The LARAMIE Awards Writing Competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genres of Western Fiction. The Laramie 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 2016 writing competition winners at the Chanticleer Authors Conference April 1, 2017!
The Laramie Finalists will compete for the SHORT LIST and then these author and titles will compete for the Laramie Awards First In Category Positions, which consists of Four Judging Rounds. First Place Category Book Award winners will automatically be entered into the Laramie GRAND PRIZE AWARD competition, which has a cash prize of $200 dollars. The CBR Grand Prize Genre Winners will compete for the CBR Overall Grand Prize for Best Book and its $1,000 purse.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions at Info@ChantiReviews.com.
Congratulations to the Finalists in this fiercely competitive contest!
Good Luck to all of the Laramie Finalists as they compete for the coveted Short List.
The Laramie Grand Prize Winner and the First Place Category winners will be announced and recognized at the April 1, 2017 Chanticleer Writing Contests Annual Awards Gala, which takes place on the last evening of the Chanticleer Authors Conference that will be held in Bellingham, Wash.
We are now accepting submissions into the 2017 Laramie Awards writing competitions for Western Fiction. Please click here for more information or to enter the contests.
Dear Chanticleer Family,
Our team is going to be too busy enjoying a bit of time off on Black Friday to post a promotion on that day. But, we didn’t want to miss an opportunity to give back to our wonderful supporters.
Now through midnight on November 30, 2016, we are offering you $75 off the cost of our Chanticleer Book Review for a limited time.
Book isn’t quite ready? You can take advantage of this Thanksgiving special and we will issue you a voucher that is valid until December 2017. That’s a whole extra year to get your final polish done!
Purchase your book review with the code Thankyou75 before November 30th.
We appreciate the support you have show us in 2016 and look forward to another successful year, thanks to all of you!
Your devoted book promoting allies,
The Chanticleer Book Reviews Team
Two-year-olds begin to learn to resolve and reduce conflict when their mothers teach them that biting isn’t nice. But it’s an authors job to create and escalate conflict to uncomfortable degrees. Not quite biting level–maybe a notch below. Or there could be biting. The story will out.
So how do authors overcome a lifetime of social training to avoid conflict?
Eileen Cook to the rescue! Eileen is an author with a background as a therapist–specifically in conflict resolution. One of the sessions she will teach at the upcoming Chanticleer Author Conference—CAC17 is March 31st to April 2nd–will be her class The Perfect Storm: Character, Conflict and Motivation, which is a unique experience falling somewhere between marriage counseling and writing class. If you have a slightly rocky relationship you’d like to improve, or some characters whose relationships need to be smashed on the rocks to get your plot moving, either way, you will benefit from attending this class with Eileen Cook.
Also, not to be missed, is her class: Why Would You Say That? How to Improve Your Dialogue.
We asked our CAC17 special guest speakers a few questions to break the ice and introduce them to all of you who’ve already registered or are planning to register for CAC17. And Eileen was the first to jump in with her answers, below.
I always wanted to be a writer. My parents kept a homework assignment I did in second grade where instead of practicing sentences, I strung mine all together and the teacher wrote on the bottom: “Someday you’ll be an author.” It took me a while to get there— but now that homework sheet hangs in my office as proof of the power of those who believe in you and the idea of never giving up.
It’s often not the big challenges, but the small (seemingly endless) setbacks that I found wore me down. It’s hard to keep going in the face of rejection. It’s far easier to give up than to keep trying.
My definition for success in writing is to continue to learn and grow as a writer and to never forget how truly fortunate I am to do this work. My goalposts for what I want to achieve keep changing- but I hope I always remember to find the joy in the process of creating and sharing stories.
It depends on when you want to start the clock! I wanted to be a writer since I was young, but if we start the clock when I started to take the craft seriously, taking classes, writing on a regular basis, completing projects and submitting manuscripts it took about six years before I sold my first book.
