Shorte List

by Scott Mehno

It’s Christmas Eve in Townlee, New Jersey and the small town’s hopes are riding on Bailey Hatchell, an overworked AI/hologram designer who’s made a walking, talking Charles Dickens that spins tales and spurns fools like the famous author of A Christmas Carol. Bailey’s invention, 7 years in the making, could revive the town if the presentation to a billionaire gaming mogul goes well, but he wants to alter Bailey’s invention for his own gain. And while the town is excited about the potential tourist attraction, Bailey’s 9-year old daughter, Hayley, is preoccupied with bigger problems as she heads into a Christmas Eve storm to find Santa Claus. Faced with restoring Hayley’s belief in Christmas or rescuing his hijacked hologram, only the arrival of a man claiming to be the real Charles Dickens can help Bailey unlock a magical Shorte List and save his daughter and the town. What follows is a high-stakes race against the clock, with Dickens and Santa leading the charge. Lively, funny, and full of heart, this is a story about the true meaning of family, and the power of believing in each other.

380 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 12, 2024

About the author

Author Scott Mehno has been writing for artists and companies in the entertainment industry for well over two decades. A New Jersey husband and dad with two kids, it’s the universal family dynamics on display in nearly every small-town Christmas Eve that inspired him to write Shorte List.

Reviews

[Greg Rudolph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic holiday read that captures perfectly the warm wonder of Christmas nostalgia through witty, rounded characters like Holo-Dickens and Santee Clause. The author did an excellent job of portraying the story through the modern perspective of Bailey Hatchell who has just enough hope left inside at the 11th hour to rediscover, with a few helping hands, the very fragile but buoyant true meaning of Christmas. A meaning that, as the author points out, seems to be fading into the background of a digitally-driven, commerce-first landscape. Humorous, witty, culturally poignant, and genuinely touching, “Shorte List” checks all the boxes of any classic Holiday read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Miley Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartfelt holiday tale with just the right balance of humor, magic, and meaning. It reminds you that belief, family, and kindness still matter especially at Christmas.