Author: chanti

  • The 2023 Chanticleer Int’l Book Award Finalists for Shorts and Series Finalists!

    The 2023 Chanticleer Int’l Book Award Finalists for Shorts and Series Finalists!

    A Huge Congratulations to all of the Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards (CIBAs) Shorts and Series Finalists!

    CIBAs Badge general

    Every tier of the CIBAs is an important one, though few manage to rise this far in the ranks.

    For our Shorts and Series Authors, this post has links to all of the Finalist Awards for the 3 CIBA Division Lists we have for Longform work like collections, anthologies, and novellas; Short Prose like Short Stories and Essays; and Series. We will have a separate post for Fiction and Non-Fiction.

    All Finalists in attendance will be recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference, and we will announce the Winners at the CIBAs Ceremonies on Saturday, April 20th at the Chanticleer Banquet. We can’t express how excited we are to be able to do this in person with our fully vaccinated and boosted staff in a healthy metro area.

    Now let’s take a step back and look at where we came from to make this happen.

    A pyramid showing the different levels of CIBA Achievement

    The remaining tiers are the First Place Winner, the Grand Prize Winners, and finally, the coveted Overall Grand Prize Winners. The Overall Grand Prize Winner takes home the $1000 and more! See the Book Award details here.

    Blue and gold finalist badge for the CIBAs

     

    Now, presenting the links to the Non-Fiction Awards Finalists

    The Official 2023 CIBA Lists of the First Place and Grand Prize Winners for all Divisions of the CIBAs will start to be posted after April 21st, 2024.

    We have badges available starting with the Short List. If you need a digital badge reflecting your tier level, please email info@ChantiReviews.com with your division and rank, and we will send you one as soon as possible.

     

     

    The 12th Anniversary Chanticleer Authors Conference is April 19-21, 2024

    Don’t Delay, Register Today!


    Goodreads Icon

    Make sure your Award gets the attention it deserves on Goodreads.com 

    In the Librarian Manual on Goodreads, you can go to your Book Edit Page — Literary Awards.

    You want to list the Award for Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBA) Winners, and be sure to include the year and what place you received. For example:

    The year Long List, Short List, Semi-Finalist, or Finalist.

    Note from Goodreads: “To add a new award or edit an existing award, you’ll need help from one of our volunteer librarians or a staff member.” For assistance, post in the Goodreads Librarians Group.

    Always double check that you’ve written everything correctly before posting it. The search function for Awards on Goodreads is both case and punctuation sensitive.


    The Overall Grand Prize Winner for the 2022 CIBAs was Michelle Cox’s book A Spying Eye

    A Spying Eye Cover

    The 2022 Overall Grand Prize Winner Badge for Michelle Cox and her book A Spying Eye

    Remember, you don’t have to be present to win, but it sure is a lot more fun!

    The  esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887)  has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.

     

  • The 2023 Chanticleer Int’l Book Award Finalists for Non-Fiction!

    The 2023 Chanticleer Int’l Book Award Finalists for Non-Fiction!

    Three Cheers for for the CIBAs 2023 Non-Fiction Book Awards Finalists!

    CIBAs Badge general

    Every tier of the CIBAs is an important one, though few manage to rise this far in the ranks.

    For our Non-Fiction Authors, this post has links to all of the Finalist Awards for the 7 CIBA Divisions we have for Non-Fiction. We will have a separate post for Fiction and one more post for the Shorts Awards and Series Awards.

    All Finalists in attendance will be recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference, and we will announce the Winners at the CIBAs Ceremonies on Saturday, April 20th, 2024 at the Chanticleer Banquet.

    Now let’s take a step back and look at where we came from to make this happen.

    A pyramid showing the different levels of CIBA Achievement

    The remaining tiers are the First Place Winner, the Grand Prize Winners, and finally, the coveted Overall Grand Prize Winners. The Overall Grand Prize Winner takes home the $1000 and more! See the Book Award details here.

    Blue and gold finalist badge for the CIBAs

    Now, presenting the links to the Non-Fiction Awards Finalists

    The Official 2023 CIBA Lists of the First Place and Grand Prize Winners for all Divisions of the CIBAs will start to be posted after April 21st, 2024.

