Hi everyone. Today I am featuring Charles Anthony's book "The Mars Man." Dive into an exclusive guest post, book details, and find out how to purchase your copy for a discounted rate from November 9th - 16th. Happy reading everyone :).
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Three StarZ corporation ships are sent to forge a new civilization on Mars. But when a massive solar flare cuts off all communication, no one knows what is happening on Mars. The only one who does - Commander John Santo - arrived back in an escape capsule: and he has disappeared.
Q: Who are your top 10 favourite authors or books?
A: That’s so hard to choose! but here’s a list that stands out for me:
1. The Lord of the Rings
2. Gilead
3. Cry, the Beloved Country
4. The Brothers Karamazov
5. The Power and the Glory
6. The Mayor of Casterbridge
7. I, Robot
8. All of Harry Potter
9. A Fortunate Life by A.B. Facey (a lesser-known Australian work)
Q: What books should everyone read?
A: My friend Michael Cook wrote a list on a website called 101 Books That Generation Y Should Read Before They Die. I’ve read all of those and I’m working through his second list now. It’s a great guide.
Q: When do characters come to you in the writing process?
A: They come at different times. Sometimes they’re the starting point of an idea. In The Mars Man, the central character was necessary as the author of the "Testament" within the book. Other times, characters emerge to serve a specific narrative purpose or to voice a particular perspective. Some surprise you and become essential. Others are born into the plot or fade out of it as needed.
Q: How much research do you do before writing?
A: A lot! For The Mars Man, I did extensive research on Mars—its geography, like Olympus Mons (27 km high!), and the science behind methane production, solar panels, and carbon types, etc. For my historical novel (which I hope to finish by the end of 2025), I’ve been diving into both primary and secondary sources, including art and language. Capturing the right tone and phrasing from another era is one of the hardest parts, but if you can find a thesaurus from that era, or better yet, read books from those times/cultures, you can write authentic dialogue.
Q: Why do you think reading is important?
A: Reading is essential for forming character and culture. In Shadowlands, there’s a line: “We read to know we’re not alone.”
He clarifies that you might say we love to know that we're not alone. And that starts a really interesting line of thought for C.S. Lewis. Following Shakespeare, art holds the mirror up to nature, and books are the carriers of culture, of our human experience, of difficulties and ecstasies and things that are overcome, recording historical events, and they need good people to write them so that we don't repeat the mistakes of the past, but also we nourish them and we're enriched by them in our present.
Q: What’s your writing setup like?
A: I have a small room with a simple desk that is a world map. I also pen and paper to sketch out structure, chapters, or dialogue beats. I mostly dictate my first drafts using voice-to-text technology, which is really helpful when an idea comes like a bolt from the blue on the street. My iPhone is my secretary! It’s a great way to get ideas down. For editing, on the page, I do sometimes like to have focus music, because that can be good on a particularly good day outside where you want to be outside but need to work.
Or there's times where a particular piece of music inspires you in that scene and you think this would fit really well. So listening to that helps me as well. I'm definitely an iPhone writer and using the computer.
Q: Who is your favourite character from literature?
A: One I particularly admire is the priest in Graham Greene’s The Power and the Glory. He’s flawed but authentic, hunted and afraid, yet still trying to do good. I also love Frodo Baggins, Harry Potter, and the observer-brother in The Brothers Karamazov, who acts as the reader’s lens.
Q: What made you want to become an author?
A: I don’t know if you become one or if you’re born one, but the majority of writers say it is the latter. For me, it was a combination of a love for literature, a powerful imagination, and the desire to tell stories. Once I recognised those qualities in myself, writing shone as what I was born to do.
Q: What’s a typical day like for you as a writer?
A: I’m not a full-time author yet. My day usually starts with mulling over an idea from the night before. I put that idea on paper, then I go to work. I write or edit in the evenings. It’s about carving out time regularly each day, and scraping it in whenever I can.
Q: What writing advice would you give to others?
