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Spoils of Olympus II: World on Fire by Christian Kachel – Historical Fiction/War & Military/Post-Alexandrian Greece
Spy-craft, betrayals, and bloody battles infuse this historical novel of Ancient Greece in the chaotic years following the death of Alexander the Great.
World on Fire is the second novel in a complex historical saga narrated by Andrikos, a young man who started his fighting career on the streets of his hometown of Illandra. As a member of the underground cult, The King’s Hand, Andrikos and his traveling companion Vettias dedicate themselves to keeping Alexander’s lineage on the throne of Macedon. The pair is a study in contrasts: Vettias, the elder, is the more hardened soldier who teaches Andrikos the arts of espionage; while Andrikos maintains a youthful idealism that is sometimes at odds with the grim necessities of war.
The lessons Andrikos learns from Vettias offer gripping scenes of surveillance, stealth, and expeditious killings. Together they must help restore Alexander’s dynasty, often posing as enemy operatives. This infiltration creates a multi-layered plot with far reaching implications on and off the battlefield.
In addition to spy-craft and bloodletting, writer Christian Kachel makes room and time to establish Andrikos as a loyal, home-loving son whom his parents trust enough to guard Alexander’s widow Rhoxane and her young son, Alexander IV, within their household despite the obvious dangers.
The arts of war form a central element of World on Fire, with vivid descriptions of ancient weaponry and hand-to-hand combat. To our delight, Kachel does not neglect the feminine, as he presents two powerful young women, both wise beyond their years: the teenage Queen of Macedon, Adea, who becomes a willing player in the plots against the enemies of Vettias and Andrikos; and Mara, Andrikos’ first love, to whom he made prior promises that he is now able to keep.
By the end of ten years of travels and intrigues, Vettias and Andrikos will see the world differently and will have played their part in making positive changes.
Kachel has staged this epic skillfully. Placing Andrikos as the narrator allows the reader to see many political and military viewpoints held by others through a young, albeit, sometimes naïve perception, and to enjoy periods of respite from war and treachery in scenes of romance, home life, and some moments of stolen passion.
Kachel, three times deployed to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq, is a student of warfare who has chosen to concentrate his novelistic mastery on a sometimes neglected period of history—the aftermath of the death of Alexander the Great and resulting internecine struggles for dominance in the middle eastern region. Historians disagree on many details of this troubled era, giving Kachel free rein to explore possibilities clearly grounded in fact and research, but also informed by the author’s substantial imaginative gifts.
“A master tactician and student of war, Christian Kachel brings history to life in The Spoils of War II: World on Fire; an engaging foray into the aftermath of Alexander the Great.” – Chanticleer Reviews
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Book Clubs and Readers Community News from Chanticleer
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Welcome to the Book Clubs and Readers Community NewsThis is where special news just for Book Clubs and Readers will be featured.
Specials for Book Clubs:
- Winning ten FREE copies of an Chanticleer award winning title
- Access CBR titles that have lists of thought provoking questions tailored just for book club discussions–FREE
- Arranging for a Chanticleer author to attend and discuss her book at your book club’s meeting (find out if an author is available in your club’s location)
- Entering to win special goodies or books or give-aways for your book club
- Asking authors questions about their books and the craft of writing through online chatrooms
- Accessing special offers just for Book Clubs from Chanticleer Community Authors
If you are representing a Book Club and would like more information, please email: BookClubInfo@ChantiReviews.com.
Specials for Readers such as:
- Author promotional contests that give away prizes
- Find out if your favorite CBR author is presenting at bookstore near you
- Book Sales & Freebies & Give-aways from Chanticleer Authors
- Participate in Fun Social Media Events
- Join Chanticleer’s Online International Book Club that will feature the Chanticleer Grand Prize Winning Titles
- Become a Beta Reader for one of your favorite Chanticleer Community Authors
Please email Rainey Jordan to sign up at RJordan@ChantiReviews.com
Author Information about participating in Book Clubs Specials
If you have received a four or five star review by Chanticleer Book Reviews or if you have been awarded a FIRST in Category or a CBR Genre Grand Prize, you are eligible to have these works participate in the Book Club Community News offerings. Please email: KBrown@ChantiReviews.com
Author Information about participating in Reader Specials
All works reviewed by Chanticleer or that have been entered into a Chanticleer Writing Contest, are eligible for consideration to participate in the CBR Reader Specials. Book sales, freebies, promotional goodies, author signings, and social media events are examples of Reader Specials. Authors/publishers may submit listings to: RJordan@ChantiReviews.com
More Author Info
Also, please email us about your book deals, book sales, book signings, and book promotions that pertain to your submissions. We will try our best to publish them in the Book Club and Readers Community News column and in our social media postings.*
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THE TRIALS Of BROWID by Stephanie Bosshard – Romantasy, Epic Fantasy, Mystery
A compelling central question unfolds throughout the pages of The Trials of Browid by Stephanie Bosshard—What happens when you find out you are not who you thought you were?