    We have badges available starting with the Short List. If you need a digital badge reflecting your tier level, please email info@ChantiReviews.com with your division and rank, and we will send you one as soon as possible.

     

    The 12th Anniversary Chanticleer Authors Conference is April 19-21, 2024

    Don’t Delay, Register Today!


    Goodreads Icon

    Make sure your Award gets the attention it deserves on Goodreads.com 

    In the Librarian Manual on Goodreads, you can go to your Book Edit Page — Literary Awards.

    You want to list the Award for Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBA) Winners, and be sure to include the year and what place you received. For example:

    The year Long List, Short List, Semi-Finalist, or Finalist.

    Note from Goodreads: “To add a new award or edit an existing award, you’ll need help from one of our volunteer librarians or a staff member.” For assistance, post in the Goodreads Librarians Group.

    Always double check that you’ve written everything correctly before posting it. The search function for Awards on Goodreads is both case and punctuation sensitive.


    The Overall Grand Prize Winner for the 2023 CIBAs was Michelle Cox’s book A Spying Eye

    A Spying Eye Cover

    The 2022 Overall Grand Prize Winner Badge for Michelle Cox and her book A Spying Eye

    Remember, you don’t have to be present to win, but it sure is a lot more fun!

    The  esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887)  has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.

  • Working with Ingram, Selling on Amazon, Pitching, the Art of Subtext, Podcasting, and more! Learn from the Best at CAC24!

    Working with Ingram, Selling on Amazon, Pitching, the Art of Subtext, Podcasting, and more! Learn from the Best at CAC24!

    🌷 Happy Spring to our Northern Hemisphere Chanticleerians! 🌷

    🍂Happy Fall to our Southern Hemisphere Chanticleerians! 🍁

    This time of year is the time for the

    Annual Chanticleer Authors Conference

    CAC24!

    CAC24 Deck Cover with pictures of ribbons, winners, and amazing presenters!

    and the highly anticipated 

    Chanticleer International Book Awards Banquet and Ceremony! 

    The 2022 Overall Grand Prize Winner Badge for Michelle Cox and her book A Spying Eye

    When we start seeing tulips and daffodils coming up with snow geese and Trumpeter swans flying across the sky, we know that it is time for the annual Chanticleer Authors Conference here in Bellingham, Wash.  Did I tell you how much I love this time of year in the Pacific Northwest? These photos were taken about a 15 minute drive south from here. 

    Skagit Valley Daffodils and GeeseSkagit Valley Winter Birding At Its Best

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    But I digress.

    We are here to discuss Working with Ingram, Selling on Amazon, Pitching, the Art of Subtext, Podcasting, and more for #seriousAuthors!

    These are just a few of the sessions that CAC 24 is offering in just a few short weeks!

    Be sure to check out CAC’s Master Classes! 

    • Incorporating Mystery and Suspense Techniques Into Any Genre–Fiction OR Memoir with D.D. Black
    • Writing the Hollywood Adaptation Master Class Workshop with Kim Hornsby

    Story Telling / Writing Craft

    • Dynamic Dialogue: The Art of Subtext 
    • Grabbing the Reader’s Interest and Not Letting Go – Techniques and Strategies
    • Writing the Short Story
    • Look Out! He’s Behind You! 
    • Power Moves to Make Your Story UNDENIABLE
    • Women’s Fiction Writing
    • Get to Know Your Characters – A new perspective 
    • Incorporating the Mystery Genre Into Any Genre – Master Class
    • Pacing and Plotting
    • Series Planning

    AI, ChatGPT, Alphabet Soup, and the Future of Publishing

    • CHAT GPT
    • AI intro Visuals – Creating Cover Ideations & Story Telling Collateral
    • Alphabet Soup – SEO, Metadata, Tagging, ISBNs, and more

