The MARK TWAIN Book Awards recognize emerging talent and outstanding works in the genre of Humor and Satire Fiction. The Mark Twain Book Awards is a genre division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).
The 2020 Mark Twain Book Awards for Satire Fiction, a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards is the first year that this division is offered as a book awards competition division in 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. The best will advance. Which titles will be declared as winners of the prestigious Somerset Book Awards? We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremonies April 21-25th, 2021 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. at the 2021 Chanticleer Authors Conference–whether virtual, hybrid, or in-person. (For contemporary and literary fiction see our Somerset Book Awards.)
I came in with Halley’s Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don’t go out with Halley’s Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: “Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together”. Mark Twain
Twain’s prediction was accurate; he died of a heart attack on April 21, 1910, in Stormfield, (Twain’s mansion where he lived from 1908 until his death) one day after the comet’s closest approach to Earth.
These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from SLUSH pile to the 2020 Mark Twain Book Awards the 2020 SHORTLIST. The Short Listers’ works will compete for the Finalists positions.
The 22 divisions of the 2020 CIBAs’Grand Prize Winners and the Five First Place Category Position award winners will be announced at theApril 25th, 2021 Chanticleer International Book Awards Annual Awards Gala,which takes place at the Chanticleer Authors Conference that will be held in virtually Bellingham, Wash.
These titles have been Shortlisted for the 2020 Mark Twain Book Awards for Satire and Humor Fiction
Charlie Suisman – Arnold Falls
Stephanie Alexander – Charleston Green
J.P. Kenna – Toward A Terrible Freedom
Wayne Edmiston – UNfatally Dead: to thaw or not to thaw?
Haris Orkin – You Only Live Once
Elizabeth Crowens – Dear Bernie, I’m Glad You’re Dead
Alex J. Tremari – Dragoncast
Michael Aloysius O’Reilly – The Billionaire’s Daughter
Elizabeth Crowens – Dear Mom, The Killer is Among Us
Steven Mayfield – Treasure of the Blue Whale
St John Karp – Quake City
Ivy Cayden – Everything All At Once (Chorduroys and Too Many Boys?)
Ted Neill – Reaper Moon: Race War in the Post Apocalypse
Erik Segall – Not Yet
Lenore Rowntree – Cluck
K.N. Salustro – Cause of Death: ???
Conon Parks – Some Kind of Ending
Beth Wareham and Jason Davis –Hair Club Burning
Steven Mayfield –Treasure of the Blue Whale
Anastasia Fox – Trout Fishing in the Cretaceous
Adam Cliff – Exposure
David B. Seaburn – Gavin Goode
Lou Dischler – Too Pretty for a Hit Man
Good Luck to All!
These titles are in the running for the Semi-Finalists of the 2020 Mark Twain Book Awards for Satire and Humor Fiction.
The ShortListers’ works will compete for the Semi-Finalists positions. Finalists will be selected from the Semi-Finalists, and then all Finalists will be recognized at the VCAC21 ceremonies. The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 22 CIBA divisions Finalists. We will announce the 1st Place Category Winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Ceremonies April 21-25th, 2021 live at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash.
Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.
The SOMERSET Book Awards recognize emerging talent and outstanding works in the genre of Literary and Contemporary Fiction. The Somerset Book Awards is a genre division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).
Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring contemporary stories, literary themes, adventure, magical realism, or women and family themes. These books have advanced to the next judging rounds. The best will advance. Which titles will be declared as winners of the prestigious Somerset Book Awards? We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremonies April 21-25th, 2021 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. at the 2021 Chanticleer Authors Conference–whether virtual, hybrid, or in-person. Looking for Satire? Keep an eye out for our Mark Twain Long List.
The following literary and contemporary fiction works have advanced from all of the entries to the Long List of the 2020 Somerset Book Awards:
Susan Dobson – Bomerang
Sara Stamey – Pause
R Barber Anderson – Jumeau
Gregory Erich Phillips – A Season in Lights
Candi Sary – Magdalena
Kathleen Reid – Sunrise in Florence
Ivy Cayden – Everything All At Once (Chorduroys and Too Many Boys?)
