Chanticleer Book Reviews

Author: chanti

The 2024 SOMERSET Book Award WINNERS for Literary and Contemporary Fiction
The SOMERSET Book Awards recognize emerging talent and outstanding works in the genre of Literary and Contemporary Fiction. The Somerset Book Awards is a genre division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring contemporary stories, literary themes, adventure, magical realism, or women and family themes. These books have advanced to the final judging rounds.

1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners were announced at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony by Alexander Boldizar on Saturday, April 5th, 2025 at the Bellingham Yacht Club in Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

This is the OFFICIAL 2024 LIST of the SOMERSET BOOK AWARDS First Place Category Winners and the SOMERSET Grand Prize Winner.

Join us in celebrating the following award-winning authors and their works in the 2024 CIBAs.
- Robert Gwaltney – Sing Down the Moon
- Ann Bancroft – Almost Family
- Christina Boyd – Woman in the Painting
- Kay Smith-Blum – Tangles
- Anthony Horton – Unpaved
- Erika Shepard – Abomination Child
- Leslie DeBrock – The Frog-Eyed Gospel, A Texas Exodus
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2024 SOMERSET Awards is:

Vermilion Harvest: Playtime at the Bagh

by Reenita Malhotra Hora

You can see all of our amazing 2024 Somerset Finalists! Congratulations to all and thank you for submitting!

Well done climbing the CIBA Levels of Achievement!

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

Attn CIBA Winners: More goodies and prizes will be coming your way along with promotion in our magazine, website, and advertisements in Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards long-tail marketing strategy. Welcome to the CIBA Hall of Fame for Award Winners!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, for Facebook to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews.

Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook. Our handle is @ChantiReviews

A Note to ALL the WINNERS: The coveted CIBA Blue Ribbons will be mailed out starting in May. We will contact you with an email to verify your mailing address and other items. You will receive an OFFICIAL EMAIL NOTIFICATION with Digital Badges and more information.

NOTE: We will post at least two 2024 CIBA Divisions’ OFFICIAL Winners per business day starting April 14, 2025. We do a final sweep and reconciliation prior to making the Official CIBA Posts for the 2024 First Place and Grand Prize Winners. We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding. There are many moving parts involved with the Chanticleer International Book Awards Program.

Thank you for participating in the 2024 CIBAs! We are looking forward to reading your future entries.

The Chanticleer Team
April 24, 2025
The 2024 JOURNEY Book Awards WINNERS for Overcoming Adversity in Narrative Non-Fiction
The Journey Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Overcoming Adversity in Narrative Non-Fiction and Memoir. The Journey Book Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring true stories about adventures, life events, unique experiences, travel, personal journeys, global enlightenment, and more. See our full list of Non-Fiction Divisions here.

1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners were announced at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony by Erika Shepard on Saturday, April 5th, 2025 at the Bellingham Yacht Club in beautiful Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

This is the OFFICIAL 2024 LIST of

the JOURNEY BOOK AWARDS First Place Category Winners

and the JOURNEY Grand Prize Winner.

Join us in celebrating the following award-winning authors and their works in the 2024 CIBAs.
- Kirsten Throneberry – Guided: Lost Love, Hidden Realms, and the Open Road
- Jennifer Gasner – My Unexpected Life: Finding Balance Beyond My Diagnosis
- Anne Gately – Sunburnt: A Memoir of Sun, Surf and Skin Cancer
- Rachael Siddoway and Sonja Wasden – An Impossible Life: A True Story of Hope and Mental Illness
- Lindsey Henke – When Skies Are Gray
- Claudia Marseille – But You Look So Normal: Lost and Found in a Hearing World
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2024 JOURNEY Awards is:

Unfollow Me

By Kathryn Caraway

You can see all of our amazing 2024 Journey Finalists! Congratulations to all and thank you for submitting!

Well done climbing the CIBA Levels of Achievement!

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

Attn CIBA Winners: More goodies and prizes will be coming your way along with promotion in our website, social media posts, and advertisements in Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards long-tail marketing strategy. Welcome to the new CIBA Hall of Fame for Divsion Award Winners!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, for Facebook to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews.

Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook. Our handle is @ChantiReviews

A Note to ALL the WINNERS: The coveted CIBA Blue Ribbons will be mailed out starting in May. We will email you in the next few weeks with an email to verify your mailing address and other items. You will receive an OFFICIAL EMAIL NOTIFICATION with Digital Badges and more information. To receive your CIBA Blue Ribbon Package, you must reply to the email that verifies your address and contact information.

NOTE: We will post at least two 2024 CIBA Divisions’ OFFICIAL Winners per business day starting April 14, 2025. We do a final sweep and reconciliation prior to making the Official CIBA Posts for the 2024 First Place and Grand Prize Winners. We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding. There are many moving parts involved with the Chanticleer International Book Awards Program. If you have any questions, please email either Kiffer Brown at KBrown@ChantiReviews.com or DBeaumier@ChantiReviews.com. We also have a Support Desk at Info@ChantiReviews.com

Snail Mail:

Chanticleer Reviews, LLC

1050 Larrabee Ave
Suite 104 #334
Bellingham, WA, 98225
United States

Thank you for participating in the 2024 CIBAs! We are looking forward to reading your future entries.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Team Chanticleer
April 24, 2025
The 2024 Book Series Award WINNERS for Genre Fiction
The CIBA FICTION SERIES Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in any of our 16 Fiction Divisions where the author has written a series. The Fiction Series Book Awards is a division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs) is seeking for the best book series in all of its fifteen fiction divisions: Mysteries, Suspense Thrillers, Espionage/High Stakes, Young Adult, Middle-Grade Readers, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Supernatural and Paranormal, Romance, Historical Fiction.

1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners were announced at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony by David Fitz-Gerald on Saturday, April 5th, 2025 at the Bellingham Yacht Club in beautiful Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

This is the OFFICIAL 2024 LIST of the SERIES BOOK AWARDS First Place Category Winners and the M&M Grand Prize Winner.

Join us in congratulating the following award-winning authors and their works in the CIBAs

Middle Grade Fiction
- Karen Inglis – Secret Lake Mystery Adventures
YA Fantasy
- Glen Dahlgren – The Chronicles of Chaos
Late Historical Fiction
- Sandra Wagner-Wright – Salem Stories
Historical Young Adult
- Taryn R. Hutchison – A Cold War Trilogy
Cozy Mysteries
- Kari Bovee – The Pryce of Murder
20th Century Wartime Fiction
- J.L. Oakley – The Jossing series
High Stakes Suspense
- Ralph R. “Rick” Steinke – Jake Fortina Series
HUMOR & SATIRE
- Mike Murphey – Tales of Physics, Lust and Greed
Romantic Fiction
- Rose Prendeville – Brides of Chattan
The Grand Prize Winner for the 2024 SERIES Awards is:

A Vengeful Realm

by Tim Facciola

You can see all of our amazing 2024 Series Finalists! Congratulations to all and thank you for submitting!

Well done climbing the CIBA Levels of Achievement!

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

Attn CIBA Winners: More goodies and prizes will be coming your way along with promotion in our magazine, website, and advertisements in Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards long-tail marketing strategy. Welcome to the CIBA Hall of Fame for Award Winners!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, for Facebook to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews.

Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook. Our handle is @ChantiReviews

A Note to ALL the WINNERS: The coveted CIBA Blue Ribbons will be mailed out starting in May. We will contact you with an email to verify your mailing address and other items. You will receive an OFFICIAL EMAIL NOTIFICATION with Digital Badges and more information.

NOTE: We will post at least two 2024 CIBA Divisions’ OFFICIAL Winners per business day starting April 14, 2025. We do a final sweep and reconciliation prior to making the Official CIBA Posts for the 2023 First Place and Grand Prize Winners. We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding. There are many moving parts involved with the Chanticleer International Book Awards Program.

Thank you for participating in the 2024 CIBAs! We are looking forward to reading your future entries.

The Chanticleer Team
April 23, 2025
The 2024 HEMINGWAY Book Awards WINNERS for 20th Century Wartime Fiction
The Hemingway Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works for 20th Century Wartime Fiction. The Hemingway Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

The Hemingway Book Awards competition is named for Ernest Hemingway who was born July 21, 1899

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring 20th Century Wartime Fiction in Historical Fiction; Romance and Romantic Fiction; Mysteries, Thrillers, and Suspense Fiction of the time; Literary works and Satire and anything else that author imaginations can dream up for the HEMINGWAY Book Awards division. For Post-1750s Historical Fiction, see our Goethe Awards here.

