I’VE ALWAYS BEEN a sucker for Christmas. A lot of people don’t expect a “horror” writer to get all warm and mushy for the holidays, but I am a big fan of colored lights, Christmas trees, homemade frosted cookies, warm holiday fireplaces, eggnogg (the real homemade stuff, not that bubblegum syrup they sell in the stores) and everything else that goes with the season. Every year, my son and I even build a Gingerbread house!
I’m also a big fan of Christmas Ales – this year, for the record, my favorite might be Great Divide’s Hibernation Ale.
Back in the ’90s, I used to write and record an original Christmas song every year that I gave out to family and friends on tapes and CDs. I also wrote a couple of short fantasy Christmas stories, including “Christmas, The Hard Way,” which leads off my Christmas Tales short e-book collection. It’s a fantasy story about a boy who lives in a family where magic is natural — but they all give it up for Christmas to remind themselves of how life is for most people. His aunt is a ghost and he has to find a way to make a present for his baby brother without magic-ing it up.
“Christmas, The Hard Way,” and “Frost” (about a boy and a frost sprite) both appear in my Vigilantes of Love collection, but last year I decided to write a new holiday story (based on one of my song lyrics, actually) and put the trio out as a special “feel-good” holiday collection without any horror in it. Instead, Christmas Tales offers three “ghosts of Christmas” in its three stories celebrating the magic of the season, as well as the lyrics of four original holiday songs. It’s a book that can be enjoyed by all ages.
It’s currently on sale for just $0.99 via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords, and you can also download it from Kobo, Sony and the Apple iBookstore.
If you didn’t get a copy last year, I hope you’ll enjoy my CHRISTMAS TALES as part of your holiday this year! (If you already have the book – please help me spread the word this week!)
And if you’re interested in hearing a couple of those schmaltzy Everson homemade Christmas songs… you can find them on my website here.
Whatever faith you espouse or deny, in just a couple weeks we’ll put a wrap on 2011. Thanks for spending some time with me and my stories this year. I hope you will be able to find some time to sit over the holidays to relax and spend time with the ones you love.
Merry Christmas!
