By Suzy Alstrin
Pictured: Reinhardt English Professor Donna Coffey Little.
Forward Reviews has provided book reviews of the best titles from independent presses since 1998. Its annual awards celebrate outstanding books published in 2024. The novel Wofford’s Blood (Mercer University Press, 2024), written by Dr. Donna Coffey Little, Reinhardt professor of English, won the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year in the Best Historical Fiction category.
Over 100 librarians and booksellers took part in the judging process. Dr. Little’s book was selected from over 2,400 entries across 55 categories. Mercer University Press’ Director of Marketing Mary Beth Kosowski believes this marks the first time since its establishment in 1979 that one of their writers won gold in this competition. “It’s thrilling to get national recognition for the book,” said Dr. Little, adding, “I’m hard at work on the sequel!”
Wofford’s Blood also won the Southern Literary Review’s 2024 Book of the Year Award in December 2024. Based on actual historical characters and North Georgia history, it tells the intriguing story of interconnected Cherokee, white and Black families in the early 1800s in the years leading up to the Trail of Tears.
