Author: chanti

  • Writers’ Chinese New Year Horoscopes for 2018

    Writers’ Chinese New Year Horoscopes for 2018

    Fun and Inspirational Good-Fortune Horoscopes for Writers for the Chinese New Year – the Year of the Dog!  by 殿堂级 Diàntáng Jí (Chanticleer’s cousin)

     

    Chinese Zodiac Year of the Dog

     

    February 18th, 2018 heralds the New Year according to the Traditional Chinese  Calendar. 

    This year of the Earth Dog comes after the year of the Fire Rooster (2017) and before the year of the Earth Pig (2019).  The Pig comes in as the last of the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac, making the year of the Dog the eleventh sign of the cycle. 

    Chinese Horoscope astrologers forecast that 2018 will be a good year as opposed to the tumultuous last year of the Fire Rooster. The focus will be on home and hearth. The astrologers advise that 2018 is the year for all to start healthy habits and cut back on bad health habits.

    Below are Chinese Horoscope forecasts for those who live the Writing Life

    Note from Kiffer Brown:  Chanticleer believes that we each make our own destiny by being optimistic and positive, being kind and loving, by dreaming and inspiring, being bold and doing, by appreciating and being grateful, and by expanding our awareness of the Universe.

    Enjoy and have fun!

    If your sign is a Dog (honest, loyal, and hardworking):

     

    This is your lucky year—if you thrive on hard work and discipline. Be sure to nourish and champion other writers in your life who are supportive of you as they will reward you later. Build good relationships with your editors to alleviate worry about your work in progress. It is forecasted that being a team player will be fortuitous for you. You will have the mental clarity to keep your writing flowing. Try not to control the flow or overthink the writing process. Trust in yourself.

     

    If your sign is a Pig (kind, friendly, and curious):

    Researching your family history may lead to new storylines and surprising new characters. If you can travel to your ancestors’ homelands, you will be inspired. Being inquisitive will pay off. If you are fortunate enough to be in the position to help other writers, you should do so. Do not become complacent, but be diligent about making good efforts in your work-in-progress. Don’t listen to nay-sayers. Explore new ways of connecting with readers.

    If your sign is a Rat (amiable and creative):

    Explore new areas, take up a new hobby or interest to supercharge your creativity. Have you been interested in writing in a second genre? If so, this may be your year to try it. Perhaps you should consider adding a dash more romance to your works…This year, celebrate the many good things in your life. This is the year to break out of your writing ruts. Your perfectionist tendencies can cause you to worry unnecessarily and to doubt yourself when you have no need to.

    If your sign is an Ox (leaders and loyal friends)

    Your attention to detail and being actively involved will serve you well this year! The year of the Earth Dog has the propensity to make prosperous in your endeavors. This is a good year to take on new projects and to expand your horizons. However, if you stick with bad routines and unsatisfactory projects, luck may turn its back on you. Have confidence in your self and your projects, but be moderate where spending money is concerned.

    If your sign is a Tiger (passionate and have courage)

    This is a particularly promising year for you. Your writerly connections will increase bringing you new opportunities. Forge ahead with your work-in-progress, but be sure to listen to advice given by your editors. Your writing is daring and powerful. You like to cross boundaries and break writing conventions, which is good. However, collaboration with those whom you respect will bring you success. Be sure to share your knowledge with other authors.

    If your sign is a Rabbit (friendly and possessing great common sense):

    This is the year to contemplate balancing your lifestyle. Are you spending too much time sitting in front of the computer? Are you drinking too much coffee or soda while writing? Be sure to take breaks for walks in nature to invigorate your creative juices. Speaking of juices, try more healthy drinks such as green or white tea instead of coffee this year. As for your writing projects, follow your instincts and try not to second guess yourself. Be sure to read some new books by authors whose works you have not read before.

    If your sign is a Dragon (passionate and quickwitted)

    This is the year to upgrade your computer/application skills. These new skills will take your writer’s career to a new level. Are there new technologies out there that will benefit your writing career? Be sure to investigate! Concentrate on your pursuits and keep your nose to the grindstone. Try to appear outwardly more moderate in your opinions during the year of the Dog. If you can’t leave a positive review, don’t leave one at all during the year of the Dog.

    If your sign is a Snake (wise and almost mystical):

    This is the year where you will discover new interests and new techniques to propel your writing career. You are able to hone in on trends before they become popular. Be sure to have your works evaluated and proofed before publishing this year. Don’t be hasty when it comes to publishing. Consider adding romantic elements to your work-in-progress. Be sure to read extensively during the year of the Dog. Be sure to promote and market your backlist in new ways. Your forecast says you will be well rewarded for your efforts.