I took a class and the instructor pulled me aside and told me that I should be submitting my work- that I had talent. I stated that I didn’t know I would do if I was rejected. The instructor told me: “I hate to break this to you- but you’re already not published. The worst thing that will happen to you if you submit your work is that you STILL won’t be published.” That was a lightbulb moment for me- I realized that the worst thing that would happen is that someone would tell me no- but if I was unwilling to survive some no’s I would never get to a yes.
If you have not registered for CAC17 yet, what are you waiting for? Eileen Cook and more fantastic speakers (including yourself possibly, if you register before the schedule is full) will be sharing their experience and knowledge about writing books, selling books, and everything to do with being a successful author.
About EileenEileen Cook is a multi-published author with her novels appearing in eight different languages. Her books have been optioned for film and TV. She spent most of her teen years wishing she were someone else or somewhere else, which is great training for a writer. Her newest book, WITH MALICE, came out in June 2016. She’s an instructor/mentor with the Simon Fraser University Writer’s Studio Program.
You can read more about Eileen, her books, and the things that strike her as funny at www.eileencook.com. Eileen lives in Vancouver with her husband and two very naughty dogs and no longer wishes to be anyone or anywhere else.
WITH MALICE by Eileen CookFor fans of We Were Liars and The Girl on the Train comes a chilling, addictive psychological thriller about a teenage girl who cannot remember the last six weeks of her life.
Eighteen-year-old Jill Charron’s senior trip to Italy was supposed to be the adventure of a lifetime. And then the accident happened. Waking up in a hospital room, her leg in a cast, stitches in her face, and a big blank canvas where the last 6 weeks should be, Jill comes to discover she was involved in a fatal accident in her travels abroad. She was jetted home by her affluent father in order to receive quality care. Care that includes a lawyer. And a press team. Because maybe the accident…wasn’t an accident. Wondering not just what happened but what she did, Jill tries to piece together the events of the past six weeks before she loses her thin hold on her once-perfect life.
Eileen’s Classes:
“Kiffer, your Bookseller Confidential article is SPOT ON. Thank you for spreading good and accurate information!”Best,
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]
The Somerset Awards are the traditional end to the Chanticleer contest year. These awards are an interesting mix of genres coming together under one roof for a literary Thanksgiving dinner. Literary Fiction, Mainstream Fiction and Contemporary Fiction are all related but distinct in their own ways. Literary works are non-genre, elegantly written and often focus on deep characterization. Mainstream works are stories that don’t easily fit into a specific genre but also tend toward artful prose, sometimes called literary light. Contemporary stories are primarily defined by being stories set in modern times, with settings and events that could realistically occur, but that do not fit within any particular genre. Some of the categories in the Somerset Awards are: Adventure/Suspense, Women’s Fiction (for those that don’t fit within the romance genre), Satire, and Magic Realism. The Somerset Awards are a cornucopia of these stories and we are looking forward to feasting our eyes on them.
William Somerset Maugham (pronounced MAWm), born January 25 1875 and died December 16, 1965, was one of the most popular and highly paid authors of the 1930s. During the WWI he served in the ambulance corps and then was recruited into the British Secret Service. He traveled widely, most notably to India, Southeast Asia, and Russia before the 1917 revolution, which influenced his writing. He was a contemporary of Hemingway, E. E. Cummings, William Faulkner, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, and Evelyn Waugh.
Maugham is known for his writing’s diversity that consists of plays, short stories, and distinctive novel genres that have been adapted to film. He is well known for The Razor’s Edge, Of Human Bondage, The Moon and Sixpence, Cakes and Ale, The Magician, Rain, The Painted Veil, and his first work: Liza of Lambeth. He has twenty novels to his credit, twenty-five plays, and sixteen collections of short stories.
Here are a few of tidbits of Somerset Maugham’s wisdom:
- There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.
- The ability to quote is a serviceable substitute for wit.
- Every production of an artist should be the expression of an adventure of his soul.
- I always find it more difficult to say the things I mean than the things I don’t.
- The fact that a great many people believe something is no guarantee of its truth.
- When I read a book I seem to read it with my eyes only, but now and then I come across a passage, perhaps only a phrase, which has a meaning for me, and it becomes part of me.
