David Fitz-Gerald
Frontier & Pioneer Western Fiction
David Fitz-Gerald is a multiple award-winning author of frontier and pioneer western fiction.
His breakthrough series, Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail, won the Chanticleer Grand Prize for Book Series and the Laramie Award Grand Prize for Book One, A Grave Every Mile. His standalone novel, Rathuun: King of the Prairie, won the American Fiction Awards, Western category and the NYC Big Book Award for Western Fiction.
Dave writes from the wilds of western Vermont—about as far west as you can get without slipping into New York. Though he’s never wrangled beeves to market, Dave was a top hand on his grandfather’s dude ranch in the Adirondack Mountains… before he turned ten. He’s lived most of his life on dirt roads. Whenever he gets the chance, he travels west to recharge his spirit on the windswept prairies.
He’s an Adirondack 46’er which means that he’s hiked to the top of every mountain in the park. In 2018, Dave completed the 1960s fitness craze by hiking 50 miles in one day. That’s one heck of a long walk, but not nearly as grueling as the iconic trails that he chases in his fiction.
Even after all these years, Dave still has his head in the clouds like Ken from My Friend Flicka, and a quiet, self-reliant spirit like Sam from The Trumpet of the Swan. That blend of wonder, heart, and spirit runs through the characters he portrays. His editor states he is “exceptionally good at creating real moments between characters”—and readers seem to agree.
As long as there’s coffee in the kitchen, Dave will be plotting one adventurous story after another.
Winner - Western Fiction Category, NYC Big Book Award, September 2026, Rathuun: King of the Prairie
Distinguished Favorites - Cover Design, NYC Big Book Award, September 2026, Rathuun: King of the Prairie
Bronze Medal - Audiobook, Readers Favorite, September 2026, Rathuun: King of the Prairie
Honorable Mention - Fiction/Animals, Readers Favorite, September 2026, Rathuun: King of the Prairie
Winner, American Fiction Awards, August 2026, Rathuun: King of the Prairie
Grand Prize, Laramie Awards, April 2026, A Grave Every Mile
Popular Book Award, Joyce Rothschild Book Prize, January 2026, If It's the Last Thing I Do
First Place - Best in Category, Laramie Awards, April 2025, First Drive
Silver Medal, The Coffee Pot Book Club, December 2024, Rolling Home
Honorable Mention, The Coffee Pot Book Club, December 2024, Snarling Wolf
Honorable Mention, The Coffee Pot Book Club, December 2024, A Grave Every Mile
Grand Prize, Book Series Awards, April 2024, Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail
First Place - Best in Category, Somerset Awards, April 2024, If It's the Last Thing I Do
Book Excellence Award Winner, Western Category, March 2024, A Grave Every Mile
Finalist, Readers Favorite Book Reviews and Award Contest, September 2022, The Curse of Conchobar
Gold Medal, The Historical Fiction Company, The Curse of Conchobar
Bronze Medal, The Historical Fiction Company, Waking Up Lost
First Place - Best in Category, Laramie Awards, June 2021, She Sees Ghosts
First Place - Best in Category, Laramie Awards, October 2020, Wanders Far
Winner, Best Book Awards - Cover Design Category, American Book Fest, Wanders Far
Finalist, Best Book Awards - Western Category, American Book Fest, Wanders Far
Book Cover of the Month - Coffee Pot Book Club, October 2019, Wanders Far