Chanticleer Book Reviews

Author: chanti

Rochelle Parry will present “Website 101” and “Optimizing your Presence Online” at CAC
Rochelle Parry will present “Website 101” and “Optimizing you Presence Online” at Chanticleer Authors Conference 2014.

“Website 101 (for the computer-challenged author)” will be an introductory overview of the various forms of websites available. We will look at the difference between blogs, hosted sites, free software and subscription software. You will learn the advantages and disadvantages to each solution. We will have a Q&A session.

Who Should Attend: Those who have thought about getting online but just aren’t sure yet; those who have a web presence but want to explore more options; those who just want a better grasp on websites in general.

Rochelle’s second workshop, “Optimizing your Presence Online” will focus mainly on using hosted WordPress software. We will also cover domain names, site setup, choosing a theme, what info you should have on your site, search engine optimization, file management, image optimization, spam control, integrating social media, selling online, and follow up with a Q&A session. She will demonstrate installing a new WordPress site live.

Who Should Attend: Those who are interested in the nuts and bolts of setting up and maintaining their own website, and learn some tips and tricks. If you have a blog on WordPress.com or blogger, and want more control, find out what is involved in having your own web site.

Rochelle Parry has been working with websites since 1998 when she created Megabite Design. She has worked at Microsoft designing software help systems, and at Western Washington University creating and managing websites. She enjoys helping non-technical clients understand computers and software, and creating useful, usable and engaging websites. Her website is at www.megabite.com.

We invite you to meet other members of the Chanticleer International Community of Authors at this fun and informative three day event featuring:
- CBR Awards Banquet – You don’t have to be a CBR winner to attend this exciting event.
- Sessions, workshops, and panel discussions
- Keynote Speakers: Shari Stauch, Tyler Bird, and Diane Isaacs
- Networking opportunities
- Prizes and drawings
- Books By the Bay Bookfair
Join us at the elegant Hotel Bellwether on beautiful Bellingham Bay. Register today!
September 18, 2014
Tyler Byrd presents “What is on the Horizon of Internet Marketing Technology” at CAC
Tyler Byrd, founder of Red Rokk Digital Media Marketing Agency, will present “What is on the Horizon of Internet Marketing Technology and What that Means to You” at Chanticleer Authors Conference 2014.

Tyler is the CEO of Red Rokk Interactive, a digital media marketing agency. Digital Media Marketing is the future of advertising and promotion. And the FUTURE is now.

The award winning agency specializes in design, marketing, and strategy. Redd Rokk team members are known for being digital aficionados, experts, inventors, and enthusiasts of today’s global digital age.

We invite you to meet other members of the Chanticleer International Community of Authors at this fun and informative three day event featuring:

Basic Day Passes now available!
- CBR Awards Banquet – You don’t have to be a CBR winner to attend this exciting event.
- Sessions, workshops, and panel discussions
- Keynote Speakers: Shari Stauch, Tyler Bird, and Diane Isaacs
- Networking opportunities
- Prizes and drawings
- Books By the Bay Bookfair
Join us at the elegant Hotel Bellwether on beautiful Bellingham Bay. Register today!
September 18, 2014
Michael Hurley presents “The Literary Author in the Age of ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’” at CAC
Avid sailor and acclaimed author Michael Hurley will present “The Literary Author in the Age of ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’” at the Chanticleer Authors Conference 2014.

Hailing from Charleston, S.C. , Michael is an avid sailor who solo sailed 2,200 miles in a two-year voyage that ended with the loss of his boat, the Gypsy Moon. It was that voyage that inspired him to set sail on a new adventure: writing his memoir. Hachette Book Group published Once Upon a Gypsy Moon in 2013.

His debut novel, The Prodigal, has received numerous accolades in the trade press and will be coming out soon as a film. His next novel is titled The Vineyard and is scheduled to be released in December 2014. Michael Hurley is a member of the Bar in North Carolina and Texas and has been in trial practice since 1984.