- We do not write because we want to; we write because we have to.
- I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.
- If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn’t matter a damn how you write.
The Alexandrite by Rick Lenz won the Somerset Award category for Magic Realism and then went on to take home the 2015 Somerset Grand Prize.
“Time-travel Noir becomes High Art with a wicked sense of humor in this fast-paced novel that offers up alternate views of Hollywood’s past and present….The Alexandrite by Rick Lenz playfully challenges the reader to ask questions about a world that exists outside of the four dimensions in which we live. A must-read for anyone and everyone who has been touched by the magic of Hollywood.“
Rick Lenz is a jack-of-all-trades in show business: actor, artist, and author. He has acted alongside many of the biggest names on stage and screen, and his prismatic role playing parlayed over to the pen with a successful string of plays from Off-Broadway to PBS. When Lenz is not riding away on his next kaleidoscopic quest, he can be found painting, playing the piano, or reading at home with his beloved wife, Linda.
The Manipulator by Steve London won the Somerset Award category for Satire and then went on to take home the 2014 Somerset Grand Prize.
“With a fast-paced story line and a rich cast of characters, this award-winning winning novel offers a uniquely hilarious, but scary, perspective on the how the businesses of public relations and marketing can take technology to its precipice to take advantage of a media addicted public. Lundin’s clever blending of fact and fiction alternately tempts and taunts the reader with Vlad’s prophetic question, “Are you comfortable with the edge?” Highly recommended.“
Steve Lundin is the humor column for MediaPost’s Marketing Daily and has written for the Chicago Tribune, International Watch and a variety of aviation publications. He is a writer, cartoonist, photographer, videographer, designer, amateur sociologist, pop culture expert/collector, scuba diver, motorcyclist and aviator in the making. And he knows a few things about marketing, having consulted for nearly 100 companies from Fortune 50 to a couple of guys in a garage with a business plan.
Individually Wrapped by Jeremy Bullian won the Somerset Award category for Speculative Fiction and then went on to win the 2013 Somerset Awards Grand Prize.
“Individually Wrapped tells us the bizarre tale of Sam Gregory’s descent over the condensed course of a couple of days. Set in a 21st century futuristic city, technology has permeated every aspect of the city dwellers’ lives. In some ways things are more efficient: cars drive themselves, doors open on voice command, money is exchanged via thumbprints. None of the technologies presented are far-fetched; many exist today.“
Jeremy Bullian is an Assistant Professor Librarian at Hillsborough Community College. He has a strong interest in emerging technologies in librarianship but also more broadly in terms of how these new technologies affect us as individuals and as a society. He lives in Tampa, Florida with his family where he is a librarian, writer, and musician. He is currently working on a follow-up to Individually Wrapped.
Rain Shine Secrets by Alice T. Robb, manuscript won a Chanticleer Review award for best manuscript, women’s fiction category, in 2012. This book should be ready for publication within the next year or two. It is about an old woman with Alzheimer’s who gets lost in Seattle for several days. She is befriended by a homeless woman. Meanwhile her grandson and his wife, who live with her, are caught up in their search for her, while also coping with their own complex relationship.
All you have to do is to enter your manuscript or published novel into one of the genre divisions of the Chanticleer International Novel Writing Awards.
The November 30th deadline for the SOMERSET submissions is going to be here before you know it.
Don’t miss this opportunity to earn distinction for your novel. Enter our contests today!
All category winners have the opportunity to attend our spring Award Gala ceremony that takes place during the 2017 Chanticleer Authors Conference where they will be whisked up on stage to receive their ribbon in a magical evening including dinner, networking opportunities, and celebrations–not to mention free reviews, and the chance to win the grand prizes and cash![/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20px” padding_bottom=”20px” padding_left=”0px” padding_right=”0px” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”single solid” sep_color=”transparent” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]What are the Somerset Awards?[/fusion_title][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”3_5″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]Our Somerset Awards are the Chanticleer Reviews search for the best Literary, Mainstream or Contemporary books of 2016!