George M. Taylor – Careful by the Railing
Amy L Cleven – Look Up
Kasie Whitener – After December
T P Graf – As the Daisies Bloom
Patrick M. Garry – The Donor
Katherine Johnson – Grit & Granite
Jennifer Gold – Keep Me Afloat
Catherine Hamilton – Victoria’s War
Jessica O’Dwyer – Mother Mother
Lauren J. Sharkey – Inconvenient Daughter
Pierce Koslosky Jr. – A Week at Surfside Beach
Victor Acquista – Serpent Rising
John Danenbarger – Entanglement: Quantum and Otherwise
Julie Weary – Knowing Marjorie Thane
B. K. Stubblefield – Scars of the Past
Ted Neill – Reaper Moon: Race War in the Post Apocalypse
Dan V. Jackson – Rainbow Bridge
Kathleen M. Rodgers – The Flying Cutterbucks
Abbe Rolnick – Founding Stones
Liana Gardner – Speak No Evil
Susan Wingate – How the Deer Moon Hungers
Lainey Cameron – The Exit Strategy
Barbara Linn Probst – Queen of the Owls
Alice Early – The Moon Always Rising
Judy Keeslar Santamaria – Jetty Cat Palace Cafe
Joanne Kukanza Easley –Sweet Jane
Erik Segall – Not Yet
Steven Mayfield – Treasure of the Blue Whale
Dennis M. Clausen – The Accountant’s Apprentice
Ted Neill – Reaper Moon: Race War in the Post Apocalypse
Charlie Suisman – Arnold Falls
Good Luck to ALL!
Which of these works will move forward in the judging rounds for the 2020 Somerset Book Awards for Literary and Contemporary Fiction?
Congratulations to Donna LeClair whose manuscript The Proprietor of Theatre Lifetook home the Grand Prize for the 2019 Somerset Book Awards.
Overland by Ramcy Diek mashes genres with a deft hand, combining romance with mystery/suspense/thriller successfully and with surprising results. As the story begins, we meet Skyla, a tough, independent woman. She learns very quickly that she is not immune to harm. In the span of a few seconds, Skyla finds herself in mortal danger.
It only took one kiss to distract Skyla. Troy, who is not her boyfriend, is equally distracted by the kiss he initiated. Neither notices the man stalking her – until it’s too late. Troy blames himself for Skyla’s abduction and works overtime to help find the woman he loves, even if she is dating another man.
Author, Ramcy Diek, sets her novel in the Portland, Oregon area, crossing into Washington state to add another twist for us to mull over as we try to solve the crime that puts our protagonist, Skyla, in a remote place with little chance of escape.
The villain, Bjorn Rikkerson, is a brutal man, abducting and imprisoning our heroine – and much worse. Add three innocent children to the mix, and the complexity of the plot increases in tension and sympathy. Will Skyla survive? Will Troy find her in time?
Meanwhile, Skyla’s parents and Troy work with the police, contact local papers and TV stations, and worry about Skyla. Everyone is desperate for clues. When Edmond, the real boyfriend, arrives on the scene, readers will measure him against Troy to ascertain the better man.
Skyla’s father, Harold, hires Kim Lowe, a private detective, to put another set of eyes on the evidence and to have someone reporting to him about the case. Kim Lowe tries to work with Police Captain MacMillan, who is assigned to the case. Together they wrestle for authority and race to find Skyla as they follow clues that lead to dead ends, and some that don’t lead anywhere. Their rivalry provides tension and twists as they search for Skyla.
Diek does an excellent job of developing Rikkerson’s children as real kids, not just props in the story. They cry they rebel; they argue, sulk, and talk back. They get sick, beaten, go hungry, and grow to love Skyla, who treats them like the mother they lost. All the while, Skyla wracks her brain, trying to figure out who Rikkerson is and why he wants her.
The author provides a caveat to fans of her previous books that this one has graphic violence and is a step removed from her usual romance themes. Readers should take that to heart, but they shouldn’t be put off by it. This book is a page-turner that will keep fans on the edge of their seats, wondering if Skyla will survive her ordeal or live the rest of her life in a little cabin in the woods.
With its nail-biting tension and satisfying denouement, the grand finale will thrill fans old and new alike. Ramcy Diek brings us home in a jagged, emotional mess that sorts itself out as best it can in an imperfect world.
