Chanticleer Book Reviews

Author: chanti

The 2024 Clue Spotlight for Thriller/Suspense
Lock Your Doors and Leave the Lights on!

The Clue Awards are the Darker Side of Mysteries!

The Clue Award is our Division for the more gritty, darker, crime noir type mystery novels. For the light hearted, cozy mysteries see the Mystery & Mayhem Award.

While most of our categories in this Award are for fictional mysteries, unlike the other Fiction Divisions, Clue also has a Non-Fiction category for True Crime and Investigation books. Instead of putting it into a Non-Fiction Division we took a note from what many bookstores do and put the Non-fiction Mysteries with the Fictional ones.

Book Riot featured the differences between True Crime and Thrillers:

True crime aficionados liked the deep dive into the psychology of it all. Jack El-Hai, a true crime writer who recently published The Lost Brothers, wrote, “I’m only an occasional reader of murder mysteries. Many fictional works about murder are about finding out who did it, and the narrative concludes with that discovery or with catching the perpetrator. I’m more interested in why they did it and the aftermath for everyone affected by the crime.”

True Crime books can also be very important on bringing light to unsolved crimes and helping to solve them. Michelle McNamara’s I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, which after the authors death, her husband, actor Patton Oswalt, worked with some other writers to finish the book. It was finally published 2 months before the arrest of The Golden State Killer. While her book did not directly affect finding the perpetrator, it did bring crucial publicity towards a largely forgotten case. It was later turned into an HBO documentary series!

The Categories of the Clue Awards are:
- Detective/Crime
- Suspense/Thriller
- Private Eye/Noir
- Legal/Medical/Police Procedural
- US Political Thriller
- Spy/Espionage/Undercover
- True Crime/Investigation
It would be a crime to miss out!

Don’t Delay! Enter Today!

We are delighted to celebrate the 2023 Winners of the Clue Awards who have already started to make their mark on the genre!
- Daniel V. Meier Jr. – Guidance to Death
- Frederick Douglass Reynolds – Saint Bloodbath
- Michelle Cox – A Haunting at Linley
- Jode Millman – The Empty Kayak
- Raymond Paul Johnson – The Raven Society: Conspiracy Ignited
- Margaret Mizushima – Standing Dead: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 CLUE Awards is:

The Other Murder

By Kevin G. Chapman

We’re excited to feature Kevin and our other winners, but before we do that, here are some of the best reviewed Thrillers that have come our way recently!

ECHO From A BAYOU
By J. Luke Bennecke

John Bastian’s life is falling apart, but after a serious accident, he gains another one. In J. Luke Bennecke’s suspense thriller, Echo from a Bayou, John must tie up the loose ends of a man who died decades ago.

One misfortune after another beats John down. His wife divorces him, and his California business is going bust. On a ski trip to boost his mood, he fails to save a man from falling to his death out of a slopes-bound cable car. The next day, on the mountain, John slams head-first into a tree.

He’s not the only one who wakes up in his hospital bed.

Read more here!

THE EXCURSION
By T.O. Paine

The Excursion by T.O. Paine is a horror thriller with enough twists and turns to satisfy even the most jaded reader.

Two people tell this story. Charly, a woman in her 30s, faces her emotionally damaged family. Randall, meanwhile, works as an agent of Zaroff Excursions, a hunting club for the uber-wealthy with an interest in an extreme form of hunting where the prey is much more intelligent than a deer or bear.

On a cold Thanksgiving weekend, Charly and a few other members of her family travel to an isolated cabin in the mountains above Denver. Her car gets stuck in a snowdrift, leaving her stranded, but that’s only the start of her trouble. She finds that the cabin has been rented by Randall’s company for that same weekend, forcing her family to share the lodge with strangers.

Read more here!

REVELATIONS: Ro Delahanty Series Book 6
By Dave Lager

Ro Delahanty bears heavy weights on her shoulders—a decades old conspiracy, the complexities of polyamorous love, and troubling family secrets—all of which she will begin to face in Revelations, book 6 of Dave Lager’s Ro Delahanty series.

The wealthy, powerful Pribyl family is up to something sinister in their new scrap shipment business, Ro is sure of it. But she has to prove it to herself before she can even start to convince anyone else. And as much as she’d like to dive head-first into that mystery, she has many more problems to solve as a Fort Armstrong County Sergeant Deputy.

An unsanctioned party threatens to become a dangerous mob, setting fire to a half-constructed house. Ro’s bold, decisive nature comes under fire from a rival at the Sheriff’s office. Worse, a major change in that office could upend the foundation of Ro’s life and even rob her of the comradery she and her colleagues rely on.

Read more here!

IDENTIFIED: A Hacker Thriller
By John Wilander

Identified by John Wilander is a dystopian novel about the omniscient power of our potential cyber future.

West, a young man, spent 15 years in prison for hacking government systems. His mother, a highly visible activist against his imprisonment, is also trying unsuccessfully to get her health insurance to pay for her fight against a deadly medical condition. In Identified West believes the government is responsible for illegally blocking her insurance and vows to find out who’s behind the effort and put his mom back on the insurance rolls.

