Annette Smith of McDonough said she could barely contain her excitement when she was notified of her award nomination as a children’s book author.

  “When I opened up my e-mail, I was standing,” said Smith, 51. “When I read it, I fell back into my recliner, kicked up my legs and screamed.”

  Smith, a self-published author of eight children’s books, was recently nominated for an Author of the Year award by the Artists Music Guild.

  The group will have its eighth annual award show November 9.

  A health and wellness educator, Smith has written children’s books for more than 20 years. She said her nomination resulted, in part, from a fact-based book titled “Nyrah’s Bully.” It centers, she said, on a first-grade girl in Henry County who was being bullied by a fifth-grader at the time.

  “I used to keep the youngest sister, so we were very close friends,” said Smith. “It was such a horrible incident, and I wanted her to have a happy ending because it was so horrible for her. Although the book was written in a fictitious manner, it has a realistic feel to it so that children could relate to it.”

  Smith hopes her latest award nomination will help to educate kids about the dangers of bullying.

  “Bullying is prevalent second-by-second of the day,” said Smith, 51. “It’s going on all the time. While there’s a lot of information for kids dealing with bullying, you can never have too much. It’s my hope that with the nomination, my book will hopefully end up in the hands, minds and hearts of parents and children all over the world.”

  Smith was pleased to reveal that, despite the book’s subject matter, “Nyrah’s Bully” has a happy ending.

  “Without giving it away, I want children to realize that bullies are people too, and that there has to be something going on in their mind and heart to make them act the way they act,” said Smith. “Like in the book, with the right counsel and the right help, there can possibly be a happy ending. That’s what I’m trying to encourage.”

  Smith’s most recent work is titled “Sam and Mel: a Horse Story,” which was released earlier this month. To coincide with that project’s unveiling, Smith also released “What Color Am I?” as an extension of “Nyrah’s Bully.”

  Smith credits her sons, Danmario and Danniel, and her eight-year-old “granddoll” Melody, with motivating her efforts. In addition to her work as an author, Smith is using her other talents to encourage children to read.

  To that end, she creates what she calls “sheet tales” by transforming bedsheets, comforters and blankets into books.

  “So, kids will go to bed with a book instead of electronics,” said Smith.

  Smith’s books are available online at mrsanniebooks.com, and on Amazon under her pen name, Annette Bentley Smith.

  For more information on the awards show, visit artistsmusicguild.com.