Dear Santa, Let Me Explain...

At our work "Holiday" Party—we're not allowed to call it Christmas...what a load of bunk—we play this gift exchange game where you can pick a wrapped gift from under the fake "holiday" tree or you can steal a gift that's already been opened. Well, this year, I decided to beat the odds, so I raided the wrapped presents under the tree. To my utter delight, I found a hardcover copy of Malcolm Gladwell's Blink. It's a fantastic book about intuition and how your mind can make the right decision without thinking about every possibility first. I had already read the book, but I wanted to read it again and possibly share it with friends and family. I figured the book was mine. And why not? None of the other party goers seemed interested in the book, not when there were wine and other alcohol to steal from other gift exchangers. But with only two gifts left under the tree, my friend Rich decided to take my newest prized possession. The bastard! I wouldn't say I was pissed, just disappointed. I knew I'd get stuck with some lame candle or some silly toy I'd never use. Instead, I unwrapped a T-shirt. A very large, very red T-shirt. A plain white piece of notepaper was silk-screened on the front with the words, "Dear Santa, Let Me Explain..." written in a child's handwriting. I walked back to my spot in the corner, mumbling about my luck. But somewhere in the back of my mind, an idea was already forming. I pictured the kid who wrote the note to Santa, and how scared he was that Santa might not be coming this year. I pictured what he must've done to make him so worried. Maybe he punched his sister. Maybe he was caught looking for gifts. Heck, maybe he used the F-word. But for whatever reason, he wanted to tell Santa he was sorry and that he hoped the jolly fat man would still deliver gifts this year. By the time I found my spot, I also realized that I had a story of my own, not unlike my little unseen friend who wrote that note to Santa. And I bet others did too. I showed my newest gift to Frank, who said, "You know, that'd be a great title for a book." "That's exactly what I was thinking," I said. And just like that, Dear Santa, Let Me Explain... was born. The idea for putting together a collection of holiday disaster stories was already cemented in my mind as I walked around the office after the party. Everyone wanted to share with me their own holiday horror story and I knew I had something big on my hands, and it wasn't just an XXL red shirt. Flash forward a few months, and the book is coming together nicely. My plan is to get 20 comic creators, essayists, and novelists to tell their tale through illustrated essays and sequential comic art. And the more creators I get signed up, the more excited I am about the book. I've currently got 14 fantastic creators on board, some of whom were so into the idea, they've already sent me drafts, sketches, or in one instance, the completed story. I'm totally excited about this latest venture. And now that the cat's out of the bag, you can expect some production updates right here all along the way. I'll keep you posted on new signings, milestones we've met, and hopefully a teaser or two of some art we'll be using in the book. And if all goes well, I'll also be posting information on the open submission process. So sit back, relax, and let Santa's helpers do all the work...