Monthly Archives: December 2016

Christmas is fifteen days away, but Amazon promises six days or better delivery on my book, so you can still get it in time.

Sales have really picked up this past week, so lots of folks must have decided they’ll take a chance on what I call the perfect Christmas present for Elvis fans.

They won’t be disappointed, at least not according to these happy readers:

“I bought Big E and the Santa Man for myself, being an Elvis lover… But… my kids and grandchildren enjoyed it as much as I did. A nice fun read!!”

Robert Devenney, Harvey Cedars, NJ

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“This book affirms what all fans of the ‘King of Rock ’n’ Roll’ know to be true—that the spirit of Elvis Presley will live on forever. Every Elvis fan, young and old, will enjoy reading Big E and the Santa Man this and every Christmas season to come.”

Alan Hanson, Spokane, WA

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“This book is a little masterpiece, and believe me there are not many books able to make the reader dream like Big E and the Santa Man did. All the Elvis fans and others must read Big E and the Santa Man.”

Francis Mauge, Tonneins, France

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“Only a fertile imagination could conceive of pairing two of the world’s greatest legends together in a Rock & Roll Christmas fable. Big E and Santa hit it off right from the start, and a good thing, too, for Scrooge is back with a cadre of Santa’s rejected elves determined to spoil Christmas for everyone. I know I loved it, and am moved to tell the author, “Thank you, thank you very much.”

Bob Strother, Greenville, SC

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“I loved the whole thing…so exciting to read. Phil Arnold has a fantastic imagination. I would like to see it animated on TV, because it would show the kids all the goodness in Elvis. And he makes a great hero.”

Shirley Romitz, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

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“Because Big E and the Santa Man is ‘A Rock & Roll Christmas Fantasy,’ anything that can be imagined can happen … and does. I give Big E and the Santa Man a big ‘E’ for Entertaining.”

Jerry Osborne, Port Townsend, WA

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Back Cover — Big E and the Santa Man

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“Big E and the Santa Man is an entertaining, creative story. Phil Arnold weaves together old, familiar Christmas names with fun and imaginative new characters. Secrets of the North Pole are revealed! As I read the book, it was as if I could hear the voice of Elvis telling me the story himself. With a space ship and a flying car, Big E and the Santa Man brings Santa and Scrooge into the modern world.

Carol Stevens, Canoga Park, CA

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“Phil, I truly believe that this wonderful story would be both perfect and magical as an animated version you aspire to!! I certainly hope you attain this dream, for we will benefit with a wonderful Christmas delight.”

Clementine Moriarty, St Louis, MO

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“I purchased a bunch of Big E and the Santa Man last year thinking they would make terrific Christmas presents for friends, family & me. I thought the copies of this fun book would be read and put away by the recipients. BUT NO — I was mistaken. Phil’s book is on display and read YEAR ROUND. I SO recommend giving this cheery book. It’s an all year HO, HO, HO!”

Jean Pyle, Hawthorne, NJ

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“Big E and the Santa Man is a fantastic world that Phil Arnold has created. Taking two magical characters and bringing them together works in this very imaginative story. Elvis always loved Christmas and I am sure he would have enjoyed this tale.”

Red Robinson, Vancouver, BC

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“Great Table Book. Phil Arnold brings his smooth, witty writing style to two of our favorite things — Elvis Presley and Santa! A great read for fans of all ages. Can’t wait for the next one.”

Carol Austin, Memphis, TN

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“I just finished reading Big E and the Santa Man today, and I must say, I absolutely loved it. It is a good prospect for an animated Christmas special. I can totally see that. It would be pretty cool if that happened.

Gerard Montz, LaPlace, LA

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“Big E and the Santa Man tells the tale of where Elvis really went – the North Pole. Who else but Elvis could teach the elves to play rock and roll music, turn Santa’s sleigh into a red rocket Cadillac, and save Christmas from evil Scrooge? This lighthearted tale had me chuckling all through the book. Phil Arnold’s style and spot-on Elvis characterization made this quite an enjoyable read for all fans of Elvis – and Santa Claus.”

John Migacz, Ware Shoals, SC

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“I read this book, and all I can say is ‘I loved it.’ I can easily see it as an annual Christmas movie. Very, very, interesting.”

