Christmas Giveaway & Author Spotlight: Rick Daley

The Graffiti Wall is pleased to welcome a wonderful MG writer, who's taken the story of Santa Claus and turned it up on its head. This is a fantastic Christmas read and a MUST purchase for any reader, lover of the holidays, and family peep! Truly. I'll release my review soon, but I've included a review below from another reader on Amazon. Also, Rick's been gracious enough to offer up a copy of his book! You can enter below.

Meet Rick Daley, writer with over 15 years experience, husband, and father. 

 Author of The Man in the Cinder Clouds

Today, we're going to chat with Jason, Rick's main character. He's really excited to be here, so let's give Jason a warm Alleyway welcome.

Hi Jason!

Alleywalkers cheer and wave frantically.

I know you had quite the adventure when you went to the North Pole with your scientist dad. It didn't start out that way, though. It was boring. And cold. 

What did you first think when your dad found that very old book?

When Rebecca first came into my dad’s office and told him they found a book in an ice core, my first thought was, “Great, now he’ll disappear back into the lab and I won’t see him until we leave to go home.”  But then he actually let me go into the lab to see the book. I knew it would be something special.

When we started reading the book, it was so cool!  The words can change languages automatically, so when Juan read it, the words were Spanish, and when Professsor Nara read the same page, it was in Japanese…and all I saw was English.  It turns out it was written by an Elf, and it tells how Kris Kringle became Santa Claus. It wasn’t easy, I can tell you that! 

On the outset, you and your brother had different views of Santa and the possibility of his existence. Can you tell your readers what it felt like when you decided to give up hope that Santa really did exist?

My brother Justin had told me there was no Santa Claus, and I knew he was wrong.  He lies about everything.  Justin’s always trying to tease me, like the time he got me to drink a big gulp of Tabasco sauce by telling me it’s what they use to make Cherry Coke.

Haha!

I thought the North Pole would be like the movies…Santa would have a big city, with trees everywhere and lights and bells.  I brought a camera to take pictures to prove Justin was wrong, but when I got there, it was just snow and ice.  No Christmas village, no fields of reindeer games…not even a single Christmas tree!  I thought it would be impossible for anyone to live there.  Boy was I wrong! 

I don’t know what was worse, thinking there was no Santa, or thinking Justin was telling the truth for once. 

Could you briefly explain Elf Rules, and then tell us why you were so concerned about anyone violating those rules? Where you afraid to get Kris in trouble?

The Elfs are really old.  I don’t know how old, but they’ve been around a lot longer than humans, that’s for sure.  They have all sorts of laws, and one of the most important ones says Elfs can’t make contact with humans.

When Kris Kringle got the High Council to agree to let him deliver presents to people, they were afraid he would lead the humans back to the Elf’s Glens, so they made a list of thousands of Rules he had to follow, and the first one was that he had to leave his home and could never come back.  But there was a loophole in the Rules: if Kris could prove that humans were not all wicked and evil, and that true virtue could be found in the human heart, then he could return.

My dad’s research team all wanted to use the book to get rich, and they wanted to use it to track down Santa and find the Great Northern Glen (that’s what the Elfs call Christmas Village).  No human’s ever been there.  I thought that the Great Northern Glen had stayed hidden for so long, it must be hidden for a reason. 

Kris has an amazing story. As you, your dad, and the other crew members read the story, what did it feel like to begin to understand it?

It was frustrating, because none of the grown-ups were getting it!  All they could think about was getting rich, selling the book to a museum and making people pay to see it.  They didn’t understand that the real treasure was what the story said. 

How did you feel about meeting the Reindeer? I thought they were fascinating.

I know, right?!  Before Kris met the reindeer, I thought it was hopeless. The kids he found in Oldenton were both in danger and Kris was the only one who could save them.  I always wondered how Santa met up with a bunch of flying reindeer, now I know!  That was one of the coolest parts of the story.

What did you see about the old book that the adults missed, at least on the onset? You seemed to see something much deeper right off.

The adults always thought the book was theirs, you know, finders keepers.  But I knew it belonged to Kris Kringle, and we needed to find a way to get it back to him.  The adults couldn’t stop thinking about being rich, but there’s more to life than money isn’t there?  My dad got all wrapped up in the details, and his research team kept trying to find out where the entrance to Great Northern Glen is, but I came up with a way to return the book to its rightful owner.

What is the greatest lesson you learned from Kris' story?

If I had to pick the most important thing it’s something Thomas learned: sometimes giving something away feels just as good as getting a present.  What was really cool was how Thomas learned that lesson.  I really want to tell you more about that, but I think you’re better off just reading the book and finding out about Thomas for yourself!

Awesome, right?

To ENTER for a chance to WIN a copy of The Man in the Cinder clouds, leave a comment and a way to get in touch with you when you win! Share a favorite Christmas memory, please!! Winner will be announced Dec. 19th. 


Check the other MMGM posts, highlighting MG books today! Shannon Whitney Messenger, Shannon O'Donnell. 

The Man in the Cinder Clouds

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, The Man in the Cinder Clouds will show you how Kris Kringle came to be known as Santa Claus.  It wasn’t easy.

Visit Rick at his Blog or the official Cinder Clouds Website.