It’s not always easy for me to find time to sit down and read a book. I write full-time for a newspaper, and then I take quite a bit of time putting together my novels. However, I recently discovered a friend I went to school with in Chino Valley is in the same boat I am, having published a pair of novels.

Growing up in Chino Valley, a small town, you don’t necessarily ponder that someone else is going to be recognized beyond what happens in the community. Yet in this day and age, it’s easier for those of us with a streak of creativity to put it out there for people to see.

It’s been about 30 years since I’ve seen Eric Johnson. In that time, we’ve lived different lives. He’s still in Arizona, while I migrated to Wisconsin, but apparently we’ve both been bitten by the writing bug. Just in case anyone is curious, there’s no cure for it. You just wind up in random fugue states and prone to fits whenever a brilliant story idea enters your mind and you have nothing to write out the idea.

I digress, though.

Facebook’s algorithms Columbo’d the fact that we both had attended Chino Valley High School and had one mutual friend between us, so Eric came up on their little black book of mutual friends. Many times Facebook gets the friend connection wrong, but this time it hit the bullseye. A little snooping uncovered that he’d just come out with his latest novel, Rings of the Santa Order.

After remembering I had a Christmas story sitting in limbo called The Completely True Story of Mrs. Claus (spoiler alert: it’s fiction), I immediately ordered a copy of Eric’s book after I read the blurb on his website. Granted, I love holiday stories, so I might have ordered even if I didn’t know Eric from Adam, but the loyalty to Chino Valley played a factor in me ordering the book, too.

Granted, there’s always the possibility that, even though we grew up in the same town, the book might have been complete and utter boredom with decorative artwork. That was not the case, though.

In a nutshell, Rings of the Santa Order tells the story of a former journalist who has been tapped to become Santa Claus. With the power of a magic ring and other trinkets associated with the Jolly Old Elf, Asher is tasked with helping people to make their wishes come true, not just for Christmas Day but throughout the year.

However, Asher is also part of a very special society called the Santa Order, where others harness the power of good and use it to better mankind. The rings grant immortality to the wearer, and they keep on doing their thing until they’re finally finished with living and pass it on to others.

Unfortunately, there are some out there who want the power and couldn’t care less about the responsibility that comes with it, including a villain called Savio who has forged his own ring and come across one of the gems that give the ringbearers their power. He finds out about Asher having the master ring and the two remaining gems, and he’ll stop at nothing—including digging up old flames—to get the full power boost.

It’s a rare occasion when I sit down to read a book and don’t stop until I observe the words “The End” on a page, but I did that with Rings of the Santa Order. I’m also man enough to admit that I gasped in stark horror at the destruction of a pair of enchanted spectacles. Usually it’s just my real glasses breaking that causes me heartburn.

For those wondering if such a tale is appropriate for all audiences, it is. No foul language and barely any violence are part of the book, which means that younger readers can get into the story.

Becoming a published author is not an easy task, even with the advent of self-publishing. I still marvel that I’ve managed to put out as many books as I have, because I certainly didn’t have that many story ideas in my head when I first started banging out novels. It’s heartening to see there are others from my hometown that have discovered the joy of spreading stories, especially Christmas stories, around the world for all to read.

Anyone interested in finding out more about Rings of the Santa Order, along with his first novel, Called of Kristoff, can check out his website at epjohnsonauthor.com.