We invite you to meet other members of the Chanticleer International Community of Authors at this fun and informative three day event featuring:
- CBR Awards Banquet – You don’t have to be a CBR winner to attend this exciting event.
- Sessions, workshops, and panel discussions
- Keynote Speakers: Shari Stauch, Tyler Bird, and Diane Isaacs
- Networking opportunities
- Prizes and drawings
- Books By the Bay Bookfair
Join us at the elegant Hotel Bellwether on beautiful Bellingham Bay. Register today!
September 15, 2014
Amanda Hagarty will present “Wattpad Wonderful” and “Social Shenanigans” at CAC14
Amanda Hagarty will present “WattPad Wonderful” and “Social Shenanigans” at the Chanticleer Authors Conference 2014.

“WattPad Wonderful” will answer the question, “What is Wattpad?” Wattpad is a social media platform just for readers and writers and has surpassed sites like Goodreads, reddit, and even Tumblr in the number of people in the US who visit the site each month.

It is still a relatively unknown entity. But this is changing quickly. The news is getting out (in August Wired ran an article about an author who garnered over 800 million reads of her trilogy and 300 million comments), and more writers are wondering how they can use Wattpad to drive discoverability.

Amanda Hagarty has published nearly 30 chapters on Wattpad and hit the top 200 list of both Fantasy and Adventure with her story on numerous occasion. The story has earned over 2500 reads, nearly 300 votes and over 300 comments in that time. In this session she will share a few of the tricks and good practices she has learned on Wattpad that have helped her find a small but dedicated and growing group of fans for her work.

Amanda will also present two other sessions at the Chanticleer Authors Conference. Social Shenanigans on Friday will focus on author specific activities you can get up to on social media to both have fun and boost your discoverability. Tired of just posting “buy my book” or not sure what to do? Come and get creative ideas that will spice up your platform with a little variety and make the chore of social media something you can enjoy.

Amanda Hagarty’s second session on Saturday is entitled What is a Good Web Presence? In this session you will learn how to make the most of each component of your web presence, find your strengths, fill in the gaps, and bring it all together.

Amanda started building websites and doing online promotion in 1995. Social media marketing and promotion are a passion-turned-business for her.

Helping other writers learn how to use the Internet and social media to build their author’s platform and market their books was just a natural extension of her passion for marketing and her passion for writing.

We invite you to meet other members of the Chanticleer International Community of Authors at this fun and informative three day event featuring:
- CBR Awards Banquet – You don’t have to be a CBR winner to attend this exciting event.
- Sessions, workshops, and panel discussions
- Keynote Speakers: Shari Stauch, Tyler Bird, and Diane Isaacs
- Networking opportunities
- Prizes and drawings
- Books By the Bay Bookfair
Join us at the elegant Hotel Bellwether on beautiful Bellingham Bay. Register today!
September 14, 2014
Diane Isaacs presents “The Unfinish Line: Measures of Success” at CAC14
Executive film producer Diane Isaacs will present “The Un-finish Line: Measures of Success” at the Chanticleer Authors Conference 2014.

Diane brings more than two decades of experience in film and television industries as an executive film producer, president of production for Don Johnson Productions at Universal and Paramount pictures, president of development and production for Green Moon Productions where she produced films for Antonio Banderas and Emma Thompson.

Diane Isaacs currently has The Prodigal by Michael Hurley (ahem – she discovered The Prodigal via Kiffer Brown and Chanticleer Book Reviews) under option for film rights.

Diane is also the executive creative director of Wutz/Nxt. Nike, Microsoft, Guitar Hero & Rock Band video games, and others are just a few of Wutz/Nxt clients.

Diane will present The Unfinish Line: Measures of Success on Saturday, Sept. 20th at 9:30 a.m. at CAC14 and later that evening at the Chanticleer Awards Banquet.

Diane has always been in the business of leading change. She is known for her marketing wizardry and making waves, good ones!

We invite you to meet other members of the Chanticleer International Community of Authors at this fun and informative three day event featuring:
- CBR Awards Banquet – You don’t have to be a CBR winner to attend this exciting event.
- Sessions, workshops, and panel discussions
- Keynote Speakers: Shari Stauch, Tyler Bird, and Diane Isaacs
- Networking opportunities
- Prizes and drawings
- Books By the Bay Bookfair
Join us at the elegant Hotel Bellwether on beautiful Bellingham Bay. Register today!
September 13, 2014
Robert Dugoni presents “Creating Memorable Characters” at CAC
Robert Dugoni, NY Times bestselling author of legal thrillers, will present “Playing God–Creating Memorable Characters” at the Chanticleer Authors Conference 2014

What is it about certain books that when we finish the final page the characters stay with us for days? What is it about those characters that has made them so memorable? Using examples from his own works and other writers, Bob will teach techniques to make your characters well-rounded individuals that will keep readers wondering about them long after they have finished your book.