Chanticleer Book Reviews is looking for the best books featuring contemporary stories, literary themes, adventure, satire, humor, magic realism or women and family themes, we will put them to the test and choose the best among them.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”2_5″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”1px” border_color=”#606060″ border_style=”solid” padding=”10px” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]
Our Chanticleer Review Writing Contests feature more than $30,000.00 worth of cash and prizes each year!
~$1,000 Overall Grand Prize Winner Purse
~$2,800 in Genre Grand Prizes Purses
~$28,980 in reviews, prizes, and promotional opportunities awarded to Category Winners
[/fusion_text][fusion_button link=”https://www.chantireviews.com/services#!/Contemporary-&-Mainstream-Novel-Writing-Contest/p/21521214/category=5193080″ color=”darkgray” size=”” stretch=”” type=”” shape=”” target=”_blank” title=”” gradient_colors=”|” gradient_hover_colors=”|” accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” bevel_color=”” border_width=”1px” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” modal=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”1″ animation_offset=”” alignment=”center” class=”” id=””]Enter Somerset Awards[/fusion_button][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
The Goethe Novel Writing Competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of post-1750s Historical Fiction. The Goethe Awards is a division of Chanticleer International Novel Writing Competitions.More than $30,000.00 dollars worth of cash and prizes are awarded to Chanticleer Book Reviews 2016 writing competition winners at the Chanticleer Authors Conference April 1, 2017!
The Goethe Awards FIRST IN CATEGORY sub-genres are: Regency, Victorian, 1700s/1800s, Turn of the Century, 20th Century, World Wars and Other Wars, World/International History post-1750, and U.S. History.
The following titles will compete for the SHORT LIST (Semi-Finalists):
The Goethe Finalists will compete for the Goethe Awards First In Category Positions, which consists of Four Judging Rounds. First Place Category Book Award winners will automatically be entered into the Goethe GRAND PRIZE AWARD competition, which has a cash prize of $200. The CBR Grand Prize Genre Winners will compete for the CBR Overall Grand Prize for Best Book and its $1,000 purse.
- All First In Category Book Award Winners will receive high visibility along with special badges to wear during the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala.
- First In Category winners will compete for the Chaucer Awards Grand Prize Award for the $200 purse and the Chaucer Grand Prize Ribbon and badges.
- TEN genre Grand Prize winning titles will compete for the $1,000 purse for CBR Best Book and Overall Grand Prize.
- A coveted Chanticleer Book Review valued at $345 dollars U.S. will be awarded to the winning title.
- CBR reviews are published in the Chanticleer Reviews magazine.
- A CBR Blue Ribbon to use in promotion at book signings and book festivals
- Digital book award stickers for on-line promotion
- Adhesive book stickers
- Shelf-talkers and other promotional items
- Promotion in print and on-line media
- Review of book distributed to on-line sites and printed media publications
- Review, cover art, and author synopsis listed in CBR’s newsletter
- Contests are based on merit and writing craft in all the Chanticleer Writing Competitions.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact us at Info@ChantiReviews.com with any questions, concerns, or suggestions.
Congratulations to the Finalists in this fiercely competitive contest!
Good Luck to all the Goethe Finalists as they compete for the coveted First Place Category positions.
First In Category announcements will be listed in our social media postings as the results come in.
The 2016 Goethe Grand Prize Winner and First Place Category Winners will be announced at the April 1st, 2017 Chanticleer Writing Contests Annual Awards Gala, which takes place on the last evening of the Chanticleer Authors Conference to be held in Bellingham, Wash.
We are now accepting submissions for the 2017 Chaucer Awards and the Goethe Awards writing competitions for Historical Fiction. Please click here for more information or to enter the contests.
Anonymous, a riveting story based on a real-life grab-the-seat-of-your-pants thrill-fest by Chanticleer First Place Clue Award-winning author, Christine Benedict, is making news! Her hair-raising novel is based on the real-life incidents that she and her husband experienced when they lived in a haunted 1875 farmhouse.