    Marketing

    • Working with Ingram 
    • Marketing for Indie Authors 
    • Multi-Author Anthologies – the Why and How You Should Do Them
    • How to market your work, yourself, be seen by producers, execs, studios. How to get a Lit Manager or Agent and if you need one.
    • Pitching
    • How to Promote Your Works like a Book Publicist
    • Series:  Creating and Developing a Series. Why You Should and How Panel
    • Going Wide—Selling Your Books Internationally
    • Selling On Amazon – How to Up Your Game
    • Getting Your Books into Libraries – Panel
    • Multi-Author Anthologies – the WHY and HOW for your Book Marketing Strategy

    Book to Film Sessions

    • Writing the Hollywood Adaption – Masterclass – Thursday
    • Learn the Power of Pitch Decks, Log Lines, and Quick Pitches
    • From Novel to Production – The Story of Dream Jumper’s Promise
    • How to Write the “TV Movie”
    • Marketing for Screen Writers 
    • How to Read a Film (so you can write a Book to Film work)
    • How to Design a Smashing Screenplay:  The Importance of Planning and Outlining a Story Before Your Write

    Writing Life

    • The Five Best Pieces of Advice I Ignored  D.D. Black
    • Healthy Habits for the Writing Life – Tana Hope
    • Do’s and Don’ts for Book Events – Paul Hanson & Chloe Hovind

    Social Media Platforms and Expanding Your Readership and Building Your Author Brand

    • Intro to TikTok
    • Intro to REELS
    • Podcasting
    • Audiobooks
    • Crowdsourcing as a Marketing Tool
    • LIVE Podcast Interview with Kim Hornsby on the True Fiction Podcast hosted by Reenita Malhotra Hora
    • LIVE Podcast Interview with D.D. Black on Author in the Headlights hosted by Strider Klusman
    •  Increasing Your Email List and Expanding Your Readership – Tips and Tools that Work! 

    With more sessions added weekly.

    Learn from the Best 

    Below are just a few members of CAC24’s faculty. For the most up-to-date list with more information on each faculty member, please visit this page: https://test.chantireviews.com/chanticleer-conference/chanticleer-authors-conference-presenters-and-faculty/

    Please check back often as we continuously update the CAC pages.

    Susan V. Meyers – Creative Writing Program Director at Seattle University and Pushcart Prize and Best American Series Nominee. Her novel Failing the Trapeze won the Nilsen Award.


    Nicole J. Persun is an award-winning and internationally bestselling author with a master’s degree in Creative Writing & Instruction. Nicole has written and published in multiple genres, most recently book club fiction under the pen name Jennifer Gold.


    Kim Hornsby is a USA Today and Amazon Bestselling Author along with being a sold, multi-optioned, and produced screenwriter. Her Chanticleer Paranormal Book Awards winning novel, The Dream Jumper’s Promise, is in development with plans to film in late 2024. We are excited for her Romcom Christmas movie, Christmas in Crystal Creek, that is slated for filming in 24/25.

    Kim Hornsby, a young white woman with blonde hair and glasses wearing a stylish yellow jacket with a blue scarf


    D.D. Black’s Thomas Austin Crime Thrillers series has garnered more than 30,000 Amazon reviews and have earned the #1 Best Seller in Mystery Series. Ranked #1 in Traditional Detective Mysteries in Books and Kindle Store. Previously, he wrote thrillers under the name A.C. Fuller, including The Alex Vane Media ThrillersThe Ameritocracy Series, and The Crime BeatAltogether, he’s written and published over thirty books. 


    Reenita Malhotra Hora is the CEO of Chapter by Episode Productions. She has years of experience growing organizations from startups to medium-sized businesses through storytelling, creative marketing and business strategy. Hora has also written seven books.

    She has contributed to Reuters, the South China Morning Post family section, the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, CNN, Asian Investor, Times of India, Business Line, Bloomberg on-air news reporter, writer, and producer,  Rolling Stone,  and the Economic Times.

    Please visit our CAC page for more information! 

    Don’t delay! Register TODAY for the 2024 Chanticleer Authors Conference! 

    Multiple Registration Options are Available! 

  • The 2023 Chanticleer Int’l Book Award Finalists for Fiction!

    The 2023 Chanticleer Int’l Book Award Finalists for Fiction!

    Give a huge round of applause to all of the Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards (CIBAs) Finalists!