During these uncertain times, recent news reports have indicated that children as young as three years old can experience symptoms of anxiety and depression. Clearly, emotional upheaval is at an all-time high. Luckily, child psychologist, Lauren Mosback is here with her new book, My Sister’s Super Skills. A tale that provides a fun and entertaining kid-friendly book that offers up healthy coping tools to help manage stress and promote positive emotional development for even the youngest of sufferers.
Here, fearless big sister Lily featured in her raspberry pink cape, serves as the motivational guide for her young brother David as he struggles to understand and deal with his mixed emotions. This smart, adoring, be-spectacled heroine offers simple little tricks to help her sibling feel better. Her advice of “Name your feeling to begin the healing,” sets in motion an offering of interactive remedies that help David navigate his worrisome thoughts and gain a more positive outlook.
Mosback creatively chooses various animal actions to connect with each newly taught coping skill. Whether doing deep breathing like a horse, repeating self-affirmations with the strength of a lion, playing like a dolphin, or relaxing and cozying up like a Koala, the imaginative suggestions are entertaining and relatable for youngsters. Further sage advice: smiling, singing, painting, and even self-hugs, all positive affirmations that encourage kids to look beyond their uncertainty and incorporate these unique strategies when they are feeling overwhelmed.
Eye-catching illustrations by Chiara Savarese are a major component of the story and provide the perfect complement to the casual rhyming style of the narrative. Amidst the portrait of a horse with his flapping lips, and images of a bubble-headed Lily in a relaxing bath, riotous laughing chimp faces, and a P.J.-clad monkey/child dancing on a bed, the visuals bring whimsy and humor to the story and enhance a playful tone. Bright, crisp, and bold coloring lends a vibrant air to the pages.
Initial details of a troubled David evidenced in the sad eyes and the weight of a backpack heavy on his small shoulders showcase the toll of negative emotions. As the tale unfolds, suggested behaviors put into practice ultimately reveal a happier, wide-eyed youngster learning to deal with his problems.
As a licensed children’s counselor, Mosback has smartly tapped into relevant subject matter reflecting the tumultuous state of our daily lives. In this well-crafted, engaging story, the highlight of a caring sibling relationship, and the clever offering of ways to manage feelings like sadness, frustration, anger, or fear proves an appropriate and timely gesture. While the work is primarily intended to promote emotional health and well-being for children, the core message is clearly relevant for readers of all ages. A charming worthwhile read reminding young and old alike to “think positive thoughts” and that “tomorrow will be a fresh start.”
My Sister’s Super Skills won First Place in the CIBA 2019 Little Peeps Awards for Children’s literature.
Hope you’re catching your breath after the conference. I know it is a ton of work, but from my side of the screen, it was terrific. I just loved it.
Thanks,
Dave (2021)
Thank you so much. It is such an honor, and I’m so thrilled that Wanders Far has done so well. I’m really looking forward to receiving that blue ribbon–so cool!
Nancy Wynen’s We Did What We Could is a well-conceived, smart, character-driven novel set across a grand European landscape. Here a formidable trio of young women, groomed for mere social status, demonstrate their strength, endurance, and courage as they move beyond the walls of academia to experience careers. The three must also deal with relationships, family expectations, and life issues amidst the often devastating and upending climate of war.
Lady Archer is a widow from the Great War. As Assistant Head Mistress at St. Martin’s School, she feels girls should receive solid educations and prepare for real professions. With her high level of social ties, Archer looks for “future perfect leaders” within each new graduating class, possessing ideal traits of intelligence and creativity. In May of 1936, Archer sets her sights on three such proteges whose memorable antics foretell their potential for more significant life accomplishments.
In this three-part literary work, Wynen moves the narrative between the interconnected lives of these central characters. In the mind of their individual goals, natural-born leader Maggie Shelford obtains a job at the London Times, Agnes Fletcher heads for nursing school, and creative Ellie DeWever prepares to join the Netherlands foreign services. Ellie’s kindred spirit Gran, another select alumna of St. Martin’s, offers up smart advice to the tune of, “Be prepared, and then you can adjust to whatever happens … Improvise as you go along.”
From royal debutante ceremonies where these three friends sneak an outsider into high society’s ranks to Agnes’ innate ability to bluff her advancement through nursing school, imagination and talent help these women forge ahead. With the continuing influence of Lady Agnes, Maggie finds herself a member of the RAF (Royal Air Force), reporting for the Union Jack, and ultimately a chief press camp officer. Events of the day fill the storyline. With Ellie the first in the group to marry and start a family, Maggie and Agnes begin to contemplate their own destinies and opportunities to find love, romance, and a “real deal” relationship.