It all started the day she and her husband moved into the 14-room farmhouse with only a few of the rooms in livable condition. Her husband worked hard and socialized with his brothers while she stayed at home with the baby, trying to discern if she was going insane like her mother, or truly was hearing footsteps on the floor above… when no one else was at home. Benedict puts her character, Debra, into some of the same horrifying situations she lived through, from thinking the house is haunted to thinking she might be inheriting her mother’s insanity, and to receiving explicit and terrifying letters from a stalker.
With a new plot twist around every corner, the author delivers a complex story of obsession and jealousy that will keep the reader turning page after satisfying page. Christine Benedict’s Anonymous hits all the marks for an engrossing, edge-of-your-seat read.
MFPS is based in Munroe Falls, just outside of Akron, Ohio.
Their mission statement is: The Munroe Falls Paranormal Society strives to provide an objective and unbiased approach to the scientific study, investigation, and research of paranormal phenomenon.
They are a well-organized, science-based group of individuals whose passion is to discover if the noises you’re hearing are just normal noises, or actual disembodied voices trying to scare the crap out of you.
The MFPS has taken on investigating Benedict’s house, and what they discover is both shocking and hair-raising. Watch the video of the investigation and everything that happened here.
Christine and The Munroe Falls Paranormal Society invite you to join them at The Berea Branch of The Cuyahoga County Library on November 14, at 7:00 pm to see this incredible documentary. Sponsored by Mysterious Midwest.
Christine Benedict is the 1st Place winner of the 2015 Clue Book Award
Chanticleer Reviews: “With a new plot twist around every corner, the author delivers a complex story of obsession and jealousy that will keep the reader turning page after satisfying page. Christine Benedict’s “Anonymous” hits all the marks for an engrossing, edge-of-your-seat read.”
Watch the Anonymous’ spooky Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/70eys8mECFY
Contributor:
Sharon Anderson is a horror writer with a sense of humor. Her book, Curse of the Seven 70s answers the question,
‘What happens when Vlad Dracula’s younger brother comes back to life bent on revenge, but finds love instead?”
Find out more about this author at http://www.SharonAndersonAuthor.com
The CHAUCER Writing Competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of pre-1750s Historical Fiction. The Chaucer 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 2016 writing competition winners at the Chanticleer Authors Conference April 1, 2017!
NOTE: This list is COMPLETE as of January 27, 2017.
The following titles will compete for the Short List and then compete for the First Place Category Positions and Awards Packages.
The Chaucer Finalists will compete for the Chaucer Awards First In Category Positions, which consists of Four Judging Rounds. First Place Category Book Award winners will automatically be entered into the Chaucer GRAND PRIZE AWARD competition, which has a cash prize of $200. The CBR Grand Prize Genre Winners will compete for the CBR Overall Grand Prize for Best Book and its $1,000 purse.
- All First In Category Book Award Winners will receive high visibility along with special badges to wear during the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala.
- First In Category winners will compete for the Chaucer Awards Grand Prize Award for the $200 purse and the Chaucer Grand Prize Ribbon and badges.
- TEN genre Grand Prize winning titles will compete for the $1,000 purse for CBR Best Book and Overall Grand Prize.
- A coveted Chanticleer Book Review valued at $345 dollars U.S. CBR reviews will be published in the Chanticleer Reviews magazine in chronological order as to posting.
- A CBR Blue Ribbon to use in promotion at book signings and book festivals
- Digital book award stickers for on-line promotion
- Adhesive book stickers
- Shelf-talkers and other promotional items
- Promotion in print and on-line media
- Review of book distributed to on-line sites and printed media publications
- Review, cover art, and author synopsis listed in CBR’s newsletter
- Default First in Category winners will not be declared. Contests are based on merit and writing craft in all of the Chanticleer Writing Competitions.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions at Info@ChantiReviews.com.
Congratulations to the Finalists in this fiercely competitive contest!
Good Luck to all of the Chaucer Finalists as they compete for Semi-Finalists positions.
First In Category announcements will be made in our social media postings as the results come in.
The Chaucer Grand Prize Winner and First Place Category Winners will be announced at the April 1st, 2017 Chanticleer Writing Contests Annual Awards Gala, which takes place on the last evening of the Chanticleer Authors Conference that will be held in Bellingham, Wash.
