Eric Hoffer Literary Awards
I am delighted to announce awards for Wings and Wounds! Book One of The Dragon Doc Tales earned multiple honors from the Eric Hoffer Literary Awards:
- GRAND PRIZE SHORT LIST
- SCI-FI/FANTASY HONORABLE MENTION
- FIRST HORIZON AWARD FINALIST
Less than 5% of Hoffer Award entries receive such honors. I am humbled and thrilled to report Wings and Wounds is among the winners. Many thanks to the Hoffer Project for recognizing and supporting self-published and indie books. Also, much gratitude to US Review of Books, a major Hoffer Award sponsor, for publishing the Hoffer Awards lists. In addition, US Review provides thoughtful reviews for honored books.
“The Eric Hoffer Book Award honors the memory of the great American philosopher Eric Hoffer by highlighting salient writing, as well as the independent spirit of small publishers. Since its inception, the Hoffer has become one of the largest international book awards for small, academic, and independent presses.”
Eric Hoffer award-winning Wings and Wounds RECOMMENDED by the US Review of Books:
“‘You’re magnificent, Emerald, and I hope you heal quickly.’”
Review by Carolyn Davis, US Review of Books
In this delightful fantasy, a veterinarian who, along with her husband, is climbing Humphreys Peak, a mountain in Arizona, develops altitude sickness and encounters a wounded dragon, whom she names Emerald. After the two humans get down from the mountain and the doctor recovers in a hospital, she and her husband, Jon—who wonders if his wife needs more time in the hospital—convince themselves that the veterinary encounter was a hallucination.
Then Emerald appears at the vet’s clinic for treatment for an infection. The doctor responds with logic, compassion, and innovation, even as she wonders if she’s suffering from brain damage. Later, the trusting dragon brings others of her species to the caring, trepidatious practitioner who learns a lot about her eccentric patients while trying to keep their existence and visits secret. Will the relationships work? Will love and trust between the dragons and their person triumph? The result is an interspecies story of mutual trust and care.
Combining the caring veterinary themes found in All Creatures Great and Small and other books by James Herriot with well-constructed farce and fantasy, this pleasant tale is a rare treat. Like Herriot, the author is a veterinarian, and the medical details that are included add verisimilitude to the adventures. The story is told seriously—as is all good farce—with a lot of humor and self-deprecation woven throughout, as well as some contemporary themes. One example is a veterinarian who works in a clinic having to anticipate the reactions of the owner of the clinic (as well as her husband and colleagues). Also, how does a vet repel vandalism when an outsized patient has broken a lock or a door? This is an absolutely wonderful book that readers are sure to enjoy.
Further news to come on other literary awards for The Dragon Doc Tales series. Wings and Wounds is a contender in the 2024 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, as well as the SPFBO-X 2024 Fantasy Award Contest. I’m excited to share more with you down the road!
As always, thank you for reading my tales.
Sincerely,
Dr. S.K. Burkman, Author of The Dragon Doc Tales
