News

Boca by Moonlight has won 2nd Prize in Fiction from the Arizona Authors Association.

Boca by Moonlight has won Honorable Mention

Boca by Moonlight wins Honorable Mention in the awards contest sponsored by the National Federation of Press Women, a nationwide organization of men and women pursuing careers across the communications spectrum.

Boca by Moonlight is named a Finalist in the National Indie Excellence Awards.

The National Indie Excellence® Awards celebrate physical books in print as a strong and vital sector of our industry. Recognizing excellence in all aspects of the final presentation, NIEA champions the highest quality books across a spectrum of metrics. Established in 2005, NIEA’s entrants are meticulously judged by experts from various facets of the book industry profession including publishers, editors, authors, and designers.

Boca by Moonlight has placed first in the Arizona Chapter of the National Federation of Press Women at-large communication contest in the category of Fiction for Adult Readers.

The judges provided the following commentary: Well written. Interesting characters that brought fun and humor to the story with heartfelt emotions from the beginning to the end. Great job.

Boca by Moonlight receives a 5-Star Must Read Review from Reedsy Discovery!
Brad Graber’s newest release, Boca by Moonlight, has just received a 5-Star Must Read Review from Reedsy Discovery. Reedsy Discovery is a website that offers book recommendations for real people by real people in an effort to uncover future bestsellers. Check out the review.

Boca by Moonlight is now available on Amazon and at all fine book retailers! – Brad Graber’s third novel, Boca by Moonlight, has been released for publication on November 15th, 2021. The novel about friendship and starting over, follows George, a widower living in Boca Raton, Florida, as he struggles to acclimate to life as a single man. Alone in retirement, he relies on his golf buddies to console him.

But then his friend Willy suddenly dies. George is caught off-guard. Why did Willy’s family fail to show at the funeral? Why did the check to the mortuary bounce? And why did George get corralled into paying for the burial? More importantly, what can George learn from Willy’s life to escape making the same foolish mistakes? View the book trailer and then purchase a copy of the novel at Amazon, Kindle and Barnes & Noble, or any fine book retailer.

What’s That Growing in My Sour Cream? – a collection of over seventy essays on love, life, and relationships – has won 1st place in the National Federation of Press Women at-large communications contest.

This year the at-large contest featured entries from New York, Oregon, Ohio, Colorado, New Hampshire, Washington, D.C., Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, Minnesota, Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Maryland, Florida, South Dakota, Louisiana, Tennessee, Iowa, Kentucky and Washington.

Readers’ Favorite is proud to announce that “What’s That Growing in My Sour Cream?” by Brad Graber won the Bronze Medal in the Fiction – Humor/Comedy category.

The Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest featured thousands of contestants from over a dozen countries, ranging from independent authors, small publishers, and publishing giants such as Random House, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster, with contestants that range from the first-time, self-published author to New York Times bestsellers like J.A. Jance, James Rollins, and #1 best-selling author Daniel Silva, as well as celebrity authors like Jim Carrey (Bruce Almighty), Henry Winkler (Happy Days), and Eriq La Salle (E.R., Coming to America).

“When the right books are picked as winners we pay attention. We will be spreading the word about Readers’ Favorite.” –Karen A., Editor for Penguin Random House

Readers’ Favorite LLC
Media Relations
Louisville, KY 40202
800-RF-REVIEW
support@readersfavorite.com
https://readersfavorite.com

The Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA) is proud to announce “What’s That Growing in My Sour Cream?” by Brad Graber has won a 1st place EVVY Award in the humor category.

The CIPA EVVYs™ is one of the longest-running book award competitions on the Indie publishing scene, running for nearly 27 years. The annual contest is sponsored by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA), along with the CIPA Education and Literacy Foundation (ELF).

Judges are selected through CIPA’s judging qualification process and include teachers, business leaders, authors, critics, editors, readers and others. Our judges know books.

For more information on CIPA.

National Indie Excellence Award

What’s That Growing in My Sour Cream? has been named the winner of a 2020 National Indie Excellence Award in the humor category. The National Indie Excellence Awards celebrate independent publishing as a strong and proud sector of the Industry. For more information on the award, please visit National Indie Excellence Awards.

Fear, AIDS, and the Coronavirus

The following piece written by Brad Graber was published in the April
2020 Edition of the Gay & Lesbian News Worldwide.

What’s Growing in My Sour Cream?

Dark Victory Press announces the February 2020 release of Brad Graber’s latest book, WHAT’S THAT GROWING IN MY SOUR CREAM? – a compilation of over seventy humorous essays reflecting on the joys, challenges, and absurdities of modern life.

From the multi-award winning author of THE INTERSECT and AFTER THE FALL, comes a unique work of funny insight certain to engage readers. Graber explores American life through a very personal lens, sharing his experiences as an author and as a gay family man. “I grew up loving Erma Bombeck and Dick Cavett. I like to think of my blog, There I Said It! as if they had a baby. ”WHAT’S THAT GROWING IN MY SOUR CREAM? offers readers the best of the blogs gathered together under one cover with pieces on Facebook friends, awkward man hugs, and mahjong, to name but a few. A bold new voice, Graber’s humor and wit is on full display in WHAT’S THAT GROWING IN MY SOUR CREAM? (February 2020, ISBN 978-0-9976042-4-5, Original Trade Paperback)

Graber is interviewed on Author Voices: The Online Gazette for Today’s Innovative Authors about his writing career.

