Winners of the Florida Authors and Publishers Association’s Annual President’s Book Awards were presented with their medals last Saturday, August 5, during the President’s Book Awards Ceremony in conjunction with FAPACon 2023 at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace.

Recipients who were not able to attend the ceremony will receive their medals in the mail by the end of August.

The FAPA President’s Book Awards recognizes book publishing excellence and creativity in design, content, and production for authors, illustrators, cover designers, and publishers. This contest isn’t limited to Florida; it is open to anyone worldwide, as long as the book is written in English. We hope to encourage entries from all who share our complex and wonderful language. 

Publishers, librarians, educators, and other professionals in the industry from Florida and throughout the United States volunteer as judges. Three judges read each entry, and their scores determine the finalists.
Entrants may choose from thirty — seven categories. If applicable, a single book may be entered in multiple categories. Consequently, some entries may receive two or even three medals if they earn them in the categories entered.

Gold, silver, and bronze medals are awarded based on each book’s score and the range of scores in each category. Competition is very tight. A book must earn a minimum score to receive a medal. For example, suppose no book in a particular category scores high enough for a gold or silver. In that case, only one bronze medal may be awarded for that category. On the other hand, if the final scores for several entries are very close within a specific category, multiple gold, silver, or bronze medals will be awarded.

Congratulations again to all of our winners. Earning a medal is a remarkable accomplishment and a testament to each winner’s skill and talent.

The following is a list of winners by category.

Adult Fiction: General

Destiny's Mission — Joanne Simon Tailele — Gold
The Turtle Thieves — Brenda M. Spalding — Silver
Trouble in Choctaw County — John R. York — Bronze
Adult Fiction: Historical
Code of Honor: A Novel of RADM Peter Wake, USN, in the 1904- 1905 Russo-Japanese War — Robert N. Macomber — Gold
Tangled Spirits: A Novel — Kate Shanahan — Silver
Rebels Abroad — Eddie Price — Bronze
The Ghost Writer — Anne K. Hawkinson — Bronze
Adult Fiction: Mystery/Suspense

20,000 Kilos Under the Sea—A Modern Retelling of the Jules Verne Classic Adventure — Richard Wickliffe — Gold
Terms of Betrayal — T. Milton Mayer — Gold
The Islamorada Murders — Owen Parr — Gold
Star Tangled Murder — Nancy J. Cohen — Silver
The Grave with Greener Grass — D.L. Havlin — Silver
Devil's Kiss — Michelle Bennington — Bronze
Holy Parrot — Angel A — Bronze
Rock Step, Triple Homicide: An Introduction to Lindy Hop...AND a Murder Mystery — Douglas Dorsey — Bronze
We're All Lying — Marie Still — Bronze
Adult Fiction: Thriller/Horror
From Assassin To Priest — Fred Gray — Gold
The Child Riddler — Angela Greenman — Gold
Greedy as a Ghoul: Prequel to Malfus: Necromancer Unchained — Casey Sutton —Silver
The Price of Revenge — Rita M. Boehm — Silver
Titanium Web — L.M. Whitaker — Bronze
Adult Fiction: Romance
Taken — E.C. Roderick — Gold
The Refusal — Eve M. Riley — Gold
Tales From a Lady's Bower: A Collection — Isabella Berdyna Zysk, Ronnda Eileen Henry, and Aleksandra Layland — Silver
Whispers of Chernobyl — Lyla Lynn — Bronze
Adult Fiction: Sci-Fi
The Intrepid: Dawn Of The Interstellar Age — Arnie Benn — Gold
On the Brink of Continuity — Kip Koelsch — Silver
The Serpent Underneath — Julie A. Fragoules — Bronze
Adult Fiction: Fantasy
The Gastwick Witch, The Orion Chronicles — Book 2 — R.L. Keck — Gold
The Ring Keeper — A.J. Park — Silver
Ultima Skylar — Omayra Vélez — Bronze
Adult Fiction: Anthology/Collection
The Night Cometh: 20 Fantastical Short Stories — Lorilyn Roberts — Gold
Tales From a Lady's Bower: A Collection — Isabella Berdyna Zysk, Ronnda Eileen Henry, and Aleksandra Layland — Silver
Mangoes & Roosters: Stories and Tales of Haiti — Cynthia D. Bertelsen — Bronze
Adult Non-Fiction: General
Queen of the Clouds: Joan Merriam Smith and Jerrie Mock's Epic Quest to Become the First Woman to Fly Solo Around the World — Taylor C. Phillips — Gold
Take a Goose or a Duck: Eclectic Essays on English Cookery Through the Ages — Cynthia D. Bertelsen — Silver
Without A Homeland, Love, Loss and Resilience at Qatrom Refugee Camp — Bobbie Lord — Silver
Dear Michael — Adam Lieber — Bronze
Adult: Education

