LES STANDIFORD is the author of 25 critically acclaimed books, including 10 novels and The New York Times bestselling nonfiction Last Train to Paradise, now in its 40th printing. His novel Spill and his nonfiction work The Man Who Invented Christmas, a The New York Times Editors’ Choice, were made into feature films. He is Distinguished University Professor of English and the founding director of the Creative Writing Program at FIU and holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. in literature and creative writing from the University of Utah. In 2024, he was named a “Florida Icon” by Florida Trend magazine, an honor awarded to individuals such as H. Wayne Huizenga, Janet Reno, Bobby Bowden, and Stetson Kennedy. His book Battle for the Big Top, which examines the cultural influence of the American circus, received the 2022 Gold Medal for General Interest Non-Fiction from the Florida Book Awards.