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C. Toms-Arbel

Goodreads Author

Born

in Hemel Hempstead, The United Kingdom

Website

https://www.ctomsarbel.co.uk/

Genre

Crime, Thriller, Horror

Influences

Thomas Harris
Jack Ketchum
Natsuo Kirino
Ryu Murakami
Hiroshi Takashi
Corm ...more

Member Since

March 2015

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/ctomsarbel

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Born with Talipes, a condition that altered the development of his feet in the womb, Christian frequently navigated the corridors of hospitals throughout his childhood. Amidst those challenging and solitary years, he found solace and joy in the pages of books, kindling a lifelong passion for reading.

From A Series of Unfortunate Events to Artemis Fowl, Tintin to His Dark Materials, Christian devoured any literature he could get his hands on. Immersing himself in the unfathomably beautiful world of fiction was the perfect escape from the painful reality he was living in. Without the support of his amazing family and books, Christian would have struggled weathering the storm.

At nine years old, when Christian first showed an interest in storyte Born with Talipes, a condition that altered the development of his feet in the womb, Christian frequently navigated the corridors of hospitals throughout his childhood. Amidst those challenging and solitary years, he found solace and joy in the pages of books, kindling a lifelong passion for reading.

From A Series of Unfortunate Events to Artemis Fowl, Tintin to His Dark Materials, Christian devoured any literature he could get his hands on. Immersing himself in the unfathomably beautiful world of fiction was the perfect escape from the painful reality he was living in. Without the support of his amazing family and books, Christian would have struggled weathering the storm.

At nine years old, when Christian first showed an interest in storytelling, his parents gifted him a typewriter, and that's when his passion for writing truly flourished. He was captivated by crafting tales of vampires, ghosts, and ghouls, drawing inspiration from the chilling adventures in R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series. The excitement and fear that horror writing evoked in him was something Christian deeply cherished.

Christian's journey in creative writing began at Portsmouth University, where he explored a diverse array of genres and writing styles. This experience pushed him out of his comfort zone, allowing him to dabble in everything from poetry and fan fiction to fairy tales, romance, erotica, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and magical realism. After earning his degree, Christian was fortunate to receive a scholarship for a Creative Writing Master's programme. His thesis project was a novella in the young adult fantasy genre, featuring telekinetic orphaned twins. Despite the positive feedback, Christian realized that this genre wasn't the right fit for me, so he pivoted to a genre where he felt more at home: Crime Fiction.

Writing The Mannequins was a four-year journey where Christian invested his utmost effort and passion. It marks the culmination of over ten years of honing his craft until he found the genre that truly resonated with him. Christian’s aspiration is that readers will derive immense pleasure from this novel, even if it's just a fraction of the joy he experienced in creating it. Presently, Christian is writing the sequel.

Christian currently lives in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, with his wife and son. He works as a Further Education teacher, specializing in English and Creative Writing.
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C. Toms-Arbel’s books

Average rating: 4.8 · 40 ratings · 34 reviews · 1 distinct work • Similar authors

The Mannequins

4.80 avg rating — 40 ratings

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C. is now friends with rebecca kitchener
Oct 20, 2025 02:37AM · like
C. liked rebecca kitchener's review of The Mannequins: "This is definitely a 5 star read omg I absolutely loved this book, from the beginning to the end, I went though the emotions with this one and the ending had me crying, I definitely recommend this book to everyone. chilling mix of horror, murder, and " Read more of this review »
Oct 19, 2025 11:09PM · see review
C. and 1 other person liked Kayla's review of The Mannequins: " The Mannequins had me hooked from start to finish. It was a fantastically written psychological thriller and kept me wanting to read more. I could feel myself being transported in to the story as if seeing everything through the characters eyes. You " Read more of this review »
Oct 18, 2025 11:37PM · see review
C. is now following Sam Cardozo and Kayla
Oct 14, 2025 05:13AM
C. liked Sam Cardozo's review of The Mannequins: "⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you @c.tomsarbel - The Mannequins is an absolutely gripping and haunting psychological thriller that lingers long after you’ve turned the final page. From the very beginning, the story pulls you deep into the twisted mind of a serial k" Read more of this review »
Oct 14, 2025 05:13AM · see review
C. answered Goodreads's question: Can you tell us a two-sentence horror story? He woke up to the sound of an Ice Cream Van. He looked at the clock. It was 3 AM.
Oct 09, 2025 03:23AM · like
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