Author: Anthony Altamura

Perhaps it’s prescient that this article is being posted in the lead up to Easter. I have always been fascinated with hidden meanings, or Easter Eggs as they are often considered, in stories. Finding them myself or learning about them after reading a book or watching a movie is uncannily satisfying to me. It should come as no surprise, then, that I hid a few of these eggs in my own story.

***Spoilers ahead***

The Unicorn(s)

Believe it or not, there are actually two unicorns in this story (well…three if you count the title).

In business, “unicorn” is a term used to describe startup companies that are privately held and have very high valuations. Therefore, a rarity like their namesake. For my purposes, I put a consulting spin on the term. In the story, Rudolfo Casagua, the world-famous soccer player, represents a unicorn-like client for Schwartz-Kenway given his massive wealth and varied business ventures. But is that really the only unicorn being “chased?” Nope.

Eventually, another too-good-to-be-true opportunity makes an entrance into Chase’s life: Gloria. She is intelligent yet humble, elegant yet fun, and attractive yet unassuming…qualities that are, when combined, in my experience, among the rarest in existence (but I digress). In fact, an allusion to her unicorn-stature actually comes from Gloria herself when she notices some wayward looks from a few Central Park-goers during a visit with Chase and Al:

“Do I have a horn coming out of my head or something?”

14

The number 14 holds a special meaning in my family. My birthdate is December 14th, and my sister’s is the polar opposite at June 14th (which, now that I think of it, may explain a lot). While admittedly not the most new or novel hidden meaning, I wanted to make subtle reference to it in the story, hence the number of chapters in the book.

Dr. Travers

While much of the content in this story can be traced to my years after college, I feel that those four years were certainly an important developmental precursor. I liken it to a pair of eyeglasses: if my post-college years are the lenses through which I saw the world, my education most definitely provided the frame in which they sat.

What better (if minor) way to pay tribute to those years than to name a character after my freshman dorm at The College of New Jersey: Travers Hall?

The foils

For some reason, one of the few things that has stuck with me from Language Arts classes in high school is the concept of the foil: a character in a story who is very different (and sometimes the opposite) from the main character in order to better accentuate the qualities of both. Maybe it’s remained in my mind because I could never understand why such a character would be named after something that you use to wrap leftover food in…?

In this story, I always viewed Chase’s foils as Al, his homeless, middle-aged friend, and Max Reynolds, his fun-loving colleague at Schwartz-Kenway. Al’s yearning for Chase’s happiness and contentment contrasts sharply with the latter’s general ennui toward life at large, while Max’s three-ring circus of a life could not stand in sharper relief to Chase’s sheltered and monotonous existence.

Perhaps taking the literary foil/aluminum foil interplay a little too far, I humbly present the following:

• Al…as in the chemical symbol for Aluminum (“Al”)…as in aluminum foil
• May Reynolds…as in Reynold’s Wrap…as in he brand of, you guessed it…aluminum foil

It’s Greek to me…

From as early as I can remember, Greek mythology has been one of my favorite things. Admittedly, I was first taken with the fantastical nature of the stories: Zeus’ daughter Athena being born fully grown from his forehead, the titan Atlas having to hold the entire heavens on his shoulders, Perseus slaying the stone-visioned, snake-haired Medusa. It was only later in life, though, that I developed a greater appreciation for the lessons that could be derived from the tales; lessons that remain applicable to this day.

