WELL, Well Well...

"But Xmastime", you say in the voice of Craig “Ironhead” Heyward from those soap commercials (RIP), “didn't you try to warn people about this in your first non-bestseller, Williamsburg Rats: A Manny's Tour of Duty?"

Sigh. Yes I did, faithful readers, YES I did: 

He was pushing me to sit down, so I flopped back into the easy chair and he scooted up into The Nook.  I opened the book and voila, first page: a humungous, smiling snake.  Every one of these books, there's a goddam snake with fangs the size of hammers that's supposed to be cute and friendly.  Hey look, a fluffy, happy puppy looking for a hug.  There’s a sweet baby duck splashing around with a beach ball.  Oh, and sliding down a tree?  A copperhead that looks like it just swallowed a fucking golf cart.  “Oh, but it’s so cute and cuddly!”

I didn’t want Chuck to be scared of snakes.  I didn’t want him to be scared of anything.  But I also didn’t want him thinking it was okay to go up and hug a snake.