We are now accepting submissions into the 2017 Chaucer Awards and the Goethe Awards writing competitions for Historical Fiction. Please click here for more information or to enter the contests.
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]
Our Cygnus Awards have been home to both Science Fiction and Fantasy since the Chanticleer International Writing Competitions began, but the cup is overflowing and a new cauldron (it’s October after all) was needed to hold the fantasy entries. The OZMA Awards were the perfect answer. A lot of thought went into creating this new home for our fantasy entries, choosing the name OZMA as a nod to L. Frank Baum’s Princess Ozma from the Oz series and then a painting of Joan of Arc by Dante Rossetti (a Chanticleer favorite!) as the image to represent the awards. L. Frank Baum, a feminist in his time, created in Ozma a great ruler, both protector and pacifist, who eliminated poverty and need in her realm. And Joan of Arc, as we all know overcame impossible odds to become a warrior and a leader in a time when such roles were reserved for men. We wanted do our bit to encourage and foster a place for strong female characters in fantasy fiction.
Paranormal – A haunting historyThe Paranormal Awards are an old soul with a lot of spirit and winners going back to our beginning.
The Aurora Affair by Carolyn Haley won the Paranormal Award category for “Supernatural Powers” and then went on to take home the 2015 Paranormal Grand Prize.
“Supermodel-turned-artist Madeline LaRue has been suppressing her psychic gifts all her life. Now she’s stranded in a remote musicians’ enclave, called in by her twin sister to explain away some spooky goings-on that are more than merely spooky. Devout skeptic or not, Madeline has walked into a cosmic storm where, along with her sister, an ex-lover, and a charismatic New Age musician, she is targeted by forces she has always denied, and that only her artist’s eye can discern.“
Carolyn Haley is a writer, editor, and reviewer living in rural Vermont. Through her business, DocuMania, she writes a mix of magazine articles and catalogue copy, along with her own books. She also helps other authors with diverse projects through editing, proofreading, production, and education. When not working, Carolyn enjoys several outdoor pursuits—gardening, paddling, walking, riding, birdwatching—along with autosports and spectating the arts. Her enduring passion, however, is books.
An Ex to Grind by Ann Charles won the Paranormal Award category for “Blended Genre” and then went on to take home the 2014 Paranormal Grand Prize.
“The Deadwood Mysteries offer a welcomed new twist for cozy mystery lovers! Fresh writing, lovable quirky characters, a good dose of randiness, peculiar situations…and clever surprises at every twist and turn. An Ex to Grind keeps the laughs coming or the suspense building. Get ready for another hilarious and spooky suspenseful read from Ann Charles.“
Ann Charles is a USA Today Best-Selling author who writes award-winning mysteries that are splashed with humor, romance, and whatever else sounds fun.She is currently toiling away on her next book, wishing she was on a Mexican beach with an ice-cold Corona in one hand and her Kindle in the other. When she is not dabbling in fiction, she is arm wrestling with her two kids, attempting to seduce her husband, and arguing with her sassy cat.
The Watcher by Lisa Voisin won the Paranormal Award category for “Angels & Demons” and then went on to take home the 2013 Paranormal Grand Prize.
“Voisin transports us visually into Mia’s world with rich details, from places as mundane as a wall locker in a school corridor, to a thrilling winged flight high above the city. We ache with Mia for Michael’s touch when he is near, and feel Michael’s pain for resisting…The Watcher will keep you guessing, and feeling, and leave you with great hope.“
A Canadian-born author, Lisa Voisin spent her childhood daydreaming and making up stories, but it was her love of reading and writing in her teens that drew her to Young Adult fiction. As someone who believes in giving back, she leads the Young Writer’s Club sponsored by the Lynn Valley Literary Society every month. In her spare time, she teaches meditation. So when she’s not writing, you’ll find her meditating or hiking in the mountains to counter the side effects of drinking too much coffee. She lives in Vancouver, B.C. with her fiancé and their two cats.
