Another Christmas Story???

Yes, you read that correctly. This posting is to announce another Christmas Story. Well, by the traditional calendar, we're still doing Sundays after Epiphany. But when it comes to stories I don't worry too much about the calendar. I have enough to do.

In any case, if you have been reading my novel about Joe the Control Room Guy, you will have heard of a certain event that happened back in December of 2001, when Joe was home from college: it was when the ship called the Phosploion wrecked on the shoals, out in the Atlantic to the east of Quayment. That story, which is a kind of sequel to Joe's novel as well as a prequel to the famous "Black Hole" story, is all written. But having mentioned the Phosploion begins to enlarge the situation rather dramatically... No, it's not like Bilbo finding the ring. Well.. then again... maybe it is. (Er... I'd better not try to discuss that just now. Sorry.)

Anyhow, in the story of the Wreck, which may get posted someday, you will meet another major character of the larger saga - Bill Grosjean - and there are several stories about his experiences in college. This one occurs at Christmas break in 1996 and it will give you a little more of the larger perspective... I might have called it "a tale of two chapters", one a fraternity and the other a monastery, but it has eight chapters, not two. So instead it is called Christmas Anticipation:

Chapter 1: The End of the Semester
Chapter 2: On the Highway
Chapter 3: At the Monastery of St. John
Chapter 4: A Night of Memories
Chapter 5: Preparations
Chapter 6: The Eve of Christmas
Chapter 7: Christmas Day
Chapter 8: A Postscript