    If your sign is a Horse (independent and high-spirited):

    This is your year to explore new cultures and geographies. This exploration will provide new inspiration for your future works and will supply the finishing touches for your work in progress. Be on the lookout for new platforms and methods to promote your works. Are you ready to take up a new challenge? Perhaps begin a new work? The astrologers forecast that conditions will be favorable—if you step up. Don’t doubt yourself. You have what it takes to take on that new writing project.

    If your sign is a Sheep (artistic and compassionate):

    Attitude is everything this year. Take a chance and try to connect with your favorite author who writes in your genre. The connection you cultivate may bring you new opportunities for your writing career. This year your writing talent will be extra magical. Be sure to line up author events, attend conferences/conventions, and try to reach out to new avenues to promote your works (perhaps at wine tastings, grocery stores, etc.). Try enlisting a few fellow authors in promotional events for the best results.

    If your sign is a Monkey (confident and innovative) :

    This is the year that you must be organized and prepared. If you are, then you will find brilliant solutions to your writer’s block or plotholes. These ups and downs will allow you to make significant progress—if you make the effort to organize your writing endeavors. Be sure to treat other writers with respect especially this year. If you want reviews from other authors, you must review their works first. An extra dose of friendliness and respect will go far.

     

    If your sign is a Rooster (progressive thinkers and doers and unafraid to be different):

    Be sure to take the time to step away from your computer/writing desk this year and exercise. This is the year to finally manage your weight.  Put your OCD tendencies to improve your health! Your tendency to work tirelessly at your work-in-progress should be balanced with exercise and good diet practices especially during the year of the Dog. Roosters are natural storytellers and love to do background research to add details to their works. Their drive, resourcefulness, and attention to writing craft will pave the way to their success as authors.  Most of all, try to have a fun and enjoyable year!

    Wondering How to Determine Your Chinese Zodiac Sign?

    Use the handy table below to find your birth year.

    We hope that you enjoyed this fun blog post that is meant as a way of thinking about new perspectives. 

    Chanticleer believes that we each make our own destiny by being optimistic and positive, being kind and loving, by dreaming and inspiring, being bold and doing, by appreciating and being grateful, and by expanding our awareness of the Universe.

    We wish you an AWESOME New Year of Good Fortune, Good Health, and Many Book Sales!

    The Chanticleer Reviews Team  

  • The Writer’s Life: Author Interview with DIANA FORBES – Chatelaine 1st Place Winner, Historical Romance, The Guilded Age

    The Writer’s Life: Author Interview with DIANA FORBES – Chatelaine 1st Place Winner, Historical Romance, The Guilded Age

    Diana Forbes writes romantic historical fiction. Her debut novel, Mistress Suffragette is easy to pick up and hard to put down. Recently, I had the opportunity to interview this author and I think you’ll enjoy what she had to say…

     

    Chanticleer: Tell us a little about yourself: How did you start writing?

    Forbes: I started writing when I was 6 years old. First I wrote poetry. Then I wrote diary entries, heavily influenced by Harriet the Spy. After that, I wrote articles for my school paper. Then I wrote restaurant reviews for the school paper. In college, I wrote features for the college paper.

    Chanticleer: So, basically as soon as you could form cohesive sentences, you were off to the races! Nice job, Diana. But when did you realize that you were an author?

    Forbes: I met with a career coach in 2003 and I told him, “I want to be a writer.” He said, “Why don’t we just say you are a writer since writing is in the doing?”

    Chanticleer: Smart – writing is an active verb… Let’s chat about genre. What genre best describes your work?

    Forbes: Mistress Suffragette, my debut novel, is best described as a romance. It’s historical, so sometimes it’s described as cross-genre: historical-romance. It also has a lot of humor in it.

    Chanti: Cross-genre sweet spot – best of both worlds. What inspired you to write historical/romance? 

    Forbes: I take two writing classes a week in Manhattan where I live, and one of my writing teachers used to tell me, “Don’t worry about the genre. A debut novel is what it is. Just write it.” But, I basically wrote the story I wanted to read. It’s a romance against a very interesting historical backdrop – the late 19th century or Gilded Age.

    Chanti: I love the fact that you continue to work on your craft by taking writing classes. That’s such an important thing to do! Do you find yourself following the rules or do you like to make up your own rules?

    Forbes: I like to break rules selectively. In other words, I love to know what the rules are, then break them if there is a very good reason.

    Chanti: Good. Know the rules, so you know when, why, and how to break them. What do you do when you’re not writing? Tells us a little about your hobbies.

    Forbes: I am an art buff. I like to go to museums and galleries and look around. Recently I have also started going to plays and musicals in Manhattan. I like to poke around antique stores and fairs, too. I have a great respect for history, so if I can learn a little history while I am having fun, that’s even better.

