NEW Media city editor publishes 20th novel

A new novel being put out by Wisconsin author Lee Pulaski will have you believing in Christmas miracles.

Pulaski, who resides in Shawano County and is the city editor for NEW Media, goes back to his hometown of Chino Valley, Arizona, in “White Christmas in the Desert,” his 20th book. The story follows Meldrick Stazenski as he returns home to manage the family cattle ranch with his 8-year-old son, Evan, who tells Santa Claus that the only thing he wants this holiday season is to have a white Christmas.

“Last year, around the holidays, it occurred to me that I’ve written most of my books with a Wisconsin backdrop, but not once did I tap into the place where I grew up for inspiration,” Pulaski said. “It’s not as though I don’t like where I grew up — quite the opposite. That’s why it was important for me to make this story take place in Arizona and bring up an interesting holiday dilemma.”

In the story, Meldrick is determined to make sure Evan gets that white Christmas he’s dreaming of, because he knows his son is feeling abandoned following the divorce of Meldrick and his husband and is slowly coming to grips with moving to a new town. However, fake snow to cover the ranch is cost prohibitive, and Meldrick can’t control the weather, so he must figure out alternative means to pull off a big snowfall.

Meldrick meets a vegetable farmer named Jesse Turner, who is about to lose his livelihood after his family’s gambling debts have put the farm too far into hock to be able to save it. Despite being on hard times, Jesse is intrigued by Meldrick’s plans to give Evan a white Christmas and agrees to lend a hand. In the course of plotting a pleasant holiday, the two men soon discover that the boy’s wish is not the only one that needs fulfilling.

“Meldrick is so busy trying to pick up the tattered pieces of his son’s life that he forgets that he’s had to make major adjustments to his life, as well,” Pulaski said. “Two lost souls finding each other is always so romantic, and having two good, strong men fall in love in a country atmosphere should warm even the coldest heart this holiday season.”

Pulaski was able to tap into his memories from his younger years and incorporate them into “White Christmas in the Desert.” In one chapter, Meldrick, Evan and Jesse go on a trail ride and chase hot-air balloons. Another chapter has Meldrick taking Evan to see the World’s Largest Gingerbread Village in a neighboring community.

A key theme that Pulaski brings into “White Christmas in the Desert” is faith. Interwoven throughout Meldrick’s return to the country is a Christian upbringing that he wants to pass on to his son.

“Meldrick goes to church every Sunday like a lot of other folks, and when things take a dark turn later in the book, Meldrick says some prayers in the hope that Christmas will turn out all right,” Pulaski said. “It was important to me for readers to see that gay people can have as much faith in the Lord as anyone else, and that there are some churches that don’t turn their backs on the LGBT community and actually embrace them.”

“White Christmas in the Desert” is currently available on Amazon in ebook, hardcover or paperback. For information about this book or the other novels in Pulaski’s catalog, visit www.leepulaski.com.