In the story, I chose to have the Schwartz-Kenway projects be named after Greek myths as an homage. As an added perk that lended a touch of realism, many consultancies/banks actually attach code names to their projects in an effort to maintain confidentiality. For most of names in this story, the subjects of the projects actually have a direct correlation to the myth itself. A few of my favorites are:

• Project Icarus – A flight pattern optimization project named after the hubris-filled and ultimately ill-fated Icarus who flew to close too the sun with wings held together by wax
• Project Cerberus – A tri-party repurchase agreement project named after the three-headed guard dog of the Underworld
• Project Narcissus – A risk self-assessment project named after the mythological hunter who was obsessed with his own reflection
• Project Calypso – The project that held Chase’s attention from his true desire; named after the Greek nymph who detained Odysseus for seven years on his journey to return to his home

More Greek stuff (sorry)

While we’re on the subject, I’d be remiss if I didn’t pay respect to the man himself: the Greek poet Homer. Largely attributed with the authorship of The Iliad and The Odyssey, Homer’s influence on storytelling looms large to this day. In fact, something I enjoy doing when I watch any movie or read any book is to look for the hints of his influence, even nearly 3,000 years later.

It shouldn’t be any surprise, then, that these stories (and in particular The Odyssey) were extremely important to the conception and development of Chasing the Unicorn. While I plan to write another post to discuss it more fulsomely in order to do it proper justice, for now just be satisfied that Homer Delacroix, the ingenious hydrologist, client of Schwartz-Kenway, and overall swell fella, was not named so by accident.

Faustino

While Chase can be said to have impeccable taste in men’s clothing; shopping exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue, even the best often need help. That’s why he relies on Faustino, his personal valet and tailor at the famed department store to vet all of his clothing purchases for match, fit, and style.

In creating the character of Faustino, I found a way to honor two of my grandparents, both of whom worked tirelessly in the garment industry for much of their lives. In the sense of my grandfather, the character is a man who has wispy white hair, olive complexion, and an affinity for wearing gold rings. In the sense of my grandmother, whose name is Faustina…well…I guess you get the gist on that one.

30 Rock

Rockefeller Center holds many special, NYC memories for me. Given that my mom worked at NBC for 13 years before I was born, we always made it a point to visit the famed promenade whenever we were in the city. In fact, when I was very young I often thought that New York City was solely comprised of Rockefeller Center and the surrounding few streets.

As a result, I felt a compelling need to set much of this story in that environment. Every time I passed The Sea Grill restaurant, I often thought that it would make a fantastic date spot. Unfortunately, this never came to pass in reality as the restaurant closed in early 2020 (although it is arguable as to whether that, or my own dating woes, was the actual reason). Though perhaps my fondest memory of Rockefeller Center is walking beside what are known as the Channel Gardens: the stretch of shallow pools and small fountains near Fifth Avenue that are surrounded by smartly-landscaped foliage. It’s for this reason that I decided to put my very favorite scene of the entire story in that very location: Chase and Gloria walking atop the ledge of the low-rising fountains after their first date.

My career path…in a book

While certain workplace situations in the story are based on real-life experiences, broadly speaking my career to-date only tangentially relates to Chase and the guys’ experience at Schwartz-Kenway (thankfully). However, given the possibility that certain negative workplace aspects of the story might be erroneously construed to be true (a horrible boss, absolutely overwhelming workloads, etc.), I decided to leave out any direct mention of my actual employers to date. That’s not to say, though, that they aren’t hidden somewhere.

While I know that a simple LinkedIn search would solve it for any given reader, I still thought discretion was best. That said, the below names/places contain clues of where I have worked/work. Give it a go…

• Gloria Price/Rudolfo Casagua
• Chase Summers
• Arc+Anvil (Gloria’s art studio)

This one was a little difficult. I imagine this is what it would feel like if someone asked you to pick a favorite child of yours. As a new author, all the words in my first novel are special to me (hell, they were hard enough to write). However, the following quotes represent those that I always seem to come back to when I think about the story overall.

***Spoilers ahead***

10.

“Oh…excuse us. We’re not the ones going out with a normal, fun girl. We’re still on the battlefield playing Russian roulette with those nuts out there.” – Max

If you’ve read this story, it should come as no surprise to you that one of the more comedic themes is dating: the fun side of it, the awkward side of it, and, unfortunately, the less-than-savory side of it. With regard to the latter, while we guys get a bum rap (and sometimes rightfully so), one of my goals was to shed some light on the other, and in my opinion oft underrepresented, side of the dating equation. It’s no picnic over here either, ladies.

