Radical Betrayal by Anders W. Edwardsson explores American Exceptionalism and its echoes in today’s US politics and society. It offers a perspective on the nuances of the ideology and calls for its reworking towards a more united nation.
Donald Trump’s unexpected win shocked a major segment of the USA populace in 2016, raising a big question about a complete neophyte’s victory. For some, he was a messiah to renew America’s standing. For others, he was a candidate with an unconventional campaign of blunt, rabble-rousing talk, who surprisingly took over the electoral term.
What emerged as more remarkable is that, despite not winning the popular vote, the electoral college votes secured the 2016 US president his win. It added to the debate surrounding the election and highlighted the existing political divides in the states. Radical Betrayal examines why the 2016 election played out as it did, opening with its discussion of American Exceptionalism.
American Exceptionalism is the belief in the unique global leadership of the USA. This book follows the evolution of this ideology, starting from the blend of the nation’s founding ideals of Enlightenment and Religion. It covers various historical periods and traces the idea’s development over several presidencies. This discourse presents the basis for the thesis, paving the way to answer the controversial win of the 2016 election.
Radical Betrayal covers a labyrinth of movements like isolationism and interventionism in the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as the rhetoric of political leaders from George Washington and Theodore Roosevelt to Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump.
What becomes clear is years-long tactic of harnessing American Exceptionalism to gain public support and justify policies. Not only this, the history highlights differences in how this strategy was approached, and its continued influence on shaping political takes and public views today.
The work creates an inclusive argument for why Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again” resonated with many people. To establish its position, Radical Betrayal works through the many political and cultural changes in American history that have created the appeal of this slogan. Different visions of Exceptionalism across history—inclusive and exclusive, active and passive—contribute to the debate on polarizing politics. They showcase a bridge between those conforming to two forms of this ideology—the more conservative form, and the broader, less focused version.
This book invites readers to help shape the future discourse around American Exceptionalism and its influence on the US.
Pointing to Trump’s presidency and the clear divisions in American identity during the era, Radical Betrayal suggests reassessing the power of Exceptionalism in shaping these national identities. It stresses the need to bridge historical ideals and modern realities toward a unified America. This journey to understand American Exceptionalism illuminates a potential for inclusivity in the nation’s rich tapestry of communities, races, and heritages.
An analytical approach with an encouraging and didactic tone shapes the pages of this book. Idealistic and inspiring, it opens the opportunity for further enrichment with discussions on potential obstacles in the journey to political refinement and growth.
The piece propels one toward reinterpretation and rejuvenation of American ideals, unity, and progress—the essence of American Exceptionalism itself.
Lily struggles to keep her business, her son, and her home. But in Summer Thunder, first book of the Magic at Myers Beach series by Alan B. Gibson, Lily’s luck begins to turn as she connects with the enigmatic beach king Theos.
With the help of her friend and fellow business owner Greta “the Witch,” Lily tries to revitalize her fairy-themed decoration and figurine store. Her divorce from her abusive ex-husband Kelly is pending, and she must present a calm and reliable home to ensure full custody of her son Jamie. But when her kindly landlord, Ms. Coffey, passes away, she’s confronted with two options: lose her prime business location and upstairs apartment, or somehow make enough money to buy the building herself.
Enter Theos, a kitesurfing champion with adoring fans. He shows true appreciation for Lily’s fairy figurines, bringing her many more sales. But more importantly, Theos becomes deeply interested in Lily herself. Their romance begins on rocky footing, as Theos has a strange air about him and seems to vanish whenever a storm comes into town. But when he begins modelling for a new fairy figurine– aptly named Theos, the King– the two are drawn inevitably closer.
Though she succeeds at turns, Lily confronts ever-growing problems, testing her determination.
She must keep Kelly from influencing her son and jeopardizing Lily’s chance at a happy family. And as Theos becomes a more serious figure in her life, Lily will have to decide how much of a leap of faith she’s willing to take–who she’ll end up becoming.
Meanwhile, the town of Myers Beach is facing change of its own.
This story keeps a tongue-in-cheek attitude as it tackles real-world issues. Powerful national banks sweep up local institutions, bullies wield the term ‘fairy’ against boys like Jamie who don’t follow their standards of masculinity, and the lives of people like Lily risk being seriously upended for the sake of someone else’s real-estate investments. While Summer Thunder keeps a lighter tone, it doesn’t shy away from serious topics.
The two perspectives, Lily and Theos, create an engaging balance of information for the reader.
While Lily tries to shape her own life, Theos shoulders an even more dire burden–the lives of his people. As crown prince of a true fairy kingdom, Theos deals with the aftermath of their most vital resource–fairy dust–being poisoned. He must find a new source of its core components, but thankfully, he’s already noticed a few in Myers Beach.
He works to set up a home for sick fairies around the town, while courting Lily and debating when–and how–to reveal his true nature. Often, readers will see the disconnect in Theos and Lily’s understanding of the world. Neither fully knows the other, especially as Theos presents such a larger-than-life persona, giving space for conflict to grow between them. Will they be able to overcome their differences, and truly connect as themselves?
This story shines with a charming setting and lively cast of characters.
Gibson’s descriptions place readers in the cool spray of kitesurfing and the quaint boardwalk of Myers Beach. Lily lives in a town of friendships and rivalries, with vibrant and unique characters to flesh out the story around her. While the prose sometimes explains more than it should, and dramatic threads don’t always have enough time spent building tension, the characters are driven and will pull readers easily into their schemes.
For those interested in urban fantasy, beach-side romance, and the adventures of plucky local fairies, Summer Thunder will be a strong opening to the Magic at Myers Beach series.
That’s a lot of ground and a lot of books! The Other Murder was the first place category winner in the suspense/thriller category, and was awarded the Grand Prize as the Best Book among all the CLUE entries.
Kevin sat down with the Chanticleer Book Review to talk about his writing and his new novel, Double Takedown, coming out this fall!
Chanti: Thank you so much for joining us Kevin! Tell us a little about yourself and how you started writing?
Chapman: Normally I’m explaining to my lawyer colleagues that the unusual thing about me is that I’m a mystery writer on the side. For mystery readers, you might be interested to know that I’ve been an in-house attorney for a major media company for the past 29 years. I’m a labor lawyer and former chairperson of the Labor & Employment Law section of the Association of Corporate Counsel. The L&E section consists of over 7000 in-house lawyers. I led the ACC section and oversaw our educational programs and publications. I even wrote an article for the ACC magazine on a radical plan for improving how companies run their employee evaluation programs! Yeah, I’m a law nerd (and proud of it).
Chanti: We all are nerds about something! How did you develop the idea for your current novel, The Other Murder, (Winner of the CLUE Award Grand Prize this year) and what inspired you to explore the intersection of media and law enforcement?
Chapman: Because I’m a lawyer who works for a media company and writes crime thrillers, the most significant elements of my professional life all come together in The Other Murder. The story sprang from my non-original observation that pretty, affluent white girls who are missing or killed tend to dominate the news cycles. We often hear statistics about the number of murders and violent crimes in a particular city. We seldom (if ever) see significant media coverage given to a minority victim who isn’t rich and famous.
This phenomenon could be called “unconscious bias,” but is likely more a conscious choice by producers and media executives focused on getting the biggest ratings. Particularly in broadcast news, including 24-hour cable news networks, getting eyes on your story is the most important thing. The story that can be made sensationalistic and involves a victim that will garner sympathy and is relatable is the story you feature. That’s good economics, but leads to a slanted presentation of the world. I wanted to make this murder mystery a story that gets inside that culture and lets readers see all sides of the story as it unfolds.
Kevin and Sharon Chapman
Chanti: The story of The Other Murder involves two journalists and two homicide detectives. How did you approach developing these characters, and what challenges did you face in creating complex relationships between them while navigating the intricacies of the murder mystery?
Chapman: The real “leads” of this story are the two journalists. Each of them has positive and negative attributes and each makes choices that are both selfish and noble – the two being not mutually exclusive. I wanted my cable news producer to be understood in the context of her job, her bosses, and her ambitions. I wanted the print journalist to be understood as someone who could have a “better” job, but who has a calling both to journalism and to his community. Their interactions disclose their similarities and differences as well as the nature of the business in which they work. And, of course, it’s a murder story so there must be cops. Here, the cops don’t have all the information and need the help of the journalists.
The two partners have their own problems, including a recent incident that set them at odds. Through their eyes, the reader learns things the journalists don’t know and sees the way the media coverage affects the police investigation. Making the characters the focus of the story lets me tell the mystery story through interesting eyes.
I have always loved the mysteries of Sara Paretsky, whose characters are the heart and soul of her books. In the Mike Stoneman Thriller series, I had a fixed set of main characters be my narrators. They, and their minor-character companions, gave me a universe of backstories to weave into the mysteries. This stand-alone story has brand new characters for my readers to relate to and care about.
My goal, like Ms. Paretsky, is to make my readers as interested in the stories of the players as they are about the underlying “main” plot. The plot needs to hold them together, but the characters need to behave in a way that is both realistic and interesting.
Chanti: Many of your stories feature important social issues, woven into your murder mystery plots. Why do you do that, and what message do you hope readers will take away from this aspect of the story in The Other Murder?
Chapman: I always want my books to be entertaining, but I also want to make my readers think about issues that exist in the world and which often influence the stories I’m telling. Jason Dickson, Mike Stoneman’s partner, is a Black detective. He (and Mike) encounter racism inside and outside the NYPD and those issues play naturally into my plots. I try to let my readers make up their own minds about things, but also confront them with situations they need to think about.
In Fatal Infraction, for example (Mike Stoneman #4), the Black quarterback of a New York pro football team is murdered. The racially charged environment of pro football and the reaction of the community to a murder that may have been racially motivated is a big part of the plot.
In The Other Murder, the main plot involves subtle racism that permeates the media and, to some extent, the police and the city officials, who are driven by publicity (positive or negative) and public perception. When the media tells the public that a situation is a horrible tragedy and an example of a huge problem that needs to be fixed, crowds gather, memorials are created, politicians and activists make speeches. This causes the media feed on itself as it amplifies the story.
Government officials like the mayor and the police commissioner react by prioritizing that crime and devoting resources to solving it. Catching that killer matters because everyone is watching. In this story, the second murder involves a Latino boy with a history of gang membership. It garners no media attention and generates minimal police interest until cops discover that Javier Estrada’s murder may be connected to the white girl, Angelica Monroe. The immediately reported story is that Angelica was an innocent victim of urban gun violence. She becomes a saint. Javier Estrada is ignored.
Meanwhile, the two detectives on the cases are a white man and a Hispanic woman. Mariana is the only character involved in the police investigation who cares about Javier’s story. Similarly, only Paulo Richardson, the local newspaper reporter, cares about Javier’s portrayal in the press. Paulo wants to make people see the truth about Javier. Mariana wants her colleagues to see that the white girl isn’t always the victim and the Latino boy is not always the criminal. The investigation also lays bare the recent rift between Mariana and her partner, Dru Cook, arising from an incident of police brutality. Was that incident racially motivated? Dru didn’t think so. Mariana saw it differently.
In the end, once the reader has all the facts (or, at least all the different versions of the facts), the question of who is a little bit racist and where motives and biases get mixed together makes things a lot less clear cut. My hope is that the reader not only enjoys the story and cares about the characters, but that the tale makes them think a little bit about their own perceptions.
Chanti: The Other Murder challenges readers to guess what happened. How do you craft the tension in a narrative, and what techniques did you employ to keep readers engaged in solving your mystery?
Chapman: Each book has its own requirements. In Dead Winner, my stand-alone romantic mystery from 2022, the protagonist was entranced by a woman who induced him to both protect her and help her recover her lost lottery ticket. The suspense was what would happen and who was really pulling the strings. In the Mike Stoneman books, typically the mystery is who the killer is and whether/how Mike and Jason will catch them.
In The Other Murder, the mystery is what really happened. In the first draft of the story, chapter one gave the reader a view into all the events that happened leading up to and including the murders of Angelica and Javier. I realized after the first draft was done that letting the reader know what happened and then following the investigations by the police and the journalists with that knowledge was not fully satisfying as a mystery. The story was: “how are they going to figure it out?” rather than “what happened?”
So, I went back and deleted most of that first chapter and re-wrote the story so that the journalists and the police (along with the reader) are piecing together the facts, without knowing for sure who is giving them good information, which of their assumptions are correct, and what information they are missing. This allows the reader to guess where the characters have it right, and what might be wrong. Even at the end, nobody (including the reader) can be 100% sure they know the whole truth.
Chanti: The novel highlights the danger of the truth. Can you elaborate on the significance of this theme and how it plays into the challenges faced by the characters, particularly Hannah and Paulo, as they uncover disturbing facts?
Chapman: The tag line of the book was one of the first things I wrote after outlining the basic story. “Sometimes, the most dangerous thing…is the truth.” It is a common observation that humans are significantly influenced by what is called in psychology “recency bias.” Your strongest memories and emotions are attached to the things that happened most recently. It is also true in media that the first story is the one that gets imprinted in people’s memories, particularly if it sparks strong emotions. When asked whether one of two things is true, the one you heard first is the one you are more likely to believe.
One of the core messages of The Other Murder is that people need to be careful about believing the first narrative they hear. But the reality is that, once a set of facts is in your head, it is hard to push it out. This is especially true when the original narrative reinforces your personal views and political objectives. Telling people who are emotionally, financially, and politically invested in one version of a story that the story they heard and want to believe is really a false narrative – is a dangerous thing to do.
In the media world, once you have established your narrative and “hooked” your audience, it’s hard to switch gears and retain your viewers if you suddenly try to tell them that what you had been telling them is false and that there’s a new truth they should switch to. They are likely to switch – to a different news source that will reinforce their belief in the original story. That is part of the challenge facing Paulo and Hannah.
Chanti: That is so interesting! Do you find you often learn things from writing your books?
Chapman: I’m always doing research to make sure that I’m getting the facts right in my stories, which can lead me to strange places. Like into the on-board morgue on a cruise ship (of course they have one!) or into the intricacies of how the NFL players’ association collective bargaining agreement treats the bonus money paid to a player who later dies. It’s fun to figure it out, but I almost always need volunteer consultants to help me and keep me honest.
For The Other Murder, I researched the operation of a cable news network and consulted with a few experts in order to get the details and the terminology correct. I knew the print journalist world already, but merging them together with the police procedural story was a challenge and was fun for me.
In my next book, I’ve been consulting with a pharmacist friend about drug interactions and how a murderer might use easily available drugs to induce a fatal reaction if you know what other drugs your victim is already taking. Cool stuff!
Chanti: Are there any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
Chapman: Oh, yes! Leaving Easter Eggs that will amuse a few readers who get the joke or the reference is great fun. Even if it’s only my wife and I who laugh. Sometimes it’s a name, a location, or a line of dialogue.
In The Other Murder, there are several references to things from my last book (Dead Winner). There is a location where key events happened in the last book, and an object that found its way from that book into this one. There are also references to characters from the Mike Stoneman books.
In the next book, there will be references to the two detectives from The Other Murder, who work in the same homicide division as Mike and Jason. I was even able to put a reference in Mike Stoneman #3 to a character who would be the murder victim in book #4. That’s so much fun.
Chanti: With that in mind, who is the perfect reader for your book?
Chapman: Lovers of murder mysteries, police procedurals, and romantic suspense will like my books. But what’s more important to me is that my readers be thinkers. If you don’t want anything in your books that raises difficult social/political issues and doesn’t make you examine your own biases and attitudes, then my books may not be for you. I don’t mind if you don’t agree with my characters, and I won’t be offended if you decide you didn’t like my subplots, but I want readers who accept a challenge. I also love readers who like to be surprised and who think they can figure out any mystery. Think you can figure out what happened? I dare you!
Kevin G. Chapman recording his audiobook
Chanti: It’s always a joy to try and figure out the next step as a reader. And speaking of which, what are you working on now? What can we look forward to seeing next from you?
Chapman: I’m currently in the final editing stage of the next book in my Mike Stoneman thriller series, titled Double Takedown. I left off with Mike, Jason, and the other characters from the series in Las Vegas in January of 2020. I decided that I did not want to write those characters living through the COVID-19 pandemic (interviewing witnesses while wearing masks, etc.). So I wrote two stand-alone books that are not set in any particular year, including The Other Murder. Now, I’m picking up Mike and Jason in the fall of 2023 as they are preparing for a trial stemming from a murder from May of 2022 and investigating a new murder from September of 2023. This story includes a character who is a social media “influencer” and explores what happens when the police develop “tunnel vision” during an investigation. Look for Double Takedown this fall.
Kevin Chapman writes award-winning suspense/thriller/crime fiction. His books, including The Other Murder,are now available on Amazon in both hardcover and print, and as an ebook on Kindle via Amazon.com at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJN6W5NJ.
Paperbacks and hardcovers of all his books are also available through select independent bookstores and via Bookshop.org, which supports local bookstores. The audiobook version is available via CHIRP, iTunes, Googleplay, Roku, Nook (Barnes & Noble), LIBRO.FM (which also supports independent bookstores) and on Audible.
Readers can contact Kevin Chapman, see all his content, and download two free short stories and a free novella at www.KevinGChapman.com.
The fight against tyranny grips readers and obsesses authors to this day.
“Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!
You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destrruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.” — Order of the Day from Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force given before the Invasion of Normandy
Chanticleer’s Personal Connection to WWII
At Chanticleer we often take particular care to honor veterans and those who serve.
Kiffer’s father retired after 36 years of service in the Unites States Merchant Marines & Marine Corps where he served in the WWII, Korean War, and the Vietnam War. He died in 1981 from one hundred percent service related injuries.
From left to right we have Kiffer’s brother Tony, her father, and Kiffer herself in Hawaii during the territory days. Her mother, Antha May, is taking the photo
David’s grandfather also served during WWII, stationed in France as a first generation Quebecois transplant in the United States
Robert Gerard Beaumier Sr. who served in WWII
My father would often tell the story of how his grandfather, Robert, was in France during World War II. At one point a dog came and wouldn’t stop barking at his unit, no matter how much they told it to go away. Finally, Robert said “Va t’en!” and immediately the dog ran off. Everyone was suitably impressed that the dog spoke French! — David
The National World War II Museum in New Orleans has an excellent summary of the lead up and importance of D-Day which we recommend you read here.
Most chilling perhaps is the closing of their thoughts that emphasize how important the landing on Normandy was:
The Normandy invasion was one of great turning points of twentieth-century history. An immense army was placed in Nazi-occupied Europe, never to be dislodged. Germany was threatened that same month by a tremendous Soviet invasion from the east that would reach the gates of Berlin by the following April. The way to appreciate D-Day’s importance is to contemplate what would have happened if it had failed. Another landing would not have been possible for at least a year. This would have given Hitler time to strengthen the Atlantic Wall, harass England with the newly developed V-1 flying bombs and V-2 rockets, continue to develop jet aircraft and other so-called “miracle weapons,” and finish off his killing campaign against ethnic and sexual undesirables.
It is our pleasure to share these wonderful WWII books with you from authors who have written about this time.
The JøSSING AFFAIR
By J. L. Oakley
At a time when true identities are carefully protected and information can get you killed, heroes emerge to fight the evils of Nazi-occupied Norway in J.L. Oakley’s highly suspenseful and beautifully penned historical fiction novel, The Jøssing Affair.
In a quiet Norwegian fishing village during the Nazi occupation, risk lurks everywhere. Most residents are patriotic members of the resistance, “jøssings,” but there are “quislings,” too. Those who collaborate with the Germans and tout the Nazi propaganda of Nordic brotherhood between the nations. Mistaking the two is a matter of life and death.
THE SILVER WATERFALL: A Novel of the Battle of Midway
By Kevin Miller
In The Silver Waterfall, author retired U.S. Navy Captain Kevin Miller reveals the intricate and deadly turns of the Battle of Midway, a combat shaped by transforming warfare, and one that would in turn shape the rest of WWII’s Pacific Theater.
After their surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese Navy seeks to draw American aircraft carriers into an ambush, to secure Japanese power over the Pacific. In a time of great upheaval for warfare technology, aircraft carriers dominated both sea and sky. So, to destroy the USS Enterprise, Yorktown, and Hornet, Chūichi Nagumo— commander of the Japanese First Air Fleet— brings to bear his own four carriers, HIJMS Akagi, Hiryū, Kaga, and Soryu.
GENERAL in COMMAND – The Life of Major General John B. Anderson
By Michael M. Van Ness
Michael M. Van Ness, the grandson of “the general in command,” has created a remarkable biography chronicling the adventures of a farm boy who rose high rank in the US military and served with distinction in two world wars as a combatant, officer, and sage observer.
Born in 1891, John Benjamin Anderson must have had considerable intelligence as well as patriotism and grit, since he was accepted at West Point Military Academy at age 19, an honor conferred on only 130 applicants per year—and finished in the top third of his class. He would soon serve under General Pershing in the Mexican War, giving him the experience of combat and coincidentally, his first ride in an automobile. That deployment earned him inclusion in Pershing’s ranks in World War I. It was then his diaries began, and though he protested humorously that “I hate to write,” these personal recollections give readers an up-close picture of the devastation of warfare.
COLD PEACE: A Novel of the Berlin Airlift, Part 1
By Helena P. Schrader
Amidst the ruins of Post-WWII, Berlin struggles to rebuild from the ashes, torn apart and facing down the promise of another bloody dictator. A myriad cast, all shaped by that same war, become entwined with the broken city as its hour of need approaches.
Just as Germany is divided between the Americans, British, French, and Soviets, Berlin has been cut into pieces. But the balance of the occupation powers tips eastward as the Soviet Zone surrounds the city, giving them control of all ways into and out of Berlin – save for the air. The occupation currency is worthless thanks to Soviet over-printing, leaving Berlin on a barter system of cigarettes and black-market trading. In order for Germany to recover, the Western Allies plan to introduce a new currency, even if it angers the Soviet bear.
A young boy in Norway makes a discovery while playing with his dog, opening the mystery of EO-N by Dave Mason, a detective story spanning multiple decades and both sides of the Atlantic, a deep dive into the horrors of Nazi Germany, and a heartfelt love story.
A small metal fragment leads to the discovery of a downed WWII twin-engine Mosquito fighter-bomber hidden in snow and glacial ice for nearly 75 years. The crash site yields an initial set of clues, one of which finds its way across the world to Alison Wiley, a biotech CEO in Seattle. Having recently lost her mother, and, a few years earlier, her brother in Afghanistan, she finds her days full of despair, but the discovery makes a distant connection to her long-lost grandfather, and she flies to Norway. There, she meets Scott Wilcox, a Canadian researcher assigned to investigate the discovery after his government learned that the crashed aircraft belonged to the Royal Canadian Air Force. Their attraction is both intellectual and emotional, but the quest to uncover the plane’s mysteries and the fate of Alison’s grandfather place any romance to the side.
In The Sower of Black Field, Katherine Koch’s historical fiction novel, Father Viktor Koch— a 67-year-old Catholic priest— presides over a monastery in a small German village, as the Nazi regime sweeps through the country.
The time is April, 1941. Fr. Viktor’s order, the U.S.-based Passionists, built the monastery eight years prior, providing employment for most of the villagers and remaining a symbol of their faith.
DEAR BOB: Bob Hope’s Wartime Correspondence with the G.I.s of World War II
By Martha Bolton with Linda Hope
During World War II, Bob Hope traveled almost ceaselessly to outposts large and small, entertaining US troops – and inspiring them; Martha Bolton brings the extent of this work to light in Dear Bob.
Writer Martha Bolton worked with and for comedian Bob Hope. Now, with Hope’s daughter Linda, she has gathered and organized the letters written to Bob by the soldiers he helped.
Hope, English born, and born to entertain, once said he could not retire and go fishing because “Fish don’t applaud.” Among his sizzling lines – and there are hundreds recorded here – he told one audience that he’d gotten a wonderful welcome when he arrived at their camp: “I received a 10-gun salute… They told me on the operating table.”
Eighty Years later, and the sacrifices made in WWII still matter and the fight for a more just world continues. Thank you to everyone who has submitted books to us and been a part of our own journey and learning.
One of seven of the Non-Fiction Divisions for the Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBAs) is the Journey Awards. This division deals with some of the most difficult experiences people are challenged with. The Journey Book Awards was the first non-fiction division of the CIBAs. As we received a considerable number of submissions that were uplifting and inspiring as well as those that focused on overcoming adversities, we decided to offer two divisions of narrative non-fiction. To be able to recognize these fully, we split off the more heartwarming works into the Hearten Awards, while continuing to recognize and discover works that give accounts of immense challenges and personal stories of the power resiliency and overcoming adversity (some of which should come with trigger warnings) in the Journey Book Awards.
Chanticleer is looking to discover exceptional Non-Fiction dealing with Overcoming Adversity, Dysfunctional Families, Societal Issues of Race and Class, Personal Journeys, and Experiences relating to PTSD, Drug Addiction, Sexual Abuse, and Childhood Trauma. If you have a Non-Fiction Book with different themes, you can see our full list of Non-Fiction Awards here. Truth matters now, more than ever!
Check out these exceptional reads and experiences from previous Journey Grand Prize Winners
Barbed By Julie Morrison
Julie Morrison saddles up to take us for a ride through the harsh dry mountains of northern Arizona and beyond in her memoir, Barbed.
Readers visit the ranch where Julie’s parents try to keep the family legacy alive. Julie reveals a cowboy’s world where she meets walls instead of doors but never gives up.
Barbed opens with Morrison living in the rainy Seattle area with her husband. But the lure of a cowboy’s life on the range – working cattle and riding horseback – beckons them both. Julie needs salvation like this for her marriage, now distant and cold.
Author and businessman Mark Berridge, through the lived experience of himself and others after traumatic injuries, gained a wide understanding of overcoming disaster, and how to rehabilitate not only one’s body but mind and spirit as well. In sharing his wisdom, A Fraction Stronger is a must-read for anyone facing physical, emotional, or mental barriers.
On March 10, 2019, Berridge, due to embark on a work-related flight from his Australian home to the US later that day, went on a bike ride with some buddies. He lost control of the bike over a piece of slippery road patch work, he wrecked falling into an open culvert, striking his head; conscious, but unable to move his feet and legs. The left side of his helmet was crushed, his spinal cord injured, and numerous bone broke. Hospitals would become his world as he dealt with spinal injuries and the long road to rehabilitation – relearning how to sit, stand, and walk.
There exists a bond between sisters, and often that bond becomes a connection so strong that time cannot erase the love and the longing for the other. Andrea Wilson Woods defines such a bond in Better Off Bald: A Life in 147 Days.
Woods details the choreographed life she lives with her sister Adrienne, who has been diagnosed with cancer. Together they begin their dance, pirouetting around IV ports and long lists of medications. Sisters in life, love, and an all-out war against liver cancer.
Woods retells her story with compassion and a rational eye for detail while embracing all the deep emotions that ravage her as she records every one of the 147 days after the initial diagnosis.
The Parrot’s Perch — A Memoir of Torture and Corruption in Brazil By Karen Keilt
Karen Keilt led a life of privilege, a life that most of us only dream of, but she turns the dream upside down in her memoir The Parrot’s Perch: A Memoir of Torture and Corruption in Brazil, where she exposes the seamy underside of that life and the corrupt government under which she lived. Keilt takes us from her childhood filled with the horses she loved, to her marriage to a man she adored, to the fatal incident that destroyed the world she knew.
The memoir moves between New York and Sao Paulo as Keilt sets the stage for an incident that occurs shortly after her marriage. Keilt places no blame, but tells her story with an objective eye, while expressing the confusion she held of her experiences: the kidnapping, torture, rape, and interrogation by the police for “…forty-five days of hell. Three million, eight hundred and eighty-eight seconds.”
Karen Keilt presents a memoir that is tough and unapologetic. She sandwiches her story within an interview at the UN, which is smart because some of the events are so intense and violent, they call for a breathing space where readers can decompress.
Reading John Hoyte’s memoir, Persistence of Light, is like sitting around a campfire absorbing stories of adventure, loss, and love – and feeling better for it. With journalistic precision, Hoyte shares both the facts and the emotional impact of his fascinating travels, doing so void of self-pity for his suffering and without self-aggrandizement for his vast achievements.
Born in 1932 to medical missionary parents (his father, Stanley, was British; his mother, Grace, American), Hoyte enjoyed a vibrant childhood taking nature walks and playing with his five siblings. A pivotal moment came at 8 years old when his parents were summoned to a missionary hospital, 1300 miles away in Lanchow. Hoyte and his siblings ended up in a Japanese internment camp without either parent.
Despite weeks with little to no food, wearing tattered clothing and walking barefoot (shoes were a commodity), he mustered the energy and the interest to write, sketch and draw – ultimately finding mystery and hope in a world besieged by authoritarian forces. His intense curiosity that percolated as a child, along with his faith in God, leads him on the many adventures he depicts in this thoughtful and exciting memoir.
Thank you for celebrating our Journey Hall of Fame Winners with us!
Remember to add your next reads to your StoryGraph or Goodreads account! Now that you’re set on your next five reads, what are you waiting for? The only way to join this amazing list of Journey Winners is to submit today!
Those who submit and advance will have the chance to win the Overall Grand Prize of the CIBAs and $1000!
Are you a Chanticleer Author who has some good news to share? Let us know! We’re always looking for a reason to crow about Chanticleerians! Here are some recent achievements from our authors:
One of our favorite Writing Communities meets annually at the Chanticleer Authors Conference!
How to Form a Writing Community
No matter where you are in the writing journey, it’s never too late to join a Writing Community or form a Critique Group. We’ve talked to people who have ran book groups at our own local Village Books, those who ran the Skagit Valley Writers League, and those who have gone through graduate-level writing classes to bring you the best tips and tricks for your community needs.
Writing Communities and Critique Groups are often a wonderful and necessary step on the journey to becoming a professional author, not just someone scribbling into the void.
So my Writing Community will fulfill all of my authorly needs?
Commander Tuvok and Ensign Kim of the USS Voyager. Kim is usually wrong.
Probably not. Just like one person can’t fulfill all our needs for friendship, writing communities are diverse and can include your local bookstore to the writing group you found online during quarantine. It isn’t just one thing, but here we’ll talk about how to build one if you notice your needs aren’t getting met as well as they could be.
First, we’ll focus on where to begin, then we’ll dive into actually running a critique group.
Starting your Group
Pick who you want to be in your Writing Community
When putting together a group it can be important to consider both experience and demographic. If you’re hoping to publish by the end of the year, it’s important to work with like-minded people as opposed to writers who are just discovering their voice. Of course, even a writer who is still working through their craft may be an excellent reader, so don’t be afraid to take a chance on someone!
Likewise, while it’s helpful to have a variety of readers, ask yourself who the audience for your book is. Lee Child’s The Killing Floor has a pretty different audience from The City of Glass by Cassandra Clare. The best feedback will come from the people who would be interested in grabbing your work at the bookstore.
If you’re looking for more on connecting with readers, and less on connecting with other writers, check out this article on reader engagement from Kiffer Brown here.
Decisions in a Critique Group
There are plenty of ways to run a writing group, but knowing if it’s open or closed and whether people come prepared to give feedback or if they’re expected to give feedback in the moment is key
For a critique group though, startby asking if it’s going to be a closed or an open group. Even with an open group, it helps to recruit people to join it initially, so you set the tone and hopefully create something that will really serve your needs.
For an open group, you’ll have the great pleasure of extraordinary writers coming into your sphere, though on the other hand, you will also find writers whose work needs desperate help beyond what you can give to the work just being plain offensive. Despite that, the rewards of working in an open group are innumerable, as are the connections that will help expand your circle of influence.
In a closed group you don’t have the same level of variety in the people you work with, but the consistency can make up for that. Of course, if the people you invite in end up feeling hurt, this can negatively affect friendships that have been brought into the group.
Regardless of who you have in a group, it’s worth remembering that writing is a sensitive art, and it does well to treat people kindly, even when giving direct feedback.
When is Feedback done?
Whether or not you choose to do an open or closed group, you also need to pick whether or not work will be read in advanced so feedback can be ready to present at group. The other natural option is that the author will present their work at the group and receive feedback immediately after.
I ran a group for 7 years that sent work in advance, and I found the extra time to comment and think about a book really helped! That said, the maximum word count suggestions and number of members we had meant we critiqued approximately 40,000 words a month! That’s a lot of novels!
In contrast, Janet Oakley, a Chanticleer Overall Grand Prize Winner, is still in a group where the author reads the work aloud and then receives feedback in the moment. That group saves a lot of time and effort by keeping the focus on just what can be shared in the time that they meet. Both have great merits! – David
Regardless of the choice you make, writers will be able to get a huge benefit from however feedback is delivered!
Community is something we make at Chanticleer
Here at Chanticleer we have our usual (or unusual) suspects in terms of people who live near us and are guaranteed to show up at our local events ready to cheer us on.
To facilitate this, we’ve created The Roost, a private online community for serious authors looking for support. Not only does The Roost offer steep discounts on many Chanticleer services, there are weekly write ins, monthly workshops, author promotion projects, NaNoWriMo support, and of course pictures of our beloved pets (always a must).
If you’re interested in joining the Roost, please reach out to AuthorOutreach@ChantiReviews.com
One of Kiffer’s adorable kitty cats
The Roost is a social community where authors can share their expertise and knowledge with fellow writers who take the craft and business of being an author seriously. Make posts and share photos just like any other social media, but better since the community is intentionally curated for writers!
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!
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 availablehere.
And we do editorial consultations for $75. Learn morehere.
In the small Missouri town of Walkers Corner, it seems everyone has a dark secret. In Parallel Secrets by ML Barrs, a TV journalist comes to town to do a magazine piece on a missing girl and begins uncovering many of those hidden stories.
Motivated by feelings of guilt for not following up on a previous unsolved case, Vicky Robeson’s joins the search for the missing child. She’s tenacious in her investigation. As a TV station journalist currently between jobs, she has well-honed investigative skills, specifically in her ability to wheedle stories from even the most reluctant people. She’s familiar with Walkers Corner; and as a reporter for a St. Louis TV station, she covered the case of a never-identified mystery girl. She believes the two cases are connected. The similarities that link these cases to her own experiences as a child make her unable to let this new story go.
Safe to say, her investigating is not welcomed by most of the locals in this close-knit town.
But one by one, Vicky finds ways to pull details about both cases from virtually everyone, using her eye for detail to wedge people out of silence. Vicky’s quest is not without personal danger, however, as she finds long-buried secrets, crimes that some are willing to kill to keep buried.
In the midst of her reporting, Vicky finds her relationship with Pete, her new love interest who has traveled with her in his RV, to be both a blessing and another challenge.
Pete keeps wanting a deeper relationship, while Vicky is reluctant. In addition, she’s considering taking a TV job in Texas that would put an additional strain on the couple. Even though Pete is perfect for her now, she’s not sure he’s perfect when it comes to her future.
Parallel Secrets is a literary jigsaw puzzle, the kind that remains unclear until the final piece is put in place. This is an enthralling read for anyone who enjoys a good-to-the-last-drop mystery.
Captain Jean Luc Picard (played by Patrick Stewart) celebrating
The Cygnus Awards is one of the inaugural Book Award Divisions at Chanticleer, and we adore the worlds that they’ve created.
Science Fiction often asks the question: What Could Be? At Chanticleer, we seek to discover those strange new worlds, from Space Opera to Alternate History, and Cli-Fi to YA Sci-Fi. Wherever your book lands on the Speculative Fiction spectrum, there’s a good chance that it will fit in here with us!
Join us in celebrating these amazing Hall of Fame Grand Prize Cygnus Award Winners!
The Shadow of War By Timothy S. Johnston
The Chanticleer Editorial Review for The Shadow of War, book 5 in the Oceania Series is to come, but here’s what initial readers are saying:
A tightly plotted action-packed thriller about an undersea war. Beautiful and heartbreaking character development, best for those who want The Expanse but underwater. — Chanticleer
As always, Johnston has written a thriller with hot-off-the-presses technology, edge-of-your-seat moments, separated into heart-pounding seconds, and characters who don’t always do what they’re supposed to. — Kelly
Timothy S. Johnston delivers another page turner that keeps the pace moving. — Ian
You can find The Shadow of War locally on Bookshop or from Amazon today!
The Last Lumenian By S. G. Blaise
Nineteen-year-old Lilla could have an idyllic life, but in The Last Lumenian by S.G. Blaise, she comes face to face with a rebellion and their just cause.
Lilla’s father leads the Pax Septum Coalition, a nineteen-planet confederation. As a princess in her own right, she should be enjoying the status and wealth that comes from living on Uhna, the richest planet in the coalition due to the diamond mines found by her pirate ancestors centuries ago. She most definitely shouldn’t be worried about the rebellion brewing right under her father’s nose. However, when Lilla meets rebels in a refugee camp, she thinks she has found her destiny, a true purpose.
Wanting to fight against the injustice and horrific treatment of the refugees, Lilla tries desperately to prove herself, especially after a disastrous first mission where she not only crashes her ship but also ends up in the hands of General Callum, leader of the Teryn Praelium.
Musician-turned-time-traveler John Patrick Scott adds spy and saboteur to his resume while undercover in Germany in the final months of World War I, in A War in Too Many Worlds, the third installment of Elizabeth Crowen’s thrilling sci-fi series, The Time Traveler Professor.
Meanwhile, Scott’s once and future collaborator in psychic experiments, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is back in Britain sharing real time-travel adventures with the inventor of the fictional time machine, H.G. Wells.
Scott, after being wounded in the trenches, has finally been given an assignment in the Intelligence services. His extensive pre-war experience as a professor at the Conservancy of Music in Stuttgart, Germany, will do him good.
Rhett C. Bruno & Jaime Castle for The Luna Missile Crisis
Authors Rhett C. Bruno and Jaime Castle come together to tell the tale of alien first contact gone awry in their epic science fiction release, The Luna Missile Crisis.
The year is 1961, and cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin is set to become the first man in space. But when Yuri, snug inside the Vostok 1, is launched from the cosmodrome and into the coming night, he’s met with a collision that changes the course of history. The Vostok 1 crashes into an oncoming alien starship. Assuming the collision was actually a missile fired from Russia’s space race opponent, the United States, the soviet nation quickly launches an arsenal of nuclear warheads in response. But those warheads never make it to their target. Instead, they detonate against the hidden starship, sending a wave of nuclear destruction over eastern Europe.
In the coming weeks after contact day, military troops from both sides of the cold war are sent into the ruins of eastern Europe – into an area now called the Dead Curtain – to search for useful alien technology. During a skirmish between the Russians, the Americans, and the Vulbathi (the toad-like alien race aboard the damaged starship), a combat medic name Kyle McCoy stumbles into the chaos and sparks a ceasefire. His actions create a domino effect, bringing about relative peace between all three parties. Three years pass, and in exchange for aid in repairing their damaged ship, the Vulbathi agree to offer some of their exceptional technology to mankind. And Kyle McCoy, once foot soldier turned head of the Department of Alien Relations, is given a desk job with a title that suits his place in history.
The dramatic premise explored in a new novel, Insynnium, is a wild, immersive leap into a world-changing (but fictional) drug. In other hands, what could be a dystopian thriller goes one step further in author Tim Cole’s capable hands. He focuses on the humans who first discover and use the drug and weaves his story with a devilish charm.
This is somewhat Bill Murray/“Groundhog Day” territory, a film exploring one man’s reliving a day in his life over and over until he learned new behaviors, new skills, and came out of it a better man. Unlike “Groundhog,” Max McVista takes multiple doses of the drug against all advice, then somehow expands time itself in what he calls an “AUE” or “Alternative Universe Experience,” enabling him to spend months and sometimes years becoming or experiencing whatever he wishes. When returning to real-time, he’s only missed a day or two. (For E=MC squared fans, it’s basically reverse engineering of Einsteinian physics.)
From a man with few basic skills, a drunk who all but abandons his wife and sons, he returns to his family with outsized skills as a musician, entrepreneur, carpenter, medical savant, and pilot. Skills he could not have learned in any traditional manner. He lies about how he learned everything, tracing it back to an accident, choosing to bury his drug-induced years of time-traveling across the world, spending concentrated periods exploring whatever he fancies with no time “penalty” in the real world.
Remember to add your next reads to your StoryGraph or Goodreads account! Now that you’re set on your next five reads, what are you waiting for? The only way to join this amazing list of Cygnus Winners is to submit today!
You know you want it…
Will your science fiction story be next to join this stellar lineup? Those who submit and advance will have the chance to win the Overall Grand Prize of the CIBAs and $1000, but more importantly, you’ll join a community of visionary authors whose work shapes the future of the genre.
These celebrated works represent the best in contemporary science fiction—and your story could be next!
One of Four: World War One Through the Eyes of an Unknown Soldier by Travis Davis is a compassionate and intimate portrait of the tenuous and unforgiving First World War, as shown through the eyes of an American soldier on France’s front lines.
Based on real people and events in 1918 France, One of Four begins with a young French girl, Camille, who stumbles upon a diary lying next to an unknown American soldier. He was killed among his comrades in a German ambush near the banks of the Aire River, as he tried to protect his fellow soldiers. When Camille comes of age, she leaves her hometown to seek a better life in Paris. There, she is killed after joining a German resistance group. But before her death, she tucked the soldier’s diary in her Bible and hid it in a local bookstore.
Decades later, a man by the name of Walter travels to France with his son, Alex, to whom he’d become estranged after the painful divorce from Alex’s mother. He hopes this will be a journey of healing and exploration and that their time together will revive their shaky relationship. While there, Alex purchases the Bible left by Camille many years ago. By reading the hidden diary entries of the soldier together, Alex and Walter’s relationships takes an unexpected turn.
One of Four deftly alternates between Walter and Alex’s story—detailing their growth, reflections, musings, and dialogues—and the soldier’s diary records of his experiences in France.
The unknown soldier is among the first American to leave the United States to fight in Europe, and his diary entries recounts the excitement and joy that he and his comrades felt upon boarding the ship for France—even as an air of uncertainty casts a long shadow over their lives.
His narrations relay the enthusiastic reception the US military received in France, but the entries take on a more somber tone as he details the vivid brutality of the war amidst harsh weather conditions. Hiding in desolate muddy trenches, the soldier is worn down by the constant sound of cannons, rigorous combat training and drills, and the sorrowful deaths of his friends from disease and shell fire alike. The author presents these experiences to readers in a succinct and often fervent manner. His wish was to return home, and although his wish was not granted, his thoughts and feelings live on in the diary, even as his remains are laid to rest in the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier back in his home country.
Davis asserts, “Kindness can be found even in the worst conditions known to man; you don’t have to look far. The compassion that lies in a man’s heart is, at times, overwhelming, and those same hearts are trained to kill their fellow man.”