    Chanti: You’re in the perfect place to do all that! Tell us a little about how you structure your writing day.

    Forbes: I am very structured. I am fortunate to have an office that is separate from where I live. I roll into the office at 9 a.m., trying to get in one full hour of reading before the day officially starts, so from 7:30 a.m.-8:30 a.m. Then I write from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., trying to stay off social media and email completely. At 3:30 or so, I return all my emails and hop on social media. After that, I work till between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. on marketing Mistress Suffragette.

    Chanti: That’s a fantastically structured day! What has been the most helpful marketing tool you’ve used so far?

    Forbes: I really like awards shows. They offer the chance to have the work receive a little recognition as well as a great marketing push. Award shows can also help introduce the work to new readers.

    Chanti: What areas of your writing are you most confident in? What advice would you give someone who is struggling in that area?

    Forbes: Readers often tell me that my strengths are my research, the setting, and the voice. I love stories that whisk me away, and that’s what I aimed for with Mistress Suffragette. I also want to tell untold stories. Some of the things I learned while researching M. Suffragette, I had never ever heard before – even in Political Science classes at my university. Anything I discovered that was really new and really interesting about the time period I made sure to include in the novel.

    Chanti: That’s pretty cool. So, we know that you take two writing classes a week, what other things do you do to grow your author chops?

    Forbes: My writing classes in Manhattan require that I turn in 20 pages at a time to early readers (my classmates) who give me feedback. One of the classes concentrates more on the craft of writing. I also read books about writing. In addition, I look for award show contests that provide feedback, so that I can learn and grow and my writing can improve before I show my work to an agent or editor.

    Chanti: This is how we discovered each other! We’re thrilled you entered your novel into the Chatelaine Awards. What are you working on now? What can we look forward to seeing next from you?

    Forbes: I am working on the sequel to Mistress Suffragette. I see the story as a trilogy. I am not sure when the sequel publication date will be. I write many drafts of my novels before I show them to my agent and editor, so I am somewhere in the revision process.

    Chanti: I certainly hope we get to see the sequels of Mistress Suffragette. Thank you for stopping in! 

    If you love romance (and who doesn’t?) and the Gilded Age, you know what to do! Check out Diana’s website and follow the links to purchase her book, Mistress Suffragette.

    Like her Facebook page and follow her. Trust me, there is more to come from Forbes, and you’ll not want to miss out.

     

     

  • CLUE Book Awards 2017 SHORT LIST for Thriller Fiction

    CLUE Book Awards 2017 SHORT LIST for Thriller Fiction

    Thriller Suspense Fiction AwardThe CLUE Book Awards recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of  Thrillers, Suspense, & Investigative Fiction. The CLUE Book Awards is a division of Chanticleer International Novel Writing Competitions.

     Congratulations to these authors for their works moving up from the 2017 CLUE  slush pile to the Short List. These novels will now compete for the First Place Category positions!

    Each of the titles below has earned the CLUE BOOK AWARDS SHORTLIST bragging rights!

    More than $30,000.00 dollars worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to Chanticleer Book Reviews 2017 writing competition winners!

    The CLUE Book Awards FIRST IN CATEGORY sub-genres are Detective/Crime, Suspense/Thriller, Private Eye/Noir, Legal/Medical/Police Procedural, Investigative, Spy/Espionage, and Political Thrillers.

    The following titles will compete for the FIRST IN CATEGORY Positions and Book Awards Packages.

    NOTE: This is the Official List of the CLUE 2017 SHORT LIST.

    This is the Official 2017 Shortlist for the 2017 CLUE  Book Awards:

    • Triveen Nair – Land of Seekers
    • Jeffrey A. Lockwood – Poisoned Justice
    • Carl and Jane Bock – Death Award 
    • Hubert Crouch – The Weight
    • Martin Roy Hill – The Butcher’s Bill
    • Kara Lumbley – As the Ribbons Fall
    • Jeffrey Ridenour – Aged in Charcoal
    • Kaylin McFarren – Twisted Threads
    • John Houde – The Criminalist: A Novel of Forensic Science Suspense
    • Patrick Clark – The Monroe Decision
    • Clint Hollingsworth – Death in the High Lonesome
    • Elaine Williams Crockett – Do Not Ask
    • Deborah Rich – Under the Radar
    • Lisa Malice – Lost & Found
    • Robert D. Calkins – Digger
    • Barb Warner Deane – Killing Her Softly
    • Lou Dischler – Beneath the Frozen Waves of Steel
    • Larry Temple – 100 Days of Terror
    • Elizabeth Crowens – Dear Mr. Hitchcock
    • Zach Fortier – Cachibache
    • Dana Ridenour – Beyond The Cabin
    • K. A. Davis – A Game of Deceit
    • Avanti Centrae – VanOps – The Lost Power
    • John L. DeBoer – When the Reaper Comes
    • Bruce Graham – Member From Devon
    • Murray Lee Eiland Jr – A New Family (The Bart Northcote Series Book 3)

    The CLUE SHORTLISTERS  will compete for the CLUE First-In-Category Positions, which consists of Seven Judging Rounds. First Place Category Award winners will automatically be entered into the CLUE BOOK AWARDS GRAND PRIZE competition. The CBR Grand Prize Genre Winners will compete for the CBR Overall Grand Prize for Best Book and its $1,000 purse.