Lessons Learned: Stories from Women Leaders in STEM — Deborah M. Shlian, MD, MBA — Gold
Our Ancient Brain: Why We Think the Way We Do — James S. Bucko — Silver

Young Adult: Fiction
Eira's Book of Magic — Camellia White — Gold
The Ring Keeper — A.J. Park — Silver
The Stallion and His Peculiar Boy: Based On the Life of the Famous Arabian Horse Witez II — M.J. Evans — Silver
Broken — Melody Dean Dimick — Bronze
Young Adult: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Helm of Awe: Anchoress Series Book Three — D.L. Armillei — Gold
The Island Siege: The Black Phantom Chronicles (Book 3) — Esther Wallace — Gold
The Ring Keeper — A.J. Park — Silver
Where the Magic Lies (Perils of Portia Saga #1) — Hermione Lee — Bronze
Middle Grades 6–8
Harry and the Kidnappers — Dr. Robert A. Ernst — Gold
Sons of The People — Janet Pesicka Watson — Gold
Ghost Girl — Patti M. Walsh — Silver
Maya Loop — Lis Anna — Langston — Silver
Erift's Journeys: Secrets of The Sealed Forest — J.T. Tenera — Bronze
The Colors of the Sea — Gayle Paben — Bronze
Children: Grades 3–5
An Instrument for Florenda — Tomeko Brown and Christopher Smallwood — Gold
Hazel Down the Rabbit Hole — Rebecca Agiewich — Gold
Harry and the Kidnappers — Dr. Robert A. Ernst — Silver
Love, Maggie—Chronicles of 3rd Grade — Rae Marsh — Bronze
Super Scary — D. G. Stern — Bronze
Children: Grades K–2
Little Miss Grubby Toes Gets Lost! — Eddie Price — Gold
March of the Sea Turtles — Joanne Simon Tailele — Gold
So Many Animals! A Child's Book of Poetry — M.R. Street, Anthology Editor — Silver
Hello, Can I Bug You? — Sherry Roberts — Bronze
Hustle Bustle Bugs — Catherine Bailey — Bronze
Children: Preschool
How to Dress a Dinosaur — Robin Currie — Gold
Hustle Bustle Bugs — Catherine Bailey — Silver
Children: Picture Book
A Story of Whoa — Chris Corbett — Gold

How To Make Your Sock Talk: A Beginner's Guide To Ventriloquism — Jimmy Vee — Gold
Hustle Bustle Bugs — Catherine Bailey — Gold
Why I Love Grandpa — PeTika Tave — Silver
The Little Penguin — Sheri Fink — Bronze
Blue is the Only Color in the Rainbow — Deanna Hart — Bronze
Children: General
My Little Angel Coloring Book — Sherrill S. Cannon — Gold
Love, Maggie — Chronicles of 3rd Grade — Rae Marsh — Silver
Frizzle Meets Frazzle (in France) — Rhonda Goodall — Bronze
Children: Education
How To Make Your Sock Talk: A Beginner's Guide To Ventriloquism — Jimmy Vee — Gold
Kobee Manatee Climate Change and The Great Blue Hole Hazard — Robert Scott Thayer — Silver
The Oyster Garden — Camille Klump — Bronze
Autobiography/Biography/Memoir
Against The Current In The Silent Service — R.W. Herman — Gold
Game Changer — Paul Frase and Alison Rockett — Gold
Ninety — Nine Fire Hoops — Allison Hong Merrill — Gold
Queen of the Clouds: Joan Merriam Smith and Jerrie Mock's Epic Quest to Become the First Woman to Fly Solo Around the World — Taylor C. Phillips — Gold
Rebel Correspondent — Steve Procko — Gold
Eisenhower Babies: Growing Up on Moonshots, Comic Books, and Black — and — White TV — Ronnie Blair — Silver
What Comes Next — Ramona Kelly — Silver
Deeper than African Soil — Faith Eidse — Bronze
Searching for Charles: The Untold Legacy of an Immigrant's American Adventure — Stephen Watts — Bronze
Stage Monkey — Chip Hunter — Bronze
Cookbook/Home & Garden
Recipes for Entertaining Panamanian Style — Sonia Ortiz — Gold
The Kitchen and the Studio: A Memoir of Food and Art — Mallory M. and John A. O'Connor — Silver
Coffee-Table Book
Discovering Florida's Coast: From the Emerald Northwest to Miami's Biscayne Jewel and Beyond — Doug Alderson — Gold
At the Tip of the Boot: My Memory of My Imprisonment in Austria — Roger G. Hill — Silver
The Art of Jimmy Tsutomu Mirikitani Exhibition Catalogue A Traveling Exhibit of the Wing Luke Museum — Diane Freaney — Bronze