A:
1. Just do it: write!
2. Books aren’t written, they’re rewritten. Don’t fear redrafting.
3. Understand the difference between drafting and editing. Don’t try to perfect a sentence while you’re still creating. Let the ideas flow first, then come back to refine.
Q: How would you describe your writing style?
A: Flowing prose with witty dialogue. I aim for brevity: why use two words when one will do? Don’t get me wrong. I love good descriptions and it is my greatest joy to disguise poetry in my prose.
Q: What makes a good story?
A: A clear beginning, middle, and end. A strong protagonist with complexity.
A solid protagonist who has light and shade. E.M. Forster gave a series of lectures where he compared the different kinds of characters you can have. A central character has to have complexities, greys, flaws, and great qualities that you can empathise with and admire. He has to have a goal.
There are Dickensian characters who can be flat characters.
They are instantly recognisable people who you know and you identify what they are. We could say stereotypes, but there's a great skill to make you identify that person instantly. Importantly, the story is a journey from A to B, whether that's interiorly or physically outside.
They have to have a definite role: “their mission is the mission of this book, and we are going to keep going until we get there.” If it's just meandering through their interior murmurings, or some unusual descriptions of a place or just plot thing after plot thing without any idea of where that fits in with the end, then I don't find that good reading.
In fact I have to stop.
Q: What are you currently reading?
A: The Dancer of the Gai Moulin by Georges Simenon. It's a French murder mystery. I try to read widely: character-driven stories, history, fiction, nonfiction, and classics. The hardest thing is not being able to read fast enough to get through all the books I want to read.
Q: What’s your writing process like?
A: I start by summarizing the story in one or two sentences—my pitch to myself. These days I’ve gained the confidence to pitch my ideas to friends and colleagues before I start writing, sensing their early feedback. Then I outline the chapters and plot, including character development. I use pen and paper for structure, then move to digital tools for drafting.
Q: What are some common writing traps?
A: I'm finding them myself! I think not writing at all is a common trap. Perhaps trying to imitate others too much and not bringing your own voice to it.
I think shying away from your own personal experiences, that's such a death to good writing. You have to bring what you are to make it authentic. And also trying to be successful rather than just trying to write.
Q: What’s your writing kryptonite?
A: Interruptions and losing the endpoint.
Q: Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
A: I try to write what I want to write, not what I think others want. If I’m passionate about it, chances are others will be too.
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The Mars Man
by: Charles Anthony
Genre: Dystopian Science Fiction
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BLURB:
In a world grappling with a climate crisis, a shrinking population and dwindling resources on Earth, billionaire Ezra Graff has founded StarZ. Its mission: begin the first Martian colony. The three hundred pioneers of The Mars Man are the first to venture forth, forging a new civilization on the rust-colored expanse of Mars. But when a massive solar flare cuts off all communication, no one knows what is happening on Mars. The only one who does know is the single occupant of an escape capsule that crashed into the Atlantic ocean one year after the colony’s founding: Commander John Santo. To get the full story, they must find him. With time running out until the second wave launches for Mars, only Commander John Santo knows what is happening to the first colony as they grapple with the harsh realities of their new home, confronting the strange environment outside and the forces of evil within.
The Mars Man weaves a tapestry of adventure, intrigue, and human resilience against the backdrop of a planet that challenges every notion of survival. With richly developed characters and a narrative that balances suspense and wonder, Anthony creates an immersive experience that will leave readers hungry to keep reading.
**On Sale Nov 9-16!**
Purchase your Copy Today!
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Charles Anthony
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Charles Anthony was born in the Hunter Valley, Australia, in 1990. He moved to New Zealand in 2017, obtained a Master of Laws degree from the University of Auckland and then moved to the Waikato where he works as a lawyer and is actively involved in his community.
In the summer of 2021 he began writing. Working in the evenings and on the weekends, he produces short stories, poems and novels. In 2025 he launched his first novel, the Mars Man, on Amazon.
Charles Anthony lives in Hamilton, New Zealand.
Follow Charles at the Following Links:
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The book sounds like a fascinating read. Thanks!
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