    Lonna Enox awarded Clue Grand Prize for BLOOD RELATIONS

    All ShortListers will receive high visibility along with special badges to wear during the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala.

    As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions at Info@ChantiReviews.com.

    Congratulations to the Short Listers in this fiercely competitive contest!

    Good Luck to each of you!

    The CLUE Grand Prize Winner and the Five First Place Category Position award winners along with all Short Listers in attendance will be announced at the April 21st, 2018 Chanticleer Book Awards Annual Awards Gala, which takes place at the Chanticleer Authors Conference that will be held in Bellingham, Wash.

    We are now accepting submissions into the 2018 CLUE Awards writing competition. The deadline for submissions is September 30th, 2018. Please click here for more information.

  • LITTLE PEEPS Book Awards 2017 Shortlist for Early Readers

    LITTLE PEEPS Book Awards 2017 Shortlist for Early Readers

     

    Early Readers and Picture booksThe Little Peeps   Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works of Early Readers. The Little Peeps Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer Reviews International Book Awards.

     

     

     

     

    The following titles will compete for the FIRST IN CATEGORY Positions  Book Awards Packages for the 2017  Little Peeps  Book Awards.

     Congratulations to all those who made the SHORT LIST!

    Good Luck to All!

    • Penelope Lagos – I Miss My Best Friend
    • Kizzie Jones – A Tall Tale About a Dachshund and a Pelican: How a Friendship Came to Be
    • Brian Estes – Flying Pigs & Dinosaurs & Things You’ve Never Seen Before
    • Sylva Fae – Rainbow Monsters
    • Heather Pallotta – Wishes and Kisses
    • Peggy Sullivan – Lessons from a Cat: The Moon and Star and Midnight and Moonlight  
    • Deanna Edens – The Almost Cool Kids Club
    • Wanda Carter Roush – Angel on Assignment
    • Shana Hollowell – Little Mouse’s Sweet Treat
    • Stacie Sullivan Simon – I Am Me & You Are You

    The 2017 Little Peeps  Short Listers will compete for the Little Peeps First-In-Category Positions.  First Place Category Award winners will automatically be entered into the Gertrude Warner GRAND PRIZE AWARD competition.  The CBR Grand Prize Genre Winners will compete for the CBR Overall Grand Prize for Best Book.

    All Short Listers will receive high visibility along with special badges to wear during the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala.

    As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions at Info@ChantiReviews.com. 

    The Little Peeps Grand Prize Winner and the  First Place Category Position award winners along with all Short Listers in attendance will be announced at the April 21st, 2018 Chanticleer Book Awards Annual Awards Gala, which takes place at the Chanticleer Authors Conference that will be held in Bellingham, Wash. 

    To compete in the 2018 Little Peeps Book Awards or for more information, please click here.

    Chanticleer Book Reviews & Media, L.L.C. retains the right to not declare “default winners.” Winning works are decided upon merit only. Please visit our Contest Details page for more information about our writing contest guidelines.

    CBR’s rigorous writing competition standards are why literary agencies seek out our winning manuscripts and self-published novels. Our high standards are also why our reviews are trusted among booksellers and book distributors.

    Please do not hesitate to contact Info@ChantiReviews.com with any questions, concerns, or suggestions about CBR writing competitions. Your input and suggestions are important to us.

    Thank you for your interest in Chanticleer Book Reviews International Writing Competitions and Book Awards.

  • GLOBAL THRILLERS Book Awards 2017 SHORTLIST for Lab Lit and Global Thrillers

    GLOBAL THRILLERS Book Awards 2017 SHORTLIST for Lab Lit and Global Thrillers

    The GLOBAL THRILLERS Book Awards recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of  Lab Lit and Global Thrillers. The GLOBAL  THRILLERS Book Awards is a division of Chanticleer International Novel Book Awards and Writing Competitions.

     
    Chanticleer Book Reviews is looking for the best books featuring suspense, thrilling stories that put the balance of world power or that will end the world as we know it. We include with Global Thrillers the Lab Lit genre. Lab Lit is when Fiction Meets Real Science and Research or stories that are based on real science and research up to a certain “what if” point.