The text demonstrates this idea impeccably, with readers retracing the steps of the unknown soldier in the period between 1917-1918, through the bloodshed for which the war was infamous. Yet, his narrations provide an unwaveringly honest panorama of his dedication and loyalty to his fellow soldiers in the face of tremendous challenge.
This powerfully told tribute to a brave American soldier is not only emotionally resonant but also a worthy demonstration of the resilience of the human spirit in the face of insurmountable tragedy. Here, literary fiction and historical threads are woven together expertly, as the writer whisks us back to a bleak era, one that implores us to reflect and learn as we draw strength from those who came before us. Ultimately, One of Four by Travis Davis is a page-turner whose payoff upon its conclusion is well worth a read.
In The Silver Waterfall, author retired U.S. Navy Captain Kevin Miller reveals the intricate and deadly turns of the Battle of Midway, a combat shaped by transforming warfare, and one that would in turn shape the rest of WWII’s Pacific Theater.
After their surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese Navy seeks to draw American aircraft carriers into an ambush, to secure Japanese power over the Pacific. In a time of great upheaval for warfare technology, aircraft carriers dominated both sea and sky. So, to destroy the USS Enterprise, Yorktown, and Hornet, Chūichi Nagumo— commander of the Japanese First Air Fleet— brings to bear his own four carriers, HIJMS Akagi, Hiryū, Kaga, and Soryu.
But the Americans had cracked the Japanese communication codes, so as the First Air Fleet launches their provoking attack against the Midway Islands, the American carriers are already steaming into position. From June 4th to June 6th of 1942, planes filled the skies above the remote Pacific waters, both American and Japanese pilots dashing back and forth, knowing that either they sink the enemy’s carriers, or they’ll have none of their own to return to.
Author Miller, author of the highly-rated Raven One trilogy of contemporary carrier aviation, draws on his experience as a former carrier-based fighter pilot to place the readers into the shoes of commanders, strategists, pilots, and gunners alike.
Readers get a glimpse into the intricate planning and communication involved with this sort of naval warfare, as each character struggles to glean the information vital to their own success— and survival. This is a warfare of radio, fuel tank ranges, hand-drawn plotting boards, and cloud cover. Characters clash over the right move, knowing that any mistake could cost their lives and more.
Amidst all this detailed information, however, The Silver Waterfall takes time to shown the humanity of its characters. Though specific moments and personal dynamics are fictional, each character was a real person in the Battle of Midway. Their little conflicts with each other, their moments of bonding, and the lives that they hope against the odds to return to, become palpable. And every bit of personal charm lives under the shadow of their next flight.
From the bunks of the aircraft carriers to the cockpit of a Devastator torpedo plane, neither characters nor readers can escape an imposing sense of danger, the ever-present possibility that someone’s unique, full life will be snuffed out in a cloud of black smoke.
The Silver Waterfall takes on a massive amount of information, given the complex nature of real naval warfare.
Readers will have to pay close attention to understand the events of the battle, as planes take flight time and time again. Thankfully, Miller provides a list of commanders and naval jargon/acronyms, so those unfamiliar with this specific setting will be able to grasp the details. As well, a few helpful diagrams throughout the book keep locations clear— a luxury not afforded to those in the battle itself.
Though each side pores over their plans, information is precious and incomplete. The Japanese strategist Genda argues with his superiors as they wait for confirmation on the presence of enemy carriers, just as John Waldron— Commanding Officer of Torpedo Eight— pleads for a fighter escort, knowing that death awaits his pilots without one. But even solid plans have fractures and crack apart amidst tracer rounds and enemy pursuit.
The dynamics between different groups of pilots stand out amongst the chaos, with torpedo planes (“torpeckers”) and bombing squadrons relying on scouts and fighters to bring them into— and more importantly out of— enemy fire. Tensions rise with every miscommunication and bad decision, as everyone must grapple with the fact that they hold someone else’s life in their hands.
The Battle of Midway is filled with personal weight. Characters on both sides become easy to empathize with.
The Japanese pilots are much like the American ones— sent to kill and die for the sake of their country. They share the fear of death, the thirst for vengeance as their comrades fall out of the sky or into the flames of a dying carrier, and heartbreaking moments of grief— all the more horrible for the fact that they can’t take but a moment away from the fight.
Knowing these characters at a personal level makes each flight gripping. Will Taisuke Maruyama somehow escape the storm of anti-aircraft fire from the American ships? Is Bill Evans really going to follow his CO Waldron to his death? Will Lloyd Childers ever get to pay Darce the money he owes him? Or, will these young men be lost? Readers will feel the importance of each answer they receive.
More than anything, The Silver Waterfall confronts the horrific impact this battle has on the people who wage it.
Grief turns to rage, the flames fanned by racism, national supremacy, and the unrelenting, unpredictable chance of death. Miller shows that for every kill made in the name of a fallen warrior, a soldier on the other side etches another name into their memory. But to speak of rage and revenge alone wouldn’t do these pilots and gunners justice.
It takes monumental feats of bravery for these soldiers to get in their planes and fly into danger. Readers sit with them in those terrible seconds of watching a compatriot go down, and the true comradery of the pilots looking out for one another. They yearn for the glory of a hit on an enemy carrier. They act for their cause despite death all around them. And in an ocean of violence and terror, their humanity, their compassion reminds the reader that these are not just soldiers— they’re boys, some no older than nineteen.
But this story saves its deepest sorrows until the quiet after the battle, as the characters themselves must do the same.
With pathos and intricate detail, The Silver Waterfall makes for a fulfilling read.
Fans of historical fiction will appreciate the clear amount of research that went into this novel, which illuminates the back and forth aircraft carrier warfare in one of its earliest and most impactful forms. Readers of all sorts will end the book with a greater understanding of one of WWII’s most pivotal battles— an understanding both factual and emotional.
From the 2023 Clue Division Grand Prize Winner for Suspense/Thriller for his book The Other Murder, we have a brand new Chanticleer Author Interview!
One of Four: World War One Through the Eyes of an Unknown Soldier by Travis Davis is a compassionate and intimate portrait of the tenuous and unforgiving First World War, as shown through the eyes of an American soldier on France’s front lines.
In The Silver Waterfall, author retired U.S. Navy Captain Kevin Miller reveals the intricate and deadly turns of the Battle of Midway, a combat shaped by transforming warfare, and one that would in turn shape the rest of WWII’s Pacific Theater.