A novel based on a true story. For mature young adults. It is 1982 at a New England university, and drama major Margo Laughton is thrilled and terrified to be cast as “Sheila” in the rock musical Hair. The show’s director, Professor Harrison P. Adler, is known for his daring productions. Rumors have circulated for decades about how Harry gets actors to break through their inhibitions. He prefers working with boys, encouraging them to become violent and explore their sexuality in carefully guided improvisations or “improvs.” In 1969, an actor in one of Harry’s plays committed suicide. Is Harry a brilliant ground-breaking acting coach, or is he a manipulative voyeur who has found an academically and artistically sanctioned way to indulge his perversions? Margo and her leading man enjoy a playful rehearsal relationship that is shattered after a highly secretive, males-only improv. Margo is determined to find out what happened in the improv and the 1969 suicide, risking her romance and her hoped-for acting career in order to make sure that Harry never directs another play at the college.

The Improv

Literature & Fiction

McDermott, M.J.

Women's Fiction

Wooded Isle Press, LLC

At the end of Mary Shelley’s "Frankenstein," the Creature disappears into the arctic wasteland to die. "Frankenstein Meets Santa" takes up the story from there. In his torment, the monster collapses onto the icy ground to die, but is roused decades later by a flying reindeer. He follows the reindeer and stumbles upon the North Pole, home of Santa Claus. He yearns to be a part of this “Sweet Village,” but the monster in him needs to be tamed. Only Santa Claus can redeem Frankenstein, with the help of Mrs. Claus and the elves. Working through his defects and violent tendencies, learning a meaningful trade from two elves, and accepting the lovingkindness of Santa himself, Frankenstein is finally able to put his monstrous self aside and find healing and hope, and the very things he was always seeking – a home and a family. And, of course, he saves Christmas!

Frankenstein Meets Santa

Genre Fiction

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Books by McDermott, M.J.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by McDermott, M.J.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Improv

Frankenstein Meets Santa