“Christmasville” author in town

Author Michael Dutton will be at Harbor Square Mall, Stone Harbor, on Nov. 28, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to sign his book “Christmasville.”
“Christmasville,” is, literally, a perennial Christmas story; one that occurs each year, every year, on a 4 x 8 model train platform.
The story reveals the experiences and discoveries of Mary Jane Higgins, who embarks on a series of perilous journeys, determined to resolve the enigma of Christmasville. Although it’s forbidden, she crosses train tracks, approaches the bottomless abyss, travels through a wilderness that operates “according to a different set of rules.”
“In a sense, Christmasville is a very real place,” reveals the author, “one which I construct every Thanksgiving, only to dismantle the first weekend in February. I’ve been doing it for twenty-five years, ever since my first daughter, Meg, was born.”
The novel simulates the reality of living in a fictional town, seasonally situated on a model train platform. It’s a town constantly covered in new fallen snow, perpetually decorated in yuletide trimmings. There’s a freight train that never stops and a passenger train, which, if anyone were so inclined, will take him to the neighboring towns of Easterville or St. Valentine. Or so they think.
Each year, buildings and homes are rearranged according to a new “plan,” but for the citizens of Christmasville, no one gets any older. The worst of ailments are poison ivy, color blindness and partial baldness.
The twist in the novel is driven by the unswerving determination of Mary Jane as she realizes that there’s more to Christmasville than just Christmasville, that there are other seasons beyond the frigid embrace of winter. Aside from Mr. Lionel and Mr. Bachmann (and the reader, of course), she’s the only one who suspects that something is askew.
“Christmasville” could easily be the next holiday classic. From children to seniors, this book is for everyone who has ever wondered about other worlds and the power of Christmas magic,” says Steven Manchester, author of Pressed Pennies.
Michael Dutton lives in Newport, R.I. with his wife and daughters. “Christmasville” can be ordered through the publisher’s Web site lindenpark publishers.com.