New novel *Santa Claus Conquers the Homophobes* out soon...

[RobertDevereaux]

Sometime late August or early September, my new novel SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE HOMOPHOBES will be published as a trade paperback and available at amazon.com, bn.com, and other online bookstores.

It will also be listed in Ingram's and therefore orderable from many brick-and-mortar stores.

I haven't yet received the cover, so meanwhile, here is the back cover copy.

Enjoy!

Robert


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Santa Claus is back.

And flying beside him is Wendy, his freshly minted stepdaughter, who can peer into the future of selected children and offer them glimpses of the wonders ahead.

But with that power come horrific visions of the turmoil and trouble the less fortunate among them are fated to suffer.

Can Wendy and her stepfather prevent the suicide of Jamie Stratton in his teen years, as he grows up gay in a homophobic household and community? God the Father grants them three Thanksgiving visits to Jamie's tormentors, in hopes of bringing about a change of heart in them and eliminating their ingrained prejudices.

Beyond the challenge of rescuing one precious child lies the far more daunting task of expunging entirely this brand of bigotry from the human race, as Santa and Wendy strive to remake the world in compassion and generosity.

Along the way, they enlist the aid of the Easter Bunny, a highly persuasive fellow indeed.

But the Tooth Fairy and her loathsome imps are hell-bent on doing all they can to stop Santa and Wendy—nay, to heighten mortal fear and hatred of anyone whose orientation strays even the slightest from the norm.

In the end, Santa must make the ultimate sacrifice if he is to save humankind from complete chaos and self-destruction.

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[mike_c]

1. do I detect a moral tale...?

That's quite a back-cover blurb! Was Barney the Dinosaur left out intentionally, or mistakenly? (Probably as a matter of trademark registration, now that I think about it...).

[RobertDevereaux]

3. Yep, one must honor trademark!

I once wrote a clown detective story originally called "Ridi Bozo."

Eventually, I changed the name to Bobo instead (the late Larry Harmon was very protective of "Bozo the Clown," as is only proper), and 'Ridi Bobo" is the name the story was published under in WEIRD TALES and subsequently in the Datlow-Windling YEAR'S BEST FANTASY AND HORROR anthology.

It's available in my CALIBAN AND OTHER TALES, and as an eBook at www.fictionwise.com.

[RobertDevereaux]

2. And here's the cover...