West Palm Beach author Taylor Thomas Smythe wins National Award

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA, August 3, 2021 - The Florida Authors and Publishers Association President’s Book Awards recognized Kingdom of Florida: The Golden Alligator by Taylor Thomas Smythe as the silver medal winner in the Children: Sci-Fi/Fantasy category at the organization’s annual awards banquet in Orlando on July 31.

Hosted by the Florida Authors and Publishers Association (FAPA), this prestigious national award is open to books published between 2019 and 2021. The judges for this national competition are librarians, educators, and publishing professionals.

“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 Pat Stanford, past president of FAPA.

The Golden Alligator is the first novel in the Kingdom of Florida middle-grade fantasy series, which draws inspiration from such classics as The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, and L. Frank Baum’s Oz books, and follows the journey of a group of South Florida children as they discover a magical parallel world ruled by an evil prince. The sixth installment—Coral and the Treasure Hunters—was released earlier this summer, while the seventh and final book has yet to be given an official release date.

“We are proud to announce this year’s winners who truly embody the excellence this award was created to celebrate,” said FAPA President Renee Garrison. “Their works are representative of creative storytelling, bold concepts, and innovative ideas which make the President’s Book Awards so well respected by librarians and those in the publishing industry. We salute all of our winners for their fine work.”
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The Florida Authors and Publishers Association is an organization for authors, publishers, illustrators, editors, printers, and other professionals involved in the publishing industry. It focuses on providing the highest quality of information, resources, and professional development to members and others interested in the writing and publishing profession.

The first six individual Kingdom of Florida books are independently published and available via online booksellers and www.kingdomofflorida.com in a variety of formats. The Golden Alligator was also selected as a finalist in the National Indie Excellence Awards earlier this summer.