Sacred Fires by Catherine Greenfeder, winner of the 2012 Romantic Paranormal Award.
“Casey is a journalist who is trying to prove her reporting chops when she joins up with Miguel, a U.S. Customs agent whose mission is to solve the mystery of missing ancient artifacts and recent bizarre cult murders. Their leads take them to Mexico City and the lush, sultry tropics of Acapulco…Sacred Fires is a well written and crafted romantic paranormal novel with elements of intrigue and suspense along with a story set in a lush locale with mystic Aztec undercurrents. Greenfeder has succeeded in writing a fast-paced romantic suspense novel that is refreshingly different.“
Born and raised in New York City, the American West and the pioneer days has been a fascination for Catherine Greenfeder since her fifth grade teacher created a “pioneer day” complete with square dancing and venison stew.A fan of romance fiction since high school, Catherine decided to write her first romance novel after careers in public relations and retail advertising. Trips to Oklahoma to visit family sparked Catherine’s interest in the plight of Native Americans and those early settlers in the frontier states. Wildflowers is the product of years of research and writing. Catherine is a language arts teacher and a romance novelist in New Jersey.
All you have to do is to enter your manuscript or published novel in either of these terrific contests!
The October 31th deadline for submissions is going to be here before you know it. Don’t miss this opportunity to earn distinction for your novel. Enter our contests today!
All category winners have the opportunity to attend our spring Award Gala ceremony that takes place during the 2017 Chanticleer Authors Conference where they will be whisked up on stage to receive their ribbon in a magical evening including dinner, networking opportunities, and celebrations–not to mention free reviews, and the chance to win the grand prizes and cash![/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20px” padding_bottom=”20px” padding_left=”0px” padding_right=”0px” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”single solid” sep_color=”transparent” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]What are the OZMA and Paranormal Awards?[/fusion_title][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”3_5″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]Our OZMA Awards are the Chanticleer Reviews search for the best Fantasy books of 2016!
Chanticleer Book Reviews is looking for the best books featuring magic, the supernatural, imaginary worlds, fantastical creatures, legendary beasts, mythical beings, or inventions of fancy that author imaginations dream up without a basis in science as we know it. Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, Dragons, Unicorns, Steampunk, Dieselpunk, Gaslight Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, or other out of this world fiction, we will put them to the test and choose the best among them in the OZMA Awards for Fantasy Fiction International Writing Competition.
Our Paranormal Awards are the Chanticleer Reviews search for the best Supernatural Fiction books of 2016!
Chanticleer Book Reviews is looking for the best books featuring magic, the supernatural, weird other worldly stories, super humans, magical beings and supernatural entities, vampires, werewolves, angels, demons, Fairy, Magical systems and elements, we will put them to the test and choose the best among them.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”2_5″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”1px” border_color=”#606060″ border_style=”solid” padding=”10px” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]
Our Chanticleer Review Writing Contests feature more than $30,000.00 worth of cash and prizes each year!
~$1,000 Overall Grand Prize Winner
~$2,800 in Genre Grand Prizes
~$28,980 in reviews, prizes, and promotional opportunities awarded to Category Winners
[/fusion_text][fusion_button link=”/services#!/Fantasy-Writing-Contests-Sword-&-Sorcery-Fiction-Chanticleer-Book-Reviews/p/57162380/category=5193080″ color=”darkgray” size=”” stretch=”” type=”” shape=”” target=”_blank” title=”” gradient_colors=”|” gradient_hover_colors=”|” accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” bevel_color=”” border_width=”1px” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” modal=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”1″ animation_offset=”” alignment=”center” class=”” id=””]Enter OZMA Awards[/fusion_button][fusion_button link=”/services#!/Paranormal-Writing-Competition/p/25917402/category=5193080″ color=”darkgray” size=”” stretch=”” type=”” shape=”” target=”_blank” title=”” gradient_colors=”|” gradient_hover_colors=”|” accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” bevel_color=”” border_width=”1px” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” modal=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”1″ animation_offset=”” alignment=”center” class=”” id=””]Enter Paranormal Awards![/fusion_button][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
