and characters richer. I’ve grown up through and with the characters, who are all older than I was when I began writing it. Many changes have happened since then. There have been many iterations on how the love story would transpire, for example. At one point, it was a much older woman that the main protagonist fell in love with. At another, she was 18 to his 23. All in all, I am grateful for the time I took honing many elements of the story, giving it all that it needed to be fully realized, and also being of the times. There, of course, were many drafts as well. Some of which I now cringe at, some of which seem very earnest and wide-eyed, but lack depth. And then of course, the stops and starts, of which there were also many. Seven years in total, but certainly many days of those seven years were spent procrastinating and being stuck on any given scene. 2020-2021 was the final draft stage, and after a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, there is no better feeling than to see it all pay off. The best way I can describe it is by saying, holding the physical book in my hands, felt like holding a piece of myself that I never knew I had, didn’t know I could ever see, and with every moment that followed, I couldn’t imagine myself without. It’s magical to know and SEE what we’re capable of through hard work and persistence.
"These characters are Black, but not defined by it. They are fully realized and still searching. They are complex. Not perfect, not awful— human."
3. For those who were unaware of your book until now, can you let us know a bit about what they should expect from reading "Shell of a Man"?
Shell of a Man is a coming-of-age story about an unfocused, adult man by the name of Vincent Kingston. And it’s also important to mention it is written as a screenplay, so not your traditional formatting for this kind of medium. We meet Vincent just as he’s starting a hiatus from Navy boot camp, something he has only been doing for 28 days prior to his introduction in the story. He plans to stay with his older sister and her fiancé during this time, and while there, he ends up meeting a mystery girl, by the name of Faye Monroe. Faye challenges Vincent, something not many others do, and they end up falling for each other. Faye forces Vincent to see himself in a way he previously refused to. She forces him to confront his impulsive and unfocused behavior, giving him no choice but to man up and own up to the choices he has made but not considered the consequences of. It’s intimate, mundane, oftentimes funny, and unapologetically human. These characters are Black, but not defined by it. They are fully realized and still searching. They are complex. Not perfect, not awful— human. My goal with all my work following Shell is to humanize characters of color and give us full humanity to just... be. That, to me, is the most compelling story. The ones where the characters just exist, as we all do in life.
4. I could be wrong but the cover art of the book is of you, yes? How much of the book pulls from your own experiences as you came of age? Are there some autobiographical elements to the project?
You aren’t wrong, it is me! There is an explanation for that, and it isn’t that the story is in any way an autobiography. However, are there autobiographical elements? 1000%. I have come to realize, as a writer, I am fully incapable of beginning a story without some real life precedent to find my way in. This was no different. Many parts of Vincent are me, but many parts are also old friends, family members, people I’ve met once, strangers, etc. Much of the seeds that then blossom into fully realized ideas, start with something personal, or at the very least pulled from real life. The cover photo and some of the art pieces in the book are of my likeness, because I wrote this as a screenplay initially, and only planned on making it into a film, not publishing it into a novel. So, I had to make it known to anyone out there who may want to help me make that happen, there is no other way to see Vincent but with my face. This story, while not autobiographical, is my biggest passion project to date, very personal to me, and the project in which I would like to showcase as many of my abilities as possible. I couldn’t let that opportunity pass me up. I also did the same with the character of Mona, the sister character, giving her the likeness of my very own sister, Joanna Lynn (in illustrations at the end of the novel), an actress and model, who is the only person I can only imagine playing that character as well (considering I wrote it with her in mind).
"Many parts of Vincent are me, but many parts are also old friends, family members, people I’ve met once, strangers, etc. Much of the seeds that then blossom into fully realized ideas, start with something personal, or at the very least pulled from real life."
5. Thought it was cool that you collaborated with so many artists to create "Shell of a Man". Can you let us know a bit more about your decision to align with various artists to create this work?
It was very late into the process in which I made the decision to include 10 illustrations, (which ultimately became 14) at the end of my novel. I don’t know exactly what it was that drove me to that decision, but I am someone who can’t waver on an idea once I become fully invested in it. It’s an obsession that comes over me that is very hard to shake. Likewise, I’m a big fan of graphic novels, and I think I wanted to incorporate an element of one of my favorite graphic novels, Django Unchained, into my very own debut novel. Perhaps, I also wanted to have an opportunity to see, visually, some of my scenes come to life for the first time. So, once I was dead set on having illustrators, I made a post on on my socials, and got a few responses, reached out to a few people as well on Instagram and Twitter, and it came together rather quickly. The very first illustration that was completed was by an incredible South Korean artist, who’s page I came across randomly on Instagram, named Jin Rou Mei. She did an amazing depiction of one of the first encounters between the two main love interests. From there, I was so inspired and excited to keep the ball rolling and see what the other artists came up with. Once everyone was confirmed, we ended with with an eclectic group of artists, residing everywhere from LA to my hometown of Chicago, all the way to Africa and London. The collaborations were incredible. They gave me an opportunity to exercise some of my directing skills, something I had not been able to do in the past year in the way I had hoped. And not to sound like a complete child of the internet, but everyone fully understood the assignment. The process definitely took longer than I had hoped, but looking back at it now, I think everything happened right on time, at the exact time it was supposed to, and I wouldn’t change any of it if I could go back.
6. As someone who saw the process through, what would you say to other Black authors who are lost as to how to go about telling their stories?
I would say your story matters. Write it. Don’t think about an end result, don’t worry about what others will think of it, don’t worry about how long it’ll take. Just write it. I love seeing Black people winning, but more than anything I love to see us winning, doing something we love and are unendingly passionate about. I would say if you feel you have a story in you, do not second guess yourself. Make an outline. Write ideas in your notes app or on your palm if you have to. Every story, if told well, can be compelling, can be remarkable, and is worth telling, I promise you. Read books, read screenplays. If you’re more like me and want to make films, watch movies and study the way they are made. Study the dialogue, study the direction. Listen to behind the scenes commentary if applicable. Be OBSESSED with your narratives. If you don’t live and breathe your project in some capacity, writing may not be for you. Try to write as often as possible, and if you feel like you don’t have something in you, don’t force yourself to put pen to paper, you will not do your best work. I’m proud to be a new, young, Black, author, at a time when so many young Black voices are being amplified in the entertainment space. And not just being amplified, but CELEBRATED. Deservedly so. I’m nowhere near where I want to be, but I feel so much closer than ever before. I’d like other Black authors and creatives of any kind to know that you can do and feel just the same. All you need is that obsession to see it through. Let’s go!!!
I’m proud to be a new, young, Black, author, at a time when so many young Black voices are being amplified in the entertainment space. And not just being amplified, but CELEBRATED. Deservedly so.
7. Anything else you'd like to add?
Please buy my book. I have responsibilities and bills and family that deserve the world and I could really use the support. It’s on Amazon now. I know Amazon is not everybody’s favorite platform nowadays, and I get it. But, this is my first book. I’m young. I’m Black. And Latino. If anything you’re supporting one of us. Also, to be clear, Amazon does take a significant cut from each sale, so no, I don’t receive full payment for each sale, but every sale counts, and my portion adds up. I am in a transitional period in my life and could really benefit from this book doing well. My family certainly would, as well. I want to be able to be an example for those coming up behind me that there are no limits to your abilities, and there is no reason not to believe in yourself and your success. You can follow me on Instagram @m.anthonystein or Twitter @manthonystein. The book’s IG is @shellofamannovel. Can’t wait to keep making great art for the culture. Thank you Gritty Vibes!!
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