NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, September 25, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ — Every year the Independent Publisher Book Awards honors the year’s best independently published titles from around the world. The awards are intended to bring increased recognition to the thousands of exemplary independent, university, and self-published books released each year.

Christian Cook has been writing for over a decade, as she started off writing professionally in college as a freelancer. She specialized in B2B, tech, lifestyle, and food but she always had a passion for storytelling. When she was ready to take her love for writing from a passion to purpose, she applied for a writing program in Paris and was selected for her unique voice, range, and ability to paint a picture with words. This was the adventure that prepared Cook to start writing her debut novel, “Growing in the Gray”. She not only won the IPPY award, but the Amazon Bestseller also won the Black Authors Matter TV Awards which was sposnored by the National Black Book Festival, BET shows The Family Business and the Black Hamptons, and Speakers Magazine. The winner was selected based on the most votes for the Young Adult Fiction category, Cook was announced as the winner in the competitive space and won for receiving the most votes by 3 to 1.

“I had so much fun writing this book as a lot of my experiences while attending art school inspired me to write this novel. Ironically when I was in school, I was told I’d never be able to publish a book based on a main character who lived in their head but I did and that’s a topic that is common in conversation amongst Gen Z,” Cook notes. “Growing in the Gray” is a coming-of-age tale with a Black female lead who moves away from home with a goal to start college and become an art curator in Chicago. She struggles with trying to get into a world that wasn’t created for her, being away from home for the first time, and the pain of not knowing how to navigate situations that aren’t black or white; but gray.

Cook is excited about the traction her novel has picked up since its release and shows no sign of slowing down as she has also won the Book Excellence Award for her novels’ high-quality writing, design, and market appeal. “Growing in the Gray” is the first of the series that will follow the protagonist from her freshman year of college all the way to graduation, including themes that emphasize the concept of time not being linear, misadventures, and understanding life backwards as you’re learning lessons moving forward. “When I started writing this story I wasn’t sure how it would be received but it turns out that it was precisely needed at this moment,” Cook states. With a fresh and unique writing style, Cook is looking forward to creating a series that will ignite engaging conversations and challenge the way the audience thinks and have it adapted as a show.

“Growing in the Gray” can be purchased on amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million and target.com.

More information about Cook can be found on craftedbychristian.com .

Christian Cook
Crafted By Christian
[email protected]