9.

“Oftentimes, the greatest obstacles that we must overcome are ourselves; the most difficult problems that we must solve are of our own making. But when we take action to meet them, it can be a wonderful thing.” – Dr. Travers

I read somewhere once that it’s not necessarily what happens to us that’s important, but how we react to it that counts. Many times we cannot control our circumstances, but we can control our minds and our actions. While it’s not something I can claim to be an expert in or, regretfully, even practice regularly, I do think it’s a strong ideal to aspire to.

8.

“Listen kid…I wish I could say that I’ve seen you become a good man, but the fact is…you always were. From the day I met you. And I know you always will be.” – Al

I am no stranger to my own negative qualities. I’m quite familiar with them, actually. And while focusing on them can be a helpful endeavor to improve ourselves, it is equally important to acknowledge and celebrate our better angels as well. Throughout the story, Chase is almost so singularly focused on his demons that he forgets that deep down he’s a good person, and that sometimes, that is good enough.

7.

“Most men think that women have the purest of intentions, drunk on their well-crafted narrative that they’re all looking for nice guys. So we play our part, putting forward our best until the hangover of three $150 dinner dates sets in and we realize that we’ll never hear back from them ever again. And you know why? Because right around the corner there is always someone better.” – Max

I like to call this one “Life of a Human Male Gift Card.”

6.

“No, you can! You just won’t! You’re not allowed to use the word ‘can’t’ as an excuse. You know why? Because you’re still here…alive and all.” – Al

One of my favorite quotes is from actor Walter Matthau: “There’s no such thing as too late. That’s why they invented death.” While Al’s rendition above doesn’t have the same dark comedic edge, I think it accomplishes the same goal.

5.

“What are you looking for Chase?” – Gloria

Nothing fancy about this one. It’s not a lengthy literary masterpiece, nor is it a particularly complicated question. But it’s a question that we rarely ask ourselves, let alone others; one whose answer, if truthful, can have a profound impact on our lives.

4.

“Well, would you look at that…a semblance of female mutual interest!  I’ve only heard rumors that such a mythical thing existed! I never thought that I’d actually see it happen. Must be nice!” – David

Chances are, if you and I have spoken for even five minutes in the last ten years, you know where I’m coming from with this one. Enough said. Case closed. Period.

3.

“But what if there’s no such thing as coincidences. What if, against the odds, I was meant to find you…I mean…they were meant to find each other?” – Gloria

Coincidences are one of my favorite concepts. In fact, I think it could be said that the entire story of Chasing the Unicorn is just one, big, run-on coincidence. While the mere unlikeliness of a certain series of events is often intriguing enough, I think it is perhaps the often quixotic search for a meaning behind those events that truly fascinates.

2.

“Or maybe she was flirting with you, you stupid genius f*ck.” – Max

To me, these 11 words are the perfect encapsulation of the unlikely (and often bordering on miraculous) friendship between Max and Chase. After Chase walks away from his first encounter with Gloria completely oblivious to her obvious interest, Max is only too happy to try to correct his thinking with a few choice words in a way only he could.

1.

“You loved me for who I was even when I didn’t, and you believed in me to become what I wanted to become, even when I couldn’t. I was too stupid to see it then, but I see it now.” – Chase

Sappy, I know. But it was always going to be this one…

Try as we might to see it in ourselves, it often times requires viewing our reflection in another for us to discover our true nature. This is one of the final lessons that Chase learns; one that almost cost him everything, but instead one that ultimately redeemed him.

An obvious fact of writing a book is that I was limited to only the words I could put on a page to tell the story. Unfortunately, this meant that I couldn’t include what I consider a fundamental aspect of the story itself: music.

