Pulling Out All Of The Stops

Now you know I’ve been knee deep in the Face of Halloween Competition for the past month.

https://faceofhalloween.org/2025/tom-mccaffrey

And what started out as a lark to try and market my books to a new and tangential horror fan democraphic – after all, The Claire Saga has witches, ghosts and a werewolf – led this dark horse way farther than he anticipated.

This week, there is no leeway. This Thursday, only the top two contestants in each group move on to the next round. I’ve been sitting in 2nd since the weekend. I cannot drop another spot or the party is over.

Now one of the things the organizers suggest it to keep changing up your photos, and that makes sense since we live in a virtual visual world.

When I made the last cut, Lisa asked what I was thinking about for my next photo.

I told her post fall Lucifer. I always thought he got a raw deal.

She went right on Amazon – she’s great on Amazon – and found me make up and the prosthetic horns.

Then my own version of living hell hit this weekend while Lisa changed the interior of the first floor back into her Garden of Eden. On Saturday the makeup and horns arrived.

I was exhausted come Sunday, and still had to do my outside chores here at Casa Claire.

When I finally put my ass in my new recliner, yesterday afternoon, Lisa started goading me – when was I going to do the photo?! I kept responding mañana!!! The last thing I was interested in doing was coming up with and executing a full makeup plan and getting those horns to stay on my head.

But as with any life of relentless “support” from a spouse, and after all, it has made me who I am today, I finally walked into dining room and started fiddling with the make up kit and horns. I figured let me see how maleable the makeup was and what I could come up with.

I was visualizing Martin Sheen from Apocalypse Now.

So, I started with oversized black eyebrows. The greasepaint went on pretty easily. Lisa saw me sitting at the diningrooom table and fetched a makeup mirror.

Then I opened this great tube of red face paint and started to apply it. It went on like magic.

Finally, I broke out the horns, which from a combination of a smooth baldy, an oversized – Cromagnon – forehead and brows, and a little natural suction, went on and stayed on. Since I still had red paint on my fingers, some of it got onto the horns for unintended added effect. Lisa wrapped a dark shawl around my neck and grabbed her iPhone.

Twenty minutes from start to finish. Voila!

The look was a combination of a weekend of physical exhaustion up against rapidly losing patience to a wife who had to take just one more photo.

I was beginning to feel like Southpark Satan.

The above is the final shot.

Thank you Lisa.

Then it was just a matter of figuring out – by pure fumbling accident – how to remove the background. From the moment I sat down to the moment it went up on the Face of Halloween Website – https://faceofhalloween.org/2025/tom-mccaffrey – horizontally because it wouldn’t fit perpendicularly – it was an hour.

If there was ever a photo that captures my true personality it may be this one.

I’m thinking of printing it out and hanging it in my entrance hall.

Anyway, nbow I need to see if it has the desired effect.

I have posted it to all of my social media. I’m hoping people will repost and get behind this old bastard.

I aslo need all five of my fine readers help to get there. These young Cosplayers are no joke. If you can click on and cast a FREE VOTE each day (starting today) it will make all of the difference. Tell your FB friends as well.

And yes, I am who you think I am, and have been since I passed the NY Bar. Seemed like a good fit. But there is no use hiding now. Let’s get this old devil his audience with Jamie Lee Curtis. I am donating any winnings to a NoCo Animal Shelter. As an added bonus, I’m tearing up all of my contracts with the other lawyers who have sold me their souls.

If I get to number one on Thursday, I get a by week, which will give me time to come up with another photo. I’m running out of ideas. Lisa mentioned digging (another) grave in the back yard, but that may have been when I said “will you please snap that fucking photo!”

Anyway, it turns out I have found myself really wanting to make a run for this.

I didn’t come this far, to only come this far.

And who knows? Maybe I can hand JLC a set of inscribed books, and that may open just the right door to bring The Claire Saga to the big screen. I can get JLC a spot on the original ruling counsel on Proxima b in An Alien Appeal.

No matter what happens, it’s been a fun run.

But please post those daily free votes – just click on here –

https://faceofhalloween.org/2025/tom-mccaffrey

Now, Monday is never fun, but it’s like swimming the length of the pool underwater. Take that deep breath and plunge.

And no matter what else we get up to, let us make today a great one.