This is no easy task. Cybersecurity is now a fully linked global enterprise called the G20S, an expansion of today’s G20 nations. Virtually every form of human activity across the world can be logged by the system. It will take a small crew of talented hackers who call themselves the Survivors to develop unique hacker tools for West to break into the system, find the guilty, and get his mother insured. At every point, success could slip out of their grasp.

Read more here!

Thank you to these wonderful authors for sharing their spine-tingling reads with us!

We hope to see your work in the 2024 Clue Awards!

This is the journey from beginning to end for the CIBAs Levels of Achievement is so worthwhile! Every list you make means more promotion for you and your work as each list is posted right here on our website, on our social media, and also out in our newsletter!

Your book deserves to be discovered
September 12, 2024
The 2024 Dante Rossetti Spotlight for Young Adult Fiction!
Has your book come of age?

Then it’s time to enter the Dante Rossetti Awards!

The Dante Rossetti Award for Young Adult Fiction is named for Dante Rossetti (1828-1882), Poet, Artist, and founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

Better known for his art, he was also rather prolific in his poem writing, and translating Italian poetry into English. Dante and all 3 of his siblings were writers, his sister Christina was also rather prolific in poetry writing, his other sister Maria was an essayist before becoming a nun, and his brother William was a well known editor and literary critic.

They weren’t the only literary inclined people in his family. Their uncle, John Polidori, who was also Lord Byron’s doctor, wrote The Vampyre in 1819, the first published modern vampire story.

His brother is also the one who wrote down the aims of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1848:
- To have genuine ideas to express
- To study Nature attentively, so as to know how to express them
- To sympathize with what is direct and serious and heartfelt in previous art, to the exclusion of what is conventional and self-parading and learned by rote
- And most indispensable of all, to produce thoroughly good pictures and statues
One of his paintings can be seen on the badge for the Chatelaine Award, Blue Silk Dress painted in 1868, depicts Jane Morris, wife of artist, writer and designer William Morris, and one of Rossetti’s lovers.

Blue Silk Dress, painted in 1868, which we use on the badge for the Chatelaine Award

In other famous art pieces related to Rossetti, his wife Elizabeth Siddall was a model for many artists in the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, most famously in John Everett Millais’ Ophelia

Ophelia by John Everett Millais, painted in 1852

The reason we chose Dante Rossetti to represent our Young Adult Award is because of the views of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, focusing on defying social norms, observing nature, and creative freedom. Compared to writing aimed at teenagers, learning how to deal with the world around them, while also making their own mark and changing how society thinks, we think it fits pretty well.

The Dante Rossetti Categories are:
- Contemporary
- Sci-Fi and Paranormal
- YA Adventure and Romance
- YA Historical
- Dystopian/Edgy/Urban
- Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
Enter the Dante Rossetti Awards today!

We are delighted to celebrate the 2023 Winners of the Dante Rossetti Awards who have already started to make their mark on the genre!
- Kerry Chaput – Chasing Eleanor
- Lynn Yvonne Moon – Fish Scales
- Sophia Krich-Brinton – A Song Like the Wind
- J.A. Nielsen – The Claiming
- Trish MacEnulty – Cinnamon Girl
- S.R. Klusman – Luna: Book 2 of The Adventures of Rhone & Stone
The Grand Prize Winner for the 2023 Dante Rossetti Awards is:

Sour Flower

A Manuscript

By Maryanne Melloan Woods

That’s not all!

Take a look at these great YA reads that have come our way!

THE WINTER HEIR: Fractured Kingdoms Book 2
By J.A. Nielsen

The Winter Heir, the second book in J.A. Nielsen’s Fractured Kingdoms series, picks up where the first book, The Claiming, leaves off—with its protagonists struggling under the weight of a vital bargain.

Lady Dew Drop, Dewy to her friends—and her frenemies—is languishing in the court of the Winter Fae, a summer princess nearly frozen in both heart and spirit as she does her best to fulfill the pact she made with the Winter King. Meanwhile, the man who got her into this mess, the human mage and illegitimate princeling of Telridge—Spence Ferrous—tries to fulfill the deal for her.

But the story is much bigger than these two young lovers. The Winter King is dying without a legitimate heir. And it’s his own proud, arrogant fault. As much as both the humans and the Summer Fae would be willing to let him suffer the consequences of his own actions—he’s not the only one who will.

Read more here!

HAVE YOU SEEN ME
By Alexandrea Weis

In Alexandrea Weis’s YA mystery thriller, Have You Seen Me? something is wrong at Louisiana’s Waverly School. Deadly wrong.

This private educational institute for the state’s wealthiest has an unsettling record of young women disappearing. Three, from decades ago, were never found. In the last few years, a girl by the name of Margaret vanished, and now her sister Lindsey has followed suit. Despite numerous investigations, no clues have surfaced. Moreover, the steely head of the school, Sara Probst, uses intimidation and fear to keep the school operating at any cost.

Were these disappearances just high-spirited women who left on their own accord, or was there something more sinister at play? And now, after Lindsey’s disappearance, it seems a serial killer has returned after all these years.

Read more here!

LUNA: Rhone and Stone Book 2
By Strider S.R. Klusman

Luna, the second book in Strider S.R. Klusman’s YA Rhone and Stone Series, follows Rhone and his alien partner Stone as they develop a ship that can sail through the air.

The two train to become agents for the Office of Public Recrimination, urged to join by their friend – and now boss – Aundrea. Rhone struggles through training with the help of his trusty partner, but a much more difficult test remains before them – their first assignment.

Aundrea sends them to Corgy, a port town, without explaining their mission. But it doesn’t take long for Rhone to encounter troubles from shore and sea alike.

Read more here!

PLAGUE Of FLIES: Revolt of the Spirits, 1846
By Laurel Anne Hill

Sixteen-year-old Catalina Delgado’s hopes of marrying her love are troubled by strange, unnatural dangers, in Laurel Anne Hill’s novel, Plague of Flies.

Like every dutiful daughter in 1846, Catalina worries about her reputation. However, she must also gain the approval of Ángelo Ortega’s family. Unfortunately, when three strangers ride onto her family’s small ranch in Alta California, she knows that more than her dreams are at risk. Alta California has just been invaded by the men of the Bear Flag, and Catalina fears what will become of her homeland now that it has been claimed by the Yankees. The nearby ranch owned by the valiant General Vallejo has been raided, owners and their servants terrorized and held captive. Plus Bear Flaggers have murdered additional friends of Catalina’s family on a beach.

In connection with the recent killings, the three strangers are harbingers of a dire prophecy repeated to Catalina by a dying vaquero. Catalina is destined to be carried off by a spirit man riding a black Andalusian stallion. She will be tasked to do the bidding of Coyote, a trickster spirit who is trying to stop the advancement of the Bear Flaggers. Catalina grapples with her uncertainty and disbelief, but she desperately wants to save her family. When Spirit Man appears to her, she must ask herself how far she is willing to go to keep her loved ones alive.

Read more here!

Thank you for joining us to celebrate these YA Books!

We hope to see your work in the 2024 Dante Rossetti Awards!

This is the journey from beginning to end for the CIBAs Levels of Achievement is so worthwhile! Every list you make means more promotion for you and your work as each list is posted right here on our website, on our social media, and also out in our newsletter!

Your book deserves to be discovered
September 11, 2024
ROSES In DECEMBER: Hamilton Place, Book 2 by Mark A. Gibson – Family Saga, Contemporary Fiction, War in Afghanistan

Roses in December is the epic conclusion to Mark A. Gibson’s compelling two-part family saga, Hamilton Place. Now focusing on the family’s next generation, James Hamilton Jr.—Jimmy—follows in the footsteps of the father he never met, a Vietnam War hero who died in battle, and ultimately finds his own path in life.

Pressured by a conning mother-in-law only out for monetary gain, the elder Jimmy’s widow, Becca, is pushed to marry Mack Lee, her deceased husband’s older brother who proves to be a cheating and abusive husband. Trapped in this loveless marriage, Becca hopes that attending church will remove her son from the toxic influence of her new husband and set him on the right path to a good life. But it’s the discovery of young Jimmy’s superior photographic memory that opens the door to a brighter future, and he sets a course to an outstanding medical career, coupled with military service in Afghanistan.

Gibson delivers the recent past with a great sense of immediacy, showing events that ripple into our contemporary world using pop references that are relevant in today’s world.

There is no shying away from the thorny reality of world conflicts and tragedies, such as the 9/11 terror attacks. Jimmy’s budding empathy and photographic memory become both a blessing and a curse when all the best and worst parts of his life are only one visual recall away. This unique and imaginative narrative follows Jimmy as he grows into a man named James who must come to terms with his most painful experiences.

Roses in December develops on the themes of love, loss, and resilience revealed in its predecessor, A Song That Never Ends, with thematic vines are grafted together into a deeply rewarding whole.

Many of the same elements from the first book return in this two-part series, with its details now paying off, from a special photograph the Vietnam medic uses to cover a chest wound, to James referencing the unique bandage to his hospital interns. Roses in December is laced with connective details that immerse the reader in the lives of its characters as family mysteries come to light, including the long-held secret that Becca has kept from her son, James. And the story comes full circle when the adult James shares the full family history with his own children.

While Roses in December can certainly stand on its own, reading Gibson’s books in sequence will help lay a solid foundation for this generational saga. It will also serve to impart a core of knowledge about the characters and their relationships, and their development within the family’s overall dynamic. Together these volumes prove a truly satisfying duo, with Roses in December blossoming into a beautiful conclusion to the Hamilton Place Series.

September 11, 2024
Five Days Left to Join the Roost!
The Perch is Still Open!

Take advantage of our biggest bundle ever and join The Roost!

The Red Carpet is rolled out for authors looking to take the next step in getting their book Discovered!

As the leaves start to turn and the air begins to crisp, it’s not just kids who are buckling down. We’re here to support you and your writing ambitions!

How do we jump start your journey?

A Chanticleer Editorial Review

Two Entries into the Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards (CIBAs)

One Full Year in the Chanticleer Membership Program: The Roost

Over $1000 in value!

All for $645*
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Why Join the Roost?

Writing can be a solitary activity, but it doesn’t have to be lonely. The Roost provides Community and Connection, a space where writers meet, share, and support each other’s journeys. It’s your new creative home where the coffee’s always hot and the conversation never ends.

One of the early Roost Happy Hours!

With monthly workshops and discussion led by our staff and expert authors, it’s more than a club: It’s a master class in writing and publishing that runs all year.

Ready for the Roost, but not sure about the rest?

All these benefits are on your time. If your manuscript isn’t quite ready, your Editorial Review and CIBA entries don’t expire. Redeem them at your convenience when your book is ready to be discovered!

If you’re just dipping your toes in. reach out to AuthorOutreach@ChantiReviews.com, and we will send you a special deal to join the Roost for just $10/month. We will honor the discounted rate for as long as you are a Roost Member and you can cancel anytime. Come find out what the crowing is all about!

Don’t Let This Offer Fly the Coop!

The Rooster stops for no one!

Sale Ends September 15, 2024!

Whether you’re on page one of your next bestseller, or ready to start marketing your debut book, The Roost is where the journey to greatness begins. Don’t’ wait – the clock is ticking and this deal won’t last!

Click here to join The Roost and grab your Bundle Today!

Can’t make the bundle, but still want to be part of the action? Email AuthorOutreach@ChantiReveiws.com for a special discount code to join today!
September 10, 2024
COMBAT MISSIONS by Burl D. Harmon – Wartime Memoirs, WWII Aviation, Military History

Sometimes, a close and personal story can reveal the true weight of major historical events. Combat Missions, a memoir from WWII veteran Burl D. Harmon, achieves this by detailing how Europe’s vicious aerial battles shape a young boy’s entry to manhood.

On December 7, 1941, Harmon is summoned to his high school’s auditorium to hear President Roosevelt proclaim it as, “a day which will live in infamy…” Soon after, his draft notice arrives. Harmon’s junior college studies and work at the local Rexall drug store are put on hold as he joins the vast flood of young American men and women conscripted into military service. Leaving his small Iowa town and a family mostly sheltered from the grim realities of the outside world, he travels to New York City with people from every imaginable background.

With no prior mechanical experience, he works diligently to become a flight engineer, training to master a lexicon of manual tasks and learn the intricacies of air-to-air combat amidst bombing runs. His training takes him even farther from home, to Detroit, Lorado, Texas, Puerto Rico, and even Cuba.

In these unfamiliar places, Harmon experiences other, more hidden sides of adulthood, including a visit to a notorious brothel in Havana. The reader feels his innocence shedding, but not his moral compass, which keeps him from indulging in many of the temptations that entice other draftees.

Once trained, Harmon spends most of his deployment in Italy, where he flies a total of 38 perilous missions.

He takes readers into the cockpit to experience aerial battle with first-hand, harrowing descriptions. But this memoir shows much more than just the violence of war. It’s also about the men he served with, the officers he served under, and the good and bad of both. He names beloved friends and respected officers, gives us glimpses of those who survived the war to live fruitful lives, and memorializes those who were lost in Europe’s battle-scarred skies.

Harmon reveals the struggles and joys of his own life in the shadow of war.

We see his quarreling parents in Iowa, the often tormented and confusing love life of a young man, and the family he befriends in Italy with the kindness they bestow upon him. At the conclusion of the war, he tells us of how it was to come home. He has to readjust to a quiet existence as he stumbles around trying to figure out a way forward until, ultimately, he discovers his love of teaching.

Decades later, at 85, Harmon takes on a new challenge when he joins a group called Global Volunteers, which places him overseas once again. The adventure takes him back to Italy, near the place where he was stationed during the war. It’s a bittersweet return. He makes new friends but discovers the family that he’d spent time with during the war is gone, chased from their home by fleeing Nazis who rampaged villages and confiscated everything they could find ahead of the Allied force’s advances.

This trim volume shows how the experience of war shaped Harmon’s character and the course of his life, looking back now at 97. Readers interested in the Greatest Generation, who risked their lives to win a war against a rising fascist power, this memoir offers fascinating and meaningful detail from that time. For those who want to understand the way war can change a young boy’s life, Combat Missions is a personal, compassionate must-read.

Combat Missions by Burl D. Harmon won First Place in the 2021 CIBA Military & Front Line Awards for Narrative Non-Fiction.

September 9, 2024
The 2024 Hearten Award Spotlight for Uplifting & Inspiring Non-Fiction
Tell Us Your Story!

The Hearten Awards are here for your Uplifting and Inspiring Non-Fiction!

The Hearten Awards is one of our 6 Non-Fiction Divisions. Specifically, it covers Uplifting and Inspiring Memoirs. If you have written a book about yours, or someone else’s life story that can inspire others, Submit it to us!

The Categories for the Hearten Awards are:
- Humorous
- Motivational
- Advice/Inspiration
- Family and Chosen Family
- Self Discovery/Coming of Age
We are happy to Celebrate the 2023 Hearten Award Winners!
- Lisa Niver – Brave-ish, One Breakup, Six Continents and Feeling Fearless After Fifty
- Lally Pia – The Fortune Teller’s Prophecy: A Memoir of an Unlikely Doctor
- Tony Jeton Selimi – A Path to Excellence
- Trudy Wells-Meyer – Some Things Are Simply Meant to Be
- Aurita Maldonado – The Zen of Dancing in the Rain: Becoming One with the Storm
The Grand Prize Winner of The 2023 Hearten Award is:

Running Away From the Circus

by Nove Meyers

Submit today to join this list of winners!

The Hearten Awards are open until the end of September! We’ll leave you with some of our favorite uplifting reads that have come through lately!

DIAMOND: The Memoir of a Lost Daughter of Japan
By Etsuko Diamond Miyagi

In a world ravaged by conflict and loss, Etsuko Diamond Miyagi’s memoir, Diamond: The Memoir of a Lost Daughter of Japan is a shining testament to the beauty of love and the human spirit’s ability to overcome adversity.

Etsuko enjoys a peaceful childhood on the Philippine island of Mindanao, where her father owns an abacá plantation. But they are not safe when guerilla forces destroy her village murdering everyone and leaving her as the sole survivor. This deeply personal narrative of grief chronicles Etsuko’s harrowing journey to find solace and joy after the death of her parents.

At first, passed from house to house, Etsuko is forced to work as a domestic servant until a kind family takes her in. However, her safety and survival is once again in danger when she’s forced to leave her adopted family and take a position at Chief Doming Apostol’s estate in Magpet. It is there Etsuko receives the name ‘Diamond.’

Read more here!

A PATH To EXCELLENCE
By Tony Jeton Selimi
Hearten First Place Winner

On the belief that life isn’t just the random cards one is dealt, A Path to Excellence by Tony Jeton Selimi offers a blueprint—the octagon of excellence—to succeed personally, professionally, and spiritually.

Transcending the pitfalls and spontaneous stumbling blocks along the path of life can open the door to self-actualization and progression. As someone who experienced bullying, sexual abuse, early disability, and homelessness, Selimi sets on to become a beacon of light to the hopeless and marginalized.

Within each soul lies a bud of genius waiting to blossom. This book focuses on purpose, vision, and persistence to clear the way to that fullest potential. Affirming challenges as immutable truths of life, Selimi employs Buddhist teaching and personal anecdotes to encourage a head-on confrontation with one’s struggles and promotes a feeling of gratitude. As a blend of philosophical wisdom and practical experience, the initial chapters help readers acknowledge their current life situation, perceiving challenges as epochs of potential.

Read more here!

DAWGS
By Diane Trull & Meredith Wargo
Hearten Grand Prize Winner

We love our dogs. We love our cats. But what do we do when people no longer want them, use them for cruel purposes, or release them into the streets with no thought for what will happen to them? Diane Trull’s memoir with Meredith Wargo, DAWGS, shines a light on these questions.

Trull begins the story as a fourth-grade teacher in Dalhart, Texas. One of her young students asks about an article in a local paper showing photos of adorable dogs at a shelter who were up for adoption, wondering what happened to those who weren’t adopted.

Instead of dodging the question, and with great trepidation, she answered it with the truth: those who weren’t adopted would be put to sleep. Her tiny students were understandably shocked. Then one of them said, “I don’t want any of those dogs to die. Isn’t there something we can do to save them?”

Read more here!

LOVE, LIFE and LUCILLE
By Judy Gaman
Hearten First Place Winner

Award-winning author, motivational speaker, and podcast host Judy Gaman befriends a fun-loving and feisty centenarian in her CIBA Grand Prize-winning novel, Love, Life, and Lucille.

The list of titles and accolades Judy Gaman has accrued begin to pale when she encounters Lucille Fleming for the very first time. The whole reason for the meet-up with the centenarian was specifically to get her opinions on “aging gracefully,” the featured topic of a new book Judy planned to write. What was scheduled as an hour-long interview turned into an absolutely delightful, near three-hour visit. Lucille turned the tables and began asking questions about Judy’s life with compelling earnestness—something Judy rarely experienced. She was unprepared yet exhilarated.

Judy couldn’t stop thinking about this “dressed to the nines” woman with an ear-to-ear smile and a sturdy, affectionate hug. Her contact with this larger-than-life woman was so infectious, Judy made up an excuse—so that she could see her again. During that second meeting, the two became fast friends as they set Fridays aside as their day to get together. Before their next planned meeting, Judy learned that Lucille had gone into cardiac arrest. She was dead for three minutes before she came back full of vim and vigor as if nothing had happened. Five months later, Lucille was more than ready for TV interviews. With that, Judy made plans to write a second book about Lucille and their relationship.

Read more here!

Thank you for cheering on these Uplifting and Inspiring Non-Fiction Books!

We hope to see your work in the 2024 Hearten Awards!

This is the journey from beginning to end for the CIBAs Levels of Achievement is so worthwhile! Every list you make means more promotion for you and your work as each list is posted right here on our website, on our social media, and also out in our newsletter!

Your book deserves to be discovered.
September 8, 2024
THE TRUE ADVENTURES Of MILTON GINSBERG by Carolyn Russo Kinne, Illustrated by Libi Holder – Picture Books, Children’s Adventure Books, Animal Stories

Carolyn Russo Kinne’s children’s story, The True Adventures of Milton Ginsberg, follows the journey of a delightful little kitten from Washington to British Columbia, Canada and back.

Milton is the bright star of this story, even with his harrowing beginning as a stray with his mother and brother. While the humans’ storyline feels beyond Milton’s understanding, both the tense and tender moments make this beautifully illustrated story memorable!

The upbeat tone Milton narrates in is one of this story’s treasures.

This cat truly has nine lives as he faces each step of his adventure with luck. Pair that with his humble beginnings, and children will fall in love with Milton as he describes how his mother finds him and his brother a forever home with two humans, Dave and Nancy.

The tension builds when Dave and Nancy decide to move to British Columbia. They try and find homes for all three cats, but the people who take them on are only able to accept two. Milton’s family decide he is the adventurous one, and take him north. It’s a touching moment as Milton says goodbye to his mother and brother.

Milton’s indomitable spirit captures Dave and Nancy’s heart just as much as the reader’s.

Excited at first to be a traveling cat, Milton quickly discovers drives are long, bumpy, and boring. He can’t wait to get out of the car when they stop for supplies. Out gallivanting, he’s shocked to find the car has left while he was away. But he is one lucky cat, and when his people return calling his name, Milton runs to them and the story proceeds north.

After a disastrous time in British Columbia, the family winds their way back to the continental US to create a home. This is where Milton can grow into the wonderful, mischievous cat he was always meant to be.

Libi Holder’s beautiful illustrations will delight children and adults alike as they meld with Kinne’s story to paint the highs and lows of Milton’s adventures.

Holder’s soft representations of nature, our hero Milton, and his own hero will hold the interest of young readers and provide a sense of satisfaction to the story. A second set of illustrations spread throughout the book, drawn by Carolyn Russo Kinne’s own daughter, Rose, adds an engaging generational feature to this children’s tale.

Readers will love following Milton on his adventures as he and his family navigate growing up and finding their place in the world. This enchanting story will warm your heart and endear Milton to you as another admirable animal character in the canon of children’s literature. As fun companions to the story itself, Kinne includes activity pages at the end of the book, complete with discussion questions, a maze, and more!

Carolyn Russo Kinne’s The True Adventures of Milton Ginsberg will have readers ready to write their own adventures about always landing on your feet and being surrounded by those who love and care about you.

September 6, 2024
The 2024 Laramie Awards Spotlight for Americana Fiction
Don’t Spare the Horses!

The Laramie Awards are only open through the end of September!

Tales of frontier life steeped in historic places and dates have long captivated readers of all ages. From Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series to The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, these stories give readers a glimpse into what was or what may have been. This Americana genre focuses mostly on Western/Pioneer/Civil War stories but can easily contain sub-genres including mystery, romance, and adventure as long as they are dressed with the American West or South as a backdrop. This division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBAs) is meant to celebrate stories that evoke the rough-and-tumble nature of the Wild West, the heartbreaking croon of a lonesome cowboy by his fire, and the overly perfumed air of a small town saloon.

The Categories for the Laramie Award are:
- Western Romance
- Adventure/Caper
- Classic
- Civil War/Prairie/Pioneer
- Contemporary Western
- Americana
- First Nations
If you’re looking to shine a lantern on your work, submit to the Laramie Awards today! If you’re just a fan of some good ol’ fashioned themes coloring your experience, take a look at some of the previous Laramie Award winners.

We are delighted to celebrate the 2023 Winners of the Laramie Awards!
- Barbara Salvatore – The Trail to Niobrara
- T.K. Conklin – Promise of Spring
- Elizabeth Woolsey – The Travels of Dr. Rebecca Harper A Matter of Time
- Daniel Greene – Northern Dawn (Northern Wolf Series Book 4)
- K.S. Jones – Tastefully Texas
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 LARAMIE Awards is:

The Last Man

A Novel of the 1927 Santa Claus Bank Robbery

by Thomas Goodman

More articles will come out celebrating those Laramie Awards Winners this month! For now, we’d like you to join us in celebrating these amazing books in the genre we’ve recently received!

BED of CONSPIRACY
By Juliette Douglas
Laramie First Place Winner

Growing up alone on the streets of Saint Louis in the mid-1870s, nineteen-year-old Samantha Davis has had to fight for everything.

When she rescues Colonel Brady from armed attackers, she isn’t trying to be a hero or land a dangerous new job, but the moment Brady sees her deadly aim and unparalleled courage, he knows he’s found his new undercover agent. Brady has been tasked with infiltrating the KGC, the Knights of the Golden Circle, a group of Southern sympathizers hellbent on bringing down the government in a Confederate uprising.

Brady believes Sam will be the perfect partner for Ross Cooper, a veteran agent who spends his off-time as a trail boss in Kansas. However, Ross is less than thrilled with Brady’s choice of the untrained, bad-tempered girl. Despite his misgivings, Ross agrees to team-up with Sam, and the two go undercover as Jim and Virginia Van Meter, a newlywed couple from South Carolina visiting Washington. After being introduced to Adam Mundy, the leader of this cell of the KGC, Ross (aka Jim) agrees to use his shipping business to help the Confederate cause.

Read more here!

TOM SAWYER RETURNS
By E.E. Burke
Laramie Grand Prize Winner

Tom Sawyer Returns is the second book in The New Adventures series by author E.E. Burke.

Readers join a now grown up and far more independent Becky Thatcher as she maneuvers her complicated life in Civil War era Mississippi. Tom has long since left, and Becky is engaged to Union Captain Alfred Temple, who offers her all the safety and security she needs in such uncertain times. But does she love him? Actually love him?

Becky soon discovers that her heart may have other plans.

Read more here!

MATAMOROS
By James Kahn
Laramie First Place Winner

With the American Civil War as a grisly backdrop, James Kahn shines a light onto the real old West in his latest novel, Matamoros: Civil War Adventure, Romance and Espionage in an Old West Border Town.

The tiny Mexican town of Matamoros becomes a haven for traders, traitors, ex-slaves, and card sharks. Bring the war into the mix with Northern and Southern agents, both self-appointed and official, and the result is perfect for plenty to go wrong.

Clayton Wilkes owns the Brave River Gambling Emporium and can smile and shoot almost in the same breath.

Read more here!

ROLLING HOME
By David Fitz-Gerald
Series Grand Prize Winner

David Fitz-Gerald concludes the Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail series with a grand finale for an eclectic cast of characters, as the long wagon train is finally Rolling Home to their new lives in the wild west of Oregon.

With the end of the trail just out of reach, however, their hopes dwindle and their hunger rages. The rigor of the western environment continues to test their determination and threaten vows of heartfelt romance. These weary people ache and mourn losses, while seeking new ways to survive and pull each other forward in the face of impending winter.

This wagon train of travelers will also face venomous villains who have been lurking in the shadows, outlaws waiting for their best opportunity to pounce.

Read more here!

Note: David Fitz-Gerald’s entire series of Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail is excellent. You can read all our reviews for it here.

GUARDED HEARTS
By T.K. Conklin
Laramie Grand Prize Winner

Guarded Hearts by T K Conklin is a sensual romance in the Wild West, with all the passion and excitement natural to the setting.

Sparks fly between a man with an outlaw past and a woman with a terrifying gift to heal or harm. Strykes is a man haunted both by a violent childhood and his time in an outlaw gang. But he has found a place in Rimrock, where he met LaRisa, an auburn-haired woman whom the townspeople have labeled a “witch” due to her healing herbs and rumors of her “powers”.

LaRisa has kept her distance from people, afraid of her gift of healing touch that can turn dangerous, even deadly. But, when she comes to town to deliver her medicinal herbs, she makes her way to the livery with tasks for Strykes such as shoeing her horse or fixing a spring in her wagon. He is only too happy to oblige the auburn-haired beauty. The attraction between them is instantaneous, yet they both are hesitant to act on it, fearing they would hurt the other– he from his violent past, and she from her “witch” power.

Read more here!

Give another three cheers for the amazing Westerns and Americana Fiction here!

This is the journey from beginning to end for the CIBAs Levels of Achievement is so worthwhile! Every list you make means more promotion for you and your work as each list is posted right here on our website, on our social media, and also out in our newsletter!

Your book deserves to be discovered.

Submit to the Laramie Awards today!
September 5, 2024
Zooming Your Way to a Great Book Launch: A Step-by-Step Guide to Virtual Book Launch Events
We are Deep in the Digital Age

Is your virtual book launch ready?

In the digital age, a virtual book launch can be a highly effective way to celebrate and promote your new book. It offers an opportunity to reach a global audience, engage with readers in real-time, and create a buzz around your work–all from your own desk.

Planning to host a virtual book launch but not sure where to start?

So much to learn, so little time!

Let us walk you through the first steps to ensure a successful and memorable event.

1. Define Your Goals and Objectives

Before diving into the details, clarify what you want to achieve with your virtual book launch. Your goals might include:
- Increasing Book Sales: Drive pre-orders and sales through special promotions.
- Building Your Author Brand: Enhance your visibility and establish your presence as an author.
- Engaging with Your Audience: Connect with readers, fans, and influencers in your genre.
- Generating Media Coverage: Attract attention from bloggers, journalists, and book reviewers.
Authors should try to zero in on what their potential readers could look like and which outlets are the best for reaching those targets. Sometimes (more often than not), going in deep (some say guerilla marketing) towards a specific target audience for podcasts, blogging, and events (publicity) and then expanding the spheres if a strategy that works (marketing). Read more on this from Kiffer Brown here!

2. Choose the Right Platform

Selecting the appropriate platform is crucial for hosting your virtual book launch. Consider the following options:
- Zoom: Ideal for interactive events with features like breakout rooms and live Q&A sessions.
- Facebook Live: Great for reaching your social media audience and facilitating real-time engagement.
- YouTube Live: Offers high video quality and can be integrated with your book’s promotional content.
- Twitch: Suitable for a more informal, interactive experience, particularly with younger audiences.
Choose a platform that aligns with your goals and technical comfort level.

3. Plan Your Event Format

Decide on the format and structure of your virtual launch. Some popular formats include:
- Live Reading and Q&A: Read excerpts from your book and answer questions from attendees.
- Author Interview: Conduct an interview with another author, a moderator, or a celebrity guest.
- Panel Discussion: Gather experts or fellow authors to discuss themes related to your book.
- Virtual Book Tour: Share behind-the-scenes content or host virtual visits to locations featured in your book.
4. Set a Date and Time

Choose a date and time that will maximize attendance. Consider the time zones of your target audience and avoid scheduling conflicts with major events or holidays. Weekdays or weekends can work depending on your audience’s availability.

The experts who can market your book make up what we call Slant in the book industry. Our own Chanticleerian author Carol Cram wrote an article all about the best ways to connect and work with experts, which you can read here.

5. Promote Your Event

Effective promotion is key to a successful virtual book launch. Use a combination of strategies:
- Social Media: Create event pages and share regular updates on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
- Email Newsletters: Send invitations and reminders to your mailing list.
- Book Communities: Engage with book clubs, forums, and online reading groups.
- Collaborations: Partner with influencers, bloggers, and other authors to broaden your reach.
Design eye-catching promotional materials such as graphics, videos, and teaser content to generate excitement.

6. Prepare Your Content and Rehearse

Prepare and rehearse the content of your event to ensure smooth execution:
- Script: Outline key points, introductions, and transitions.
- Visuals: Create slides, book trailers, or other visual aids.
- Tech Check: Test your internet connection, microphone, camera, and platform features ahead of time.
- Rehearsal: Practice your presentation and timing to avoid any hiccups during the live event.
7. Engage with Your Readers

During the event, foster engagement and interaction:
- Welcome Attendees: Greet participants and provide an overview of the event.
- Interactive Elements: Use polls, chat features, and live Q&A to involve your audience.
- Personal Touch: Share personal anecdotes or behind-the-scenes stories related to your book.
- Encourage Sharing: Ask attendees to share their thoughts on social media using a specific hashtag.
8. Follow Up After the Event

Post-event follow-up is essential for maintaining momentum and maximizing the impact of your launch:
- Thank You Notes: Send gratitude messages to attendees, guests, and collaborators.
- Event Recap: Share highlights, recordings, or photos from the event on your website and social media.
- Feedback: Collect feedback from attendees to learn what worked well and what could be improved for future events.
- Continued Engagement: Keep the conversation going by engaging with your audience and providing updates on book sales or upcoming events.
9. Analyze and Reflect

Evaluate the success of your virtual book launch by analyzing key metrics:
- Attendance Numbers: Assess how many people attended and engaged with the event.
- Sales Data: Review book sales figures before, during, and after the launch.
- Audience Feedback: Analyze comments, questions, and feedback to gauge audience reaction and satisfaction.
Reflect on what went well and areas for improvement to enhance your future virtual events.

A well-executed virtual book launch can create a powerful platform for celebrating your book and connecting with readers. By following these steps, you can craft an fun, engaging event that not only promotes your book but also builds lasting relationships with your new fans!

Happy launching!
Thank you for joining us for this Writer Toolbox Article
There is so much to learn and do with Chanticleer!

From our Book Award Program that has Discovered the Best Books since the early 2010s to our Editorial Book Reviews recognizing and promoting indie and traditional authors, Chanticleer knows your books are worth the effort to market professionally!

Helpful Toolbox Articles:

How to Market Your Works Like a Book Publicist

TAPPING the EXPERTS – Researching for Your Works in Progress

When you’re ready,did you know that Chanticleer offers editorial services?We do and have been doing so since 2011.

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 us at info@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, with more information available here.

And we do editorial consultations for $75. Learn more here.
September 4, 2024
JAKE FORTINA And The ROMAN CONSPIRACY by Ralph R. “Rick” Steinke – Global Thriller, Terrorism, International Mystery & Crime,

Talk about a ripped-from-the headlines thriller in Jake Fortina and the Roman Conspiracy!

In this multinational geopolitical thriller by Ralph R. “Rick” Steinke, a power-crazed Russian oligarch wants to usurp the current Russian dictator to take his place as the head of the government. He forms his own paramilitary force to steal priceless paintings from a Vatican church with plans to resell them for billions to fund his campaign. But why stop there? He also explodes illicit small-scale atomic weapons to further destabilize the Russian leader and cast himself as the country’s new czar.

Meanwhile, a crazed U.S. right wing military adjutant buys loads of AK-47s from the Italian mafia to arm U.S. paramilitary groups intent on enforcing their own far-right views in America.

Jake Fortina, an Army foreign area officer with special training to handle international and political-military duties at embassies and in international duties, is on vacation in Italy with his new bride when he runs into an old military chum who pretends he doesn’t recognize Jake and speaks with a Russian accent. That sets off alarm bells for Jake who manages to photograph the man along with his car’s license plate. That information is turned over to his superiors which opens the door to the rogue oligarch’s nefarious plans. He overhears the right-wing U.S. officer launch a drunken tirade against the American “left wing” government while in the company of an Italian military officer with suspicious ties to the Mafia. That leads to investigations of the weapons transfers to the U.S. paramilitary movement and a reported assassination attempt on a U.S. politician.

Steinke breaks the mold by pairing a thriller with nuclear stakes to a careful and scholarly level of detail.

From the price of AK-47s on the black market, the history of a fine wine, to a detailed examination of an officer’s dedication to this country, this novel delivers a healthy dose of information, history, and the fabric of being a member of this elite corps of public servants. More of a clear cut story without the murkiness of a John LeCarre. Fortina is part of a world fashioned and lived in the military. Highly educated, loyal to country, with a military life forged in the hills of Afghanistan and at the tables of the world’s finest restaurants in his role as attaché in Rome. Steinke presents a different kind of thriller hero. There is little ambiguity regarding who the good guys are, nor of the clarity of decision-making and the chain of command to which Jake and others ascribe to.

For readers intrigued by how the real world handles existential threats, including but not limited to roiling Kremlin politics, rogue nuclear weapons in evil hands, and the U.S. paramilitary threat, Jake Fortina and the Roman Conspiracy is an important and intriguing novel.

September 4, 2024