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I am saddened to say that Mr. Carroll has chosen not to continue publishing. In general the public is no longer a "reading" group, preferring other means of entertainment to that of books. As a result the publishing industry has become very exclusive, publishing only that which they know in advance will sell, such as material written by celebrities. Though self-publishing is a viable option, it is very time consuming, often requiring more time to get material published than it took to actually write the book. Often publishers and agents don't even bother to responds to queries. This, as well as other factors, have led to this decision and thanks to all his loyal readers is given.

Welcome to the homepage of fiction novelist R. Louis Carroll. Here you will find information on his current and future literary efforts, specifically "The Gift: A Christmas Story", ISBN 1587213826 (softcover) and ISBN 1414005946 (hardcover), available for order from most major book retailers.

"The Gift: A Christmas Story" is a delightfully entertaining novel filled with emotional highs and lows that goes to the heart of the meaning of Christmas and is intended for the entire family. The story starts with a mechanic named Bobby who lacks any real understanding of the meaning of Christmas and sees it more as a commercial venture than a holiday. One Christmas Eve he falls asleep on his couch with his two hounds, Scooter Drop Downey and Jethro Bodine DeBasset, on his lap. He wakes within a dream as a dog lost and near death in a deep, frozen woods with no memory of who he is or how he got there. He is found by a young lady named Becky who has two dogs of her own, Scooter and Jethro. He spends a year in this dream learning the meaning of Christmas through the eyes of a dog.

Mr. Carroll is now actively working to have it published in braille and audio book as well as seeking to get it produced into the animated feature presentation it so richly deserves. If any of these efforts come to fruition you will hear it here first.

Cover art for The Gift was done by Dora Radi, a well known and very talented needlepoint artist. She is also one of Mr. Carroll's sample readers. The cover art was inspired while reading the story. If you would like to see more of her beautiful artwork, I've provided a link to her site for your convenience.

This is the second of Mr. Carroll's novels and the only one currently in print. His first, "Grains of Sand", is a character based, SciFi novel originally published over the internet from mid-1997 to mid-1998.

NEWS UPDATE---Drafting of "The Gift: A Christmas Tail", sequel to "The Gift: A Christmas Story" has begun. All the characters of the orignal book return to help two neglected, and orphaned children learn the meaning of Christmas. Also, planning for the third book in the series, "The Gift: Samantha's Hope", is done. This is the only book of the series that is based on a true story. Samantha is an abused stray Basset hound who eventually finds a home with the Carroll family. The circustances surrounding her life are truely amazing making this book a must read. Expect to see them soon.

This is Scooter Drop Downey. He is the older and wiser of the two Basset hounds featured in the story. Both Scooter and Jethro are Mr. Carroll's own Basset hounds. Scooter has been a member of Mr. Carroll's family since he was a tiny pup.

Meet Jethro Bodine DeBasset. He's the one who still thinks he's a puppy. His name seems to fit him very, very well. Mr. Carroll rescued him from an owner who had difficulty caring for him. He appears quite happy with his new home.

There are more pictures of Scooter and Jethro on the Photo Album page. Be sure to visit it as well as the Bio page which contains Carroll family pictures. There is also a sample chapter page where you will find links to major bookstores who carry "The Gift, A Christmas Story". At First Books Library (the publisher, now known as Author House) it is available in ebook, trade paperback and hardcover.

It should also be noted that poetry written by R. Louis Carroll is scheduled to appear in the anthologies "Patterns of Life", ISBN 0795152396 and "Eternal Portraits", ISBN 0795152272 as well as an audio CD anthology and another poetry book, but I cannot verify the accuracy of the publications or their ISBN's (information on this to by published at a later date).

Please sign my guestbook and continue to the next four pages. Thank you for visiting.