I'm shocked and humbled by the selection of Sun City as the 2022 Best Indie Book Award winner for Humor.
This story was a love letter to the people that saved my life as a boy, although in real life there was no bootleg pot... at least to my knowledge. A lot of great colleagues and friends have helped the book make it to this point including but not limited to Nan Schmid, Nelson Downend, Steven Jon Whritner, Amanda Abright, Ellen Parks, Barbara Gastel, MD, PhD, Shannon Davies, and of course, Kelli.
Here's what they said about it.
Description
2022 BIBA® Humor/Satire Winner!
A Heart-Warming Recipe for Fun
Take one old farmer, a salacious genius chef named Betty Crocker, a former CIA operative turned counterculture warrior, a mob boss in witness protection, and a 14-year-old boy and girl who just want to make movies. Add a coven of clog-dancing Wiccans, a corrupt corporation, and a pack of feral hogs. Mix in a cache of hyper-engineered government pot seed and bake to perfection in the Texas heat. What do you get? A delectable dish called Sun City, a positively addictive story of love and rebellion that proves— any time is the right time to come of age.
When a group of eccentric vibrant seniors in a master-planned community are compelled to oppose a corrupt corporation that owns their properties, a widowed old farmer, a genius salacious chef whose name is Betty Crocker, a former CIA operative turned counterculture warrior, and a mob boss in witness protection decide to regain control of their community by making enough money to take over the big business entity. Adopting the philosophy that “Behind every great fortune is a crime” the ex-CIA hippie reveals that he is sitting on a supply of Cold War era government engineered pot seed, left over from a failed attempt to overthrow Castro, and points out that between them, they have exactly the skill sets necessary to accomplish their goal. Along the way, they “adopt” the Sun City property manager, a noble, struggling single mother, and her awkward 14-year-old son who, along with Betty’s feisty granddaughter, wants to make a documentary about Sun City. Now it’s a juggling act between helping the kids and hiding the nouveau bootlegging operation from an oppressive resident’s board and a Sheriff’s Deputy with a most unfortunate last name. Complicating this titanic struggle between individual freedom and social control is a world populated by clog dancing Wiccans, feral hogs, and a pesky DHS drone. In the end, however, they all wind up with something far more valuable than money, a sense of community and the ability to help the kids who have no idea what is happening.
This is Sun City, the perfect place to find yourself.