Rev Posted October 15, 2020 Share Posted October 15, 2020 The Book Welcome to the wondrous world of Christmas Carol — a new and exciting fantasy story for children. Christmas Carol tells the fun and whimsical adventure of young Carol Greenleaf, Santa Claus' most trusted elf, as she goes on a mission to save Christmas from the clutches of a monstrous enemy. Inspired by classic fantasy-adventure tales, it is an engaging and entertaining story, full of action, exciting discoveries, funny character interactions, and heartwarming moments. Written and published by first time author James Pujals, the book is beautifully printed in large hardcover format, expertly laid out with exquisite care for a comfortable and pleasant reading experience. It includes full color illustrations depicting some of the more memorable scenes from the story, and even a delightful map of the places Carol explores along her trek — all lovingly hand-drawn by the author. Christmas Carol vs. The Ghost Of Christmas Presents is written for children ages seven to nine years, and for everyone who's young of spirit and retains a fondness for the innocent wonder of Christmas. Whether read as a bedtime story to young children, or straight through by the older ones, Christmas Carol's magical tale of adventure is sure to inspire the joy and splendor of Christmas in all of them, and to become part of their Holiday tradition. Based on the hit Intellivision game. ORDER YOUR COPY HERE Enjoy! 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cvga Posted October 15, 2020 Share Posted October 15, 2020 If the book is half as good as the game it should be a best seller. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinjinhawke Posted October 15, 2020 Share Posted October 15, 2020 Looking forward to the Canadian Audiobook version read by CMART. It will be a beauty eh! 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+JasonlikesINTV Posted October 15, 2020 Share Posted October 15, 2020 At 110 pages, I'm guessing this is not only Carol's journey through Christmas, but also Chanukah, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, and Festivus ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted October 15, 2020 Share Posted October 15, 2020 (edited) Wow! I see that @Rev let the cat out of the bag. To be honest, I really wasn't sure if I should plug the book in AtariAge, precisely because it is not exactly Intellivision related ... although it kinda is, in a sorta kinda roundabout way. A little history on the project: As many of you may have heard in my Intellivisionaries Podcast interview (from way back when), the little cut-scenes and the character interactions of the game came from a few vignettes I created in my mind of Carol's adventure as I wrote the game. As the story evolved more and more in my head, the game became richer with a bit of a story arc, depicted in those cut-scenes. By the end, I had not only Carol's motivation to save Christmas, but an entire mythology of who she is (she's Santa's elite Elf Ranger), what she does (she searches around the world to ensure that all children are in Santa's list), where she goes (the Ice-Cube Caverns and nestled deeply in the Himalayan mountains), and who her enemies are (the Evil Snowman continually tries to ruin Christmas, and the Ghost likes to haunt during Halloween for candy). All this was in my head, and I always intended to put it to paper but ... you know ... as always, life has a tendency to get in the way. Eventually, as my granddaughters turned from drooling blobs into pretty little princesses, I was motivated to write it all down and share it with them. The result is this book: The fantastic, epic story of Carol Greenleaf as she explores the Ice-Cube caverns in search of the missing presents, and confronts her foes to ensure that Christmas morning comes to everyone, in all its glorious splendor. I wrote the book and drew all illustrations by hand, with the assistance of a few friendly elves (some of them in their professional capacities) who reviewed, edited, and provided feedback. If you enjoyed the game, you'll like the story. All your favorite moments are there -- those silly little cut-scenes come alive as part of the ongoing adventure that Carol experiences. Even the caverns in the game make their appearance as the backdrop of the story, and are described in exquisite detail as Carol explores them (plus there's a map!!!). It all leads to the epic confrontation inside the Krystal Keep fortress and a satisfying conclusion. (Spoiler alert: If you played the game to the end, you know how the story concludes ;)) Anyway, if anybody has any questions about the book or how to order, do not hesitate to contact me. -dZ. Edited October 15, 2020 by DZ-Jay 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted October 15, 2020 Share Posted October 15, 2020 By the way, regarding shipping ... There is flat rate shipping via Media Mail across the entire USA, along with additional options for Priority and Express Mail. There is also Priority International Mail options for Canada, Europe, and the rest of the world. All books are packaged carefully in sturdy, heavy-duty cardboard mailers. No bubbleopes or cheap-o wrappers here! That said, I set up the shipping zones by hand and tried my best to offer reasonable and inexpensive options for everyone, but I admit I may have made a mistake or omission. I bring this up because I received feedback from a visitor to the web site pointing out that his options included a ridiculously expensive shipping rate for Iowa, which is definitely a mistake, but not obvious to the visitor. They were clearly not happy, which made me sad. So I will ask to anybody interested in a copy, if you find that the shipping charge is too high, or if you were looking to order multiple copies, to please reach out to me directly (via PM, e-mail, or web site feedback post) so that we can discuss reasonable options. Orders are fulfilled directly by the CvG Books Publishing staff (i.e., Mr. & Mrs. DZ-Jay), and they're very reasonable people. -dZ. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+sramirez2008 Posted October 15, 2020 Share Posted October 15, 2020 Ordered! I think the USPS Media Rate is reasonable.? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted October 15, 2020 Share Posted October 15, 2020 5 hours ago, JasonlikesINTV said: At 110 pages, I'm guessing this is not only Carol's journey through Christmas, but also Chanukah, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, and Festivus ? It's a long journey -- but don't worry, Santa Claus gave you an old map. ? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1980gamer Posted October 15, 2020 Share Posted October 15, 2020 Am I crazy... Okay, that goes without saying. Can we pay by paypal? I am not seeing this option. But I am north of 50, so I bet it is available and I am just a little challenged. Looks cool, and I think it is Intellivision related. Any Sequel to Carol news? Good luck DZ_Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+fdr4prez Posted October 15, 2020 Share Posted October 15, 2020 Does this mean that there can be a read-along game for the ECS? like the old Dark Crystal game (and others) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 1 hour ago, 1980gamer said: Am I crazy... Okay, that goes without saying. Can we pay by paypal? I am not seeing this option. But I am north of 50, so I bet it is available and I am just a little challenged. Looks cool, and I think it is Intellivision related. Any Sequel to Carol news? Good luck DZ_Jay Hello there! Unfortunately, there is currently no option for PayPal. I have set up a business account with Square, which is used by many small retailers (you may have seen it at your local stores as well, where they scan your card into an iPhone and such). Rather than just a micro-payment to me, it's an entire retail merchant solution. It offers an absolutely secure method of payment and supports credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Wallet as well. I hope this is acceptable to you and others, but if not, please contact me via PM and we can work something out. :) -dZ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1980gamer Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 Thanks dZ, At least I wasn't missing it. Can we say Merry Christmas before Halloween? Well, I am going to... Merry Christmas! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 The Characters: Meet the main characters starring in Christmas Carol vs. The Ghost Of Christmas Presents. Some are naughty, some are nice, but they all have an important part to play in the story. Their likeness was inspired by the characters in the video game. That's right, those 8x8-pixel blobs actually looked like these in my head. I have a big head, it fits a lot of stuff. -dZ. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 (edited) A similar translation happened with the title screen. First, I thought of a nice Christmas morning scene, so I drew this sketch: Which turned into this title screen: Which eventually evolved into the final one: But all the time, in my head I saw this: Honest-to-goodness, I always intended the Ghost to poke his head and peek from behind the presents. I just ran out of time. I also couldn't fit the fireplace in. The other fantastically surprising thing is that ... I drew the book cover and all its pictures myself. Who knew I could draw! (Spoiler Alert: I didn't.) Had I known I could do that, I wouldn't have spent several hundred dollars (and much consternation) in hiring someone to do the box art! Live and learn. Another lesson taken from the Carol experience. -dZ. Edited October 16, 2020 by DZ-Jay 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Games For Your Intellivision Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 Excellent cover art 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 (edited) 9 hours ago, DZ-Jay said: The other fantastically surprising thing is that ... I drew the book cover and all its pictures myself. Who knew I could draw! (Spoiler Alert: I didn't.) Well, in reality, I learned that I was handy with the Pixelmator. The actual hand-drawn sketch looks like this: I then took a photo (the one above), traced it in Pixelmator with the "pen" tool, and shaded it by hand, in layers, digitally. It still took me like 30 to 40 hours to complete each illustration. I may be good at digital art, but I suck at time management. I am very, very slow. -dZ. Edited October 16, 2020 by DZ-Jay 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 (edited) Here are a few more sketch-to-artwork examples. The Snowman searching for Carol ... Turned into this ... And the Bad Toy original sketch ... Became this nice shiny toy: The book has quite a few such illustrations depicting some of the coolest parts of the book -- which happen to be inspired by some of the coolest cut-scenes in the game. -dZ. Edited October 16, 2020 by DZ-Jay 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+sramirez2008 Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 (edited) I personally love seeing the sketch art that leads to actual game play or cut-scenes. I’d love to see this included as part of/in addition to the game manuals. I’d gladly pay a premium to have this included. Thanks for sharing and thanks for a great game.? Edited October 16, 2020 by sramirez2008 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+the1hatman Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 GREAT! I guess I have to buy this book because I have the game now... ? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swami Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 Love this game. Ordered the book! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 On 10/16/2020 at 6:51 PM, sramirez2008 said: I personally love seeing the sketch art that leads to actual game play or cut-scenes. I’d love to see this included as part of/in addition to the game manuals. I’d gladly pay a premium to have this included. Thanks for sharing and thanks for a great game.? That's a neat idea. If I ever release another game (which I hope to do at some point), I will do that. 3 hours ago, Swami said: Love this game. Ordered the book! Thank you for the order. I just shipped all previous orders; yours will go out on Monday. I really hope you and everyone enjoys the book as much as the game. 6 hours ago, the1hatman said: GREAT! I guess I have to buy this book because I have the game now... ? Naaaah, nobody should feel obligated to buy the book, really. It's not intended to be a collector's piece nor an addition to the game or anything like that. As a matter of fact, I don't even relate the book to the game. I wrote the book for my granddaughters and I thought it was good enough to share with others -- but being the obsessive-compulsive, fussy stickler that I am, I couldn't help myself and had to turn it into a big production. The book is inspired by the characters and events in the game. So if you enjoyed those, and you think it would interest you to experiencing Carol's adventure in a brand new way, then I would recommend the book. -dZ. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 (edited) Those sketches turning into real pictures reminds me of the Take On Me (A-Ha) video. Edited October 19, 2020 by carlsson 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 2 hours ago, carlsson said: Those sketches turning into real pictures reminds me of the Take On Me (A-Ha) video. That's an interesting comparison. Now that you mentioned it, I can see it. By the way, all pending orders have been shipped as of this morning. I hope everything gets to where it needs to go without trouble -- and I really hope you guys enjoy it. dZ. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted October 22, 2020 Share Posted October 22, 2020 I made a simple shirt to promote the book, so my wife can be a walking billboard. :) Each one cost me almost as much as the book itself! ? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+sramirez2008 Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 (edited) Oh yeah!!! Edited October 23, 2020 by sramirez2008 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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