A writer turned lawyer turned writer. Dugoni is a NY Times bestselling author of legal thrillers. A Stanford graduate and UCLA law school graduate, he practiced for 13 years in San Francisco. We at Chanticleer Book Reviews agree with others that “Dugoni is the undisputed king of the Legal Thriller.”

Dugoni’s first in the Tracy Crosswhite series will be released November 1, 2014 by Thomas and Mercer. Crosswhite, Seattle’s First Female Homicide detective is on a twenty-year quest to find out who abducted and murdered her younger sister. The answer will shock her, and open horrifying new dangers. Look for the prequel, The Academy, also to be released by Thomas and Mercer.

Bob has passed on this link to The Academy, now available on Amazon for free download to Kindle. Click below to get this excellent prequel to the next legal thriller series from Robert Dugoni.

http://www.amazon.com/Academy-Robert-Dugoni-ebook/dp/B00LMKD6SU/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1410457416&sr=8-6&keywords=The+Academy

We invite you to meet other members of the Chanticleer International Community of Authors at this fun and informative three day event featuring:
- CBR Awards Banquet – You don’t have to be a CBR winner to attend this exciting event.
- Sessions, workshops, and panel discussions
- Keynote Speakers: Shari Stauch, Tyler Bird, and Diane Isaacs
- Networking opportunities
- Prizes and drawings
- Books By the Bay Bookfair
Join us at the elegant Hotel Bellwether on beautiful Bellingham Bay. Register today!
September 11, 2014
Bernadette Pajer presents “Emotional Triggers” at CAC
Bernadette Pajer, author of the immensely popular Professor Bradshaw Mystery Series, will present a session on “Emotional Triggers that Resonate with Readers” at the Chanticleer Authors Conference 2014

Emotional triggers unleash the reader’s imagination and create a resonance between the author and the reader. They build castles in the reader’s mind, they instill fear, or hope, or love, in the reader’s heart. Best of all, triggers engage the reader by allowing them the extreme pleasure of participating actively in the story.

In this workshop, Bernadette Pajer will share her hard-earned “aha” moment that led her to coin the term “Triggers” and will show how you can use this powerful tool to engage your readers and create a loyal readership.

Seattle author Bernadette Pajer’s Professor Bradshaw Mystery Series is traditionally published by Poisoned Pen Press. This fast-paced and highly entertaining series takes place in Seattle in the time of Tesla. All four books in this series thus far have earned the coveted Washington Academy of Sciences Seal of Approval for Science.
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An excerpt of Chanticleer's review of this award winning series:
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“Pajer’s vivid writing takes readers to this exciting time that is in the crossroads of scientific investigation and innovation, when automobiles and horse drawn carts compete for the same streets, and the United States reels with political unrest and social upheaval. Readers will warm to the curmudgeonly and reserved professor who has a heart of gold and a penchant for investigation.”

Discover how “emotional triggers” can take your writing to a new level and increase your readership–no matter what the genre, fiction or non-fiction!

We invite you to meet other members of the Chanticleer International Community of Authors at this fun and informative three day event featuring:
- CBR Awards Banquet – You don’t have to be a CBR winner to attend this exciting event.
- Sessions, workshops, and panel discussions
- Keynote Speakers: Shari Stauch, Tyler Bird, and Diane Isaacs
- Networking opportunities
- Prizes and drawings
- Books By the Bay Bookfair
Join us at the elegant Hotel Bellwether on beautiful Bellingham Bay. Register today!
September 6, 2014
Jennifer Kohout presents “Audiobooks – ACX” at CAC
Jennifer Kohout, co-founder of “Unbound Words,” a digital bookselling technology-based company, will present a session on Audio Books – ACX at the Chanticleer Authors Conference 2014.