    2017 is the first year that we offered the Global Thriller Book Awards and we are honored to announce the very first authors whose works have made the 2017 GLOBAL THRILLERS Book Awards!  

    Examples from www.LabLit.com:

    Enigma by Robert Harris; A brilliant mathematician struggles to crack German codes in the second world war. Historical Fiction
    The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch; A budding marine biologist has an unforgettable summer.
    Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis; A scientist/medic leans the hard way that pure research is nobler – and cures plague in the process.

    GLOBAL Thriller examples:

    Best examples of these are James Bond books, X-Men, Tom Clancy novels, and Star Wars/Star Trek where humankind is at stake or the planet is doomed.
    (For light-hearted, cozy, or classic Mystery and Suspense entries see our Mystery & Mayhem Awards and for Thriller/Suspense/Hardboiled-Detective series, please see the CLUE Awards)

    More than $30,000.00 dollars worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to Chanticleer Book Reviews 2017 writing competition winners at the Chanticleer Authors Conference April 21st, 2018!

    This is the Official announcement of the Authors and Titles of Works that have been SHORT-LISTED for the GLOBAL THRILLERS  2017 Book Awards. These titles will now compete for the First In Category positions.

    • Amy Rogers – The Han Agent
    • Denis Lipman – Striking Terror
    • Mario Loomis, MD – Essence
    • John Yarrow – The Recombinant Theory
    • John D Trudel – Raven’s Redemption
    • Lou Dischler – Off Road to Armageddon 
    • K.V. Scruggs – What They Don’t Know
    • Sara Stamey – The Ariadne Connection
    • Daniel Elliott – The Kingmaker
    • Dean De Servienti – Quantum – The Trilogy Begins 
    • James Tacy Cozad – Stormfront
    • Avanti Centrae – VanOps – The Lost Power
    • Lawrence Verigin – Seed of Control
    • Lee Burvine – The Kafir Project
    • Richard Gargulinski – Magenta is Missing

    Good Luck to all of the 2017 GLOBAL THRILLERS Short-Listers as they compete for the First Place Category positions.

    First In Category announcements will be made at the Awards Ceremony. The GLOBAL THRILLERS Grand Prize Winner and First Place Category Winners will be announced at the April 21st,  2018 Chanticleer Writing Contests Annual Awards Gala, at the Chanticleer Authors Conference that will be held in Bellingham, Wash. 

  • The LOOSE ENDS BECAME KNOTS: An ILLNESS NARRATIVE by Austin Hopkins – Memoir, Sexual Awakening, Health and Wellness

    The LOOSE ENDS BECAME KNOTS: An ILLNESS NARRATIVE by Austin Hopkins – Memoir, Sexual Awakening, Health and Wellness

    A young man survives the extremes of sexual abuse, physical harm and emotional chaos in the harrowing and profoundly powerful memoir, The Loose Ends Became Knots: An Illness Narrative by Austin M. Hopkins.

     The experience of sexual violence starts for Hopkins as a teenager, during the time he struggles defining his own sexual identity. The men he meets take advantage of his youth and naiveté, at first, and later, though he gradually becomes wiser to the stark intricacies of a sexual awakening in the world of gay men, he still succumbs to men who use him – with and without his consent. He never seeks such treatment consciously, yet, it continues to happen. What is it about him that attracts predatory partners, he wonders? Hopkins grapples with the many issues that often assail young people dealing with gender identity: How can he reach out to his parents for help when the root of his pain contradicts whom he believes they want him to be? Is he disappointing them? Will they cut him out of their lives? How complicated his life has become since his childhood!

     As encounter after encounter with unkind and uncaring individuals sends him into a downward spiral, three things work together to give him hope: he’s a bright student and doing well in college; he finds an excellent therapist who offers concrete advice and skills that will serve to help him personally and professionally in the years to come; and finally, after courageous self-examination and altered personal perspective, he meets a loving, compassionate partner, who, though not fully understanding the different emotions and energies from Hopkins past, authentically recognizes and acknowledges the unique qualities that his partner brings into their marriage.

     Hopkins has collected this episodic memoir from his journals, poetry and other writings, and added the observations of others, attributing identity where permission was granted. He carefully phrases the depictions of sexual violence in a manner that compels the reader to feel his pain and humiliation. Hopkins does not shrink from the frank sense of shame and self-blame that characterizes his early encounters. Readers unfamiliar with sexual awakening stories may find some of the text hard to work through. And yet, the author presents his work as a gift to those who are on the brink of their own sexual awakening – or who are already there and wonder what next to do – how to live successfully in the malaise of public opinion and family complications. It is through the pain and traumatic recollections that Hopkins expresses himself most eloquently – and it is here where his work, though painful, is the most rewarding. Readers witness a young man triumph over obstacles and begin to actively balance his life with acceptance and love, endeavoring to help others along the way.

