PRESS RELEASE: August 15, 2008
A Christmas Castle—A Novel(la) Idea
Public Can Read Short Novel On-line for Free
No gimmicks. No registration required. And best of all–no fees.
Oh, and BYOC (Bring Your Own Computer).
In days of high gas prices, endless surcharges and abundant fine
print, it’s a rare treat to stumble upon an item offered totally free, no
strings attached. A Christmas Castle, a new novella by Central New
York writer Thomas J. Prestopnik, is one such find. The
heartwarming story of a shooting star, a conversation between
friends and a forgotten childhood dream will be the writer’s fifth
published work, but the first one presented on-line in its entirety
before publication, free for the public to read on his official website
www.TomPresto.com.
Prestopnik, a self-published author, seized upon the idea to unveil
his latest work at no charge in order to reach a wider audience,
allowing readers to test-drive one of his books to see if the writing
style and storyline appeal to them. By offering the novella as an early
Christmas present, he hopes to spotlight his quartet of previously
published works too, perhaps gaining some lifelong readers in the
process. A publication date in book form has not yet been set.
In A Christmas Castle, eight-year-old Jack Mason glances up at
a shooting star on Christmas night in 1966, but the chain of events
that results from such a simple action are not revealed until eighty-
two years later. The novella’s setting is the Harbor View Retirement
Home nestled in the middle of New York State on the first winter
evening in 2048. Jack, now a ninety-year-old resident, chats with
Gloria Grant, a newfound acquaintance who is seventy-five. While
gazing at the rural moonlit landscape above a snowy river valley
(inspired by Central New York’s own Mohawk Valley region), Jack
mentions how it reminds him of that Christmas night when he saw the
shooting star.
As they continue talking, Gloria’s curiosity is piqued by Jack’s
remarks and she makes a startling revelation—if Jack had never seen
that shooting star eighty-two years ago, then she would never have
been born. Jack is skeptical of her claim since he has known Gloria
for only three months, and what follows is an exploration of a life, a
family and a childhood dream.
Readers can ponder the significance of the shooting star as the
chapters alternate between the couple’s conversation and flashbacks
to moments in Jack’s life. And like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, certain
key elements from his life—a pair of binoculars, a fourteen-story
granite building, a snow castle and a gargantuan secret—slowly fit
together as an illuminating whole while the two friends talk and string
popcorn on a cold winter night.
Though A Christmas Castle will appeal to adult readers and
some older teens, Prestopnik’s first four published novels are fantasy-
adventures geared toward pre-teens and up. The first, Gabriel’s
Journey (AuthorHouse 2003), is about a group of field mice who flee
their once-peaceful meadow in search of a new home to escape the
invasion of green-eyed beasts from across a country road. Gabriel,
who leads the mission, has his plans complicated after his best friend
Simon falls under the spell of the beasts.
The Endora Trilogy series comprises Prestopnik’s other writings
beginning with The Timedoor (Infinity 2005). Brother and sister
protagonists Christopher and Molly Jordan battle the evil Belthasar in
both his human and spirit forms–and in two different worlds–
throughout the three novels. Books two and three, respectively, are
The Sword and the Crown (Infinity 2005) and The Saving Light
(Infinity 2007). A sample chapter from each of these four books is
posted on his website.
Self-publishing, while once an expensive choice for many writers,
has become an economical and time-friendly option in the age of the
Internet and digital printing—though one must yet harness that
sometimes elusive creative energy, stare at a computer screen for
weeks or months in solitary confinement and still produce the words.
And while marketing the book is often left up to the author, self-
publishing companies, referred to as print-on-demand (POD)
publishers, typically register their authors’ books on the Amazon and
Barnes & Noble booksellers’ websites for the public to order.
So Prestopnik, occasionally frustrated by wasted weeks or months
spent contacting publishers and agents, and also desiring to retain
the rights and creative control of his books, decided to test the
waters of self-publishing years ago. Crafting a good story has always
been first on his list as a string of ideas patiently wait their turn in his
mind. And while relishing the role of writer but being somewhat the
stereotypical reluctant author, he found self-publishing a nice fit, able
to work at his own creative pace without worrying about deadlines,
demands and the editorial whims of others.
Writing his books has primarily been a labor of love, and though
not yet earning a livelihood by publishing them, the dream is
nonetheless there, and nowadays, so are the means. For anyone
willing to put pen to paper or fingers to a keyboard, technology has
paved the way for individuals to produce a book on their own and
release it when ready like a small fish into a vast ocean.
And beyond that? Well for now, Prestopnik is willing to let the
literary currents take his words, especially A Christmas Castle,
wherever they may, including hopefully to a few more home computer
screens.
