"A captivating, fresh addition to a long list of Christmas titles. Murphy is one of those rare adults who is strongly in tune with his eight-year-old self, able to capture the excitement, adventure, and feelings of childhood, and the magic of Christmas. His tale of twists and turns, actions and dilemmas is told as if he actually lived it. . . . Perhaps he did!"-Martha Zschock, author of "Journey Around Cape Cod"

"A sweet, imaginative story about something that writers, budding writers and educators can relate to: writer's block."-Emily Chetkowski, author of "Pumpkin Smile"

Praise for the Belltown Mystery series:

"Murphy is a Robert Ludlum for the 10-14 year old set, but with more likeable characters and more fun amidst the terror. -Dan Scully, "Boston Magazine"

"A novel that middle school readers will devour."-"ForeWord Magazine"

"Murphy has created my favorite kind of hero in Orville-smart and self-assured as a detective, funny and fallible as a teenager."-Lisa Mullins, PRI's "The World"

When eight-year-old Ryder asks Santa to help his uncle Ted overcome writer's block and create another amazing story, he cannot know that they'll both be getting the best present ever. But is it real, or just a wonderful Christmas dream?

T.M. Murphy, featured in the new book "101 Highly Successful Novelists," is the author of the Belltown Mystery series, listed as a Favorite New Series by BookSense Children's 76. Murphy spends his days touring schools, motivating kids to write, and teaching young writers during the summer at The Writers' Shack in his hometown.