    Hopkins’ story is profoundly powerful. And his story is not over – he is, after all, a young man working towards a career in medicine. He offers this narrative to “raise awareness of the pervasiveness of sexual violence within the gay community” as he experienced it. His goal is to help others who are experiencing similar kinds of abuse and hopefully shed a much-needed light in this potentially lonely and frightening time for those whose sexual identity is something other than what certain groups claim as normal.

  • GOETHE BOOK AWARDS 2017 SHORTLIST for Historical Fiction post-1750s

    GOETHE BOOK AWARDS 2017 SHORTLIST for Historical Fiction post-1750s

    Post 1750s Historical Fiction AwardThe GOETHE Writing Competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of  Historical Fiction post-1750s. The GOETHE Book Awards is a division of Chanticleer International Novel Writing Competitions.

    More than $30,000.00 dollars worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to Chanticleer Book Reviews 2017 writing competition winners at the Chanticleer Authors Conference April 21st, 2018!

    This is the Official announcement of the Authors and Titles of Works that have been SHORT-LISTED for the GOETHE 2017 Book Awards. These titles will now compete for the First In Category positions.

    The GOETHE Awards FIRST IN CATEGORY sub-genres are Regency, 1700s/1800s, Turn of the 19th Century, 20th Century, World Wars and Other Wars, World/International History (non-western culture historical fiction pre-1750s), USA History, and 1830s – 1900s, Victorian Era.

    • Caren Umbarger – The Passion of Marta
    • Blaine Beveridge – A Bit of Candy in Hard Times
    • Peter Curtis – The Dragontail Buttonhole
    • Michelle Rene – Hour Glass
    • Paul A. Barra – Murder in there Charleston Cathedral
    • Ron Singerton – A Cherry Blossom in Winter
    • J.R. Collins – The Boy Who Danced With Rabbits
    • Joe Vitovec – Full Circle: A Refugee’s Tale
    • Robert G. Makin – Dirt McGirtt
    • Elizabeth Crowens – A Pocketful of Lodestones, Book Two in the Time Traveler Professor series
    • Sean P. Mahoney – Fenian’s Trace
    • Michelle Cox – A Ring of Truth
    • Peter Greene – Paladin’s War
    • Michael Aloysius O’Reilly – Desertion
    • Jack Mayer – Before the Court of Heaven
    • Jessica Dainty – The Shape of the Atmosphere
    • Lucinda Brant – Deadly Peril: A Georgian Historical Mystery 
    • Helen Walsh Folsom – Kells, The Risin’ of the Rebellion
    • Suzette Hollingsworth – Sherlock Holmes and the Chocolate Menace
    • L.L. Holt – Invictus
    • Kalen Vaughan Johnson – Robbing the Pillars
    • Nick K. Adams – Away at War: A Civil War Story of the Family Left Behind

    Good Luck to all of the 2017 GOETHE Short-Listers as they compete for the First Place Category positions.

    First In Category announcements will be made at the Awards Ceremony. The GOETHE Grand Prize Winner and First Place Category Winners will be announced at the April 21st,  2018 Chanticleer Writing Contests Annual Awards Gala, at the Chanticleer Authors Conference that will be held in Bellingham, Wash. 

     

    We are now accepting submissions into the 2018 Chaucer Awards and the Goethe Awards writing competitions for Historical Fiction. Please click here for more information.

    To view the GOETHE Slushpile Survivors of the first judging rounds, please click here.

  • Marketing & Sales Workshops and Sessions for CAC18 feature bestselling author Ann Charles

    Marketing & Sales Workshops and Sessions for CAC18 feature bestselling author Ann Charles

    Ann Charles

    We are super excited to announce that Ann Charles, the award-winning author of the USA Today Best-Selling Deadwood Mystery Series, to keynote at CAC18 and to present sessions and workshops!

    Ann writes multiple award-winning mystery series that are splashed with humor, spice, suspense, action-adventure, and whatever else sounds fun.

    Her books garner thousands of Amazon reviews and are the Top-Rated #1 Kindle Bestseller Women Sleuth Mysteries.

