Runtabaga

About the Book

Boy lives on a pig farm with his Mother. She works for the farm helping with new piglets. He is concerned that a newborn runt baby pig will die. A Christmas Eve visit to a shopping mall affords the chance for him to ask Santa Claus to help the runt. He shows Santa a drawing he has made of the North Pole. He learns that he is meeting his personal Santa and the drawing is of his own personal North Pole. He also asks Santa for one gift —a puppy— for Christmas.

Boy does not know that his Santa has already sent a small dog to rescue the little pig. The dog brings Runtabaga, the piglet, to the mall where they join Santa and journey to Boy’s North Pole. This place is located in a small room at the back of Boy’s imagination and is therefore with Boy forever. Santa and Tops, the dog, show Runtabaga this pole that will now be his new home.

All of the creatures are helping Santa prepare for his Christmas trip to Boy’s home. Boy is the only child that this Santa will visit. Mrs. Claus, the elves fairies and animals take part in a traditional Christmas Eve tableau here. It is a re-creation of the manger scene and when the star focuses it beam on the manger, it is the signal every personal Santa to travel to the home of their personal child.

About the Author

This is the second book length work by the author. His first book The Continuum of Know was published in 2005.

He has written directed and produced two three act comedies and a number of one act plays for a local community theatre group. For a time he write a newspaper column entitles It Occurred to Me. His other fiction to date has been limited to shorter works with a number of stories being published. Editorials and news stories added to his writing experience.

He served at one time as editor and co-publisher of a weekly newspaper. He practiced Podiatry for 16 years. For the past 20 years he has bought and sold out of print and scarce books and maps. He lives with his wife, Helen, in Clinton, Illinois. He was mayor of the town for 8 years.