Outskirts Press, INC.

THEM: Thoughtless, Heartless, Emotionless Machines

At the North Pole, Santa is quickly realizing that children’s toy preferences are changing to electronic gadgets and gizmos—and the days of traditional wooden toys “made with hands and hearts” may be over. Kids want toys that talk, walk, play games, and do their homework, and Santa does not want any disappointed children on Christmas morning. In order to keep up with the demand, Santa must purchase “THEM”—thoughtless, heartless, emotionless machines—to help build the electronic gadgets. The problem? The machines are well beyond the elves’ technology and capabilities, and they’ll need help from the grandmas and grandpas. With only seventeen weeks to Christmas Eve, there is much work to do, and it’ll take a team of grandmas, grandpas, and elves working at a feverish pace to get things running as smoothly as a spinning top. But such a toy-changing decision does not come without challenges and problems, and “problem” is one word Santa does not want to hear. Hang on to your hat—it’s going to be a wild ride in elfdom in How the Grandmas