Finding My Way Home won the 2025 President’s Bronze Medal for Autobiography/Memoir

Kara and I had a great time attending the President’s Book Awards dinner on Saturday at FAPACon, the annual conference for the Florida Authors and Publishers Association, where my book, Finding My Way Home: Fighting Depression Backpacking in Central Florida, won the Bronze Medal for Autobiography/Memoir. I also had the privilege of getting to know many of the other award-winning authors–my list of books to read is now substantially longer!

This has been the cherry on the sundae of my new adventure writing creative nonfiction, and I hope my good fortune can light the fuse for any other closet writers out there considering writing a book. Finding My Way Home was nothing more than a fantasy of mine less than seventeen months ago, and it’s been a life-changing thrill ever since. Thank you again, Diana Helmuth, for helping me make this dream come true!

And, of course, thank you so much, FAPA!