I’ve always been fascinated by how some movies are able to find just the right song for just the right scene: Frank Sinatra’s “That’s Life” in Joker, The Beatles’ “Twist and Shout” in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Huey Lewis and the News’ “Hip to Be Square” in American Psycho, and of course, the best of the best, The Crystals’ “Then He Kissed Me” from Goodfellas. All prime examples, at least to me, of the power of music to transmit meaning, add mood, and enhance the overall storytelling experience.

Given that Chasing the Unicorn started in my mind as, and largely remains, a movie, I’ve always had certain music floating around in my head for certain scenes (and yes…I call parts of the book that I wrote “scenes”). Below are the songs that I hear every time I think of certain parts of the story. Some of them were inspired by the scene, while some of them, perhaps more interestingly, inspired the creation of the scene itself.

***Spoilers ahead***

“Largo al factotum” – The Barber of Seville – Gioachino Rossini

As should be patently obvious if you’ve read the story, Chase Summers is not one to conform to the popular trends of the day, and his musical tastes are no exception. Naturally, then, he would undoubtedly be fascinated with classical music, and more specifically, opera.

I think that this is a sprightly song to start the story off with, particularly as Chase readies himself for work in the morning. I envision him conducting the music to himself as it blares through the shower speakers and continuing to do so as he walks through his closet, making his clothing selections from his formidable wardrobe. Its selection gives a sense that Chase is just a bit “different,” but is whimsical enough to keep the mood light.

Also, almost providentially, the word “factotum” means an employee who performs all kinds of work, which, of course, we will see borne out when Chase describes his jack-of-all-trades consulting job at Schwartz-Kenway.

“Best Friend” – Sofi Tukker featuring Nervo, The Knocks and Alisa Ueno

The next track stands in stark relief to opera, which seems appropriate given that this is the song playing in the strip club on the night when Chase and Max, near polar opposites, first meet. I hear the song blaring as Chase sits awkwardly alone amid the salacious spectacle while Max…well, shall we say…partakes in the club’s various “activities.”

An added bonus is the track’s title, which serves to foreshadow Chase and Max’s camaraderie throughout the rest of the story.

“Libiamo Ne’lieti Calici” – La traviata – Giuseppe Verdi

Another feel-good operatic selection, this is the song that Chase listens to in the shower on the morning after his first date with Gloria, and the one to which he erroneously attributes his strangely buoyant mood that day. While the song is undoubtedly a festive, swirling celebration of sound, leave it to the oblivious Chase to confuse a song with the obvious, profound impact that Gloria had on him, even after just a few hours together.

“Stay” – Cyndi Lauper

This is a perfect example of a song that single-handedly inspired an entire chapter. In early drafts of the story, Gloria and Chase’s second date was intended to be a meandering walk through The Metropolitan Museum of Art (one of my all-time favorite NYC things to do). However, after listening Cyndi Lauper’s seductive rendition of this classic, I knew I had to incorporate it somehow…and dancing was the first thing that came to mind.

I’ve always thought that a dance class would make a fantastic date idea (and still do, albeit maybe not a first date…). To me, this song creates a sublime tension between playfulness and sensuality, which is more than appropriate during the dance class scene. Also, the fact that it’s sung by a woman further emphasizes that Gloria is definitely the dominant force during the dancing, leading Chase through what is definitely an unknown situation for him.

“Shine a Little Love” – Electric Light Orchestra

ELO is one of my favorite bands, so I had to incorporate my favorite song of theirs somehow. While not explicitly in the book, I hear this song when I think about the wonderful impact that Gloria had on Chase’s life after things get a bit more serious. A montage of how he enjoys going out, how he enjoys being in someone else’s company, how he actually looks forward to waking up in the morning.

“Nessun Dorma” – Turandot – Giacomo Puccini

This is the last opera song, I promise. Even if you’re not a fan of the genre, though, I think it’s hard to deny the spirit-rousing power of this triumphant song.