After practicing law for ten years, former attorney, Jennifer Kohout decided it was time for a change. She has been writing full-time since 2012 and has published ten titles, five of which are currently offered as audiobooks.

Too many authors have been left out the quickly growing digital audio market. Today’s busy “readers” listen to books while they commute, exercise, stand in line, or even while taking care of household chores. Today’s fast-paced lifestyle demands multiplexing!

Audiobooks can help you reach expand your readership by allowing you to reach this busy target market. Jennifer will present an overview of ACX, the leader in audiobook technology, to get you started and headed in the right direction to take advantage of this new publishing tool.

Get your title up and out there to this growing market! ACX has revolutionized the audiobook creation process. ACX puts you in the driver’s seat! ACX was just acquired by Amazon, the leading provider of audio content and entertainment.

Jennifer is also an author of dark and sexy paranormal romance novels that are considered to be “unconventional. She has seven novels and three novellas published.

Jennifer Kohout will also demonstrate at how “Unbound Words” can increase your book sales at the Books By the Bay Festival on Sunday, Sept. 21st, sponsored by Chanticleer Book Reviews.

We invite you to meet other members of the Chanticleer International Community of Authors at this fun and informative three day event featuring:
- CBR Awards Banquet – You don’t have to be a CBR winner to attend this exciting event.
- Sessions, workshops, and panel discussions
- Keynote Speakers: Shari Stauch and Diane Isaacs
- Networking opportunities
- Prizes and drawings
- Books By the Bay Bookfair
Join us at the elegant Hotel Bellwether on beautiful Bellingham Bay. Register today!
September 5, 2014
The Paranormal Awards 2013 for Supernatural Fiction: First in Category Winners
The Paranormal Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Supernatural Fiction.

The Paranormal Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Gothic and Paranormal Fiction as defined as stories that are set in a normal world where there are supernatural or speculative characters or elements that are beyond the range of scientific explanation that interact in what is otherwise considered a normal construct. Gothic fiction (also known as literary horror i.e., Frankenstein, Dracula, and Poe’s works (not graphic horror) is also another sub-genre of Paranormal Fiction.

We are honored to post the Official List of 1st in Category Winners for the Paranormal Awards 2013.

These 1st Place Category Winners have been read cover to cover and have made it through seven rounds of judging. The authors of the winning titles will receive a Chanticleer Editorial Book Review and promotional package.

First Place Category winners will compete for Overall Best of Paranormal Awards for Supernatural Fiction 2013. Overall Best Book for the Paranormal Awards 2013 will win a $250 purse and will compete for the Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Awards Grand Prize for Best Book 2013 and a $1,000 purse (U.S. Dollars). Awards will be announced and presented at the Chanticleer Awards Banquet on September 20th, 2014.

The Overall First Place Genre Winner for the Paranormal Awards 2013 is:

Lisa Voisin, The Watcher

The First Place Category Winners Titles & Authors of the Paranormal Awards 2013 are:
- Young Adult: Spirit Legacy by E.E. Holmes
- Contemporary Gothic: Poe, Nevermore by Rachel M. Martens
- Angels/Demons: The Watcher by Lisa Voisin
- Historical: The Immortal American by L. B. Joramo
- Mystery/Thriller: The Dream Jumper’s Promise by Kim Hornsby
- Romance: Montana Mustangs by Danica Winters
- Urban/Edgy: The Third Option by Ben A. Sharpton
- Supernatural Powers: Witch’s Malice by David Hutchison
- Vampires/Werewolves: Dancing on the Dark Side by Mairin Fisher-Fleming
Honorary Mention for Best New Manuscript: Bayview by Penny Page

Congratulations to the Paranormal Writing Competition 2013 Finalists and 1st in Category Winners! https://www.chantireviews.com/2014/03/26/paranormal-awards-2013-finalists-official-list/

The staff and judges at Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Writing Competitions want to thank everyone who participated in the Paranormal Awards Writing Competition 2013.

We invite you to participate in the 2014 Paranormal Awards! Click here for more info.

CBR – Discovering Today’s Best Books with International Writing Competitions!
June 29, 2014
Guy Kawasaki, author of “APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur”

Chanticleer’s review of APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur was a key component of its successful launch. I would recommend CBR to authors who are passionate about their craft.

June 16, 2014