Land Shadows earned four distinctions in the 2026 Eric Hoffer Award competition:
da Vinci Eye Award — Winner — given to the single title with the most exceptional cover art across all entries
Grand Prize — Shortlist — among the final select titles considered for the top prize across all categories
First Horizon Award — Finalist — recognizing the most promising debut fiction
Historical Fiction Category — First Runner-Up.one of the most competitive categories in independent publishing, where novels are judged on the depth of their historical research, authenticity of voice, and narrative power.
The Eric Hoffer Award is one of the most prestigious independent book awards in the United States, recognizing outstanding works published outside the traditional commercial publishing establishment. Named for the American philosopher and longshoreman Eric Hoffer, the award champions books that might otherwise be overlooked by mainstream recognition.
The Eric Hoffer Award evaluates thousands of independently published titles each year, and I am deeply honored that Land Shadows received recognition across multiple categories, including overall excellence, debut fiction, historical fiction, and cover design.
2025 Top Notable Indies
Land Shadows has been named one of the Top 100 Notable Indie Books for 2025 by Shelf Unbound!
“Land Shadows unveils the dark side of Manifest Destiny with literary depth and emotional resonance, offering a powerful reflection on what it means to belong in a nation built on dispossession” —Shelf Unbound
Praise and Reviews
“Settings rendered with care and attention to historical detail.” —BookLife Prize (Publishers Weekly)
“Captures a universal experience of displacement and the quest to claim a legacy.” —BookLife Prize (Publishers Weekly)
Striegel is a vividly descriptive wordsmith.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Viscerally depicts the deprivation of steerage, the hardships of city life, and the beauty of New Mexico.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A detailed historical look at America’s brutal acquisition of Western land and the disenfranchisement of Indigenous peoples.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A good read… exposes how far a person will go to get what he or she wants—and the consequences of wanting something too much.”
—Reedsy Discovery (review by Patti Kidd)
“The author strategically employs switches between first-person points of view… while the third person point of view reveals contrasting viewpoints.”
—Reedsy Discovery (review by Patti Kidd)
“Ranks high on my list of ‘bests’… explores trust, loyalty, and love.” —Ann Howard Creel, author of The Magic of Ordinary Days
