ANCIENT BOOK DISCOVERED UNDER ARCTIC ICE
COLUMBUS, OH (July 2011)- A team of climatologists reported a startling discovery: an ancient book of unknown origin embedded deep in an Arctic ice core. The team immediately set out to excavate the rest of the book—the drill had only punched through its center—and spent days piecing it together before cracking the cover. The text is in English, Spanish, and Japanese, and tells an incredible story you have to read to believe…
Such is the premise of The Man in the Cinder Clouds, a debut novel by Rick Daley. This brilliant re-telling of the origins of Santa Claus brings the nostalgia and wonder of the old clay-mation Christmas specials to life. “Rather than try to trace Santa’s history through the years, I focused instead on his first Christmas, and the challenges he faced that year,” Daley explained. “I wanted it to feel real.”
And feel real it does. This story-within-a-story (within a story) reveals the origins of all of the most famous aspects of the Santa Claus legend: from his red suit and white hair to Christmas trees, stockings, and lumps of coal (and everything in between). The story also answers the age old question: How does Santa fit all those presents in his sack?
“The little details are a big part of the book’s appeal. They are not gratuitous; they all make sense in the context of the story and the characters. Sure his suit is red because that’s his favorite color, but why is it his favorite color? It’s no spoiler to say he meets Mrs. Claus and falls in love, but how does their relationship grow? That’s what was important to me in writing this tale,” Daley said. “And while the main character is Kris Kringle—known as ‘the man in the cinder clouds’ after an accident involving a chimney—the layers of the story above and below Kris’ tale are fascinating…from the people who found the book in the ice, struggling to decide if they should keep it and get rich or find a way to return the book to its rightful owner, to the two orphans Kris befriends after their greedy uncle robs them of their inheritance.”
If you've ever believed in Santa Claus, this is the book for you. And there’s no need to wait until Christmas, you can open this one early: The Man in the Cinder Clouds is available in print through CreateSpace, and will be available at Amazon.com and other online retailers in the coming weeks. A Kindle version is scheduled for release in early August. For more information, visit www.cinderclouds.com.
Publication Date: July 12, 2011
IBSN-13: 978-1461091684
9 comments:
Good luck with this, Rick!
This is truly awesome. You have time to build some real momentum before Christmas. Love the premise. I see film potential here...
Anon- Thanks, I appreciate it! I hope you have the opportunity to read it, I think you'll appreciate the writing.
Anne- I hope the timing works out well. I have a lot of interest in the local school district, so this fall should be good.
I love movies, and keep a visual image in mind as I write. It would translate to the screen very well indeed!
Ha, at first I thought this was a query.
I'm wondering why you didn't try to publish this the traditional way? (Or maybe you did and couldn't? Though it seems like the type of story that would sell, no? I've never celebrated xmas, so... )
Anyway, good luck with this!
Yakinfrance- The main reason I didn't go with traditional publishing is speed-to-market. I would be lucky to have the book out in 2012, and 2013 would be more likely. This way it will be available for Christmas 2011.
I didn't make the decision to self-publish lightly, I took quite a bit of time working on a query and going through multiple rounds of critiques and revisions with many different readers / writers.
I'm fortunate in the group of critique partners I have, who helped with feedback on character motivations, general story arcs, plot holes, and line edits. This book is ready to go.
I really think The Muse gave me something special with this story. The Santa legend has never been told in this way, and I know those that have the opportunity read it will enjoy it, regardless of age or season.
Rick, I don't want to give you a hard time about your decision, because it's certainly yours and no one else's.
But to be honest--the reasons you've just given YIF --other than the time factor-- sound to me more like reasons not to self-publish.
Anyway, good luck with this.
Anon- There are pros and cons on each side. To me, the time factor is important...both in the sense that I don't want to wait several years for this book to see the light of day, but also because I think self-publishing is beginning to lose its stigma and can be a viable route for authors to take, so long as they are willing to take it seriously.
The decision to self-publish was in no way a cop-out or last-ditch effort.
That being said, I have other books in the works and I may pursue traditional publishing with them, I'm not cold to the industry. I just think the timing is right for this book.
Hi, Rick- I see you on Nathan Bransford's blog! :) I know what you mean about the self-publish thing... I deliberated for a long, long time about whether or not to self-publish. In the end, I didn't see a point to going 'traditional' routes, when all the reading traditions are going the way of the dinosaur. I was merely clinging to nostalgia. Good luck to you.
Thanks Naja, and good luck to you, too!
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