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

I was born and raised in New York City but have lived in Buffalo, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco, and now in Phoenix. No – the law isn’t after me.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

I attended SUNY at Buffalo and Washington University in St. Louis. Then, I moved around the country working as a healthcare executive. Phoenix was my last stop before I decided to embark on a second career as an author.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

Coming from the Bay Area, I was amazed at how much I loved Phoenix and Arizona. I wanted to share that feeling. The best way was through a story that crossed different ages, cultures, and socio-economic backgrounds.

Read more about the Author Voices interview with Brad Graber.

IRDA Winning Author Brad Graber: “Being an Indie author requires that we do more than just write a great novel.”

Brad Graber “All About the Book” interview.

1. What is the name of the book and when was it published?

After the Fall, by Brad Graber – May 2018

2. What’s the book’s first line?

Rikki braced herself as the traffic light at 73rd Avenue and Parson’s Boulevard turned yellow.

3. What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.

Rikki, a teenager being raised by her grandmother in New York City, has a secret. She can’t remember her mother. When she tries to talk to her grandmother, the older woman refuses to engage. Frustrated, Rikki finds a family album hidden in a trunk with photos of her mother as a teenager and a young boy. Is the boy her uncle? Can he shed light on what happened to her mother? Desperate to learn the truth, Rikki goes on a journey to meet Harry, a writer living in Phoenix, who is struggling with his own issues of identity.

4. What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?

Years ago, the niece of my first partner, then a teenager, reached out to learn about her uncle’s life. It made me wonder about families, the secrets they keep, and why despite the passage of time, they nobly cling to their deceptions.

5. What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who real, or fictional, would you say the character reminds you of?

Rikki is intelligent, brave, and incredibly self-aware. She knows things aren’t quite right in her world and is willing to rock-the-boat to learn the truth. Rikki’s style reminds me of Darlene Conner from Roseanne. She’s somewhat rebellious, edgy, and questioning of authority. A true nonconformist – but underneath, a warm and gentle heart in search of love and the family she misses.  The novel is very much like Juno meets As Good As It Gets.

6. What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?

We all tell stories about ourselves and our families. Sometimes, these stories are a “spin” on an unhappy truth. Over time, these stories can become traps of self-delusion. After the Fall reminds us that life is precious and only from truth can we begin to learn, grow, and heal.

7. When did you first decide to become an author?

I’ve been thinking about it since my early twenties but failed to give it the proper attention. Over the years, I’ve written a few stories and even submitted a manuscript to publishers. After two completed novels and a bimonthly blog, I’m fully committed to the process.

8. Is this the first you’ve written?

After the Fall, is my second novel. My first novel, The Intersect, released in September 2016, tells the story of strangers reaching out and making life changing connections. It’s won three awards and received rave reviews. I also write a blog: There, I Said It! I like to think of it as if Erma Bombeck and Dick Cavett had a baby. Light and fun, I explore the common bond that makes us human.

9. What do you do for work when you’re not writing?

Writing is now my full-time career. But, I also volunteer with local non-profits. For the last four years. I’ve worked with Duet, taking a blind senior grocery shopping every two weeks and driving others to medical appointments. It’s hands-on and very personal which allows me to give back to others.

10. How much time do you generally spend on your writing?

I start my day at 7:30 a.m. – sitting in front of my laptop – and work until around 2 p.m. And if it is a productive day, I might do another hour or two in the evening. But, that is not all writing. Much of the time is spent reaching out to readers through various marketing efforts and working to secure speaking engagements and book clubs. Being an Indie author requires that we do more than just write a great novel.

11. What’s the best and the hardest part of being an Indie?

There are moments that you feel like Cinderella. You want to go to the Ball, but you weren’t invited. And so, you must learn to believe in yourself. To take charge of your work and make sure that it’s presented in the best possible light. That requires wearing lots of hats and learning about the business of being a publisher. It’s a struggle to be proficient in so many areas beyond writing. I often think, “If I could just finish this darn novel it will be good enough”. But that isn’t true. Our work needs to be read and that means we need to find our readers. And that’s the major challenge that Indie authors must address.

12. What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow Indie authors?

Write the story that you want to read. Doing that alone, will keep the work relevant and interesting. And if you have passion for a project, it’s sure to shine through. It’s also easier to “pitch” work that you’re excited about and proud to have written.

13. Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling?  If so, why?

I’m not sure. After my first novel, I’d have jumped at the chance. A traditional publisher certainly provides cache and access, but I’ve learned so much, and I’ve probably become accustomed at this point to being in charge of my destiny. Technology has changed the world. There is no reason to think that the future won’t be bright for Indie authors. But, being a hybrid author might be a fantastic opportunity. So, I guess, never say never. If you’re a traditional publisher reading this, my door is always open.

14. Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune? more sex?)

I am all about revealing truth and injustice. Telling stories about real people – their lives, loves, and relationships. I’m really motivated by the story. Getting it out into the world. I want my readers to step into the shoes of characters who they might only meet in the pages of a good novel.

15. Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?

I admire so many writers. I love Ken Follett, Armistead Maupin, Ira Levin, Phillip Roth, and Ayn Rand. I’m moved by the beauty of the works by Tennessee Williams and Eugene O’Neil. And I love Doris Kearns Goodwin. But then, who doesn’t?