After waking up with a debilitating hangover from a fun night with Gloria, Chase tries to resuscitate himself by taking a hot shower and listening to this: one of the most popular opera solos of all time sung by one of the greatest voices of all time. The song itself is rather slow, but builds up over time with the tenor crying out the story of a young prince who is certain he will triumph over impending death.

However, just as Chase is about to experience the climactic payoff of one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written, the song is interrupted by…

“You Shook Me All Night Long” – AC/DC

A woman strutting around Chase’s apartment wearing little else but one of his dress shirts and playing air guitar? OK fine…I’m not (that) ashamed to admit that this scene may have its origins in a very pleasant dream that I had once.

From the opening guitar licks to the fantastic solo and all the way through its full runtime, this song just oozes sex appeal. Innuendo after innuendo…it never lets up. And…as Gloria just so happens to be an electric guitar virtuoso (by pure coincidence and most certainly not influenced by the author’s intentions to create such a scene in any way, shape, or form), I can’t think of a better song to match the scene.

Judging by his reaction, I think Chase would agree too.

“Sonnet” – Faces on Film

Fine…I’ll admit it. I wanted “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen for the scenes when Chase’s life starts to unravel. I really, really, really did. It’s an undoubtedly fantastic and eerie song, but I felt that it’s been overused in recent years.

However, after hearing this song, I truly think it’s perfect for the downfall: the tender but meaningful piano notes, the melancholy lyrics, all of it. I see the characters contemplating their circumstances: an angry Max leaving his friend behind in the office, a hurt Gloria packing up the empty studio and her life in NYC, a disappointed Al sitting on a moonlit bench, and the cause of it all, an uncertain Chase, sitting on the floor of his apartment as he comes to the realization that his life has fallen to pieces at his own hand.

“Gloria” – Laura Branigan

Far and away my favorite song of this list, it’s hard for me to overstate its impact on this story. Not only is it the sole reason why the character of Gloria is named as such, but it was upon researching the song further that I learned that the lyrics of the original Italian version by Umberto Tozzi refer to man who dreams about an imaginary woman named Gloria and vows to spend his life looking for her in reality. Coincidence? Maybe…

After hearing the Italian version during the manic yet comedic yacht scene in the movie The Wolf of Wall Street, I thought that it would make a fantastic action set-piece song and knew that there was only one scene for it in my story: when Chase finally realizes that Gloria is the most important thing in his life and races Charles’ Porsche down the New Jersey Turnpike as he tries to reach her before her flight leaves.

“Stand On It” – Bruce Springsteen

Just a fun song, pure and simple. With a fast-paced, lively, Southern rockabilly rhythm, the song is about sometimes just having to put the pedal to the metal even when things feel out of control. What better song could there be for when the proud New Orleans-native Homer gives an uncharacteristically frantic Chase a ride on his fanboat through the Meadowlands waterways to Newark Airport?

“Fly Me to the Moon” – Sungha Jung

Growing up, there was seldom a time when one Frank Sinatra song or another wasn’t playing in the house. While I couldn’t stand to hear them during my early years, the older me still hasn’t forgiven myself for not appreciating the timelessness of his music, with “Fly Me to the Moon” being among my personal top five.

Whenever I hear that song, I picture a clear, starry New York City night, which to me made it a no-brainer as the background music playing at the art gala above Rockefeller Center at the end of the story. Eventually, given the Latin American theme of the art show, I thought that an acoustic, instrumental version worked best.

To be honest, those are words that I never thought I’d write. But here I am.

And here you are, too. Lucky you…

My goal with this website, aside from promoting my first book, Chasing the Unicorn, is to share some behind-the-scenes commentary on the story itself. Additionally, I hope to provide some real-time updates on the development of my sequel second novel, Maximum Heat.

All very exciting stuff! Please…try to contain your excitement.

From time to time, I’ll be posting content of arguable interest, so feel free to check back in. Or…subscribe to receive reminders to come back and visit, which is probably for the best. Based on my experience, I tend not to be very memorable in that way…