Jon Athan - Am I Beautiful?

Miki removed her mask, revealing her scarred cheeks. Haru gasped and wobbled back, feet zigzagging. His legs tangled and he fell to the pavement. Sora’s smile faded.

He cocked his head to the side, squinted one eye, and muttered, “ Nandayo? ”

‘ What the hell? ’

Miki smirked and asked, “ Kore demo kirei? ”

‘ How about now? ’

‘ Am I Beautiful? ’ is a standalone novel inspired by one of my favorite urban legends. But I might be working on another twisted romance novel inspired by a different urban legend—a classic Mexican urban legend that I’ve adored since I was a child. If I’ve caught your attention, I highly recommend signing up for my mailing list. I frequently publish a wide variety of compelling horror novels. Psychological, revenge, slasher, supernatural, cannibal, serial killer, coming of age, twisted romance, body horror… I’ve explored many themes through my writing, and I continue to break new ground every year.

If you’d like to learn more about my books and stay up to date with my latest releases, please consider signing up for my mailing list. By signing up, you’ll ensure that you won’t miss any of my massive book sales or newest books. I usually send one email a month, but you may receive two or three during busier months—or none at all if I have nothing going on. I won’t spam you with blog posts or life updates (unless I’m dying) or my political views. This newsletter is strictly about my books . And it’s completely free. Visit this link to sign up: http://eepurl.com/bNl1CP.

I can’t really remember when I first heard the legend of Kuchisake-onna —known as ‘The Slit-Mouthed Woman’ in the English world. Was it the 2007 Japanese horror movie Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman? I remember owning the DVD, although it certainly wasn’t my favorite movie at the time. Maybe I read about it while reading urban legends for fun on the internet? In my pre-teens and teenage years, I would spend hours in front of a bulky computer writing short stories that were basically remakes of classic urban legends.

My point is: This story stayed with me since the first moment I heard it.

In October 2018, I started outlining some short stories for a planned collection titled ‘Legends of the Extreme.’ It was supposed to be a collection of classic urban legends reimagined for the extreme horror audience. I wrote story outlines for ‘La Llorona,’ ‘Teke Teke,’ ‘The Licked Hand,’ and, you guessed it, ‘Kuchisake-onna.’ But my original idea for the short story version of this novel was very different. The short story retained the urban legend’s supernatural horror.

It followed a group of friends who traveled to Japan on vacation. During the trip, a man cheats on his girlfriend at a brothel, which causes a vengeful ghost—The Slit-Mouthed Woman—to set its sight on them, picking them off one by one. I scrapped this idea, along with the rest of the collection, because I wasn’t confident in my ability to write supernatural horror and short stories. (Side note: my interpretation of ‘The Licked Hand’ was actually going to be about a pedophile serial killer who breaks into a house after escaping from a psychiatric hospital. For some reason, as noted in my outline, I was planning to write it ‘in the same vein as John Carpenter’s Halloween.’)

Although the collection fell apart, I kept toying with the idea for a Slit-Mouthed Woman novel.

And it always led to a dead end.

I just couldn’t find a way to write it without the supernatural elements. Then, during the summer of 2020, it all came together. I was planning a follow-up to my horror-romance series of standalone books—Lovesick, Maneater, Lovelorn. After Lovelorn, I wanted to reinvent the formula. At the same time, the world was on lockdown due to the pandemic. I saw people wearing masks every day. I read about children roaming freely due to a lack of childcare. The pieces started coming together.

Kuchisake-onna couldn’t exist in the real world outside of Japan prior to 2020. I saw people wearing masks every day in Japan during my trips in 2019. Masks were already common. But in America, I doubt most kids would talk to a masked person. (I’m sure some would, but I like to believe kids are smart enough to avoid complete strangers in this day and age.) The pandemic changed everything, though. Masks became a normal part of life everywhere , so it gave me an opening.

Most books are written using a three-act structure, and most readers—subconsciously or otherwise—can identify those acts without it being spelled out for them. I decided to make it clear by adding a title page at the beginning of each act because I felt like I was writing three different books at the same time. Act 1 is a stalker story set in Japan. Act 2 is a serial killer story set during an international pandemic. Act 3 is a home invasion story set during a national lockdown.

I have no idea how this book will be received, but as the writer, I feel like it is one of the most refreshing and creative experiences of my career. And I genuinely hope you enjoyed this book. If you did, please— please —take a moment to leave an honest review on Amazon. Reviews on Goodreads, Bookbub, Facebook and Twitter, and your blogs and vlogs are also appreciated. Word-of-mouth is incredibly important to an independent author’s success.

Need some help writing your review? Try answering questions like these: Did you enjoy the book? Did you enjoy this new version of the classic Slit-Mouthed Woman urban legend? Were you satisfied with the ending? Would you like to see more brutal retellings of classic urban legends from Jon Athan? Good or bad, your reviews help other readers find my books.

I’m writing this letter on January 6th, 2021. New year, fresh start, right? Well, I’m starting the year with some pain and discomfort in the lower right side of my rib cage. Some of you may remember that I had my gallbladder removed in 2018. This pain reminds me of the pain I felt before I had that surgery. And this is my first time dealing with something like this in Japan. Fortunately, even though I don’t speak Japanese fluently, I feel like I’m in good hands and I believe I’ll rebound. I’m just having a little bit of trouble working these days. In terms of my writing, the year is off to a slower start than I had planned. But at least I’ll have two books out this year— Dead Body Disposal and Am I Beautiful? —by the time you’re reading this. And, as long as my health doesn’t worsen, I’ll have a lot more to share soon. I’m actually already planning some books for 2022, too.

Thank you for reading my 48th novel . (Yes, I’m starting to keep count with every letter. It’s exciting stuff!) If you’d like to read more from me, check out my Amazon’s author page. I write extreme horror novels, although some say I write dark thrillers and others say I write extreme garbage . My work is best described as DARK and DISTURBING. Seriously, if you’re just getting into my work, don’t expect a lot of humor in my writing. My next book is titled: Night of the Prowler . Set in the 1990s, this slasher follows an eighteen-year-old employee at a secluded gas station as she works the night shift by herself. Meanwhile, a serial killer has escaped from a psychiatric hospital and he’s killing everyone in his path—and his path is leading him right to the gas station. If you enjoyed 2020’s Do Not Disturb—my killer clown slasher—I think you’ll love this one. Thanks again for the support! Always appreciate it!

P.S. If you have any questions or comments, or if you’re an aspiring author who needs some help, feel free to contact me directly using my business email: info@jon-athan.com. You can also contact me through Twitter @Jonny_Athanor my Facebook page. It might take me a while to get back to you, but I always try my best to respond. Thanks!