    Every tier of the CIBAs is an important one, though few manage to rise this far in the ranks.

    For our Fiction Authors, this post has links to all of the Finalist Awards for the 16 CIBA Divisions we have for fiction. We will have a separate post for Non-Fiction and one more post for the Shorts Awards and Series Awards where you can find all the 2023 Finalists!

    All Finalists in attendance will be recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference, and we will announce the Winners at the CIBAs Ceremonies on Saturday, April 20th at the Chanticleer Banquet. We can’t express how excited we are to be able to do this in person with our fully vaccinated and boosted staff in a healthy metro area.

    Now let’s take a step back and look at where we came from to make this happen.

    A pyramid showing the different levels of CIBA Achievement

    The remaining tiers are the First Place Winner, the Grand Prize Winners, and finally, the coveted Overall Grand Prize Winners. The Overall Grand Prize Winner takes home the $1000 and more! See the Book Award details here.

    Blue and gold finalist badge for the CIBAs

    Now, presenting the links to the Fiction Awards Finalists

    The Official 2023 CIBA Lists of the First Place and Grand Prize Winners for all Divisions of the CIBAs will start to be posted starting on Wednesday, April 24th, 2024.

    We have badges available starting with the Short List. If you need a digital badge reflecting your tier level, please email info@ChantiReviews.com with your division and rank, and we will send you one as soon as possible.

     

    The 12th Anniversary Chanticleer Authors Conference is April 19-21, 2024

    Don’t Delay, Register Today!


    A Brown lower case g -- the goodreads logo

    Make sure your Award gets the attention it deserves on Goodreads.com 

    In the Librarian Manual on Goodreads, you can go to your Book Edit Page — Literary Awards.

    You want to list the Award for Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBA) Winners, and be sure to include the year and what place you received. For example:

    The year Long List, Short List, Semi-Finalist, or Finalist.

    Note from Goodreads: “To add a new award or edit an existing award, you’ll need help from one of our volunteer librarians or a staff member.” For assistance, post in the Goodreads Librarians Group.

    Always double check that you’ve written everything correctly before posting it. The search function for Awards on Goodreads is both case and punctuation sensitive.


    The Overall Grand Prize Winner for the 2022 CIBAs was Michelle Cox’s book A Spying Eye

    A Spying Eye Cover

     

    The 2022 Overall Grand Prize Winner Badge for Michelle Cox and her book A Spying Eye

    A Blue Button that invites you to enter the CIBAs saying "Enter Here to Win Book Awards Learn More"

    Remember, you don’t have to be present to win, but it sure is a lot more fun!

    The  esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887)  has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.

  • GOD, The MAFIA, MY DAD, and ME: A True Story of Secrets and Survival by Lori Lee Peters – Memoirs, Family Relationships, Organized Crime

    GOD, The MAFIA, MY DAD, and ME: A True Story of Secrets and Survival by Lori Lee Peters – Memoirs, Family Relationships, Organized Crime

     

    God, the Mafia, My Dad, and Me by Lori Lee Peters begins in the voice of a child, compelling not just for its narrative honestly, but for the fact that it might not be reliable. As the book opens, we learn that this narrator firmly believes she will be killed.

    Readers can easily see through the childlike hyperbole, but that doesn’t detract from the intrigue. How did a kid come to such an extreme conclusion? Is there any seed of truth to it? These questions will hook readers from the start.

    Author Peters set out to write a book about her dad. God, the Mafia, My Dad, and Me tells the true story of her father, and his fascinating work helping the FBI tackle Mafia activity in Lodi, California. Yet in the end, this is a memoir in which the compelling lead character – young Lori – overshadows her father in many ways.

    We only see Lori’s father through Lori’s eyes, so he seems larger-than-life. Lori herself becomes the truly fascinating figure, especially as her life grows more complex with age. At first, the book holds little suspense, as young Lori unpacks the seemingly-straightforward details of her and her father’s life. Yet what seems to be an idyllic childhood starts to break down as the narrator reveals her complicated family dynamics and very real fears. Lori’s fear of God takes on a literal meaning, far beyond religion. In fact, it starts to tear apart her life.