    Ann will share her proven and tried marketing secrets to creating, building, maintaining, and growing an enthusiastic fanbase.  www.AnnCharles.com

     CAC18 Workshops and Presentations by Ann Charles:

    CREATING DIE-HARD FANS THROUGH RELATIONSHIP MARKETING – (2-hour workshop presented by Ann Charles)

    There are many ways to find and entice readers, but keeping them as part of your long-term readership base is tricky. Years ago, Ann made the choice to focus much of her non-writing energy on Relationship Marketing, fostering reader loyalty rather than taking the one-time-sale mentality. In this workshop, she’ll explain 5 W’s of Relationship Marketing: WHAT it is, WHY it’s important, WHERE you can develop career-beneficial contacts, WHO benefits from this style of marketing, and WHY this marketing method can be effective.

    GROWING YOUR AUDIENCE—For Published or Unpublished Authors – (2-hour workshop presented by Ann Charles and Jacquie Rogers)

    The publishing industry is morphing every day, and the internet brings a new dimension to the concept of audience. Together, these changes merge into a vastly different and exciting concept of marketing. The shotgun approach to finding your audience worked for decades, but this technique becomes more expensive and less viable with each passing month. The bad news: no one will find your readers for you. The good news: you have more options than ever in history to build your own fan base. In this interactive class, we’ll explore these options and send you on your way to building your own tribe of diehard fans. This class will help you pinpoint your audience—find the readers who want to buy your book—so you can tailor your marketing and promotion techniques to them and stop wasting time and money.

    BUILDING A WORLD ONE BOOK AT A TIME – (Session presented by Ann Charles & Diane Garland)

    Many readers love crossover books and characters. Creating one world that encompasses multiple series offers a familiarity even though the setting, style, and series are different. For authors, it not only helps to sell backlist books but can also create die-hard fans for life. In this presentation, Ann will explain some of the ways she has used to create crossover elements within her three on-going series. Diane Garland will join Ann and discuss the various ways her role as a World Keeper plays with Ann’s series building.

    WORKING WITH A WORLD BUILDING EDITOR or How to make your writing time more efficient and productive  – (Session presented by Ann Charles & Diane Garland)

    Building a world takes a lot of planning. Readers are smart, so you need all the help you can get making sure your world follows the rules you create along the way. For authors, previous threads and rules can become hazy by book 3 or 4 in a series. In this workshop, Ann and Diane will talk about ways they work as a team to make sure each book in an ongoing series stays true to the world the readers know and love.

    LIVING VICARIOUSLY THROUGH FICTION –  (Session presented by Ann Charles and  Jacquie Rogers)  The Writer’s Life tract

    Have you ever wondered where authors find the information needed to write stories about historical setting, character careers, or true events from the past, and how they incorporate it all into a single story or series? In this presentation, Ann and Jacquie will discuss how difficult it can be to live vicariously through fiction, and how important it is to be as accurate as possible.

     

    CAC18   STORY. PRODUCTION. BEYOND.

    Stay tuned for the latest info about Chanticleer Authors Conference presenters & sessions!

     

  • WHAT IS Pulpwood Queens GIRLFRIEND WEEKEND ALL ABOUT? by Sara Dahmen

    WHAT IS Pulpwood Queens GIRLFRIEND WEEKEND ALL ABOUT? by Sara Dahmen

    This is the second year I’ll be attending the Pulpwood Queens Girlfriend Weekend in Nacogdoches, Texas with Kathy Murphy, the ultimate book queen of the world and founder of the PQs.

    In case you’re like me, and live north of the Mason-Dixon line where this club and the Girlfriend Weekend event is not well-known (yet!), the Pulpwood Queens and Timber Guys is the biggest book club in the world, citing over 725 chapters internationally, and thousands of members. Going to my first Girlfriend Weekend was eye-opening and exhilarating, and definitely required extra doses of Vitamin B.

    As an author, attending the Pulpwood Queens Girlfriend Weekend was a bit of an (awesome) shock. Hundreds of readers were piled into an auditorium, and every evening was an occasion to dress up according to a planned theme. Dragging a wardrobe from Wisconsin that included everything from an Elvis-era crinoline to a red-sequined “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” gown I handmade for the Great Big Ball of Hair Ball at the end of the weekend. Authors from around the nation and the globe attended, spending time with one another and readers alike, with fantastic keynote speakers from bestselling and local, small or first-time authors (like myself!).

     

    Tim Monzingo/The Daily Sentinel
    Dressed as a surly band of miners, Pulpwood Queens members bellied up to the bar for candy cigarettes and wine during the Great Big Ball of Hair Ball at Austin Hall Saturday night. The event closed out a weekend-long celebration and convention of new and established authors.

    It was a phenomenal experience to speak to so many people about my background and my novels, to interact with dedicated readers and book club members and make new life-long friends who ended up on my Christmas card list.