1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners were announced at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony by Conan Parks on Saturday, April 5th, 2025 at the Bellingham Yacht Club in Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

This is the OFFICIAL 2024 LIST of the HEMINGWAY BOOK AWARDS First Place Category Winners and the HEMINGWAY Grand Prize Winner.

Join us in celebrating the following award-winning authors and their works in the 2024 CIBAs.
- R L Pace – Rising Son
- Katherine Koch – The Sower of Black Field: Inspired by the True Story of an American in Nazi Germany
- Tim Turner and Moisey Gorbaty – The Reluctant Conductor
- Kay Smith-Blum – Tangles
- Kathryn Gauci – Midnight in Istanbul
- Travis Davis – One of Four: World War One Through the Eyes of an Unknown Soldier
- Bharati Sen – My War, My Child
- H. W. “Buzz” Bernard – When Heroes Flew
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2024 Hemingway Book Awards is:

Of White Ashes

by Constance Hays Matsumoto & Kent Matsumoto

You can see all of our amazing 2024 Hemingway Finalists! Congratulations to all and thank you for submitting!

Well done climbing the CIBA Levels of Achievement!

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

Attn CIBA Winners: More goodies and prizes will be coming your way along with promotion in our magazine, website, and advertisements in Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards long-tail marketing strategy. Welcome to the CIBA Hall of Fame for Award Winners!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, for Facebook to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews.

Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook. Our handle is @ChantiReviews

A Note to ALL the WINNERS: The coveted CIBA Blue Ribbons will be mailed out starting in May. We will contact you with an email to verify your mailing address and other items. You will receive an OFFICIAL EMAIL NOTIFICATION with Digital Badges and more information.

NOTE: We will post at least two 2024 CIBA Divisions’ OFFICIAL Winners per business day starting April 14, 2025. We do a final sweep and reconciliation prior to making the Official CIBA Posts for the 2024 First Place and Grand Prize Winners. We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding. There are many moving parts involved with the Chanticleer International Book Awards Program.

Thank you for participating in the 2024 CIBAs! We are looking forward to reading your future entries.

The Chanticleer Team
April 23, 2025
The 2024 CIBAs I&I WINNERS for Instructional and Insightful Non-Fiction
The I & I Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in Instruction and Insight non-fiction that are self-help, how-to, guides, or explanatory. In non-fiction works, the author assumes responsibility (in good faith) for the truth, accuracy, people, places, or information presented. The I & I Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best Instruction and Insight books featuring How-To, Guidance, Travel Guides, Cookbooks, Self-Help, and more. We will put books about true and inspiring stories to the test and choose the best among them. See our full list of Non-Fiction Divisions here.

1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners were announced at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony by Leslie Liautaud on Saturday, April 5th, 2025 at the Bellingham Yacht Club in beautiful Bellingham, Wash. The CIBA Banquet and Ceremonies were sponsored by the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

This is the OFFICIAL 2024 LIST of the I&I BOOK AWARDS for Instruction & Insight First Place Category Winners and the I&I Grand Prize Winner.

Join us in celebrating the following authors and their works in the 2024 CIBAs.
- Margaret C Beeler – Tropetails: A Cocktail and Mocktail Book for Bookworms
- Tania Israel – Facing the Fracture How To Navigate the Challenges of Living in a Divided Nation
- Katherine Fabrizio – The Good Daughter Syndrome: Help For Empathic Daughters of Narcissistic, Borderline, or Difficult Mothers Trapped in the Role of the Good Daughter
- Bob Dahms, MBA, CPA, CMA – Let’s Talk About This: 50 Things You Need to Know About Starting and Managing a Small Business
- Douglas A. Burton – The Heroine’s Labyrinth: Archetypal Designs in Heroine-Led Fiction
- Jacqui Clarke – Stop Worrying about Money
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2024 I&I Awards is:

Success with Hydrangeas a Gardener’s Guide

by Lorraine Ballato

You can see all of our amazing 2024 I&I Finalists! Congratulations to all and thank you for submitting!
Well done climbing the CIBA Levels of Achievement!

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

Attn CIBA Winners: More goodies and prizes will be coming your way along with promotion in our magazine, website, and advertisements in Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards long-tail marketing strategy. Welcome to the CIBA Hall of Fame for Award Winners!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, for Facebook to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews.

Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook. Our handle is @ChantiReviews

A Note to ALL the WINNERS: The coveted CIBA Blue Ribbons will be mailed out starting in May. We will contact you with an email to verify your mailing address and other items. You will receive an OFFICIAL EMAIL NOTIFICATION with Digital Badges and more information.

NOTE: We will post at least two 2024 CIBA Divisions’ OFFICIAL Winners per business day starting April 14, 2025. We do a final sweep and reconciliation prior to making the Official CIBA Posts for the 2023 First Place and Grand Prize Winners. We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding. There are many moving parts involved with the Chanticleer International Book Awards Program.

Thank you for participating in the 2023 CIBAs! We are looking forward to reading your future entries.

The Chanticleer Team
April 23, 2025
CLEAVE The SPARROW by Jonathan Katz – Political Satire, Existentialism, Absurdist Fiction

Cleave the Sparrow by Jonathan Katz blends political satire, existential philosophy, and absurd humor to immerse readers in a complex, surreal dystopian narrative.

Tom is a reluctant political candidate stuck on the blurred line between truth and power. His mentor, Crick—a controversial figure for his political views—has an ultimate goal in mind that pulls Tom into its wake. Believing in the limitation of human perception and the illusory nature of the world, Crick endeavors to destroy a ‘cosmic projector’ that he supposes fabricates this false reality.

Cleave the Sparrow charts a course where Tom, as Crick’s successor, follows his holotapes to carry out this dream, plunging into political and scientific conspiracy and moral dilemmas—opening an unexplored trail to time travel, quantum mechanics, and existential dread.

With Crick’s plan thrusting Tom onto a risky and unpredictable path, he scrambles to navigate fanatical beliefs and ideological purity, which ominously signal self-destruction.

Plato’s allegory of the cave is the foundation behind Crick’s philosophy. Crick embodies Plato’s escaped prisoner, emphasizing the fluidity of reality and challenging social constructs and enforced limitations. Crick’s beliefs invite one to reimagine reality, to step beyond and explore the unknown.

Cleave the Sparrow is a powerful and darkly comedic critique of modern politics and media.

Politicians prioritize public perception and media manipulation over forming policies. Characters such as First Lady Kardashian, along with several over-the-top scenarios—a candidate’s affair with a coffee machine and robot President Microchip—satirize the current absurdity of politics and society.

A constant tug-of-war between free will and fate stands out among this story’s themes, explored through concepts of time travel and quantum mechanics.

Tom is aware that his every action and decision is part of a predetermined cosmic design. But with the equally forceful presence of time travel, is he capable of altering his destiny.

Stream-of-consciousness prose provides an intimate window into Tom’s psyche, whose inner monologues—filled to the brim with nervous energy and wry observations—add to his persona as a relatable but unreliable narrator. The growing complexity of Tom’s journey, political machinations, and betrayals mirror the story’s surreal, fragmented intensity.

Existential horror, political satire, and absurd comedy in perfect harmony, Cleave the Sparrow pulls readers out of their comfort zone into a realm demanding constant introspection.

Along the lines of George Orwell’s 1984 and Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Jonathan Katz’s Cleave the Sparrow is an entry into a whirlwind of philosophy and science—a cosmic dystopia that oscillates between dread and contemplation, or both in tandem.

April 23, 2025
Using Subtle Character Development Hints to Bring your Story to LIFE from the desk of Dena Weigel

Hands down, my favorite introduction to a character in film is The Dude in the Cohen Brother’s movie The Big Lebowski.

Every writer loves a well-rounded, compelling character—someone who leaps off the page and sticks with readers long after they’ve finished the book. One of the best examples of effective character development comes from The Big Lebowski. Picture The Dude strolling through a Ralph’s grocery store, dressed in a rumpled bathrobe and flip-flops, sipping from a carton of half-and-half to complete his White Russian. In just a few moments, we learn so much about him: his unapologetically laid-back attitude, his focus on his own rules, and his quiet contentment. All this information comes to us without a single word of backstory—just actions and subtle hints.

This is the magic of character development—the small gestures and details that reveal volumes about who your character is, what they want, and how they’ll react to the world. The best characters are those whose personalities are woven into every action, interaction, and detail of their lives, making them feel real and relatable to your readers.