    Author Peters provides every detail with remarkable calmness, giving a window into the adult writing the story.

    Yet the book maintains the voice of a child until near the end, which may leave readers wishing for more reflection from present-day Lori. Instead, we walk closely with young Lori through the twists and turns of a childhood plagued by fear. Her father’s challenges dealing with the Mafia undercover become more tangible, and in some ways, easier to face. They seem to pale in comparison to Lori’s nebulous personal troubles, especially since she’s so afraid to speak them out loud.

    Peters includes moments from her father’s perspective, recreated from later research. These recreations feel less lively than other scenes, but ultimately, the book is more memoir than biography. Scenes increasingly focus on Lori’s life as time progresses, and readers will feel drawn in by the truthful way she relates her struggles.

    God, the Mafia, My Dad, and Me avoids traditional chapter headings, and initially jumps back and forth through time, which can create some confusion. However, later sections settle into a steady rhythm as Lori enters adulthood, plagued by growing anxiety and secret issues with grasping reality itself.

    Watching her slowly confront, then overcome, these inner problems is the heart of the book, and provides an ending even more satisfying than her father’s win over the Mafia.

    As a narrator, Lori offers compelling moments of honesty and understanding, such as when she goes through a messy divorce with vast compassion for her soon-to-be ex. When she grows up, the adult Lori emerges as a stronger and more reliable narrator, giving readers reflection and depth that ties the book together. This warm and thoughtful voice that will keep readers invested throughout the story.

    God, the Mafia, My Dad, and Me by Lori Lee Peters won Grand Prize in the 2022 CIBA Shorts Awards for Novellas, Collections, and Anthologies.

     

    Shorts GP gold sticker

    5 Stars! Best Book Chanticleer Book Reviews

  • A MAP Of The EDGE by David T. Isaak – 1960s, Coming of Age, Psychological Fiction

    A MAP Of The EDGE by David T. Isaak – 1960s, Coming of Age, Psychological Fiction

    To say that fifteen-year-old Rick Leibnitz has had a difficult childhood would be an understatement. Abandoned by his mother when he was eleven and left with a physically and mentally abusive father, Rick’s teenage anger is justified in A Map of the Edge by David T. Isaak.

    After a violent episode with his father, Rick is caught holding drugs for a girl he hopes to impress and is sent to a juvenile detention center. There, he refuses to capitulate to the demands of his jailers until his probation officer offers him not only a possible reprieve but also, for the first time in his life, listens to Rick’s problems.

    When he is handed back to his father’s custody, his nightmare life continues until Rick is befriended by Lincoln Ellard. Linc finds Rick a place to stay after a vicious beating from his father, and the two quickly become inseparable, with Linc eventually bringing Rick in on his drug dealing business. In his adolescent mind, Rick has it made–drugs, girls, popularity, but the good times end abruptly when a rival drug dealer attacks Rick and Linc, leaving their relationship perpetually plagued. When a close friend nearly overdoses, Rick again finds himself in over his head.

    The novel’s title perfectly sums up Rick’s predicament. He is on the edge of everything.

    Rick hovers on the edge of adulthood in many ways. At fifteen, he is too young to get a job or to be on his own, stuck living with his cruel, angry father who takes out his own wasted choices on everyone else. Rick can remember the beatings his mother suffered, and he feels that her leaving him is justice for his lack of action to protect her. But now, he has become the target of his father’s wrath and can’t legally escape it. Eventually, he refuses to even try to get along with his father and chooses defiance, which leads to even worse treatment.

    Not physically big enough to stand up to his father, he seeks an escape in alcohol and drugs, a decision which leads to his first sexual encounter with the girl whose punishment he took on himself. Both the juvenile detention and that encounter push him again closer to the edge of adulthood. He romanticizes his imprisonment as a chivalrous gesture that is sure to lead to a grateful and lovesick Stacy. When she refuses him after his release, he’s pushed beyond his emotional capacity and turns to self-harm in multiple ways.

    After meeting Linc, Rick thinks his life is finally turning around.

    Linc convinced Rick that the drugs they sell and use aren’t really hurting anyone but instead are expanding their thinking. The two of them skirt the edge of reality and LSD-induced illumination. For a time, Rick lives on this edge of 1960s teenage idealism. He parties, with others and alone, has sex with lots of girls, and makes excessive amounts of money with little effort. He listens to Linc’s pontificating, believing him to be enlightened and knowledgeable.

    When the boys are attacked by rival drug dealers, Rick reaches the edge where the fun stops and danger becomes real. His entire perception changes, and he cleans himself up as he and Linc drift apart. When Lisby, one of Linc’s many girlfriends, tries to commit suicide, Rick finally takes the advice of his probation officer, Leo, seriously. As his only true champion, Leo has attempted to keep Rick on the straight and narrow throughout the novel, but it isn’t until this last near-tragedy that Rick seems to understand. While the edge is exciting, its precariousness leads to destruction.

     

    Chanticleer Book Reviews 4 star silver foil book sticker

     

  • IDENTIFIED: A Hacker Thriller by John Wilander – Dystopian, Technothriller, Sci-Fi, Hard Hacker Fiction

    IDENTIFIED: A Hacker Thriller by John Wilander – Dystopian, Technothriller, Sci-Fi, Hard Hacker Fiction

    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.

    The Survivors make for a wild and charming cast of characters, well-integrated into their futuristic world.

    One is a former adult actor who was pushed out of the business by AI fakes. Another, cheekily named BestBye, plays with a Rubik’s Cube Snake, with virtually endless possible solutions.

    Identified maintains strong plausibility. Reading it is virtually a handbook for people curious about what hackers do and how they do it.

    Nothing is out of bounds. Even a faked auto accident is a tool to develop a new identity among this group. Every move they make is under surveillance, with arrests and long prison sentences awaiting even the smallest misstep. Readers will feel awe at the efforts the Survivors make to hack the system, and share their dread at being caught.

    Ultimately, this novel shares with readers the thrill of breaking into a closed system, doing what no one else can do, and defeating it no matter what the cost. Despite the futuristic setting, everything outlined in the book, from the government controls to the hackers’ tools, feels grounded in our world. This is confident writing, from an author who knows this subject deeply.

    5 Stars! Best Book Chanticleer Book Reviews

     

  • QUANTUM CONSEQUENCE: Physics Lust and Greed Series Book 5 by Mike Murphey – Time Travel, Action & Adventure, Satire

    QUANTUM CONSEQUENCE: Physics Lust and Greed Series Book 5 by Mike Murphey – Time Travel, Action & Adventure, Satire

    blue and gold badge recognizing Quantum Consequence by Mike Murphey for winning the 2023 Humor and Satire Grand PrizeQuantum Consequences, the fifth book in the Physics, Lust, and Greed Series by Mike Murphy, mixes conflicts from the past, present, and future as a group of time travelers clash over the fate of multiple worlds.

    Marta and Marshall have to protect Baptiste, a child living under the rule of his mother’s abusive boyfriend, Ignace Aguillard. When their friend Cecil is murdered, Baptiste inherits his money and stake in a secret governmental facility beneath the Arizona desert, the Historical Research Initiative Complex. To keep that money out of Aguillard’s hands and confirm whether Aguillard truly killed Cecil, Marta and Marshall take Baptiste to the HRI, revealing its true nature as the hub of interdimensional time travel.

    Meanwhile, a team of assassins and former HRI personnel, Gillis, Lexi, and Elvin, are instructed by a future version of Lexi to kill John Dexter– Lexi’s bitter ex and future higher-up in the dystopian Christian Fundamentalist States of America. They break into the HRI, now seemingly abandoned, to figure out whether they should take the job.

    But the two groups run into much greater trouble than just each other.

    A paramilitary squad under the employ of Amazon, a set of AI with delusions of grandeur, and even the metaphysical custodians of the quantum corridor upon which time travel trespasses try to flex their will over the HRI. All the while, an even more mysterious force orchestrates murder and corporate-political schemes, working in the shadows of the future.

    True to its name, Quantum Consequences brings together a menagerie of storylines from earlier in the series, as the characters’ time-traveling work catches up to them. This complex story is skillfully wrangled as each action echoes onward to cause problems further down the line. Marshall suffers the mistakes of cosmic bureaucracy that leave him with a body from another universe, Marta’s alternate self flees from the authorities, and John Dexter tries to guide his past self to escape from mob ties and secure his political power in the future.

    This story shares its infinite universes through engaging characters and a strong sense of humor.

    Even as they reckon with the power to change the past, these characters remember their human ties, joking with, protecting, and loving the people who connect them to the world. Although time travel wipes away much of their memories, enough remains for them to slowly build a sense of the greater powers at play.

    This use of time travel allows author Murphey to create moments of great tension, but also hilarious coincidences and well-executed dramatic irony. The story twists in wonderful and unexpected ways as different character perspectives show readers entirely new angles on events that seemed simple at first.

    Quantum Consequences will draw readers in with grounded conflicts that get to the heart of characters like Marshall, Marta, and Baptiste, then expand to otherworldly concerns with entire universes at stake, and ultimately return to see these characters confront the issues weighing on them.

    An excellent mix of satire, humor, and drama breathes life into this sci-fi adventure.

    Tongue-in-cheek political commentary connects the events of this strange future to those of our modern day, and though Quantum Consequences doesn’t shy away from dark subject matter in its conflicts, running jokes and ridiculous situations keep the tone light throughout.

    While this comedic tone is occasionally strained by the contrast with cruel villains, it holds up very well throughout the finale. As disparate conflicts come crashing together deep in the HRI, flashes of action and vital decisions shape an ever more intense story for this series.

     

    5 Star Best Book Chanticleer Reviews round silver sticker

  • The 2023 Shorts Award FINALISTS for Novellas, Essays, and Collections

    The 2023 Shorts Award FINALISTS for Novellas, Essays, and Collections

    The Short Story Awards recognize emerging talent and outstanding works in Short Stories, Essays, and Novellas. The Short Story Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards program.

    The Chanticleer International Book Awards program discovers today’s best works. The Short Stories Awards discovers the Best New Shorts in Fiction and Narrative Non-Fiction. These books have advanced to the next judging rounds. We will put them to the test and choose the best among them.

    These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from the 2023 Short List to the Shorts Book Awards Finalists. All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC24).

    The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 25 CIBA divisions’ Finalists.

    We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 20th, 2024 at the Four Points by Sheraton in beautiful Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2024 Chanticleer Authors Conference

    These titles are the FINALISTS of the 2023 Shorts Book Awards novel competition for Collections,  Novellas, and Essays!

    Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2023 CIBAs.

    • Seán Thomas Dwyer – Tiptoeing Past the Dragon
    • Miguel Angel Hernandez Jr. – Miami Vengeance: A Griffin Knight Conspiracy Mystery
    • Elizabeth Chesla – You Cannot Forbid the Flower
    • Celaine Charles – Stained Glass Secrets and Star Wishes
    • David Joseph – I Didn’t Know What to Say, So I Just Said Thanks
    • Louise Lenahan Wallace – The Windows of his Heart
    • Brittany Eden – Wishes
    • J. I. Rogers – The Korpes File Series – Short Stories: Vol 1
    • Liese Sherwood-Fabre – The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes, Volume 4
    • D. C. Gomez – Recruited
    • Miguel Angel Hernandez Jr. – The Windy City Terror: A Griffin Knight Horror Mystery
    • Vali Benson – Blood and Silver
    • Mary Ann Bernal – AnaRose and the Templar’s Quest
    • JuJu – The Costly Wish
    • Jeffrey Matthews – The Case of the Disappearing Beaune: A Sherlock Holmes Christmas Story
    • Gary Baysinger – A Kind of Homecoming
    • Paper Lantern Writers – Unlocked
    • Scott Swanson – Philly’s Bridge And Other Northwest Stories
    • Elizabeth Rau – The Good Slope
    • Mack Little – Shelter in a Hostile World

    Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.

    Shorts Finalist Badge for Short Prose, Novellas, and Collections

     

    PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS! 

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

    Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook.

    Additionally, we also post on Twitter. Chanticleer Twitter’s handle is @ChantiReviews

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

    Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.

    The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 SHORTS Awards is:

    God, the Mafia, My Dad, and Me

    by Lori Lee Peters

    The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 Short Story Awards is:

    Old Man Baseball

    by Mike Murphey

    The Grand Prize for Short Stories and Essays in the Shorts Awards for Old Man Baseball by Mike Murphey

    See the full list of Shorts 2022 Winners here (Collections and Novellas)

    And Here (Short Stories and Essays)

    We are now accepting submissions into the 2023 Shorts Book Awards for Romance Fiction. The 2023 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2024. 

    Please click here for more information.

    Winners will be announced at the 2023 CIBA Awards Ceremony, sponsored by the 2024 Chanticleer Authors Conference April 18-21, 2024! Register Today!

    The Chanticleer Authors Conference

    Featuring authors like D.D. Black, Screenwriter Kim Hornsby, book doctor Christine Fairchild, and Mark Berridge, our twelfth annual conference is shaping up to be excellent! You won’t want to miss out on the best tips around the business of being an author!

    April 18-21, 2024! Register Today!

    Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887)  has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.

    Join us for our 12th annual conference and discover why!

     

  • The 2023 Humor and Satire Book Award Finalists

    The 2023 Humor and Satire Book Award Finalists

    The Humor and Satire Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in Humor and Satire.  The Humor and Satire Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

    Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring  satire, humor, political ideology, parody, fantasy, and allegory or fable. These books have advanced to the next judging rounds. We will put them to the test and choose the best among them.

    These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from the 2023 Humor and Satire Fiction SEMI-FINALISTS to the 2023 Humor and Satire Book Awards FINALISTS.  All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC24).

    The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 25 CIBA divisions’ Finalists.

    We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 20th, 2024 at the Four Points by Sheraton in beautiful Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2024 Chanticleer Authors Conference

    These titles are the Finalists of the 2023 Humor and Satire Book Awards novel competition!

    Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2023 CIBAs.

    • Kenneth Arbogast – Whinesburg, Ohio
    • Lou Dischler – The Rising
    • Tom Strelich – Water Memory
    • Mike Murphey – Quantum Consequence… Physics, Lust and Greed Series, Book 5
    • Bill Boggs – Spike Unleashed: The Wonder Dog Returns
    • W.T. Kosmos – Blaze Union and the Puddin’ Head Schools
    • James Krieger – Not My Best Idea
    • Eileen O’Finlan – All the Furs and Feathers
    • Steven Mayfield – The Penny Mansions
    • Douglas Bachmann – Afterlife
    • Allyson Rice – The Key to Circus-Mom Highway
    • Marco Ocram – The Awful Truth About The Herbert Quarry Affair
    • J Paul Rieger Jr (JP Rieger) – Clonk!
    • Rob Brownell – Invention Is a Mother
    • T.K. Sheffield – The Valentine Line

      PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS! 

      This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the FB post. However, for FB to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews. FB rules — not ours.

      Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook.

      Additionally, we also post on Twitter. Chanticleer Twitter’s handle is @ChantiReviews

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

      Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging!

       

      The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 Humor and Satire Awards is:

      Delphic Oracle, U.S.A
      By Steven Mayfield

      Delphic Oracle Cover

      The Mark Twain Grand Prize for Steven Mayfield and his book Delphic Oracle U.S.A.

      Click here to see the 2022 Humor and Satire Book Award Winners.

      We are now accepting submissions into the 2024 Humor and Satire Book Awards. The 2024 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2025. 

      Please click here for more information.

      Winners will be announced at the 2023 CIBA Awards Ceremony, sponsored by the 2024 Chanticleer Authors Conference April 18-21, 2024! Register Today!

      The Chanticleer Authors Conference

      Featuring authors like D.D. Black, Screenwriter Kim Hornsby, book doctor Christine Fairchild, and coach and inspiring Mark Berridge, with more to be announced. CAC is shaping up to be excellent! You won’t want to miss out on the best tips around the business of being an author and achieving your publishing goals.

      Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.

      Join us for our 12th annual conference and discover why!