    The cherry on top turned out to be the personal relationships I made with fellow authors. I personally was in awe of most of them, and they were so welcoming, warm, and kind both during and after the event. I’m so excited to see many of them again in person in a few short days, and cannot wait to celebrate their ongoing successes as they continue their trajectory towards author greatness. Me? I’ll be speaking about my upcoming releases, Widow 1881 and Smith 1865 (published by Sillan Pace Brown Group), slated for release this year, and with fingers crossed to have a smidgeon of the success of so many authors at this event.

    Did I mention that tiaras are mandatory?

    And all of it is thanks to Girlfriend Weekend, which starts on January 11th. I’ve already been doubling up my Vitamin B in preparation for several days of absolute fun.

    And, yes, those are candy cigarettes…

    If you want to read more about Kathy Murphy and the Pulpwood Queens Book Club, here are three  links:  one is an interview with Kathy Murphy from the Chanticleer Reviews magazine, the second one is titled “Three Questions with the Founder of the World’s Largest Book Club,”,  and the third (and most recent) one is a feature article from the November 29, 2017, issue of Parade Magazine.

    https://issuu.com/chanticleer-reviews/docs/fall-2016

     

    This year’s theme is Bohemian Rhapsody and I can hardly wait to see the costumes!

    Want to attend Girlfriend Weekend yet this year? Sign up here http://www.thepulpwoodqueens.com/2018-girlfriend-weekend-day-packages/

  • Gertrude Warner Book Awards for Middle Grade Readers 2017 Short List

    Gertrude Warner Book Awards for Middle Grade Readers 2017 Short List

    Gertrude Warner Children's Chapter Books

    The Gertrude Warner  Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works of Middle-Grade Chapter Books and Readers. The Gertrude Warner Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer Reviews International Book Awards.

    The following titles will compete for the FIRST IN CATEGORY Positions  Book Awards Packages for the 2017 Gertrude Warner Book Awards.

    Congratulations to all those who made the SHORT LIST!

    Good Luck to All!

    • David Applegate – The Bremtu Prophecy
    • Lis Anna-Langston – Gobbledy
    • Sarah M. Morin – Eva’s Soul
    • Robyn Fraser – Dean/na and the Hairless Rose
    • Murray Richter – Lucky Rocks
    • Diane Moat – The Supernatural Pet Sitter
    • ~CRK – ZCN & Friends: Adventures in I*V
    • T.K. Riggins – How To Set The World On Fire
    • Francesca Hampton – Greenstone’s Promise Voyages of the Makai Part 2
    • William M Hayes – The Year Santa Stubbed His Toe
    • Nick K. Adams – Away at War: A Civil War Story of the Family Left Behind
    • JD Harper – GLINT
    • Robert D. Calkins – Bryce Bumps His Head
    • Adele Frances – The House On Galloway Road
    • Gregory Saur – The Pond Scum Gang 
    • Paul Aertker – Brainwashed (Crime Travelers Series)
    • Maria Kiely – Which Way Is Home
    • Bek Castro – Flowerantha
    • Rebekah Stelzer/R.L.Stelzer – The Queen and Knights of Nor
    • Clint Hollingsworth – Nature Scout Emily
    • Cory Groshek – Breaking Away: Book One of the Rabylon Series
    • A Pharmacist on a Yak – The Strange Case of Mr. Beets 
    • Alan Sproles – Billy Bedivere in the Quest for the Dragon Queen

    The 2017 Gertrude Warner Short Listers will compete for the Gertrude Warner First-In-Category Positions.  First Place Category Award winners will automatically be entered into the Gertrude Warner GRAND PRIZE AWARD competition.  The CBR Grand Prize Genre Winners will compete for the CBR Overall Grand Prize for Best Book.

    All Short Listers will receive high visibility along with special badges to wear during the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala.

    As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions at Info@ChantiReviews.com. 

    Congratulations to the Short Listers in this fiercely competitive contest! 

    The Gertrude Warner Grand Prize Winner and the  First Place Category Position award winners along with all Short Listers in attendance will be announced at the April 21st, 2018 Chanticleer Book Awards Annual Awards Gala, which takes place at the Chanticleer Authors Conference that will be held in Bellingham, Wash. 

    To compete in the 2018 Gertrude Warner Book Awards or for more information, please click here.

    Chanticleer Book Reviews & Media, L.L.C. retains the right to not declare “default winners.” Winning works are decided upon merit only. Please visit our Contest Details page for more information about our writing contest guidelines.

    CBR’s rigorous writing competition standards are why literary agencies seek out our winning manuscripts and self-published novels. Our high standards are also why our reviews are trusted among booksellers and book distributors.

    Please do not hesitate to contact Info@ChantiReviews.com with any questions, concerns, or suggestions about CBR writing competitions. Your input and suggestions are important to us.

    Thank you for your interest in Chanticleer Book Reviews International Writing Competitions and Book Awards.