Anthony V. McLean

Raised in the rural community of Brooke County, West Virginia, the author grew up surrounded by farmland, animals, cornfields, and woods. The son of a farmhand and a homemaker, he spent much of his quiet childhood reading and exploring the outdoors. During high school, he became more outgoing, sang in a rock band he formed with a close friend, and played drums in the marching band.

After graduating from high school, he attended college and explored several fields of study before discovering his calling in nursing. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2002. Motivated by a desire to serve following the events of September 11, 2001, he commissioned as an officer in the United States Army Nurse Corps.

Stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he served four years on active duty. His service included a six-month deployment to Iraq with the 28th Combat Support Hospital and a humanitarian mission to New Orleans with the 82nd Airborne Division following Hurricane Katrina. After leaving active duty, he continued serving the Army as a civilian.

In 2008, he was recalled to active duty and deployed to Afghanistan for one year with the 33rd Infantry. During his deployment, he served with the Counter Narcotics Integrated Kandaks and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal.

Throughout his nursing career, he has held several leadership positions. In 2016, he began pursuing a doctorate in leadership at the University of Charleston. He graduated in 2019 after successfully defending his dissertation. Shortly afterward, he moved to New Hampshire, where he currently serves as the Director of Nursing at an assisted living facility in Peterborough.

He is the proud father of three children. In his free time, he enjoys reading, writing, cooking, exercising, and continuing to explore history and culture.

The idea for Old Saint Nick emerged while he was reading several books about the history of Christmas. He became fascinated by the extraordinary transformation of the historical Saint Nicholas into the beloved figure known around the world as Santa Claus. To him, the true story was more compelling than any fictional version he had encountered.

Rather than creating an entirely new legend, he set out to gather the scattered historical, religious, and cultural pieces of Saint Nicholas’s story and weave them into one cohesive narrative. Through Old Saint Nick, he hopes readers will discover the remarkable history behind a familiar figure and enjoy the journey as much as he enjoyed bringing it to life.