Local author Christina Benjamin will sign copies of her award-winning young adult novel and her second book from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Leesburg Public Library, 100 E. Main St,
Her first book, The Geneva Project: Truth, was runner-up in young adult fiction at the London Book Festival early this year and also won a gold medal during the summer from the Florida Authors and Publishers Association.
Her second book, The Geneva Project: Secrets, was released in late September. Benjamin said she plans to write a four-book series.
She and her husband, Philip, flew to London to accept the festival award.
“It was just really inspiring meeting other authors,” she said.
Her parents live in Summerfield and her father, Bill, works for the Design Division in The Villages.
The novels tell the story of a young girl named Geneva, trapped in an orphanage, who acquires magical powers to battle the evil head mistress.
The paperback editions are for sale at Amazon.com and e-book editions are available for the Nook and Kindle. More information about the books can be found at www.TheGenevaProjectBook.com.
Benjamin said the success of her books has allowed her to quit her full-time job as a buyer for The Villages Banner Merchantile Stores to become a full-time author. She also makes presentations at area schools.
But her success came in the wake of tragedy.
She wrote the first book while she was pregnant with her son, Dalton, who was born in June 2012. He died of a genetic disease in mid-2013. She spent a lot of time at the hospital before her son’s death and read im portions of her book.
Benjamin grew up in Pennsylvania and attended Flagler College in St. Augustine and the University of Central Florida, where she received a bachelor’s degree in English. Her husband, who used to work for the Daily Sun, runs a graphic design business.