This tale of hidden identity explores the tension between the ordinary life Selena believes she’s destined to live and an extraordinary power that makes her superhuman, capable of both great benevolence and destruction.
Selena runs her family’s small-town café, tucked away in solitude as she deals with the early loss of her mother and the mysterious disappearance of her father.
The townspeople regard Selena with distant pity, leaving her with little companionship beyond her own grief. Yet Bosshard positions this quiet existence as the fragile shell encasing a far more powerful truth.
A tall, dark man arrives in Selena’s predictable world, giving her a necklace with a locket, and a single chilling warning: “Don’t trust them.” His message lingers, unsettled and unresolved, when Selena encounters a mysterious, handsome figure while walking in the woods. Gabriel’s sharp emerald eyes and onyx hair seem otherworldly in their perfection, such that he nearly makes her forget her own name. He is a force destined to become both her protector and her lover as an entirely new world begins to unspool around her.
Selena seeks to understand the significance of the locket. Turning to the Internet, she follows an inscription etched into the metal to a traumatic story from the 1800s.
A family of orphaned children, accused of practicing dark and forbidding arts, is just the start to the mystery. When Selena discovers a photograph of them, she recognizes Gabriel, his features unmistakably preserved in time. If the photo is genuine, he would now be more than two centuries old. It’s a revelation that grips readers deep into this dark, enchanting mystery.
Slowly but surely, through Gabriel’s patient tutoring, Selena comes to understand that nothing she believed about her past—or herself—has been true.
Gabriel and others like him have been searching for her for years, drawn by the extraordinary power she carries. Piece by piece, her identity unfurls into something far beyond human, defying every rule she once assumed the world obeyed. Wings unfurl from her. She can command both light and darkness, read minds, can even control the flow of blood within another person. Her parents, she discovers, were centuries older than she ever imagined, their true histories intertwined with secrets that have shaped her life from the shadows.
Selena learns she is the child foretold in an ancient prophecy—bound to change the world. She is a Semper, a being of immense capability from another realm, whose parents hid her away from forces that sought her destruction. As her awareness grows, the truth emerges: many people in her quiet Maine town have been guarding her for years, their true loyalties and identities slowly revealing themselves.
But with her gifts comes a shadow. Selena feels a darkness rising within her, an evil side she must constantly suppress as she learns to wield her powers for good.
Her magic draws her into bitter struggles between the Fallen and the ironically named Blessed, ancient orders that view her as both a priceless weapon and a mortal threat.
Bosshard propels Selena and Gabriel far beyond the quiet reaches of Maine and into realms choked with danger. They face creatures of profound darkness, with each encounter testing the limits of Selena’s powers. Beneath these sweeping battles lies the evolving relationship between Selena and Gabriel—an intricate blend of strength, vulnerability, devotion, and sacrifice. As he becomes her protector, she becomes his, standing side by side against forces that would tear them apart.
Watching Selena transform from a young woman unaware of her heritage or abilities into someone who understands the full weight of her identity is one of the story’s most compelling pleasures. The Trials of Browid by Stephanie Bosshard offers a vivid blend of epic fantasy confrontations and romantic depth. For readers drawn to expansive magical worlds and the intensity of a love forged amid danger and destiny, this novel is a captivating choice.
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DEAD To RIGHTS by Gail Hertzog – Historical Fiction, American West, Murder Mystery
Set during the turbulent years of 1914–1915, Gail Hertzog’s Dead to Rights delivers a raw, bruising, and utterly captivating descent into Winnemucca, Nevada, a desert town where the divide between oppression and savagery is no wider than a razor’s edge.
At the heart of this shadow-ridden world stands Red Forquer—a former Churchill County deputy sheriff turned manipulative, violent, and universally feared crime boss. Even in death, Red’s presence seeps into every corner of the community. Dead to Rights opens with the discovery of his corpse by a local taxi driver, described in a chilling posthumous observation that sets the tone for everything that follows.
The story shifts to the perspective of Gary Lindsay, a lamplighter with a keen eye and intimate knowledge of Winnemucca’s social strata—the scandals, the criminals, the downtrodden, and the self-satisfied wealthy. Through Gary, we learn that Red’s talent for intimidation gave him an uncanny ability to bend others to his will, epitomized in the black leather gloves through which he dealt his violence.
No one can challenge Red’s quiet domination, nor his peculiar combination of charm and menace, even Jo, a strong-willed woman who has vowed not to be manipulated by anyone ever again.
Jo’s escape from her old life is quickly eclipsed by Red’s influence after he interviews her to work at his “Combination Saloon.” Hulda, seeking work as a singer, finds herself immediately assessed by Red not for her talent but for her worth as his pawn. Red calculates the leverage her employment gives him against her powerful father, all while Hulda believes she has found just the perfect stage for her independence.
What arises when Hulda meets Jo is a dangerous alliance that begins with shared glances and hushed conversations. Their mutual need to survive in a world ruled by fists, where trusting the wrong person could quickly end your life, starts a conspiracy against the powers of Winnemucca.
Dead to Rights is a deep exploration into the making of “a being devoid of soul.”
Through the brutal alchemy of Red’s childhood trauma, Hertzog examines the long-term effects of parental abuse and its ability to shape a child’s inner world into something defined by aggression. We follow a soul fractured by early betrayal, how it spends a lifetime spent clawing back power through the very forces that once destroyed it.
Hertzog builds broader themes upon this foundational struggle against cruel authority—the corrosive power of secrets and the fierce resilience of female solidarity—revealing the hidden currents pulsing beneath a patriarchal society. Through these themes, she masterfully presents a gritty, realistic portrait of how power is often won, even in today’s world, not through courage or skill but through psychological manipulation.
Readers are taken on a journey that captures the illusion of choice amidst coercive control, the performance of intimacy vs. transactional reality, the consequences of betrayal, and the search for agency anyway in a world of limited opportunities.
This intricate exploration makes the story much more than a mere glimpse into the past. Dead to Rights opts to leave an unsettling impression of the high cost of survival, as well as the fragile line between it and complicity.
Hertzog’s choice to begin the book with the end is brilliant. Rather than the common whodunit suspense, she embraces a compelling “how-dunit” and “why-dunit” approach. The multi-perspective narrative creates a rich story line with a communal touch to it, a truly immersive experience where readers don’t just become observers, but rather residents of Winnemucca.
Dead to Rights by Gail Hertzog is a great pick for readers who appreciate female protagonists as well as a nuanced exploration of power, trauma, and resilience. Those seeking a mystery that prioritizes the “why” over the “who” in vengeance and solidarity will be utterly absorbed.
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THE MAN WHO SAW SECONDS by Alexander Boldizar – Global Thriller, Sci-fi, Satire
“How can a man who can see the future make so many mistakes?” (page 19)The Man Who Saw Seconds builds an entire geopolitical thriller around this question. Alexander Boldizar’s novel infuses a high-octane narrative with a surprising emotional core as it becomes an existential meditation on time, determinism, and the limits of empathy.
Preble Jefferson can see five seconds into the future, a gift that escalates from trivial to explosive. He keeps a low profile, gambling across the country to support his wife and three-year-old son, Kasper, and maintains a friendly chess feud with Fish (a Pynchon-esque allusion to Bobby Fischer; full name Robert Legmegbetegedettebbeknek). Fish is an anarchist-lawyer whose conspiracy theories make him a morally intriguing wild card for Preble.
When one exhausted lapse in Preble’s judgment escalates into an altercation with over twenty NYPD officers, he sets off a chain of consequences so extreme yet absurdly plausible in their political escalation that they feel true to life, projecting readers into the uncanny.
Boldizar excels at tracing political panic to its most illogical endpoints.
NSA agent Bigman—another Pynchonian wink—views Preble as a threat to presidential power. What follows is a catastrophe of ego and fear between the two: a rogue intelligence officer, an unhinged international crusade, and nuclear states dragged to the brink of annihilation, all because Bigman refuses to give Preble the peaceful, productive life he desires. It is a satire that sits on a mirror’s edge. Boldizar understands how fragile our systems are and how old conflicts do not die in our world, but mutate into new digital-age tensions.
Amid its chaos, the novel’s heart lies in Preble grappling with the limits of his ability. Seeing five seconds ahead does not always save him from grief, exhaustion, or moral failure. Often, it magnifies them.
This conceit is well-suited for action sequences—and they are cinematic feats here—but it also reorients the reader’s relationship to time itself. What does it mean to witness your own potential death? To choose, out of infinite threads, the one life you’re willing to live?
Boldizar’s granular knowledge of political machinery and military defense can occasionally overwhelm readers not so familiar with these areas of expertise, but the book’s ambition and intelligence far outweigh any struggle with this complexity.
In The Man Who Saw Seconds, Alexander Boldizar has crafted a thriller that is equal parts timely and timeless and asks the question of whether seeing the future is any match for the fallibility of being human.
Note: Boldizar’s next book, Ride or Die Girl, will be released by Simon & Schuster in the fall of 2026.
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THE LIFE & TIMES Of SARAH GOOD, ACCUSED WITCH by Sandra Wagner-Wright – Historical Fiction, Salem Witchcraft Trials, Colonial America
Even hundreds of years later, the Salem witch trials continue to capture the imagination. In The Life & Times of Sarah Good, Accused Witch, Sandra Wagner-Wright taps into this enduring fascination with historical details and emotional revelations. The suffering of women, the religious fervor, the inexplicable claims of supernatural experiences—it’s all here, in a compulsively-readable work of historical fiction.
Wagner-Wright makes good use of her background as an academic historian, never bogging down readers with unnecessary descriptions but selectively choosing details that immerse us in Sarah Good’s world.
Salem in 1692 has its own clothing, traditions, and terminology. Wagner-Wright writes convincing period dialogue with a healthy smattering of religious references. While words such as “fichu”—a woman’s kerchief worn to cover the neckline of a dress—aren’t explicitly defined in the text, there’s often enough context to figure out meanings. Plus, readers can find such definitions in a helpful glossary at the end of the book.
Although Sarah Good is the main character, Wagner-Wright weaves the narrative from many different perspectives. Two supporting characters, Ann Carr and her love interest Thomas Putnam, introduce readers to 17th Century Salem, shaping it into a realistic, tangible place. From Ann in particular, we get an understanding of the dominant role of religion in their society. The day of the church raising is a special one: most of Salem Town “and most importantly, Tom” will be there, Ann reflects. By showing the church as a cornerstone of society, Wagner-Wright sets up the later religious hysteria that will take over Salem.
Through Ann, we also get a close look at the hopes and heavy responsibilities of being a woman.
Ann is well aware of the importance of marriage. A woman without a husband has no status, and no safety net unless her family provides one. Yet Ann also learns of the burdens of marriage through her older sister. Many pregnancies are expected, and the physical stress of carrying and raising children can be draining. All too often, the babies don’t survive past infancy, so grief is intertwined in a woman’s burden.
With this setup, the stakes feel much higher when we return to Sarah’s perspective later in the book. Ann has successfully established herself with the things a woman needs: a husband, a home, and a family. Sarah has had no such luck. She’s unmarried, which means she’s unable to receive her inheritance, and at 28 is well past marrying age for the time. The unexpected appearance of a potential husband suggests her fortunes might change. Yet in short order, tragedy strikes, and Sarah’s once again on her own. Here, her downfall truly begins.
Wagner-Wright tells an exciting version of the events in Salem, with plenty of drama between characters. But the book’s compassion for its titular accused witch is what makes it truly stand out.
Wagner Wright paints a vivid picture of Sarah’s tragedy. To others, Sarah has gone mad and might well be a witch. Yet because we see things from Sarah’s perspective, readers can surmise that her increasingly odd behavior is more likely a natural reaction to stress and trauma. She’s lost both loved ones and physical security. Having been failed by her family, she has nothing to fall back on for support. Perhaps Sarah is indeed mad, but it’s not from any supernatural cause—she’s simply reeling from the worst outcomes for women of that period. Without a caring family or husband, she has no way of protecting herself.
This transition happens quickly, leaving some unanswered questions as Sarah progresses from ordinary woman to accused witch. Still, readers are bound to feel compassion as she falls further into her plight. Soon, it seems almost everyone in Salem is against her—certainly its religious leaders, who hold so much power in the community. The toll of poverty and inequality spirals into a haze of superstition alongside terrible coincidences. While other women are also accused of witchcraft, Sarah remains at the center of the maelstrom.
Anyone familiar with the Salem witch trials knows there are no happy endings. Yet in this work of historical fiction, Wagner-Wright gives Sarah a voice, which she uses to protest the unfairness to her last breath. With The Life & Times of Sarah Good, Accused Witch, Wagner-Wright has deftly set up her book series, Salem Stories, which promises to provide a further feminist take on one of history’s most interesting villages.
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The 2025 Shelley Semi-Finalists for Paranormal Fiction
The Shelley Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Paranormal Fiction. The Shelley Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs).The Shelley Awards were formerly known as the Paranormal Awards. We are delighted to be able to honor the mother of science fiction with this award!
Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring magic, the supernatural, weird other-worldly stories, super humans (ex. Jessica Jones, Wonder Woman), magical beings & supernatural entities (ex. Dresden Files), vampires & werewolves (ex. Twilight), angels & demons, fairies & mythological beings, magical systems and elements. We will put them to the test and discover the best among them for the 2025 Paranormal Book Awards!
Each of these authors is already winning with their books are now featured on our high-traffic website, shared across our social media, and promoted to our newsletter subscribers. But this is just the beginning of their CIBA journey.
These titles have moved forward from the 2025 SHELLEY Paranormal Fiction Short List to the 2025 Shelley Awards Semi-Finalists. Finalists will be chosen from the Semi-Finalists and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference, CAC26.
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.
These titles are in the running for the Finalists of the 2025 Shelley Book Awards novel competition for Paranormal Fiction!
Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works!
- AJ Humphreys – Trip: A Psychological Horror Novel
- Amy S Cutler – A Shadow of Love
- Diane Corso – Broken Things
- E.L. Deards – The Lavender Blade
- Evette Davis – The Campaign
- George Petersen – The Summer of Haight
- Gina Detwiler – Forever
- Heather Murphy – Bring Out Your Dead
- Isaac Thorne – Tab’s Terrible Third Eye
- Jared TLC – Destiny Lane
- Katy Nyquist – A Holy Maiden’s Guide To Getting Kidnapped
- Keith Steinbaum – The Poe Consequence
- Kevin S. Moul – Lander’s Gate
- Lloyd Jeffries – Embers of Shadow Ages of Malice Book III
- Logan D. Irons – City of Wolves
- Lou Pugliese – Blame It on the Moon
- Louisa West – Kiss of Death
- Mark Mustian – Boy with Wings
- Matt Ozanich – Priestess: The Tears of Promises Book One
- Matthew Minson – The Lupin Gene
- Melanie Forde – Guardian of the Crossroads
- Raquel Y. Levitt – The Seer
- Rebekah L Webb – Burrows of Blood and Shadow
- Sheila English – The Deadly Pieces
- Sherri L Dodd – Moonset on Desert Sands
- T.V. Holiday – Cataclysm Legend of the Iron Warrior Vol. 2
- Tom Dolan – Boba Wars Zero
- Tracy Shew – Book Group
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, LinkedIn, and Bluesky pages. We try to tag all authors listed here on Facebook. However, it is easier for us to tag authors when they have Liked and Followed @ChantiReviews on these platforms.
Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE! We are @ChantiReviews everywhere!
We will also be promoting this list in our Newsletter, which you can sign up for here!
Congratulations once more to the 2024 Shelley Grand Prize Winner
Time-Marked Warlock
By Shami Stovall
Click here to see the full list of 2024 SHELLEY Book Award Winners for Paranormal Fiction.
Ready to Submit?
Submissions for the 2026 Shelley Awards and other Speculative Fiction Divisions are open now!
Winners will be announced at the 2025 CIBA Awards Ceremony that is sponsored by the 2026 Chanticleer Authors Conference.
April 17-19, 2026! Save the Date for Registration!
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 annual conference and discover why!
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5 DIFFERENT BOO-BOOS by Maggie Keefe, illustrated by Vaughan Duck – Children’s Books, Activity & Bravery, Picture Books
Climbing trees, playing soccer, and riding scooters have three things in common: scrapes, bruises, and fun. 5 Different Boo-Boos by Maggie Keefe and illustrated by Vaughan Duck, encourages kids to not let a few boo-boos get in the way of an adventurous day.
Told through the first person perspective of an energetic and bold girl, we follow her throughout a week of adventures. Joined by her band aid-toting dog, she ventures from home, to school, and to the park where she jumps at any bit of play, and find multiple ways to acquire a scrape, bump, or bruise.
Keefe tells each day in an offbeat rhyme perfect for read-alongs.
She separates the lines into easy little stanzas and varies their lengths to keep the story’s rhythm interesting—just enough of a challenge for very young readers. Key words pop out in a large font and eye-catching colors.
Vaughan Duck’s illustrations capture the excitement of a sunny day outside.
Swaths of blue and green blend in the background, contrasted by bright pink objects and clothing around the main character. Along with this strong color identity, Duck’s art has a sense of space and motion to match such an active kid.
The protagonist herself has a scrappy, scuffed design that harkens to a child’s irrepressible interest in exploring the world around her. Young readers will love the cute little dog chasing behind her to offer comfort after a tumble, and every other character comes alive with a distinctive and diverse design of their own.
A vibrant, rhythmic read-along, 5 Different Boo-Boos by Maggie Keefe and illustrated by Vaughan Duck, teaches little kids that they might get a scratch and a bump, but they can always get back to playing. And, even if they get hurt the first time they try something new, it just means there’s more to learn and more fun to be found.
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The 2025 Ozma Semi-Finalists for Fantasy Fiction
The Ozma Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Magic, Steampunk and Fantasy Fiction. The Ozma Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs).Chanticleer International Book Awards discovers the best books in the Ozma Awards featuring magic, the supernatural, imaginary worlds, fantastical creatures, legendary beasts, mythical beings, or inventions of fancy that author imaginations dream up without a basis in science as we know it. Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, Dragons, Unicorns, Steampunk, Dieselpunk, Gaslight Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, or other out-of-this-world fiction. Our judges from across North America and the U.K. will put them to the test and choose the best among them.
These titles have moved forward from the 2025 OZMA Fantasy Fiction Short List to the 2025 Ozma Book Awards Semi-Finalists. Finalists will be chosen from the Semi-Finalists and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference, CAC26.
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.
These titles are in the running for the Finalists of the 2025 Ozma Book Awards novel competition for Fantasy Fiction!
Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works!
- A.T. Balsara – The Great and the Small
- Abigail O’Bryan – Iron Rose
- Anya Rousselle – The King’s Blade
- B.L. Mostyn – Heroes of Another Age
- David Nos – The Final War of Wizards and Dragons
- C.R. Ware – All We Have to Remember: Volume One of the Seventh Layer Saga
- Crystal D. Grant – Lightshed
- David Nos – The Final War of Wizards and Dragons
- Evette Davis – The Campaign
- Evette Davis – The Gift
- Helen Garraway – Sentinals Origins Part One
- J.A. Nielsen – The Winter Heir (Fractured Kingdoms, Book 2)
- J.C. Wade – Summer’s Reaping
- Jason P. Crawford – The Trials of Poseidon
- Jeffrey L. Kohanek – The First Wizard
- Molly M. Hammond – Daughter of Starlight
- Nicholas Varner – Warriors of the Red Wolf
- Nikhil Prabala – The Duchess of Kokora
- Nikki Mccormack – Child of Vanris (The Warden’s Son Book 1)
- Oleg Veretskiy – Tales of the Wandering Mists a Ukrainian Fairy Tale
- Palmer Pickering – Dark Town
- R. M. Krogman – Sundering
- Richard M Wagner – The Chronicles of Amerista: Griefold
- S.E. Reed – The Darkness of Dying in the Light
- S.G. Blaise – Eldryan Elders
- Samantha Schinder – The Drowners
- Sean M. Tirman – Dreamweavers LLC
- Simran Sadana – Itehas
- Tamar Anolic – The Keepers
- Ted Neill – Lost Elawn
- William H. Johnston – Shards of Unbroken Will
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, LinkedIn, and Bluesky pages. We try to tag all authors listed here on Facebook and LinkedIn. However, it is easier for us to tag authors when they have Liked and Followed @ChantiReviews on these platforms.
Please LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on these platforms!
We will also be promoting this list in our Newsletter, which you can sign up for here!
Congratulations once more to the 2024 Ozma Grand Prize Winner
A Circle of Stars
By Erin Lark Maples
Click here to see the full list of 2024 Ozma Book Award Winners for Fantasy Fiction.
Got your own Fantasy?
Submissions for the 2026 Ozma Awards and other Speculative Fiction Divisions are open now! For other genres, we still have 25 divisions open for the 2025 CIBAs! Whether you write mystery, romance, historical fiction, or something entirely different, there’s likely a perfect fit for your work.
Winners will be announced at the 2025 CIBA Awards Ceremony that is sponsored by the 2026 Chanticleer Authors Conference.
April 17-19, 2026! Save the Date for Registration!
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 annual conference and discover why!
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Happy Jolabokaflod! Our Favorite Bookish Holiday of the Year!
At Chanticleer, we love celebrating the holidays!
We love the sparkle, the singing, the presents—and we especially love celebrating the books!
Jolabokaflod, the “Bookish” Holiday
The small Nordic island, with a population of only 329,000 people, is extraordinarily literary. They love to read and write. According to Rosie Goldsmith of the BBC, “The country has more writers, more books published and more books read, per head, than anywhere else in the world.”
Many Icelanders give books as Christmas gifts to celebrate Jolabokaflod, and from Christmas Eve until the New Year there is an unspoken reading frenzy.
Iceland’s National Treasures and High Literacy Rate
- One in ten Icelanders writes a published book (BBC News Magazine)
- Fifty percent of Icelanders read more than eight books a year; 93% read more than one book a year (The Reykjavik Grapevine)
- Reykjavík City Library, the largest public library in Iceland, welcomed 700,000 visitors in 2009 in a city of 200,000 people. Book loans totalled 1.2. million in the same year (Reykjavik UNESCO City of Literature)
And, of course, a book and a hot chocolate is a beloved holiday tradition for people around the world!
Jolabokaflod: A Christmas Tradition
Jolabokaflod or Yule Book Flood happens once a year on Christmas Eve in Iceland. The flood begins with the release of a catalog of new publications from the Icelandic Publishers Association. And it is distributed FREE to each and every Icelandic home. The majority of books sold in Iceland are sold from September to early November, and of course, these books are in print. E-pubs are not given. This tradition of Jolabokaflod started in 1944 during WWII when many items and food were rationed to preserve the giving tradition of the holidays.
The Icelanders even have a popular TV show, Kiljan, that is entirely devoted to books. Authors appear on prime TV shows. Book readings and author events are treated like rock star events.
“In Iceland book lives matter in every sense of that phrase: The shelf-life of the book, the lives in the book, the life of the writer and the life of the reader. God bless the Jolabokaflod.” ~Hallgrimur Helgason
How can you make Jolabokaflod a Christmas Eve tradition?
Christmas is such a busy time, and you may think, “I don’t have time for one more tradition!” Don’t worry—You’ve got an extra 12 days!
Design your Jolabokaflod tradition to fit your schedule. You can choose a different night to celebrate with a new book and hot chocolate! We like to crack open the spine of a new book during the 12 days of Christmas that follow Christmas day, giving us a reason to keep that holiday spirit alive until well into the New Year!
A Book You Love is The Perfect Gift for Jolabokaflod!
The Twelve Days of Christmas & Other Traditions From Around the World
Every year Jolabokaflod heralds the 12 Days of Christmas for us here at Chanticleer, where we love to celebrate for an extra twelve days after December 25th! Here’s what you might need to know:
- The twelve days of Christmas run from December 26th until January 6th (Three Kings Day).
- Some say the Twelve Days tradition is wishing good luck and cheer for each of the following months in the new year.
- Others say the first six of the days are to pay homage to the previous year and six of the days that are in the new year bringing hope and glad tidings for coming times.
- The Twelve Days of Christmas would be a welcome break for those who worked the land.
New traditions are beginning this year!
In Portugal, Kiffer and Andy’s new home, the 12 Days of Christmas is a tradition that starts on the 26th until Epiphany. Small groups of people go door to door in their neighborhoods singing songs, usually accompanied by instruments. Sometimes they are in traditional dress, sometimes not. They typically open with a song to ask the resident for food and/or drink, then continue singing about the birth of Jesus and sending good wishes for a happy new year. If a resident doesn’t treat the singers well or refuses to open his door, they may sing songs jokingly mocking them. If the singers are treated well, they will sing about how handsome and beautiful the hosts are and how generous and nice they are. (A great way to start the New Year!)
The Portuguese troubadouring does not take place until after Christmas Day and continues on to Three Kings Day also known as Epiphany.
We’d love to hear about your Yuletide Traditions!
Le Réveillon is our family’s (Kiffer & Argus) Christmas Tradition where we stay up on Christmas Eve way past midnight for the arrival of Père Noël” (Santa Claus) with a Christmas Eve Dinner that consists of a pretty table and multi-course, fancy meal that we share with friends and family. It’s always a good time with many precious moments to always remember throughout the years.
The true gift of the holiday season!
As always, there is much to do, but I have given myself permission not to worry about the cookies that need to be made, the presents that must be wrapped, and calling on friends and family dear to my heart to wish them Happy Holidays. These are all traditions I treasure, and Jolabokaflod is one more tradition I’m happy to add to that mix! – Kiffer
Leave a comment! We would love to hear about your holiday traditions!
Merry Christmas!
Happy Holidays and Yuletide Greetings from the team at
Chanticleer Book Reviews!
From Kiffer, Andy, David, Dena, Scott, Anya
We will start posting our Twelve Days of Christmas articles starting on December 26th.
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The 2025 Cygnus Semi-Finalists for Science Fiction
The Cygnus Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Science Fiction, Steampunk, Alternative History, and Speculative Fiction. The Cygnus Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs).Science fiction is having a moment, and these incredible books prove it. From climate catastrophes to galactic adventures, from AI consciousness to time-bending mysteries, this year’s Cygnus List showcases the full spectrum of speculative imagination that authors are bringing to life.
Each of these authors is already winning with their books are now featured on our high-traffic website, shared across our social media, and promoted to our newsletter subscribers. But this is just the beginning of their CIBA journey.
These titles have moved forward from the 2025 CYGNUS Science Fiction Short List to the 2025 Cygnus Book Awards Semi-Finalists List. Finalists will be chosen from the Semi-Finalists and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference, CAC26.
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 at the Holiday Inn on Mitchell Way.
These titles are in the running for the Finalists of the 2025 Cygnus Book Awards novel competition for Science Fiction!
Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works!
