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Christmas Presence: Prequel to the Claus Universe
190 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2025
About the author
Tony Bertauski
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He grew up in the Midwest where the land is flat and the corn is tall. The winters are bleak and cold. He hated winters.
He always wanted to write. But writing was hard. And he wasn’t very disciplined. The cold had nothing to do with that, but it didn’t help. That changed in grad school.
After several attempts at a proposal, his major advisor was losing money on red ink and advised him to figure it out. Somehow, he did.
After grad school, he and his wife and two very little children moved to the South in Charleston, South Carolina where the winters are spring and the summers are a sauna (cliche but dead on accurate). That’s when he started teaching and writing articles for trade magazines. He eventually published two textbooks on landscape design. He then transitioned to writing a column for the Post and Courier. They were all great gigs, but they weren’t fiction.
That was a few years later.
His daughter started reading before she could read, pretending she knew the words in books she propped on her lap. His son was a different story. In an attempt to change that, he began writing a story with him. They made up a character, gave him a name, and something to do. As with much of parenting, it did not go as planned. But the character got stuck in his head.
He wanted out.
A few years later, Socket Greeny was born. It was a science fiction trilogy that was gritty and thoughtful. That was 2005.
He has been practicing Zen since he was 23 years old. A daily meditator, he wants to instill something meaningful in his stories that appeals to a young adult crowd as well as adult. Think Hunger Games. He hadn’t planned to write fiction, didn’t even know if he had anymore stories in him after Socket Greeny.
Turns out he did.
He grew up in the Midwest where the land is flat and the corn is tall. The winters are bleak and cold. He hated winters.
He always wanted to write. But writing was hard. And he wasn’t very disciplined. The cold had nothing to do with that, but it didn’t help. That changed in grad school.
After several attempts at a proposal, his major advisor was losing money on red ink and advised him to figure it out. Somehow, he did.
After grad school, he and his wife and two very little children moved to the South in Charleston, South Carolina where the winters are spring and the summers are a sauna (cliche but dead on accurate). That’s when he started teaching and writing articles for trade magazines. He eventually published two textbooks on landscape design. He then transitioned to writing a column for the Post and Courier. They were all great gigs, but they weren’t fiction.
That was a few years later.
His daughter started reading before she could read, pretending she knew the words in books she propped on her lap. His son was a different story. In an attempt to change that, he began writing a story with him. They made up a character, gave him a name, and something to do. As with much of parenting, it did not go as planned. But the character got stuck in his head.
He wanted out.
A few years later, Socket Greeny was born. It was a science fiction trilogy that was gritty and thoughtful. That was 2005.
He has been practicing Zen since he was 23 years old. A daily meditator, he wants to instill something meaningful in his stories that appeals to a young adult crowd as well as adult. Think Hunger Games. He hadn’t planned to write fiction, didn’t even know if he had anymore stories in him after Socket Greeny.
Turns out he did.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 9, 2025
This prequel is a must read for all those who love the Claus Universe as it introduces the reader to many character which we find later on in the series. This book is very exciting if a bit scary, as what happens to Van and Charli is amazing, they are not sure if they entered into a game or if what they experienced was in fact reality. Van is a shy and very insecure young teen, whilst Charli comes from a very wealthy family, and is a social butterfly. Van is in love with Charli, but thinks she does not even know that he exists, so when Charli brings out the shades during a christmas eve party, and asks who will dare wear them with her, Van is the first to volunteer. What happens when they wear these glasses is beyond belief, as they are taken to the North Pole, to Santa's toyshop where they encounter elves, and flying reindeer, and are forced on trial in a court to see whether they fell under the naughty or nice list. Some of their experiences are scary for them at the time, but mostly this books is one of great magic and the wonder of Christmas, and an experience which takes them down a rabbit hole but brings them together in a way Van could only previously dream about. After reading this book I am sure everyone will want to read the 12 book series of the Claus Universe as this prequel is awesome.
December 4, 2025
Great prequel to the Claus Universe.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews