Ralphy’s Rules for Living the Good Life by Talar Herculian Coursey teaches big lessons about seeing yourself and the world with kindness through an approachable, gentle, and colorful story for young readers.
Joey the squirrel isn’t just grumpy but downright cranky. He’s weighed down by pessimistic thoughts about himself like “I’m not good at math” and “I’m funny looking.” But Joey bumps into Ralphy, a happy dog who introduces Joey to his different, empowering perspective, Ralphy’s Rules for Living the Good Life. Ralphy teaches him critical lessons on emotional resilience, which are communicated in a way that any child can identify with.
Ralphy’s Rules for Living the Good Life stands out among its peers for its easy and flowing writing.
The rhythm of dialogue between Joey and Ralphy makes reading aloud feel like you’re overhearing a conversation between two friends, one a little wiser than the other.
Meri Andreasyan’s bright, warm, and expressive pictures make Joey’s frowns and Ralphy’s cheerful energy come alive.
Through them young readers can easily understand Joey and how he changes as he learns. His initial words and way of seeing the world may remind you of moments as a child or even as a grown-up when you have muttered to yourself or to others about how you are not enough.
The themes of kindness, resilience, self-love, and understanding others are clear but never heavy-handed.
These lessons are not only for children but adults as well. They remind readers not to take things so personally, not to be so hard on themselves, and sometimes to be just a little bit braver.
Ralphy’s Rules for Living the Good Life by Talar Herculian Coursey is cheerful, encouraging, and real. It’s a story that gives children life lessons they can adopt right away, and one that parents will appreciate for its lingering message of kindness to oneself.
A Place Called Home, a kitten leaves his barn to adventure around the redwood forest, looking for somewhere he belongs among the diverse wildlife.
The pond’s singing frogs and leaping trout draw his interest, but kitten certainly wouldn’t fit in underwater. He gets nervous in the woods, so vast around him, but also decides against a bunny burrow because it’s not nearly big enough. After intruding on a skunk’s dumpster and a bear’s cave, kitten finds his way back to the farm. Even the friendly pigs are too muddy for his fur.
His journey returns to the barn with his mama and siblings, where kitten finds home waiting for him.
Ho’s writing creates an easy and educational read-along for young children.
Each line fits into a simple rhyming scheme. Frequent use of synonyms makes this book an effective introduction to new vocabulary, with a glossary in the back for less familiar words like ‘furrow’. Onomatopoeia words like “ribbit” and “oink” create an engaging and multisensory world of imagination for the readers.
A Place Called Home teaches kids about the living habits of different species, from burrowing bunnies to slimy slugs. The book ends with further rhymes about each animal, along with a message on respecting wild creatures and the importance of the Redwood trees. Children interested in nature will share in the kitten’s curiosity throughout his journey.
The art by Marlon at GetYourBookIllustrations gives vibrant personality to both the places kitten goes and the animals he meets.
Landscapes stretch wide around the little kitten, each with its own visual identity. Pastel blue waters ripple around the frogs, titanic Redwoods reach far above the edge of the page, a skunk guards the colorful contents of its dumpster. The imposing stones of the bear’s cave give way to a familiar green farm and finally the warm-lit wood and hay of the barn.
Marlon depicts each animal with realistic shapes in motion, stylized enough to show their reactions to kitten. With his black fur, kitten pops against the bright colors of the background, highlighting the attention to detail in his dynamic feline mannerisms—the fuzzy attitude that any cat lover will recognize.
An educational romp through nature and comforting bedtime story, Nora G. Ho’s A Place Called Home will be loved by any young reader.
At the heart of the Mind & Spirit Awards is a celebration of transformation and enlightenment. It embraces the power of words to uplift, inspire, and guide, creating a ripple effect that resonates with readers on a soulful level. This division acknowledges the significance of the mind-spirit connection, delving into the realms of spirituality, mindfulness, well-being, and self-discovery.
Let’s celebrate the Grand Prize Winners of the Mind and Spirit Awards
Naked in the Now: Juicy Practices for Getting Present By Marijke McCandless
Naked in the Now: Juicy Practices for Getting Present offers a playful yet impactful guide for those seeking vitality and inspiration. Through short, refreshing practices, readers explore vulnerability, authenticity, and self-compassion, fostering deeper connections with themselves and others. By committing to just minutes of daily practice, this book cultivates sustainable awareness and self-inquiry, rejuvenating one’s sense of vitality and joy. With an emphasis on mindfulness and emotional intelligence, it provides accessible tools to shift mindsets and embrace the present moment with curiosity and delight.
Psychological Secrets for Emotional Success By Dr. Kelly Rabenstein
Do you often feel that you sabotage your personal and work relationships? In Psychological Secrets for Emotional Success, Dr. Kelly Rabenstein teaches readers exactly what psychological techniques will help them strengthen and maintain their interpersonal connections.
Dr. Rabenstein is a licensed psychologist offering her extensive knowledge of how to make sound, conscious changes in mindset and perspective to help you thrive in relationships across the board. If a person can thrive, then they can be fully authentic to themselves and to those who surround them.
Psychological Secrets for Emotional Success follows the structure of thoughtful explanations and emotional explorations, followed by insightful exercises at the end of each chapter to help readers understand and improve both their workplace culture and personal interactions. These questions reveal where we stand and how to develop a more balanced life.
Dr. Rabenstein lays out the deceptively simple key to emotional success: a combination of awareness, education, and empathy.
“It’s my armor,” Kyomi O’Connor realizes, as she sees herself continuing life as normal after her husband dies of cancer.
Grief brings with it many companions: childhood trauma, memories of difficult seasons of life, triumphant moments of growth, epiphanies, healing, love. In A Sky of Infinite Blue, Japanese immigrant Kyomi O’Connor allows grief to open her heart to the lessons of her past.
In particular, she recognizes emotional armor that since childhood, she has built up, torn down, and built up again. Through her relationship with her husband, her devoted Buddhist practice, and her trust in her “Self,” Kyomi makes meaning of her life and redeems her darkest memories. Readers walk through these memories with her as the book shifts between past and present.
Kyomi is deeply guarded as a child.
She struggles to deal with her family’s dysfunction, gradually learning to distance herself emotionally as a means of protecting herself. She fashions her armor, wearing it for years. But, after immigrating to the US, she finds a reason to begin taking it off.
Beth Gibb’s Enlighten Up! Finding Clarity Contentment and Resilience in A Complicated World is not a simple how-to book, but rather an invitation to begin a journey of self-discovery.
This journey follows the “five-layer method,” based on the Upanishads, a 3,000-year-old East-Indian wisdom tradition. After a quick history lesson on the pursuit of self-awareness, Gibbs walks readers through the five layers of achieving it, for a happy and fulfilling life. Throughout the book, Gibbs includes breaks for mindfulness and grounding exercises to get the most out of each section.
Gibbs writes about the assumption that the goal of enlightenment is to, “suppress or eliminate their emotions, live everlasting bliss, and face every situation with equanimity,” and how that assumption is unrealistic.
Exit The Maze: One Addiction, One Cause, One Cure by Dr. Donna Marks is a welcoming and comprehensive enchiridion of untapped wisdom that offers a step-to-step guide to getting out of any form of addiction.
No one sets out to become an addict; it catches us off guard. An addiction can happen quickly or slowly and can affect anyone regardless of intelligence, social class, ethnic group, or religion. With pitch-perfect prose, Dr. Donna Marks invites readers into the root causes of different forms of addiction, while offering pragmatic and evidence-based solutions that are bound to yield results.
Buoyed by the personal experiences of the author along with numerous case studies, Dr. Marks further offers deep insights into the inadequacies of traditional treatment models. For example, she notes that most rehab centers lack adequate staffing and overstep the limits of their capabilities. Another example is the famous 12 steps of fighting addiction which she believes do help to stop a behavior and develop a solid support system, however, she also sees that the program falls short.
The Instruction & Insight Awards are here to help!
The Insight & Instruction Awards celebrate exceptional books that provide valuable knowledge, guidance, and enlightenment across a wide range of subjects. From alternative remedies to self-help, these awards acknowledge authors who have made significant contributions to the fields of education, self-improvement, and understanding the world around us. This diverse collection of books foster learning, personal development, and a deeper understanding of the world around us. Enrich lives and contribute to the non-fiction landscape by submitting today!
You have until September 30th to Share your Book and Submit to the 2025 CIBAs!
Looking for something to learn? The I&I Awards have what your looking for! We’ve got categories for Travel, Crafts, Cooking, Motivation, Self-Help and More!
Honoring the Grand Prize Winners of the Instruction & Insight Awards!
Success with Hydrangeas- A Gardener’s Guide
By Lorraine Ballato
Our review for the newest Grand Prize Winner is forthcoming. Here’s an excerpt from Amazon:
Finally, a Book with All the Secrets to Growing Great Hydrangeas!
This book reveals all the ins and outs to growing hydrangeas. If you’re at all confused about pruning this shrub – and who isn’t? – this book will clear things up. If you’re worried about how much water to give it especially when it droops in the sun, this book explains it all. And what about transplanting: when is the best time to do that? Chapter four has the answers to that one and covers it all.
How to get your plant to bloom
Let’s not forget the most common issue people have with this plant: how can I get it to flower reliably? You’ll get the scientific insight needed to better site your plant, and how to care for it. Then you can just sit back and watch it flower for you.
Eating Together, Being Together
By Julian C.E. Clauss-Ehlers and Caroline S. Clauss-Ehlers
Eating Together, Being Togetheris a rare, enlightening book that teaches the importance of family dining, both on the culinary side and in its benefits for childhood and young adult development beyond the kitchen walls.
Co-authored by master Chef and Dad, Julian C.E. Clauss-Ehlers, and Ph.D. Psychologist and Mom, Caroline S. Clauss-Ehlers,Eating Together, Being Togetheroffers up their parental wisdom and expertise from the heart of the home—the kitchen.
With informative but relaxed conversations about food choices, preparation, and related activities, the two provide great insight into how family mealtime promotes well-being in a child’s life. As involved adults, they incorporate thoughtful discussions about spending quality time with their children, sharing and mitigating bad feelings, and making wonderful memories. Ultimately, they showcase family meals as nourishment for both the body and soul.
Within the pages of the book readers will find ways food can serve as a message of care and support, as well as a way to model kindness in the face of questions and concerns.
Emotional Magnetism: How to Communicate to Ignite Connection in Your Relationships is a self-help and marketing book in one—in fact, it’s a self-marketing book.
A seasoned marketing professional, author Sandy Gerber uses common elements in marketing theory to aid those who wish to enhance their communication skills and ability to get along with people around them. It’s easy to be misunderstood or unheard, and it’s even easier to be at cross-purposes, leading to frustration and animosity. But using Gerber’s SAVE technique, understanding what we mean and what we need becomes clear.
In this work, we learn what emotional magnetism is, and how well we can communicate when we learn how to harness it. We also learn about how emotional magnetism can be repelled when it’s not done right. But in order to use emotional magnetism, we must first learn what the emotional magnets are, using the acronym SAVE—short for safety (S), achievement (A), value (V), and experience (E)—and how they are reflected in our personalities.
The Black Foster Youth Handbook By Ángela Quijada-Banks
The Black Foster Youth Handbook: 50+ Lessons I Learned to successfully Age-Out of Foster Care and Holistically Heal is a distinguished compilation of award-winning author Ángela Quijada-Banks’ insights, seeking to assist those in foster care to stay optimistic and triumph over traumatic experiences.
The text features the author’s candid revelations regarding the disarray she encountered in foster care and the overwhelming emotional roller coaster she underwent through family upheavals and a heart-breaking rift between her siblings.
Foster care had seen her forget her goals and aspirations, as traumas and emotional misfortunes spread their venom in her soul. Banks had found herself misplaced, perplexed, wounded, irate, and unloved. Her background, past wounds, and pessimistic beliefs ruled over her. In a painful recap, she reveals how she became accustomed to constant alarming incidents, creating in her a perpetual state of survival.
Independent Living with Autism By Wendela Whitcomb Marsh
Author and autism counselor Wendela Whitcomb Marsh has created a specialized guide for those with autism, seen through the eyes of five characters of different ages, with differing needs and aspirations in her book, Independent Living with Autism: Your Roadmap to Success.
Boldly launching her work with the ambitious chapter, “Solutions,” Marsh depicts some of the possible departure points for her readers: those just out of school, those who were diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder or who self-diagnosed, and all who face the challenges of ASD, whether alone or with family or social supports.
Marsh relays her story, focusing on the lives of five individuals with ASD.
Now that you’re set on your next reads, what are you waiting for? The only way to join this amazing list of I&I 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!
Submit to the CIBAs Today!
Now is your chance to touch the hearts of readers everywhere. Your Non-fiction story deserves to be discovered, and you can submit to the 2025 Instruction and Insight Awards by the end of the September. Don’t miss this chance to give your book the recognition it deserves.
The Hearten Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Inspiring and Uplifting Non-Fiction and Memoirs. The Hearten Book Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBAs).
Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring true stories about adventures, life events, unique experiences, travel, personal journeys, global enlightenment, and more. We will put books about true and inspiring stories to the test and choose the best among them. See our full list of Non-Fiction Divisions here.
These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from all 2025 Hearten Non-Fiction entries to the 2025 Hearten Book Awards LONG LIST. Entries below are now in competition for 2025 Hearten Short List. The Short Listers will compete for the Semi-Finalist positions. Finalists will be selected from the Semi-Finalists. All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC26).
The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 28 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 18th, 2026 in beautiful Bellingham, WA sponsored by the 2026Chanticleer Authors Conference.
These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2025 Hearten Book Awards novel competition for Uplifting and Inspiring Non-Fiction!
Join us in celebrating the Long List authors and their works in the 2025 CIBAs.
Alia Luria – Geri O Shimasu: Adventures of a Baka Gaijin
Andy Becker – Grandy Let’s Play: Reflections on the Joy Blessings and Wonder of Grandparenting
Barb Drummond – I Finally Have the Smoking Hot Body I Have Always Wanted Having Been Cremated
Brent Larsen – You Make My Heart Giggle Dad-isms the Wisdom and Wit of Dad
Candace Macphie – Finding Color
Cerridwen Fallingstar – Rocket in My Pocket: Defying Gravity with Levity, From the Frontiers of Space… To the Frontiers of Consciousness
Charlene Pell – In This Altered Body: A Survivor’s Story of Resilience and Love
Cheryl Lynn – Washing the Inside of the Cup: My Journey of Walking in the Spirit
Christine Amoroso – Bare Naked in Public: A Memoir
Cynthia Waine Brandt – Song of the Cardinal: A True Story of Miracles and Magic After Heartbreaking Loss
Dianne Ebertt Beeaff – Infinite Paradise Witnessing the Wild
Doug Cameron – My Tarzan Tree and Other Farm Boy Memories
Dr. Deb Miller – Forget the Fairy Tale and Find Your Happiness
Dr. Michael James – America’s Nightmare Surviving the Black Holocaust the Message Continues
Jeff Richards – Nothing Left To Lose: Or How Not To Start a Commune
Jennifer Celeste Briggs – Watching Sarah Rise: a Journey of Thriving with Autism
Jerome Puryear – The Art of Thinking Critically with Clarity for Optimal Health
Julie Ryan Mcgue – Twice the Family: a Memoir of Love Loss and Sisterhood
Kate Grant – No Woman Left Behind: a Journey of Hope To Heal Every Woman Injured in Childbirth
Kathy Sechrist – Sara’s Redemption: a Journey of Courage Resilience and Hope
Kay Brooks – Behind the White Beard Dale Ballew’s Story
Kee Kee Buckley – Seeking Shama: Me, My Dog, and the Road To Inner Peace
Laurie Benson – Resilient Activism Igniting Wild Hope in Uncertain Times
Lucie Frost – How the Hell Did I Not Know That: My Midlife Year From Couch To Curiosity
Maggie Enriquez – The Rebirth of a Phoenix
Margie Crowe Wildblood – Because He Loved Me
Marti Tote – Up Grief Creek Without a Paddle
Mary Olson-Menzel – What Lights You Up Illuminate Your Path and Take the Next Big Step in Your Career
Patricia Eagle – Dog Love Stories the Canines Who Changed Me
Rabei A. Wazzeh – The Masterpiece of Nature
Rhona Morrison – From Crime Scenes to Cruise Ships: Navigating life’s troubled waters with resilience and hope
Ricardo Jose Gonzalez-Rothi – The Mango Chronicle
Robert Macauley – Because I Knew You: How Some Remarkable Sick Kids Healed a Doctor’s Soul
Stacey Hettes – Dispatches From the Couch
Sue Vana – Shaken by God’s Love From Fear To Favor in Grief’s Upside-Down World
Tammy Dietz – Falling From Disgrace
Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.
PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!
This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, it is easier for us to tag authors when they have Liked and Followed us.
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.
The Journey Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Overcoming Adversity in Narrative Non-Fiction and Memoir. The Journey Book Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBAs).
Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring true stories about adventures, life events, unique experiences, travel, personal journeys, global enlightenment, and more. We will put books about true and inspiring stories to the test and choose the best among them. See our full list of Non-Fiction Divisions here.
These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from all 2025 Journey Non-Fiction entries to the 2025 Journey Book Awards LONG LIST. Entries below are now in competition for 2025 Journey Short List. The Short Listers will compete for the Semi-Finalist positions. Finalists will be selected from the Semi-Finalists. All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC26).
The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 28 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 18th, 2026 in beautiful Bellingham, WA sponsored by the 2026Chanticleer Authors Conference.
These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2025 Journey Book Awards novel competition for Overcoming Adversity in Non-Fiction!
Join us in celebrating the Long List authors and their works in the 2025 CIBAs.
Amanda Carrasco – Becoming the Brave One
Amy Mackin – Henry’s Classroom: a Special Education in American Motherhood
Ana Hebra Flaster – Property of the Revolution: From a Cuban Barrio To a New Hampshire Mill Town
Ann Michelle Mracek – Unpacking the Attic
Ann Van Hine – Pieces Falling: Navigating 9/11 with Faith Family and the FDNY
Anne Abel – High Hopes
Anselm Ezemson – Chasing Closure: a Life on the Edge of Belonging
Baldur Einarsson – Ice and Fire: Thawing a Murderer’s Heart
Barbara Jenkins – So Long As It’s Wild
Beth Granger – Born and Razed: Surviving the Cult Was Only Half the Battle
Brandi Dredge – Girl Uncoded: a Memoir of Passion Betrayal and Eventual Blessings
Brian J. Quattlebaum – A Mad Box of Rain
Carl Gorham – My Life in a Garden: Love, Loss, and Mulch: a Single Dad Seeks Answers in Nature
Carol Odell, LICSW – Girl Groomed: a Therapist’s Memoir of Trauma
Carolyn Saletto – One Hazel Green Eye
Casey Mulligan Walsh – The Full Catastrophe: All I Ever Wanted Everything I Feared
Celia LaVon Belt – My ValHalla: Angels Are No Strangers To Chains
Chanchal Garg – Unearthed: the Lies We Carry & the Truths They Bury
Cheryl Landes – The Best I Can Do: A True Story of Navigating the Complexities of Mental Illness and Homelessness
Cheryl Lynn – Washing the Inside of the Cup: My Journey of Walking in the Spirit
Christine Amoroso – Bare Naked in Public: a Memoir
Cynthia Moore – Dancing on Coals: a Memoir of an Overperformer
Cynthia Waine Brandt – Song of the Cardinal: a True Story of Miracles and Magic After Heartbreaking Loss
Damien Thompson – And Then I Would Fly
Dan Gold – Game Changers Inspirational Sports Stories
Debbie Hartung – The Factory of Maladies: Seven Days on a San Francisco Psych Ward
Deborah M. Foster – What’s So Bad About Being Poor: Our Lives in the Shadows of the Poverty Experts
Diane C Pomerantz Ph.D. – Lost in the Reflecting Pool: Surviving Narcissistic Emotional Abuse
Dr. Deb Miller – Forget the Fairy Tale and Find Your Happiness
Dr. Kirsten Viola Harrison and Sean/a Smith – I, Sean/a: the Story of a Homeless Intersex Woman Who Inspired a Community
Dylan Nigh – Fool’s Gear: a Completely Devastating Thing I’ll Probably Do Again
Elizabeth Fulgaro – Learning to Love (Not Loathe) Me
Emily Sayre Smith – Smartass: Memoir of a Mouthy Girl
Franke James – Freeing Teresa: A True Story about My Sister and Me
Gavin O’Donnell – Father’s Day
Heidi Yewman – Dumb Girl
Hendrika De Vries – Open Turns
Jacquelyn Dickey – The Dash
James B. Wells – Because: A CIA Coverup & A Son’s Odyssey To Find the Father He Never Knew
Jane Cafarella – Cleaved: a Story of Loss, Legs, and Finding Family
Janine Kovac – The Nutcracker Chronicles
Jennifer Celeste Briggs – Watching Sarah Rise a Journey of Thriving with Autism
Jia Apple – The Tell
Joshua Storment – MENtal: My Entropic Nuances Towards Another Life
Julie Randall – Patient 71: an Inspiring True Story of a Mother’s Love That Fueled Her Fight To Stay Alive
Kathy Sechrist – Sara’s Redemption: A Journey of Courage Resilience and Hope
Kelly-Anne Kerley – Breaking Up with My Wheelchair
Lucie Frost – How the Hell Did I Not Know That: My Midlife Year From Couch To Curiosity
Maggie Enriquez – The Rebirth of a Phoenix
Marti Tote – Can You Ride a Raindrop To the Ocean
Mary Garden – My Father’s Suitcase
Mary Jumbelic M.D. – Speak Her Name
Mia Bolton – As We Bloom: Wisdom From Extraordinary Everyday Women & Gender Nonconforming People
Mitchell Raff – Little Boy I Know Your Name
Nin Mok – Suddenly Silent and Still
Peter Flom – Twice as Weird: A Memoir about Twice Exceptionality
PJ Hamilton – From the Piney Woods 2nd Edition
Robert Carney – Unscarred
Robert Macauley – Because I Knew You: How Some Remarkable Sick Kids Healed a Doctor’s Soul
Ryan Mcdermott – Downriver: Memoir of a Warrior Poet
Sondra R. Brooks – Not Good Enough Girl: A Memoir of an Inconvenient Daughter
Stacey Hettes – Dispatches From the Couch
Steven Simmons Shelton, Ma, Jd – Memoir of a Mangled Mind: How Concealing My Dissociative Identity Disorder Unleashed Multiple Personalities
Valerie Foster – The Risk of Sorrow: Intimate Conversations with a Holocaust Survivor
W. Hector Rivera – An Island I Don’t Want To Be on: Surviving the Riptide of Bipolar Disorder
Wendy Crockett and Ian McPhee – Pushing Miles: A chronicle of Motorcycles, Mayhem, and Mettle
Wilma Macliver – Life Behind the Masks
Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.
PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!
This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, it is easier for us to tag authors when they have Liked and Followed us.
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.
The Mind and Spirit Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Enlightenment and Well-Being Non-Fiction. The Grand Prize Winner, Marijke McCandless’s book,Naked in the Now, will be promoted for years to come in our annual Hall of Fame article, as well as be featured on the Mind and Spirit contest page year ’round!
The best part about being a Chanticleer Int’l Book Award Winner is the love and attention you get all year ‘round!
Also a Chanticleer 2024 Military and Front Lines First Place Winner!
Are you feeling buried under the demands of supporting your spouse, family, and the chaos of daily life while your own needs fall to the bottom of the list?
As a midlife woman, it’s easy to always put others first, leaving little time or energy for yourself. But now, It’s YOUR Turn to break free from the overwhelm and reclaim your life.
In It’s Your Turn, Shari Biery—a National Board Certified Purpose and Well-Being Coach and former military spouse—shares her personal journey from self-neglect to self-empowerment.
The moment she received the American Flag at her husband’s retirement ceremony marked not just the end of his career but the start of her own new chapter. After years of putting everyone else first, Shari made a powerful shift, and now she’s here to guide you in doing the same.
Through relatable stories and actionable steps, Shari shows how common it is for midlife women, especially those supporting a spouse and family, to feel overwhelmed and disconnected—and how to overcome these challenges.
From Chanticleer:
The detailed and actionable guide, It’s Your Turn by Shari Biery, encourages women to reclaim the time and space they deserve in life from the slow creep of demands like home, childcare, and supporting a spouse’s career.
To help women take “their turn,” much of this book is devoted to slowing down: why, how, and when to do it. Even its conversational writing style is an invitation to do so. It’s Your Turn leads readers to reflect, assess, and make effective changes in their lives. This isn’t a quick-hit self-help book, but a meditation for navigating midlife flux amid marriage and family responsibilities.
Biery draws on her own experiences living through many challenges frequently encountered by modern women. She struggled most with balancing personal needs and family responsibilities. Biery’s own needs and dreams long fell by the wayside in favor of managing her household and supporting her husband with his career in the military. With It’s Your Turn, she hopes to share her process of reclaiming those needs and dreams and reclaiming her well-being.
It’s Your Turn is loosely organized around Biery’s “C.A.L.M. method.” Through Clarity, Awareness, Learning, and Mindset, she teaches women how to carve out necessary space for themselves.
Author and artist Eileen Marlowe is an Indigenous Chipewyan from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. She invites readers to learn from her journey of spiritual identity, to forge connections with spirit and leverage them to transform your life. Through the symbology of dreams and the vibrant colours of her abstract art, Eileen shares her experience of dialoguing with her spiritual guides. Her practices of daily meditation and her efforts of becoming the director and architect of her own life are embodied in the themes of the artwork throughout.
Her entire life, Anne Friedman chased everything that society told her she should want: Marriage. Professional achievement. Thighs that didn’t touch. But all that got her was depression, anxiety, and disordered eating. Little did she know, her world was about to be turned upside down.
When her fiancé dumps her without explanation, she buys a one-way ticket to Costa Rica in search of answers. But what she finds there is beyond anything she could have imagined.
Through a spontaneous psychedelic experience in the jungle, Anne discovers three simple words that bring her peace. And in Amsterdam, on magic mushrooms with her dad, she has a series of visions that allow her to let go of the self-blame for her broken engagement.
But this is just the beginning of her journey. In Higher Love, Anne takes readers on a globe-trotting search for healing through psilocybin, ayahuasca, LSD, and cannabis. As she travels through the Netherlands, Morocco, Turkey, Spain, and other richly sensuous locations, Anne shares the life-changing wisdom she gains from each psychedelic experience.
For fans of Eat, Pray, Love and Untamed, Higher Love is a guide for self-discovery with a delightful psychedelic twist. But be warned, this is not your average love story. With powerful emotions and a captivating setting, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.
Discover the journey of awakening in a new light never seen before. Read about our universal journey of discovery, of awakening to the greatest truth of the land, the truth that reverberates in our very hands, the hands of heart, the very heart of our being, that – you are love.
Through a profoundly rare experience that left the author’s mind silent for nearly half a year, it awakened her own desire to find her fire. The very fire that lit the night sky. The very fire that lives in all our hearts nigh. The very fire, to come alive.
Jane’s debut book Journey of Awakening and Higher Consciousness, is an offering of love that crystalizes her 3 passions: eloquent writing, creative expression, and the exploration of our divine humanity. These combine into an unforgettable experience that will awaken your inner fire and bring passion and purpose back into your life.
Thank you for joining us to celebrate the 2024 Mind & Spirit First Place Winners!
Watch for our Spotlight and Hall of Fame Articles that will feature incredible books, including Marijke McCandless’ Grand Prize Award-winning Naked in the Now
The Instruction and Insight Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Instructional Non-Fiction. The Grand Prize Winner, Lorraine Ballato’sSuccess with Hydrangeas: A Gardeners Guide, will be promoted for years to come in our annual Hall of Fame article, as well as be featured on the I&I contest page year ’round!
The best part about being a Chanticleer Int’l Book Award Winner is the love and attention you get all year ‘round!
Tropetails is the world’s first cocktail (and mocktail!) book centered around all your favorite bookish themes and literary tropes!
Featuring a whopping 50 carefully curated specialty drinks, Tropetails is the perfect book to add to your bar cart, coffee table, nightstand, heck, you could even snuggle with it in bed! Is that appealing? Perhaps you’d be better off leaving it in the kitchen…but I won’t tell anyone if you decide otherwise 😉
Each page of Tropetails has a hand-drawn illustration from “Chosen One”, to “Enemies to Lovers”, and “Who Done It”—all from your favorite genres across fiction and a unique recipe mixed to match the vibe of each different trope!
Foster resilience in the face of political polarization
Unsettled by provocative news, clashing politicians, and social fragmentation, Americans struggle to navigate the challenges of living in a divided country. Facing the Fracture offers a path out of the distress and disempowerment plaguing everyday people. Grounded in psychological research, this book offers readers strategies to foster resilience in the face of political polarization.
In this valuable book, Israel moves beyond explaining the problem of polarization to demonstrate how individuals can cope with the political divide, which seems widen with each passing day. Readers will find guidance to reduce toxic input from media, manage polarizing thoughts and feelings, and engage effectively with others. And they will learn that they have the power to improve their personal wellbeing, relationships, community, and country.
She controls, criticizes, and butts into your life constantly. Then, when you try to set boundaries, the pushback and resulting guilt is so bad that you tell yourself… it’s just not worth it.
Is your mother narcissistic, borderline, or just plain difficult?
Are you empathetic, sensitive, and kind?
Do you feel stuck in your relationship with Mom:
Trying to please her but never feeling good enough?
Feeling responsible for Mom’s emotional well-being?
Struggling to set boundaries without feeling guilty or getting so much pushback that you end up thinking… it’s just not worth it?
If so, chances are you have fallen into the hidden psychological traps that constitute The Good Daughter Syndrome.
Many self-aware daughters of narcissistic, borderline, or just plain difficult mothers know they need to stand up to their mothers and set healthy boundaries. Yet, they can’t bring themselves to do it and don’t know why.
They are caught in unconscious traps they can’t see or fully understand… Trapped by their difficult mother’s needs, the empathetic daughter can’t see a way to break free and still feel like a good person.
She can’t see these traps that keep her parallelized with guilt… or going round and round having the same arguments and getting nowhere with Mom, but I can.
Bob Dahms has had a long and diverse career in business and in business advisory roles.
In this book he shares 50 Things You Need to Know About Starting and Managing a Small Business. Everyone who reads this book will learn something that they didn’t know before. Actually, it’s way more than 50; check it out.
For decades, the hero’s journey has had a major influence on storytelling and story structure. Now, Douglas A. Burton presents a groundbreaking new paradigm for writers everywhere. Sourced entirely from heroine-led fiction—a unique narrative arc has been hidden in plain sight, complete with recurrent patterns and powerful archetypes. Burton offers writers a full fledges alternative that’s both original in its presentation, yet stunningly familiar. Discover the dynamism of story, conflict, and character development in a fresh new light. From myth to literature to TV to film, The Heroine’s Labyrinth explores story structure as modeled by heroic women in fiction. Burton’s theory on story has the potential to turn prevailing views of story structure upside down.
Inside, you’ll encounter 18 archetypal designs that form a distinctive narrative arc, each one rich with profound insights and powerful new perspectives. Discover the Masked Minotaur, the Sacred Fire, the Beast as Ally, the Poisoned Apple, and more. Novelists, screenwriters, RPG gamers, and memoirists will gain immediately useful insights in The Heroine’s Labyrinth.A must-read for writers.
Also the Chanticleer 2024 Harvey Chute Award Grand Prize Winner!
Take control of your money, avoid common financial pitfalls, and prepare for whatever life throws at you
In Stop Worrying about Money, Jacqui Clarke, Australia’s best-kept money secret, delivers smart and sure-fire guidance that will see you through life’s financial ups and downs. You’ll learn to clarify your values, set goals, and be upfront and honest about your money―both with yourself and with others.
Fact: Money comes in and goes out. The cost of living is ever increasing, big changes can come as big surprises and sometimes you’re stuck just trying to keep on top of everything. It’s time to hit pause on the distractions and get wise with your finances. With Stop Worrying about Money, you’ll re-assess what financial independence and freedom mean to you. This is the guide that will help you build a less stressful, more empowering relationship with money, starting today.
From Chanticleer:
Stop Worrying About Moneyby Jacqui Clarke serves as a lucid and candidly insightful guide to understanding the cornerstones of financial literacy, whether for a working professional, business owner, or anyone seeking to better manage their savings and investments.
This practical and insightful approach to financial awareness endeavors to decode the mystifying fundamentals of financial freedom, wealth management, and money psychology. Rather than merely presenting facts on numbers and investments, it adopts a holistic perspective, covering principles of earning, understanding, and wisely managing money.
Written by an experienced professional and fiscal guardian to many, Clarke’sStop Worrying About Moneypaves a clear and accessible roadmap for navigating the often-chaotic terrain of financial planning.
Thank you for joining us to celebrate the 2024 I&I First Place Winners!
Watch for our Spotlight and Hall of Fame Articles that will feature incredible books, including Lorraine Ballato’s amazing Success With Hydrangeas: A Gardeners Guide!
John DeDakis’s Enemies Domestic explores the pain, conflict, and intrigue behind the glitzy corridors of power, exploring with striking honesty and emotional depth the delicate battle between truth and artifice.
Beneath political headlines, a human story unfolds. Book Six in the Lark Chadwick Mystery series, Enemies Domestic comes out as a contemporary political thriller that exposes the politics of the White House amidst one woman’s personal anguish, professional stress, and inner strength.
Lark’s shattered self-confidence flounders beneath the expectations of the world. She must balance the shadows of her past, media intrigues, and power machinations as she goes from being a journalist to a political spokesperson.
We meet Lark Chadwick in her role of Press Secretary to the President of the United States, whose every word is weighed, every silence analyzed, and every gesture can become national news.
Power in this world, as Lark soon finds out, is measured not just by truths revealed, but those withheld. Every question in the press room is wrapped in politics, and inside the White House there is a strategy hidden behind every smile. Many times, Lark is forced to decide whether to tell the truth or become part of a system built on constant deception. In Enemies Domestic, enemies are not seen but felt.