Darwin Lamm, Palm Springs, CA

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“Phil Arnold has written a witty and insightful Christmas fantasy… a good read you will enjoy this Christmas and each one to come. In chapter after chapter of Big E and the Santa Man, the characters, the dialog, and the surroundings become more vivid. The exchanges involving “Big E” convey Elvis’ mannerisms, his good heart, and his vocal Inflections, and in doing so breathe life into the pages.”

Jeff Schrembs, Virginia Beach, VA

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Okay, that’s the last pitch until next Christmas season.

Click here to buy the book. You’ll be glad you did.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Phil Arnold

Original Elvisblogmeister

My sincerest appreciation goes out to all the folks who emailed me these nice comments or posted them on Amazon. Thank you so much.

I got my first Amazon check today (actually a direct deposit) for BIG E and the SANTA MAN. The response to my book has been most gratifying, and I thank all of you who bought a copy.

It’s been fun coming up with entertaining ways to pitch the book here on ElvisBlog. There’s been four posts so far, and I’ve tried to keep them interesting so people would read all the way through.

On this post, I’d like to get more serious, so I hope I don’t lose you. Even though the sales of the book are good, there’s lots of potential readers who might still be unconvinced. Over 12,000 visitors come to ElvisBlog each month, so what’s holding some folks back? I think it might be three things.

The whole premise of the novel is that Elvis didn’t die in August 1977. Instead, he went off to a remote, but very special place, to start a new life – living with Santa Claus at the North Pole. I know some Elvis fans are totally turned off by what they call the Elvis is Alive nonsense. Okay, fine, but this story says right on the cover that it is a Rock & Roll Christmas FANTASY. If you lighten up and just go with the premise, BIG E and the SANTA MAN is wonderful fun story.

Perhaps another thing causing doubt is a concern that the book is just too weird to be any good.

Elvis living with Santa – ridiculous
Scrooge converted to a mad scientist in a space craft – get real
A flying 1959 Cadillac jet sled – impossible

All I can say is that the story was conceived as an animated TV Christmas special, and people who have read it say they can see the drama, and action, and humor playing out on the screen. They started reading with an open mind and loved the story. Although it is the strangest Christmas story ever written, it is not too weird to be any good. No, it is very good.

The third possible stumbling block for some people may be their doubt that the host of a blog could craft a good piece of fiction on his first try. Actually, it is my second novel.

Elvis Claus is what I wrote first to hone my fiction writing skills. I plan to publish it next year. It might be even harder for folks to get beyond the Elvis is Alive premise on this one, because it’s not a fantasy, it’s a love story.

Writing fiction is a lot more challenging than writing non-fiction, but my extensive production of magazine articles has contributed to a sound grasp of grammar, punctuation, and other factors that can make your work look amateurish if you don’t get them right. BIG E and the SANTA MAN is clean, very professional looking.

For what it’s worth, I have written 54 articles for Elvis International magazine, including “Artist of the Century” in this issue.

I am very proud of the quality of my writing. I was hired by famous Elvis photographer Al Wertheimer to write the forward for his book ELVIS: The Early Years.

The author of Elvis: He Touched Me hired me to write two chapters and the “About the Author” section.

Okay, that’s enough proving I’m a good writer. You get the idea. I just wanted to emphasize any way I could that BIG E and the SANTA MAN is a quality work of fiction.

I am also very proud of the book’s cover. I engaged a top-notch graphic artist to create it, and she came through big time. She also did the cover for Elvis Claus. Scroll back and look at the outstanding job she did aging Elvis. She also did the Joe Biden and Minions pictures above.

So, that’s my pitch about quality. I truly believe this is the perfect Christmas present for Elvis fans. All you need to do is tell someone to type BIG E and the SANTA MAN into the Amazon search box, or click here and buy it yourself.

If you want a signed copy, and you have a PayPal account, send an email to philarnold@charter.net, and I’ll take care of the rest.

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I would like to end by paraphrasing the message in the above picture.

Who is this Big E guy?
And will he be under your Christmas tree?

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Thank you,

Phil Arnold

Original ElvisBlogmeister