A Christmas Castle—A Novel(la) Idea
Public Can Read Short Novel On-line for Free
No gimmicks. No registration required. And best of all–no fees.
Oh, and BYOC (Bring Your Own Computer).
In days of high gas prices, endless surcharges and abundant fine
print, it’s a rare treat to stumble upon an item offered totally free, no
strings attached. A Christmas Castle, a new novella by Central New
York writer Thomas J. Prestopnik, is one such find. The
heartwarming story of a shooting star, a conversation between
friends and a forgotten childhood dream will be the writer’s fifth
published work, but the first one presented on-line in its entirety
before publication, free for the public to read on his official website
www.TomPresto.com.
Prestopnik, a self-published author, seized upon the idea to unveil
his latest work at no charge in order to reach a wider audience,
allowing readers to test-drive one of his books to see if the writing
style and storyline appeal to them. By offering the novella as an early
Christmas present, he hopes to spotlight his quartet of previously
published works too, perhaps gaining some lifelong readers in the
process. A publication date in book form has not yet been set.
In A Christmas Castle, eight-year-old Jack Mason glances up at
a shooting star on Christmas night in 1966, but the chain of events
that results from such a simple action are not revealed until eighty-
two years later. The novella’s setting is the Harbor View Retirement
Home nestled in the middle of New York State on the first winter
evening in 2048. Jack, now a ninety-year-old resident, chats with
Gloria Grant, a newfound acquaintance who is seventy-five. While
gazing at the rural moonlit landscape above a snowy river valley
(inspired by Central New York’s own Mohawk Valley region), Jack
mentions how it reminds him of that Christmas night when he saw the
shooting star.
As they continue talking, Gloria’s curiosity is piqued by Jack’s
remarks and she makes a startling revelation—if Jack had never seen
that shooting star eighty-two years ago, then she would never have
been born. Jack is skeptical of her claim since he has known Gloria
for only three months, and what follows is an exploration of a life, a
family and a childhood dream.
Readers can ponder the significance of the shooting star as the
chapters alternate between the couple’s conversation and flashbacks
to moments in Jack’s life. And like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, certain
key elements from his life—a pair of binoculars, a fourteen-story
granite building, a snow castle and a gargantuan secret—slowly fit
together as an illuminating whole while the two friends talk and string
popcorn on a cold winter night.
Though A Christmas Castle will appeal to adult readers and
some older teens, Prestopnik’s first four published novels are fantasy-
adventures geared toward pre-teens and up. The first, Gabriel’s
Journey (AuthorHouse 2003), is about a group of field mice who flee
their once-peaceful meadow in search of a new home to escape the
invasion of green-eyed beasts from across a country road. Gabriel,
who leads the mission, has his plans complicated after his best friend
Simon falls under the spell of the beasts.
The Endora Trilogy series comprises Prestopnik’s other writings
beginning with The Timedoor (Infinity 2005). Brother and sister
protagonists Christopher and Molly Jordan battle the evil Belthasar in
both his human and spirit forms–and in two different worlds–
throughout the three novels. Books two and three, respectively, are
The Sword and the Crown (Infinity 2005) and The Saving Light
(Infinity 2007). A sample chapter from each of these four books is
posted on his website.
Self-publishing, while once an expensive choice for many writers,
has become an economical and time-friendly option in the age of the
Internet and digital printing—though one must yet harness that
sometimes elusive creative energy, stare at a computer screen for
weeks or months in solitary confinement and still produce the words.
And while marketing the book is often left up to the author, self-
publishing companies, referred to as print-on-demand (POD)
publishers, typically register their authors’ books on the Amazon and
Barnes & Noble booksellers’ websites for the public to order.
So Prestopnik, occasionally frustrated by wasted weeks or months
spent contacting publishers and agents, and also desiring to retain
the rights and creative control of his books, decided to test the
waters of self-publishing years ago. Crafting a good story has always
been first on his list as a string of ideas patiently wait their turn in his
mind. And while relishing the role of writer but being somewhat the
stereotypical reluctant author, he found self-publishing a nice fit, able
to work at his own creative pace without worrying about deadlines,
demands and the editorial whims of others.
Writing his books has primarily been a labor of love, and though
not yet earning a livelihood by publishing them, the dream is
nonetheless there, and nowadays, so are the means. For anyone
willing to put pen to paper or fingers to a keyboard, technology has
paved the way for individuals to produce a book on their own and
release it when ready like a small fish into a vast ocean.
And beyond that? Well for now, Prestopnik is willing to let the
literary currents take his words, especially A Christmas Castle,
wherever they may, including hopefully to a few more home computer
screens.