Managing such a sensitive environment, Lark must hide a grief that has shaken her mental stability to show only strength in front of the world.
Tensions rise as political storms converge with personal ones. A press scandal, a security leak, and a private investigation challenge Lark on every front. She questions whether even the people she trusts are another sham. By the time she gets closer to the truth, she’s already many steps behind. Enemies Domestic gradually builds a sense of restlessness, binding the reader and forcing them to think each action through alongside Lark.
DeDakis’s clear, precise narrative style reflects his lived experience in journalism.
Short chapters balance a quick pace and deep plot. His naturalistic dialogue achieves meaning above dramatization through polite but sensitive language. Even in complex political discussion, the word-choice remains graspable.
Three central themes guide the story’s emotional weight: the contrast of power against helplessness, the role of the media, and the process of healing from grief.
Lark’s story reveals how, even at the height of power, a person may be breaking inside. In public life, vulnerability isn’t just rare; it’s dangerous.
Her inside knowledge as both journalist and representative highlights that power of media to not only report fact but also to shape public perception, even twisting the definition of truth.
As she becomes mired in political schemes and performance, Lark confronts grief as more than only internal, but as something that can deeply affect our professional decisions and persona. She can’t defer her sorrow forever.
Enemies Domestic by John DeDakis is a daring take on the familiar ground of political thrillers.
Lark Chadwick faces off against immense social and political pressure to forge a path of truth for herself. Her story makes us think about how often true emotions and human stories are hidden from the unclosing public eye.
This is a thriller that blends urgency with introspection. It not only excites but upholds compassion, truth, and courage, leaving readers with the lingering question—who is the real enemy?
Only 7 days remain to enter your books to these CIBA Divisions and embark on an extraordinary journey to success!
The Chanticleer International Book Awards provide ongoing recognition that amplifies authors’ digital footprints through high-traffic website features, social media promotion, newsletter spotlights, and long-tail marketing that continues promoting winners throughout the year and beyond!
The Dante Rossetti, Gertrude Warner and The Little Peeps Awards are still open!
Congratulations to the 2024 Winners of the Little Peeps Awards for Early Readers!
Kristen J Anderson –Lorelei the Lorelei: The First of Many Firsts
Raven Howell –Keep Trucking
Julie Lomax –Melissa Moo Moo’s Special Lesson
Dr. Gerry Haller –Will’s Adventure to the Candy Mountain
Shaziya M. Jaffer, Jessica Alexanderson and Brad W. Rudover –A Recycling Adventure toThe Scrapyard!
Mike Mirabella and Lenny Lipton –I Used to Be Shy
And a huge round of applause to our 2024 Early Peeps Grand Prize Winner:
Island Moon
By Ruth Amanda
Congratulations to the 2024 Winners of the Gertrude Warner Award for Middle Grade Fiction!
Thomas Kuhn – Tommy Rocket and the Goober Patrol
Debbie Noble Black – Deetjen’s Closet
M.J. Evans – Coal Dust and Dreams
M.C. Dingman – Samantha Smee: A Pirate’s Life
Maggie Lynch – The Power of S.A.D.
Sue C. Dugan – Mayday
Carolyn Armstrong – No Time To Waste
Sandy Grubb – Just Like Click
And a huge round of applause for our 2024 Gertrude Warner Grand Prize Winner:
Back to Bainbridge
By Norah Lally
Congratulations to the 2024 Winners of the Dante Rossetti Award for Young Adult Fiction!
Mark Kraver –The Willow
C.H. Brown –The Appearance of Power
Eileen Charbonneau and Jude Pittman –Spectral Evidence
J.A. Nielsen –The Winter Heir (Fractured Kingdoms, Book 2)
John Middleton –The Pool of Initiation
E. L. Werbitsky –The Marsh Keeper
And a huge round of applause for our 2024 Dante Rossetti Grand Prize Winner:
The Realm of Gods
By Glen Dahlgren
The CIBAs offer a ladder to success with a range of achievement tiers and expert long tail marketing strategies. From the highly anticipated Long List to the prestigious Overall Grand Prize Winner, the CIBA lists energize both authors and readers, maximizing your digital footprint and expanding your fan base.
We are always eager to support the Best Books through the CIBAs. Join the ranks of celebrated authors who have already taken this critical step in their publishing.
Your book deserves to be discovered, celebrated, and shared with the world. Don’t miss the chance to showcase your talent and gain valuable exposure at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (April 17-19, 2026) where Winners from all 28 Book Award Divisions will be announced and honored.
In a world hungry for good books, your story deserves to be heard. Submit now and leave a lasting impression.
The Hearten Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Inspiring and Uplifting Non-Fiction and Memoirs. The Hearten Book Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBAs).
The Journey Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Overcoming Adversity in Narrative Non-Fiction and Memoir. The Journey Book Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBAs).
John DeDakis’s Enemies Domestic explores the pain, conflict, and intrigue behind the glitzy corridors of power, exploring with striking honesty and emotional depth the delicate battle between truth and artifice.
