Chesapeake Bay sailor and author Lesley O’Brien of Deltaville was recently awarded a Certificate of Excellence in the annual Cat Writers’ Association Contest for “An Impawsible Predicament,” the second in her three-book “Adventures of Captain Marco” series. Her co-creator and the book’s illustrator, Emmett Donavan of Roanoke, was a recipient of the award, as well. Marco is a rough-around-the-edges former street cat turned sailboat captain whose stories are based on the Chesapeake Bay, said a press release. He is inspired by O’Brien’s own adventures sailing with her feline companion, Marco. Certificate of Excellence winners are eligible to win the Muse Medallion in their category, as well. It is the highest award the Cat Writers’ Association give to content creators, said the release. Those awards will be made during a convention in Texas in November. The communications contest is a global competition, with entries this year from eight other nations, including Australia, Belgium and Japan. The Cat Writers’ Association was formed by four “cat journalists” in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1992 in order to get good information about cats to the public and support writers dedicated to that effort. Since then, it has grown to 300 members.