Business
Leading Inclusion: Drive Change our Employees Can See and Feel — Gena Cox, PhD — Gold
Sustainability is for Everyone: Beginning Steps to Creating a Sustainability Program for Your Business — Lael Giebel — Silver
Tales of the Profitable Trader: The User's Guide to Modern Price Action from Theory to Practice — James Harris — Silver
Demystifying Cryptocurrency — A Beginners Guide to Understanding Digital Money, Nfts, and the Metaverse — Chuck Palm — Bronze
How-To/Self- Help
Nose to Tail — Louise Harding — Gold
Aqua Therapy: How I Prevented Major Surgery and Got My Life Back — John M. Capozzi — Silver
The 3G Cycle of Life: The Secrets for Achieving Joy, Meaning and Well-Being — Miriam Zylberglait Lisigurski, MD — Silver
TRIGGERCISE™ The Shooter’s Exercise Manual — Michael R. Mansfield, MBA — Bronze
Poetry
Popcorn Icons and Other Poems Celebrating Movies — Linda Kraus — Silver
The Face of Expression 3: Fall of A King — Aaron Woodson — Silver
Broken — Melody Dean Dimick — Bronze
Inspirational
360 Degrees of Grief, Finding Our Way Back — Richard Ballo — Gold
A Path to Excellence: The Blueprint to Your Greatest Potential — Tony Jeton Selimi — Silver
Musings from an Old Wooden Bridge Biblical Wisdom For A World Gone Mad — M.J. Gaylor — Bronze
Religion/Spirituality
Peace in the Midst of the Storm — Kaleb Thompson — Gold
A Knock in the Attic — John Russell — Silver
Raise Your Frequency Through Number Messages: Awaken to the Meaning of Number Sequences and Synchronicities from Animals, Nature, and the Universe — Melissa Alvarez — Silver
Musings from an Old Wooden Bridge Biblical Wisdom For A World Gone Mad — M.J. Gaylor — Bronze
Fitness/Sports/Recreation
Aqua Therapy: How I Prevented Major Surgery and Got My Life Back — John M. Capozzi — Gold
TRIGGERCISE™ The Shooter’s Exercise Manual — Michael R. Mansfield, MBA — Silver

Health
Hair Loss: Options for Restoration & Reversal 2nd Edition — Gustavo J. Gomez Ph.D. — Gold
The 3G Cycle of Life: The Secrets for Achieving Joy, Meaning and Well-Being — Miriam Zylberglait Lisigurski, MD — Gold
Aqua Therapy: How I Prevented Major Surgery and Got My Life Back — John M. Capozzi — Silver
The Clinic — Venkit S. Iyer — Bronze
Humor
Try Catch Finally — Jem Matzan — Bronze
Political/Current Events
Life After Trump: Seeking a More Perfect Union — Marsha Shearer — Gold
Cover Design: Adult
At the Tip of the Boot: My Memory of My Imprisonment in Austria — Roger G. Hill / Cover Design Patti Knoles — Gold
From Assassin To Priest — Fred Gray / Cover Design Fred Gray — Gold
Deeper than African Soil — Faith Eidse / Cover Design Elizabeth Petersheim — Silver
Tagalong — George Encizo / Cover Design Elizabeth Babski — Silver
Shades of Color — An Unequaled Legacy — Innocence of a Child — Clifton Savoy / Cover Design Clifton Savoy — Bronze
Cover Design: Young Adult
Panic at the North Pole — Valerie Crowe / Cover Design Ginger Marks — Silver
Cover Design: Juvenile
The Little Penguin — Sheri Fink / Cover Design Bright Jungle Studios — Gold
Sofia's Someone: The Beginning — Donna Frost / Cover Design Bonnie Kauffman — Silver
Children's Book Illustrations
Hello, Can I Bug You? — Sherry Roberts / Illustrator Marta Taylor — Gold
The Toy Soldier — Karen L. Chaney / Illustrator Lee Chemlen — Silver