Literary Las Vegas: Paul Mattingly, F. Andrew Taylor
Paul Mattingly performs and teaches comedy improv acting, riffs on geek culture as part of the cast of the online program "The Ugly Couch Show," and for close to a decade, he made a living as a Klingon at "Star Trek: The Experience."
On Dec. 1, Mattingly adds author to his list of unconventional occupations with the release of "Christmapus: The Christmas Octopus: A Tentacled Yuletide Tale," illustrated by View reporter and cartoonist F. Andrew Taylor and edited and published by Pj Perez through his Las Vegas-based comic and graphic novel publishing company Pop! Goes the Icon.
"Christmapus" leaps beyond the night before Christmas and explores what happens the day after when Santa's magic red cap drops beneath the sea and inspires an octopus to leave the waves and visit the not-so-sweet tykes from Santa's bad list. With the assistance of Barry, a wino with a shiny red nose, Christmapus spreads post-holiday joy with gifts of sausage.
A book launch party with RJ Owens — who plays Bebe Francois in Cirque du Soleil's "Mystere" — reading the rhyming tale is scheduled for 7 p.m. Dec. 10 at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble. Visit popgoestheicon.com.
Excerpt:
House to house they did go
Giving sausage to children
Whose grades were too low
Or did not excel
In sports or good looks
Or were otherwise left
Off of Santa's gift books
Yes, all the plain children
Not special at all
No matter how boring
No matter how small
No matter how timid
No matter how scared
Christmapus showed them
That somebody cared