Subtle hints provide big insights into your character development

Small details often provide the biggest insights into your character’s psyche, helping to flesh them out and give them a depth that pulls readers in. These subtleties don’t just make a character more intriguing—they’re also key to driving your plot forward. The more authentic these details feel, the more invested readers will become.

When done well, these tiny shifts in behavior create momentum, showing the growth or change of a character throughout the story. As a writer, learning to incorporate these subtle cues is an essential tool in your character development toolkit.

Here are six ways you can use subtle character hints to bring your characters to life:

The hidden story elements you can use to elevate your character development

1. Micro-Expressions

A character’s fleeting facial expressions, like a twitch of the lips or a nervous glance, reveal deeper emotional layers. Holden Caulfield, in The Catcher in the Rye, provides a prime example of this. He describes giving “one of those small, tight smiles” that he uses when feeling depressed. This simple smile conveys more than words could—an inner turmoil, a quiet judgment. Readers understand immediately that Holden’s smile isn’t friendly, but one of disapproval, adding to the complexity of his character.

2. Body Language

Body language can speak volumes about a character’s true intentions. In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby’s posture—always confident, open, and engaging—helps him project the image of wealth and success he craves. His body language becomes a mask for the character’s insecurities and hidden desires, which is later revealed throughout the story. This subtle communication between the character’s physical presence and the story’s underlying themes enhances the depth of the narrative.

3. Vocal Cues

The way a character speaks—whether their pitch rises in excitement or drops with dread—can provide a clear indication of their emotions and intentions. In Lord of the Flies, Jack’s chilling chant “Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood,” escalates as he and the others embrace violence. The shifting rhythm in their chant exemplifies their descent into savagery, a profound transformation in character and group dynamics.

4. Choice of Words

A character’s speech patterns reveal their background, social status, and education level. In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain’s use of dialect and slang not only brings his characters to life but also defines the social boundaries within the story. By using specific phrases and informal speech, Twain highlights the differences between his characters, revealing much about their social class and personalities.

5. Habits and Mannerisms

Every character has habits or quirks that can offer insight into their personality. Whether it’s a nervous tick or a consistent routine, these traits can help define who they are. In Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the White Rabbit is always checking his watch, embodying the character’s anxiety and obsession with time. This simple habit reinforces his role as a frantic, disorganized figure, adding another layer to the story.

6. Reactions to Others

A character’s response to someone else can be just as telling as their actions. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Nurse Ratched’s subtle shift in her facial expression—a tightening of the mouth and a sharp look—signals that Randle McMurphy has crossed a line. His own response—initial shock followed by anger—reveals the underlying tension in their relationship and foreshadows the power struggle to come.

Final Thoughts: Layering Character Development Subtext

Subtle details make your character development more engaging and dynamic. The magic lies in how these hints are carefully woven into the fabric of your story. Each gesture, word, or expression adds depth and complexity, bringing your characters to life and allowing readers to connect with them on a deeper level. By understanding the nuances of character development, you’ll be able to create unforgettable characters that linger in the minds of your readers long after they turn the final page.

Chanticleer Editorial Services – when you are ready!

Did you know that Chanticleer offers editorial services? We do and have been doing so since 2011.

Tools of the Editing Trade

Our professional editors are top-notch and are experts in the Chicago Manual of Style. They have and are working for the top publishing houses (TOR, McMillian, Thomas Mercer, Penguin Random House, Simon Schuster, etc.).

If you would like more information, we invite you to email Kiffer or David at KBrown@ChantiReviews.com or DBeaumier@ChantiReviews.com for more information, testimonials, and fees.

We work with a small number of exclusive clients who want to collaborate with our team of top-editors on an on-going basis. Contact us today!

Chanticleer Editorial Services also offers writing craft sessions and masterclasses. Sign up to find out where, when, and how sessions being held.

A great way to get started is with our manuscript evaluation service. Here are some handy links about this tried and true service: https://test.chantireviews.com/manuscript-reviews/

And we do editorial consultations. for $75. https://test.chantireviews.com/services/Editorial-Services-p85337185

Writer’s Toolbox

Thank you for reading this Chanticleer Writer’s Toolbox article.

