FINDING SANTA

Short Description

Finding Santa begins only days before Christmas when Santa Claus suddenly disappears from his village on the Arctic Circle.

There is no public explanation, no farewell, and no indication of when he will return. As rumors spread around the world, Stowe Bessette and Wyatt Huffman are drawn into another Christmas adventure—this time not to find someone to play Santa or deliver Santa somewhere, but to discover what actually happened to him.

Meanwhile, journalist Keith Meadows sees Santa's disappearance as the biggest Christmas story of his career, while an investigation begins uncovering evidence that Santa may not have left voluntarily.

Genre

Finding Santa combines Christmas fiction, mystery, romantic comedy, adventure, family drama, suspense, humor, and holiday magic.

Of the three books, it contains perhaps the strongest mystery element because much of the story revolves around answering one deceptively simple question: Where is Santa Claus?

Inspiration

The idea of kidnapping Santa Claus came to me about halfway through writing Delivering Santa. The premise was irresistible, but the real challenge was figuring out how someone could pull it off, and why. Slowly, the pieces began to connect: a wealthy but broken man, a painful divorce, and a child caught in the middle. Once those motivations took shape, the kidnapping became more than the foundation for an adventure. It became an emotional story about loss, desperation, and the things people will do when they believe their family is slipping away.

I initially planned to involve Interpol in the search, but I wanted to keep the cast and story tightly focused. Having MacKenzie coordinate the response from Washington made more sense because she could exercise far greater influence with the FBI than with an international police organization. I also wanted Wyatt’s sister to have a meaningful role, which led me to pair her with Gavin. His reluctance and reserve created the perfect contrast to her no-nonsense attitude.

Above all, Finding Santa is a novel about family. After everything Stowe and Wyatt endured throughout the trilogy, I wanted to give them the happy ending they deserved. Bringing the characters together at the end allowed the series to conclude where it had always been heading—not simply with Santa found, but with a family finally complete.

Behind the Book: Finding Santa

• You probably did not recognize the origins of the names Kram and Skut. Kram is shortened from Krampus, while Skut is a nod to Scut Farkus, the infamous bully from A Christmas Story.

• The Snowfire sled is an homage to the wonderfully reckless sledding scene in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. If you recognized the inspiration, you clearly know your Christmas movies.

• Ellie’s desire to visit Bora Bora was inspired by my own trip there. It truly is an amazing place, so I completely understand why it would be at the top of her list.

• How Julie, Johan, Hanna, and the others received their cards will forever remain a Christmas mystery. Some questions are more magical when they are left unanswered.

• I spent more time developing the riddles than I did writing the chapters in which they appear. Making each one challenging, fair, and relevant to the journey proved much harder than I expected.

• I did extensive research into Parisian sunrises while writing the novel, and now I want to experience one for myself. I did not see a sunrise during my first trip to Paris. In fact, I barely saw the sun at all.

• Yes, I considered having Gavin and Ellie end up together. Ultimately, the story and their individual character arcs worked better the way they were written.

• Bringing characters from throughout the trilogy together at the end was a joy. Past and present finally converged around one table, and I know I would have accepted an invitation to dinner with Santa Claus.

• I never saw the Northern Lights while I was in Finland. Writing the scene allowed me to give the characters an experience I still hope to have someday.

• You now have Aurielle’s hot cocoa recipe...or at least most of it. There may be one secret ingredient that was deliberately left out. Even without it, the cocoa is still delicious.