Local Author Receives National Recognition

The Annual 2017 Florida Authors and Publishers Association President's Book Awards recognized The Kingdom of the Lizards by Katrina Kusa, in the category of juvenile fiction, as a Bronze medal winner for both the state of Florida and the overall national award.

Hosted by the Florida Authors and Publishers Association, this prestigious national award is open to books published between 2016 and 2017.

"The FAPA President's Book Award exists to promote excellence in the publishing industry by recognizing talented contemporary authors who put both heart and soul into their work. FAPA is proud to be a champion of authors and publishers going the extra mile to produce books of excellence in every aspect." said Jane R. Wood, President-Elect of FAPA.

The Kingdom of the Lizards is a fiction children's book, published by Archway Publishing which was inspired by her own observations of kids manhandling small critters, Kusa presents readers with the tale of Clara, who fosters a deep connection with a community of lizards that live under her favorite oak tree. When antagonist Daniel captures and threatens to harm the lizard kingdom's leader, Clara embarks on a rescue mission to save her imprisoned reptile friend.

"I'm excited to have been honored as the youngest award recipient! As a 13 year old, I almost can't believe how well received my first book has been. This truly proves you don't have to wait to have your dreams come true! I hope my success as a young author inspires other kids to put their creativity out in the world," said Kusa.

Medals were awarded at the annual FAPA President's Book Awards Banquet held this year at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace in the Disney Springs TM Area of Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

"We are proud to announce this year's winners who truly embody the excellence this award was created to celebrate. We had a record number of entries this year. Competition was stiff! We salute all of our winners for their fine work," said FAPA's President, Terri Gerrell.

The Florida Authors & Publishers Association is an organization for authors, publishers, independent publishers, illustrators, editors, printers, and other professionals involved in the publishing industry. To learn more about Katrina Kusa and her children's book The Kingdom of the Lizards, visit http://www.katrinakusa.com. To see photos from the event, go to http://bit.ly/2hO3U17.

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