- A.T. Balsara – The Great and the Small
- AA Dasilva – The Bleed-Through Effect
- Aspry Jones – Protectors of the Light Crown
- B. Lynn Carter – The Eyes Have It
- Carrie Kwiatkowski – The Bindery Guild
- Celia Seupel – Girl with the Silver Hair
- Charles Weindorf – Comets of Omen the Presser Arc
- Claudia Leboeuf – Fields of Prosperis
- Corey Frazier – Orion Heavenfall
- James Azinheira – Alphamind the Collective Consciousness
- James R Wells – The Eternal Moment
- Kevin D. Miller – Taquoma
- Lawrence Brown – Black Phantom Dogs Book 1 Unrestricted Climb
- Lloyd Jeffries – Embers of Shadow Ages of Malice Book III
- Lou Dischler – In the Time of False Gods
- M. E. Schuman – The Catalyst
- Maxime Trencavel – The Matriarch Messiah
- Mickey Dubrow – Always Agnes
- Noah Kaplan – The Last Book. the Diary of the Last Earthling
- Pa Vasey – Homo Machina
- Philip Carlisle – Mellisya
- Q Turner – Blood Sacrifice
- Robert C Littlewood – Equilibrium (The Balance Wars Book 3)
- Russ Colson – The Vast Empty
- S.G. Blaise – Eldryan Elders
- Sarena Straus – DeInception
- Sean Kennedy – The Fire Within
- Spaulding Taylor – Last Star Standing
- Stephen Eric Johnson – The Man From Rock Bottom
- Tak Salmastyan – The Accelerates Forty Days To Dust
- Tim Rees – Tim Rees Original Earth
- Wilson Kincaid – The Murder Algorithm
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, LinkedIn, and Bluesky pages. We try to tag all authors listed here on Facebook. However, it is easier for us to tag authors when they have Liked and Followed @ChantiReviews.
Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE! We are @ChantiReviews everywhere!
We will also be promoting this list in our Newsletter, which you can sign up for here!
Congratulations once more to the 2024 Cygnus Grand Prize Winner
Ares
By Jayson Adams
Click here to see the full list of 2024 CYGNUS Book Award Winners for Science Fiction.
Ready to Submit?
Submissions for the 2026 Cygnus Awards and other Speculative Fiction Divisions are open now! For other genres, we still have 25 divisions open for the 2025 CIBAs! Whether you write mystery, romance, historical fiction, or something entirely different, there’s likely a perfect fit for your work.
Winners will be announced at the 2025 CIBA Awards Ceremony that is sponsored by the 2026 Chanticleer Authors Conference.
April 16-19, 2026! Save the Date for Registration!
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 annual conference and discover why!
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The 2025 Laramie Short List for Americana Fiction
The Laramie Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Western, First Nations and Americana Fiction. The Laramie Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs).Chanticleer Book Reviews is looking for the best books featuring Americana themes, First Nation stories, early North American History, cowboys & cowgirls in the Wild West, pioneering, and Civil War, and we will put them to the test and choose the best among them.
These titles have moved forward in the first look rounds from the 2025 LARAMIE Long List to the 2025 Laramie Book Awards SHORT LIST. These entries are now in competition for the 2025 Laramie Semi-Finalists. FINALISTS will be chosen from the Semi-Finalists and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference, CAC26.
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 2026 Chanticleer Authors Conference.
These titles are in the running for the SEMI-FINALISTS of the 2025 Laramie Book Awards novel competition for Western and Americana Fiction!
Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works!
- Barbara Salvatore – Together To Gather Kí-Ku
- Bill Lynam – Sojourn To War
- Charlie Steel – Two Women Conquer the West and Their Hearts
- Chuck Locklear – The Pines Know
- CK Van Dam – Iron Horse Claim
- David Fitz-Gerald – A Grave Every Mile: A Pioneer Western Adventure
- David Fitz-Gerald – Rathuun King of the Prairie
- Derek Wachter – Sons of the Promised Land
- Dwight Holing – The Broken Blood
- E. S. Raye – Gas Giant Gambit
- George T. Arnold – An Ounce of Death
- Imogen Martin – To the Wild Horizon
- J. E. Weiner – The Wretched and Undone
- Jeza Belle – The Freedom To Love
- Joan Koster – Prairie Cinderella
- John Hansen – The Medicine Line
- Julie Mcdonald Zander – The Reluctant Pioneer
- Karen Lynne Klink – War and Preservation
- Larry Boucher – The Scout
- M. B. Gibson – Pryor Knowledge Horse Racing Love and Slavery in the Antebellum South
- M. E. Torrey – Fox Creek
- Melora Fern – Whistling Women and Crowing Hens
- Robert L Jones – The Unbroken Trail
- Suzanne Elizabeth Gillis – The Landlady of Maple Avenue
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 on Facebook.
Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook.
We will also be promoting this list in our Newsletter, which you can sign up for here!
Congratulations once more to the 2024 Laramie Grand Prize Winner
Sarita
By Natalie Musgrave Dossett
Click here to see the full list of 2024 Laramie Book Award Winners for Western Fiction.
We are now accepting submissions into the 2026 Laramie Book Awards for Western Fiction.
Please click here for more information.
Winners will be announced at the 2025 CIBA Awards Ceremony that is sponsored by the 2026 Chanticleer Authors Conference.
April 16 – 19, 2026! Save the Date for Registration!
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 annual conference and discover why!