As expected, the backdrop of war predominates in a story playing out within a 1936-1945 timeframe. During this uncertain time, life is likened to a ballet where each step was delicate, and “losing one’s balance was costly.” Here towns are destroyed, families are forced from their homes, secrets are buried, and love and loss are intertwined. But the narrative isn’t always frayed with hardship. Wynen aptly weaves humor throughout her work that serves well to balance tension and storyline.
When a significant twist in the plot occurs, Lady Archer’s hard work with her proteges pays off. Here Wynen cleverly brings the story full circle with the re-enactment of an ingenious prank incorporated from their school days. A detailed wrap-up highlights these characters’ futures and leaves Lady Archer hoping for post-war generations instilled with equally creative and indomitable spirits.
For those readers drawn to stories filled with the harsh realities of a war era and the emotional triumphs and tragedies of those involved, We Did What We Could proves a lively and entertaining exploration that showcases the fine art of determination and will power during the best and worst of times.
Tis the SEASON for HOLIDAY GIFT CARDS – REDEMPTIONS for ONLINE and BRICK & MORTAR STORES
Perhaps you are thinking, “But Kiffer, it is December 27th! Isn’t it too late to do anything about this holiday season?”
And, I would have to reply,“No, it isn’t dear Chanticleerian. It is is just in the nick of time because of GIFT CARDS!”
And I think that is why this fellow is named Ol’ Saint Nick—not for Nicholas but for JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME!
What is the Market Size of GIFT CARDS?
AMAZON has almost 60% of the market share. Walmart comes in next at 15%. *Of course, we hope that many people purchased gift cards from their local independent bookstores and local community stores.
And we know who the biggest bookseller on this planet is—digital or print! —Amazon.
The Global Gift Card market size was valued at 619.25 billion USD in 2019. It is much higher this year. See *
The USA Gift Card market size was estimated to be 160 billion USD in 2018. It is projected to be approximately 400 billion dollars in 2020.
COVID-19 will bring healthy holiday web sales for Gift Cards and e-Gift Cards.*
Software provider Salesforce.com Inc. says holiday sales in the U.S. will rise 34% year over year for the 2020 season. That’s a major jump from the estimated 13.6% growth in November and December 2019.
2020 News
Amazon announced plans to hire 100,000 seasonal workers for its fulfillment center on top of the 75,000 it hired in April and the 100,000 it brought on in September. Meanwhile, FedEx is hiring 75,000 seasonal employees for this holiday season, an increase of 27% over 2019. And, Walmart Inc. (No. 3) hired 20,000 seasonal workers this holiday season after hiring more than 500,000 workers since the beginning of COVID-19. DigitalCommerce360.com
What are the Top Driving Factors of Sales Growth of Gift Cards?
The Pandemic Fuels Gift Card Sales – Gift Card Sales were up by 50% by September 2020.*
The High Adoption Rate of Smartphones
Gift cards have become more innovative with rapid evolution of smart phones. Use of modern technology and marketing strategies has created different ways for gift card lovers and smartphone users to integrate everything into one convenient package. Rise in adoption of smart phones is expected to boost the gift cards market by offering flexible & convenient ways of payment for customers. Allied Market Research
Gift cards topped all other potential presents, including jewelry, clothing, books, movies, music, electronics and sporting goods. National Retail Federation report.
Gift cards are the most popular items on wish lists — 14 years straight.
The majority of recipients of these GIFT CARDSdo not begin shopping with them until late December at the earliest!
Gift Cards have extended the Holiday Buying Season all the way through the month of January into the end of February.
INCREASING ONLINE BOOK SALES
When was the last time that you checked out your Amazon, Kobo, B&N, Bookchain, Smashwords, etc. page(s)?
Visit your Selling Platform Pages and Tidy Them and Add some SPARKLE!
Most importantly, do you have the latest cover of your title uploaded?
I see this all the time, the author sends me her latest cover (because as you know, I am all about the cover!) but then for some reason fails to upload the dazzling new cover to the title’s selling pages on the different platforms.
Update your selling pages with the latest tweaks to the title’s description. Is the description as compelling as it can possibly be? Amp it up!
