Author Name: Dianne Hartsock Book Name: Nicolas Release Date: December 18, 2015
Thank you so much BRRR for finding a spot for me during this
busy holiday season. The question is how does my story differ from other
stories? I like to think my NICOLAS is unique in that I didn’t use the
well-known legend of Santa Claus and his elves. My story involves the Krampus,
the terrible creature that chases St. Nicolas through the centuries.
Instead of sweet, magical elves helping Santa deliver toys
and goodies to everyone, my Nicolas has a dark troll at his side, haunting his
steps, bringing nightmare and terror in his wake. In the legend of the Krampus,
he’s the one who punishes the children when they are bad. He’s the dark side to
Nicolas’s goodness.
I twisted this legend a little, having my Nico fleeing from
this dark entity. He only wishes to be left alone, to continue spreading his
word of unity and peace to the world. But the Krampus won’t let him be. Nico
had stopped him from murdering three children, accidently killing the man the
Krampus had been in the process. The Krampus won’t forgive him for that, and
Nico can’t forgive himself for taking another’s life.
The Krampus uses this feeling of guilt against him,
destroying every relationship he tries to have by making him feel unworthy of
love. But then Nico meets Jamie, an artist who has given up on love. They come
together against the Krampus, but will their love be enough to defeat him?
NICOLAS is the story of fear and guilt, love and redemption.
It’s a legend brought to life, with a dark twist and a promise of a happy
future. A slightly different take on the Santa Clause theme.
Blurb: Betrayed by a lover, Jamie rents an isolated cabin on Lake Huron, wanting only to be left alone. Instead, he is pulled from his solitary existence as an artist and tumbles headlong into the legend of Saint Nicolas. As a young man, Nicolas accidentally killed a man intent on murdering three children, only to have the man's malicious spirit rise up against him. Fleeing through the centuries from the Krampus, the evil troll-like creature that dogs his steps, Nico finds refuge with the young artist who takes him into his home and bed. But Jamie has questions. Who is Nicolas, and why does the Krampus want to destroy him? When the Krampus begins to torment and torture anyone Nico comes in contact with to punish him, Jamie’s life is put in danger. And Jamie isn’t sure whether he can help Nico defeat his nemesis or if he’s merely a pawn in the Krampus’s game.
