I'm excited to give you a book recommendation today, along with a guest post from Rick Daley. I read his book, The Man in the Cinder Clouds, over the summer, but I think I will read it again as Christmas approaches. It's quite charming! Take it away, Rick!
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Christmas has many traditions. Some come from songs (jingle bells), some from poems (laying a finger aside of his nose, and giving a nod, up the chimney he rose), some from old traditions that reach back thousands of years (the original Christmas—the birth of Jesus).
When I decided to write an origins-of-Santa story, I knew I would have to include the traditions on some level. From Christmas trees, stockings, and lumps of coal to the North Pole, Elfs, and flying reindeer, it all had to be there.
No problem. Write out a long list of clichés? Check.
But a long list of clichés does not a good Christmas story make. I think Yoda said that. I couldn’t cheat by throwing things in just to include them. That’s lazy writing. Don’t get me wrong, I can excel in laziness and often go through long periods of getting nothing done. (I was born a procrastinator. Seriously, I was 10 days late. And breach, but that’s another story.) But regardless of my nature, I was not pulling any punches with this story. Besides, it was fun, like putting a puzzle together.
One tradition that has a major role in The Man in the Cinder Clouds is hanging a stocking (by the chimney with care). So I researched the history of stocking hanging. (If you call 15 minutes on Wikipedia “research”.) I found out that there is no specific start date for the tradition of stocking hanging. It’s thought to stem from the real St. Nicholas, who was said to have left coins in shoes.
But this is a story about the real Santa Claus, not the real St. Nicholas.
I decided that instead of focusing on the person putting something in the first stocking—I had Kris Kringle’s motivations in place (he is an orphan on a quest to find his real family) — I wanted to tell the story about the person who hung the first stocking. This gave me an open slate to bring a new character to life, and it opened up another layer to my book, which is really a story-within-a-story (within a story).
In The Man in the Cinder Clouds, Kris Kringle must follow a long list of rules; among them is the rule that any child who wants a present must leave a branch of an evergreen tree by the fireplace on Christmas Eve. One boy can’t, though. His father won’t let him leave the evergreen near the fire because it smokes and pops too much when burned, and this boy knows better than to argue with his father. But the boy doesn’t want to be the only kid without a present on Christmas morning, so he has to think of something.
He digs out an old pair of stockings—the pair with evergreen trees woven into them—and gets them wet as he does his chores. Now he has an excuse to put the stockings out by the fireplace…to dry them. He doesn’t know if his stocking will work, though, since it’s not really an evergreen branch, but it’s all he can do…
There’s more to the story, of course. The boy does get a present. What he gets and why is important, too, but not as important as what he does with it. And that’s just one of the three story lines that intertwine to reveal how Kris Kringle came to be known as Santa Claus.
When I decided to write an origins-of-Santa story, I knew I would have to include the traditions on some level. From Christmas trees, stockings, and lumps of coal to the North Pole, Elfs, and flying reindeer, it all had to be there.
No problem. Write out a long list of clichés? Check.
But a long list of clichés does not a good Christmas story make. I think Yoda said that. I couldn’t cheat by throwing things in just to include them. That’s lazy writing. Don’t get me wrong, I can excel in laziness and often go through long periods of getting nothing done. (I was born a procrastinator. Seriously, I was 10 days late. And breach, but that’s another story.) But regardless of my nature, I was not pulling any punches with this story. Besides, it was fun, like putting a puzzle together.
One tradition that has a major role in The Man in the Cinder Clouds is hanging a stocking (by the chimney with care). So I researched the history of stocking hanging. (If you call 15 minutes on Wikipedia “research”.) I found out that there is no specific start date for the tradition of stocking hanging. It’s thought to stem from the real St. Nicholas, who was said to have left coins in shoes.
But this is a story about the real Santa Claus, not the real St. Nicholas.
I decided that instead of focusing on the person putting something in the first stocking—I had Kris Kringle’s motivations in place (he is an orphan on a quest to find his real family) — I wanted to tell the story about the person who hung the first stocking. This gave me an open slate to bring a new character to life, and it opened up another layer to my book, which is really a story-within-a-story (within a story).
In The Man in the Cinder Clouds, Kris Kringle must follow a long list of rules; among them is the rule that any child who wants a present must leave a branch of an evergreen tree by the fireplace on Christmas Eve. One boy can’t, though. His father won’t let him leave the evergreen near the fire because it smokes and pops too much when burned, and this boy knows better than to argue with his father. But the boy doesn’t want to be the only kid without a present on Christmas morning, so he has to think of something.
He digs out an old pair of stockings—the pair with evergreen trees woven into them—and gets them wet as he does his chores. Now he has an excuse to put the stockings out by the fireplace…to dry them. He doesn’t know if his stocking will work, though, since it’s not really an evergreen branch, but it’s all he can do…
There’s more to the story, of course. The boy does get a present. What he gets and why is important, too, but not as important as what he does with it. And that’s just one of the three story lines that intertwine to reveal how Kris Kringle came to be known as Santa Claus.
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By Rick Daley
A young boy and his scientist father made an incredible discovery at the North Pole—an ancient book embedded deep within an ice core. Even more incredible is the story the book tells: the long-lost history of Santa Claus you never knew…and will never forget.
This origins-of-Santa story is a great holiday read for the whole family. Its mix of action, humor, and Christmas spirit keeps younger readers turning the pages, but The Man in the Cinder Clouds is not just a kids’ book.
As one Amazon.com reviewer puts it, “THE MAN IN THE CINDER CLOUDS is one of those middle grade books that the grown-ups get sucked into along with their kids. You think you bought if for your young reader but after you browse chapter one you just sort of... can't stop.”
This story-within-a-story reveals the origins of our most familiar Christmas traditions: from Christmas trees, stockings, and lumps of coal to jingle bells, the North Pole, and flying reindeer. Highly original and thoroughly entertaining, will show you how Kris Kringle came to be known as Santa Claus. It wasn’t easy.
About the Author
Rick Daley has been writing professionally for over 15 years. His experience includes marketing copy for print and web, press releases, business proposals, training and technical manuals, and whitepapers. His essays, ranging from family life during the holidays to his first skydiving experience, have been featured in The Columbus Dispatch.
Rick lives in Lewis Center, Ohio with his wife and two sons (and a neurotic schnauzer).
Thanks Michelle! It's a pleasure to be a guest here after spending so much time in the comments ;-)
ReplyDeleteSounds very intriguing. I might have to keep an eye out for this next time I'm at the store.
ReplyDeleteStephanie- Thanks! Since I'm an indie author, my book is not widely available in stores. It is available in print and as an e-book at Amazon, BarnesandNoble.com, and several other online retailers though. If you have the chance to pick it up it's a fun read for adults as well as kids.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'm in need of a good Christmas story so I'm adding this to my Goodreads to remind me to purchase it and read it. Thanks for the recommendation :)
ReplyDeleteMichael- Thanks for your support! I hope you enjoy the story...
ReplyDeleteChristmas has many traditions. Some come from songs (jingle bells), some from poems (laying a finger aside of his nose, and giving a nod, up the chimney he rose), some from old traditions that reach back thousands of years (the original Christmas—the birth of Jesus). send christmas flowers china
ReplyDelete