William Pepper

In the St. Nick of Time William Pepper

A lot of people have lousy Christmases, even when they live in the town of Santa Claus, Indiana. Cameron Jones used to be a successful author. But this year, as another holiday looms, he is beset by a depression that rivals fruitcake in density. His ex-wife is moving away with their daughter Holly and a sleezy reporter is dogging him. And the foul-mouthed goldfish hallucination that keeps nagging him is no help at all. Cameron's buddy Dogwater Hunt is a broke, obsessed, alien-abductee, with a pathological fear of holiday lights. He's desperate to prove Earth will be visited on Christmas Eve by mysterious "Santa aliens." If he can catch "Santa," he'll push forth the frontiers of science - and maybe get a new TV. Meanwhile, Santa Claus - the big man himself, not the town - feels beaten down by centuries of children growing up and no longer believing. He ponders the reality of his imaginary world - living on cookies, hanging out with elves. It's all so absurd, he can't help but wonder, "Do I really exist?" The answer to that question could determine the future of Christmas. Cameron and Dogwater are unwittingly caught up in a plan to save Santa from himself. If you ever believed St. Nick was real, buy this book. Maybe he still is.