Writers Toolbox a few more Helpful Links:

The INCITING INCIDENT: STORY, SETBACKS and SURPRISES for the PROTAGONIST – A Writer’s Toolbox Series from Jessica Morrell’s Editor’s Desk

ESSENCE of CHARACTERS – Part One – From the Jessica Morrell’s Editor’s Desk – Writer’s Toolbox Series

April 22, 2025
The 2024 HEARTEN Book Awards WINNERS for Inspiring & Uplifting Non-Fiction
The Hearten Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Uplifting & Inspiring Non-Fiction and Memoir. The Hearten Book Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring true stories about adventures, life events, unique experiences, travel, personal journeys, global enlightenment, and more. We will put books about true and inspiring stories to the test and choose the best among them. See our full list of Non-Fiction Divisions here.

1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners were announced at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony by Linda Brugger on Saturday, April 5th, 2025 at the Bellingham Yacht Club in beautiful Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

This is the OFFICIAL 2024 LIST of the HEARTEN BOOK AWARDS First Place Category Winners and the HEARTEN Grand Prize Winner.

Join us in celebrating the following authors and their award-winning works in the 2024 CIBAs.
- Genét Simone – Teaching in the Dark
- David Hutton – Drums of a Distant Tribe
- Etsuko Diamond Miyagi – Diamond: The Memoir of a Lost Daughter of Japan
- Lynne Spriggs O’Connor – Elk Love: A Montana Memoir
- Rachael Siddoway and Sonja Wasden – An Impossible Life: A True Story of Hope and Mental Illness
- Susan Cole – Holding Fast: A Memoir of Sailing, Love, and Loss
- Tony Jeton Selimi – The Unfakeable Code®
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2024 HEARTEN Awards is:

Elk Love: A Montana Memoir

By Lynne Spriggs O’Connor

You can see all of our amazing 2024 Hearten Finalists! Congratulations to all and thank you for submitting!

Well done climbing the CIBA Levels of Achievement!

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

Attn CIBA Winners: More goodies and prizes will be coming your way along with promotion in our magazine, website, and advertisements in Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards long-tail marketing strategy. Welcome to the CIBA Hall of Fame for Award Winners!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, for Facebook to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews.

Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook. Our handle is @ChantiReviews

Or click here to go directly to Chanticleer’s Twitter feed.

A Note to ALL the WINNERS: The coveted CIBA Blue Ribbons will be mailed out starting in May. We will contact you with an email to verify your mailing address and other items. You will receive an OFFICIAL EMAIL NOTIFICATION with Digital Badges and more information.

We will post at least two 2024 CIBA Divisions’ OFFICIAL Winners per business day starting April 14, 2025. We do a final sweep and reconciliation prior to making the Official CIBA Posts for the 2024 First Place and Grand Prize Winners. We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding. There are many moving parts involved with the Chanticleer International Book Awards Program.

Grand Prize Division Winners will receive a customized digital badge. When we receive it from our graphic artist, we will also post here and in the Grand Prize Division Winners Official Posting.

Thank you for participating in the 2024 CIBAs! We are looking forward to reading your future entries.

Team Chanticleer!
April 22, 2025
The M&M 2024 Book Award WINNERS for Cozy and Not-So-Cozy Mysteries
The M&M Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the Cozy and Not-So-Cozy Mystery & Mayhem fiction genre. The M&M Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring “mystery and mayhem,” amateur sleuthing, light suspense, travel mystery, classic mystery, British cozy, not-so-cozy, hobby sleuths, senior sleuths, or historical mystery, perhaps with a touch of romance or humor, we will put them to the test and choose the best among them. (For suspense, thriller, detective, crime fiction see our Clue Awards, and for international intrigue see our Global Thriller Awards)

1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners were announced at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony by Christine Fairchild on Saturday, April 5th, 2025 at the Bellingham Yacht Club in beautiful Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

This is the OFFICIAL 2024 LIST of the M&M BOOK AWARDS First Place Category Winners and the M&M Grand Prize Winner.

Join us in celebrating the following authors and their works!
- Patrick E. Craig – The Boy In Blue Denim
- Lori Roberts Herbst – Graven Images
- Gail Noble-Sanderson – A Cup of Revenge – A Drew Davies Railway Mystery – Book 2
- M. K. Graff – Death in the Orchard: A Trudy Genova Mystery
- Miriam Verbeek – The Forest
- Kari Bovee – The Pryce of Conceit
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2024 Mystery & Mayhem Awards is:

If Two Are Dead

by Jeanne Matthews

You can see all of our amazing 2024 M&M Finalists here! Congratulations to all and thank you for submitting!

