Douglas Grant Johnson

Christmas can be Perilous! Did you ever have a Christmas that came off without a hitch? Did you ever suspect the whole Christmas thing was in tilt mode? Or that it was a little like a train that had somehow jumped it’s tracks and was dancing off through a meadow somewhere? Sure you have, and you’re not alone.

Here’s an antidote—four lighthearted, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, novelettes containing stories about those times when getting ready for Christmas is a little less than a perfect experience. At the same time, these stories remember with respect and reverence the events that are the origin of the celebration. They are set in more innocent times, but the search for the perfect Christmas hasn’t changed for two thousand years. Includes four novelettes celebrating the Perils of Christmas:

A LITTLE CHRISTMAS MAGIC—Uncle Jack’s little niece and nephew know him as the magician who comes to visit at Christmas. This time, he’s setting up his greatest trick of all, and perhaps his first and greatest failure.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, OFFICER CLANCY—As he nears retirement, Officer Clancy still walks a beat on main street where he’s accustomed to making up a few of own rules, especially at Christmas. But under a new chief, that’s about to change.

THE REST STOP—Derwin desperately hangs onto his belief in Santa Claus despite a bullying cousin. But a kid’s got to learn the truth sometime, right? But the truth may not be what his cousin thinks.

THE TROUBLE WITH THE PACKAGE—It was bad enough the package was bigger than Benny, but hiding it—and keeping it hidden—was likely to be more trouble, and terrifying, than Christmas was worth. Especially when he learns the truth about Christmas.

Approx. 28,000 words
ABOUT THE AUTHOR—Douglas Grant Johnson’s novelette-length mysteries have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Visit his website: www.douglasgrantjohnson.com