News Release                                         2015

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​Sacramento Holiday Novella Converted Into Audiobook Dramatization by Local Author/Actor

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​Sacramento author, actor and PR pro Rick Cabral has created a vehicle that merges his talents in the audiobook dramatization of his novella, The Miracle of the Christmas Wish Holder.

The audiobook features several Northern California actors in presenting a dramatization of Cabral’s fictional work published in 2011. Updated versions of the novella will also be available at Amazon.com and Amazon Kindle.

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The story follows Sacramento public relations professional Grace McBride, who has represented many challenging clients, but none more than the Soltero Brothers. Their family toy business became ensnared in a legal quagmire when their new “Wish Holder” logo brought charges of trademark infringement by a high-tech company. An injunction would postpone delivery of the children’s gift beyond the holiday selling season, erasing profits which traditionally support local charities. Ernesto Soltero attempted to settle the situation by hiring the communication expert to negotiate a quick settlement with the company, not-so-secretly hoping to reunite his recently-widowed son Donte, with McBride, his former high school sweetheart.

Initially, the former lovers clash over style and personal history. But their unique collaborative compromise resolves the legal suit, while revealing the wooden toy’s mysterious power. The outcome rekindles their dormant attraction on a rare snowy Christmas Eve in Sacramento.

A long-time voice actor, Cabral narrates and plays the five male Soltero characters. Grace McBride is performed by veteran actor Mary Beth Barber, an Elly Awards nominee who has appeared in dozens of local stage, film and TV roles.

 

The Soltero daughter Alena is played by acting newcomer Sarah Elizabeth Warren. Other performers include Eric Jay Decetis, who plays tech CEO Ronko Stoyonovich, Janine Romney, Tim Church, Polly Dahms Adams, Gloria Estela, Leon Lee and Johnny Doskow.

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If the latter two names sound familiar, it’s because they form the radio broadcast team for the Sacramento RiverCats. Cabral is friends with both baseball men, and knowing they were interested in expanding into voice acting, invited them to play the roles of the UC Davis Medical Center doctor and his assistant. Lee also gives a tender portrayal of a homeless man on Christmas Eve.

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Decetis, the internationally renowned cartoonist and humorist, was a huge “get” for the project’s producer. Cabral recently reacquainted with Decetis at a Christian Brothers high school event, and learned that he has performed in numerous local commercial and film projects. Decetis volunteered his voice talent to the “Christmas Wish Holder” project, and launched into creating the story’s antagonist, Stoyonovich, who is a Czech émigré.

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“Once I decided to expand from a traditional audiobook format with just one voice, I realized we could create something akin to the old radio dramas from the 1930s and ‘40s,” Cabral said. “So, I brought in some of my acting associates and newcomers to contribute their voices to this project, and they really help to bring it to life and in the process make my wish come true—to create a dramatization of ‘Christmas Wish Holder.’”

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Like those old-time productions of the past, Cabral’s dramatization includes traditional Foley sound effects, along with home-grown sounds, plus holiday music sprinkled throughout the two hour, forty-eight minute production.

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The audiobook is available at Audible.com and Amazon.com.
 

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