Book Reviews Reloaded: Real Santa

This article first appeared on East Niagara Post on January 13, 2015. It is repeated here as I work to put all my book reviews in one place. They will be posted on Thursdays or Fridays and only be altered from the original in that I will add publisher information and pages. Hopefully, by revisiting these reviews, other people might find a book they'd like to pick up for their own enjoyment.

Real Santa -- William Hazelgrove

Koehler Books

244 Pages

Real Santa by William Hazelgrove is the story of George Kronenfeldt, a divorced father with a new wife and family. His youngest child is nine years old and she is starting to question the validity of Santa Claus. He wants her to hold onto that childhood dream for as long as possible. As an engineer, he decided that he would give his daughter, Megan, a Christmas Eve visit from the jolly man in red. Intensive planning ensues, drafting the assistance of his elderly father who is also an engineer.

REMINISCING: Family Vacations

As my twins head off to camp for the first time this week, I think back to family vacations. I know, it’s a weird connection but it made me think of the vacations me and my siblings took as kids. There weren’t very many vacations. We were more of a staycation type of family long before it was cool. But the vacations we did go on were great. I can remember four times that we went away. I’m sure if there were more, my Mom and Dad will let me know.

Spotlight on Independent Films - Jerry Hartke and Nicholas of Myra

I am very excited to finally launch this new weekly feature, and I expect to have movie people that you guys will want to read about. I "met" Jerry Hartke on Facebook a few years ago, and was immediately impressed with his dedication to his craft. Jerry has a passion for making movies, but he admits that he never expected his passion to turn into the types of projects he is currently working on.