Well done climbing the CIBA Levels of Achievement!

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

Attn CIBA Winners: More goodies and prizes will be coming your way along with promotion in our magazine, website, and advertisements in Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards long-tail marketing strategy. Welcome to the CIBA Hall of Fame for Award Winners!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, for Facebook to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews.

Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook. Our handle is @ChantiReviews

A Note to ALL the WINNERS: The coveted CIBA Blue Ribbons will be mailed out starting in May. We will contact you with an email to verify your mailing address and other items. You will receive an OFFICIAL EMAIL NOTIFICATION with Digital Badges and more information.

NOTE: We will post at least two 2024 CIBA Divisions’ OFFICIAL Winners per business day starting April 14, 2025. We do a final sweep and reconciliation prior to making the Official CIBA Posts for the 2024 First Place and Grand Prize Winners. We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding. There are many moving parts involved with the Chanticleer International Book Awards Program.

Thank you for participating in the 2024 CIBAs! We are looking forward to reading your future entries.

The Chanticleer Team
April 22, 2025
The 2024 Military and Front Line Book Award WINNERS for Service to Others Non-Fiction
The Military & Front Lines Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Narrative Non-Fiction and Memoir exploring the lives of those who serve their country and others. The Military & Front Lines Service Book Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring experience in the Military and Armed Forces Service, Medical Services, Stories of Community Service Workers and First Responders, Service Organizations, Work in Agencies that service communities, and Service Life. We will put books about true and inspiring stories to the test and choose the best among them. See our full list of Non-Fiction Divisions here.

1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners were announced at the 2024 CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony by Janet Oakley on Saturday, April 5th, 2025 at the Bellingham Yacht Club in beautiful Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

This is the OFFICIAL 2024 LIST of the MILITARY & FRONT LINE BOOK AWARDS First Place Category Winners and the MILITARY & FRONT LINE Grand Prize Winner.

Please join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2024 CIBAs.
- Roderick S. Haynes – Unauthorized Disclosures a Navy Memoir of the 1980s
- David Huntley – The B-17 Tomahawk Warrior: a WWII Final Honor
- Patrick Hogan – Coincidence, You Say?
- Shari Biery – It’s Your Turn How To Rediscover Yourself Prioritize Your Well-Being Thrive with Purpose
- Max Lauker & Antonio Garcia – Number 788: My Experiences in Swedish Special Operations – Preparing for NATO and the War on Terror
- Bibi LeBlanc – Wings of Freedom – The Story of the Berlin Airlift | Flugel der Freiheit – Die Geschichte der Berliner Luftbrucke
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2024 MILITARY & FRONT LINE Awards is:

Memoirs from the Frontlines: Four states, Two years, One pandemic

by Kim Sloan

You can see all of our amazing 2024 Military & Front Line Finalists! Congratulations to all and thank you for submitting!

Well done climbing the CIBA Levels of Achievement!

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

Attn CIBA Winners: More goodies and prizes will be coming your way along with promotion in our magazine, website, and advertisements in Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards long-tail marketing strategy. Welcome to the CIBA Hall of Fame for Award Winners!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, for Facebook to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews.

Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook. Our handle is @ChantiReviews

A Note to ALL the WINNERS: The coveted CIBA Blue Ribbons will be mailed out starting in May. We will contact you with an email to verify your mailing address and other items. You will receive an OFFICIAL EMAIL NOTIFICATION with Digital Badges and more information.

We will post at least two 2024 CIBA Divisions’ OFFICIAL Winners per business day starting April 14, 2025. We do a final sweep and reconciliation prior to making the Official CIBA Posts for the 2024 First Place and Grand Prize Winners. We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding. There are many moving parts involved with the Chanticleer International Book Awards Program.

Grand Prize Division Winners will receive a customized digital badge. When we receive it from our graphic artist, we will also post here and in the Grand Prize Division Winners Official Posting.

Thank you for participating in the 2024 CIBAs! We are looking forward to reading your future entries.

Team Chanticleer!
April 22, 2025