In a faraway corner
of a dark dusty attic stood a small stack of time worn old boxes. Inside one of
the oldest boxes, nestled in a blanket of aged, yellowed newsprint, the Little
Red Christmas Ball yawned awake from a long, peaceful, waiting sleep.
Amid the tales of
yesterday he’d waited. Through the soft bloom of spring to the crisp colors of
autumn and winter's shortening light, he’d waited and waited...and dreamed....
And
so begins “The Little Red Christmas Ball” my new book which is—as the subtitle
proclaims—a story for kids and anyone whoever was...and would be again.
So,
pretty much everyone...at least I hope.
I
wrote these words— my first lines of fiction—way back in 1992 when a video
producer overran his budget and basically didn’t have enough money to pay for
my services rendered. So, in lieu of cash he offered me one of his old computers
and told me to go write that novel I’d always talked about.
And
I did, night after night, into the early morning hours, over the course of a year;
I sat and brought this story and characters to life.
At
the time, this was kind of amazing since, up ‘til then, the only things I’d
ever written were grocery lists and notes to my landlord saying the check was
in the mail; which, now that I think of it, was
probably my first real lines of
fiction.
But
there I sat in the dark, for it didn’t seem possible to tell this story in the
light, even if I had paid my electric bill. And slowly but surely emerged this
great adventure, with these quirky little characters performing on Christmas
Eve, no less...which, in fact, every night became as I sat in the soft glow of white
words on a blue screen, my reality...at least for a magical little while.
Writers
work in different ways. Many are
methodical, outlining their entire story, chapter by chapter, every twist and
turn, dead ends and resolution, long before they ever write a sentence. Others,
like me, prefer winging it, letting the story tell itself while struggling to
keep pace.
The
best part—at least for me—about this method is: I’m constantly surprised, just
like a reader, where the story takes me.
When
I began, I had little more than an idea; an idea that rattled around my head
for a decade or so after I knocked a small little Christmas ornament off our
tree, one night, as I was unplugging the lights.
While
in truth, the ornament was not an actual little red Christmas ball, it became
that—one of my mom’s simple glass ornaments from the 60’s—in my mind as I
struggled to sleep that night, feeling all kinds of guilt for not picking the
little guy up and putting him back on his modest evergreen home.
I mean, he’d
waited all year for this.
The
curse of imagination, I suppose. How upset this little red Christmas ball must
be…how could I be so cruel?
As the
idea continued rattling over the years, a few more details emerged while I
related the tale to a few family members and friends, from time to time.
A
loose plot and a small cast of supporting characters slowly emerged.
Somebody
had to share this adventure with this little red Christmas ball, so who better
than two insects and a rodent.
Right…?
Okay,
maybe a little off putting, but who else roams your house in the dark of
night…whether you like it or not?
Besides,
Mr. Disney had some luck with similar types of critters. Why couldn’t a
cockroach be as lovable as a cricket?
As
I was introduced to Cookie Cock-a-Roach, with the hyphenated A, I was surprised
to discover after a few pages, he had taken on some of the characteristics of a
fastidious and overly cautious C-3PO from Star Wars.
Go
figure.
But
it seemed to be working and played well with the careless, oblivious, single
minded nature of the House Mouse, who I
imagined as a bit Joe Pesci-ish, so I went with it.
Spindy
Spider is, as spider often are, the calming, sensible, feminine influence, who
keeps the boys in line. Through patience, understanding and love she creates
order out of disorder while this disparate group races the clock, spinning plan
after plan to return the Little Red Christmas Ball, back to his rightful place
on the Christmas Tree, before Santa arrives.
“What kind of Little Red Christmas Ball would
I be if I missed a Christmas? I would have no purpose at all….”
So
every night as the sun went down, I took to my keyboard to discover what happened
next.
And
night after night I was surprised to find…something always did. Sometimes what I‘d intended, but often what I
had not.
So,
in this way I spun the tale of “The Little Red Christmas Ball” until,
reluctantly, I found myself at the story’s end.
But
not entirely.
The
best part of writing a book, as opposed to reading a book, is you never really
say goodbye to your characters. There’s never the sense of, “I’m gonna miss hanging with these guys.”
Your
characters are always with you, prodding and poking, reminding you of your
better self.
Plus,
I admit, from time to time, I do hear the House Mouse, suggesting a series of
sequels called “Cheesy Mysteries” featuring, guess who.
“It would be da poifect
follow up. Poifect, I tell ya. Who doesn’t love a good Mouse Detective…who…come
on, tell me who...huh...who???”
To
which Cookie, replies, “No, no, no dear
boy…what an utterly ridiculous idea. ‘Cookie’s Chronicles’ is much more, appropriate.
Don’t you agree?”
While
Spindy rolls her spidery eyes, still amused by the familiar squabbling, and the
Little Red Christmas Ball giggles from above, thinking, some things never change.
I hope you enjoy the story, but even more…I hope it becomes one
of your family’s new Christmas traditions as you curl up on the couch with your
kids and your kids kids or even alone, warmed by the fire and a cup of hot
chocolate, garnished with a peppermint candy cane.
It’s
the best part of the writer’s privilege, this world I created; a world, once,
only for me…now shared with you.
Even
if you are hogging all the candy canes....
Enjoy!
________________________________________________
Looking for a fun, new Christmas Tradition to share?
"The Little Red Christmas Ball" will shine bright and hold tight for you and your family...this year and every year to come....
Now available at Amazon
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