A school maintenance worker's novel has been turned into a Hallmark Christmas movie
CHICAGO - Rikk Dunlap calls it "uplift-erature."
The term, referring to stories that leave a person feeling good, has become his mantra, his guide and his ticket onto the Hallmark Channel.
It may seem odd that a man who's seen the dark side of life, having endured alcoholism and recovery and the loss of his job at age 56, would strive to produce work that lets in the light. But it works for him. And, now he knows for sure, it's working for others.
Dunlap's yet-to-be published novel, "The Christmas Tree Lot," was recently made into a movie, renamed "Christmas Under the Stars," by the Hallmark Channel. It premieres Nov. 16 as part of the