Make sure that every word of your book’s introduction/marketing blurb (that first paragraph that comes after the title and to the right of the cover) is effective—especially the first ten introductory words.These first ten words are “crawled” by the online sales platform’s search engine whenever a reader does “a search.” If it is a series or you are planning to make the work a series, then be sure to conclude the book’s marketing blurb with this information.
Have you listed the title’s latest awards and kudos near the end of the description to seal the deal?
Have you updated the reviews in the Editorial Reviews section? Add new ones and author blurbs (recommendations) in the Editorial Reviews section.
Sixty-one percent of customers read Editorial Reviews before making an online purchase (Harvard Business Review)
Editorial/Trade Reviews set the tone for Customer Reviews – which is (from what I hear) quantity is more important that than quality (number of stars). 100 customer reviews tend to be the magical number.
The Editorial Reviews section is where blurbs of reviews from Chanticleer, Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly should be posted along with VIP Author Blurbs.
Or to that matter, do you have anything in the Editorial Reviews section? If not, you are missing some SEO goodness. In fact, each of Chanticleer Reviews come with a turbo-charged SEO package and Meta-Data built in to help your book’s digital footprint populate the internet.
If your books are available in other languages besides English, list the languages in this section.
Is it time to liven up your author bio? Does it reflect the latest YOU? Does it make the reader want to meet you (like at your next book event?) as someone who he/she would enjoy meeting at a cocktail party?
Make sure that your photo resonates with readers’ expectations. A great example of this isDiana Gabaldon’sAmazon photo; it is one of her standing in front of the Stonehenge monument with a timeless black shawl wrapped around her. The Stonehenge background hints at the historical/fantastical nature of her works and the opening of her series.
Take a close look at your Author Central photo. If it doesn’t move your author brand forward, take a look through your photographs for one that does. It doesn’t have to be a photo taken by a professional photographer. It does have to have a layering effect and convey your author branding/personality. If you have a photograph that does convey elements of your author branding and is taken by a professional photographer, then that is even better. Here is an example of a professionally taken author photograph that exudes the author’s branding as a post-apocalyptic fiction writer. Notice that the setting and outfit exude the dystopian aspects of hisDeserted Lands series:
In your Author Information section, list any other published works that are related to this particular selling page–especially if you have series or multiple titles in the related genre.
While you are on the title’s selling pages, double-check that all the different formats that your title is available on in any given platform are available and ready for sale!
Print? e-pub? combo — purchase a print book and receive the digital e-pub version for a discount or for free? (Amazon used to call this package “matchstick” )
Make sure that the links to purchase books from your websitework and do not go off into cyberspace.
Test your “Look Inside” feature on Amazon and make sure that it works and that it isn’t just opening to the Table of Contents or the front matter of the book.
Double-check your pricing on each selling platform that the title is available for sale on. Really.
OVERALL
Make sure that your information is up-to-date, fresh and relevant!
Like a well-written book plot, make sure that each piece of information on your title’s selling platform moves your book and author brandingforward and into the hands and minds of eager book buyers?
BUT WAIT, WE LOVE LOVE LOVE Independent Booksellers!
So make sure that you help them sell your books! Win-Win!
Make sure that YOUR BOOKS get some of that Gift Card LOVE!
Quick and Easy Tips to Get Your Books Ready for the Biggest Book Buying Season of the Year
Here is a Handy Checklist for Brick and Mortar Stores Where Your Books Are for Sale.
Help Your Booksellers Sell Your Books!
ThesePoint of Saleitems can make a huge difference in book sales!
Shelf talkers are proven to increase book sales!
It seems obvious, but make sure that wherever you have your books for sale or on consignment have themIN-STOCK.(yes, I am yelling here)
NEXT — make sure topromote in social mediawherever your books are for sale and TAG the store/shop/bookseller. Be sure to use a photo of the shop and its location.
Promote your book’s cover and genre and tag themerchant again on social media.
If you can, make sure that your books havebook stickerson them for any awards or kudos.
Don’t forget SHELF-TALKERS
Chanticleer Shelf talker
If you have a series or other books, does each one of your books have a “bookmark” inside with all of your books listed?
Does this bookmark have your website and social media handles printed on it? If not, get on it — you can print your own at your local copy shop.
You can even add an invite to visit your website/blog to win prizes
In your next printing, make sure that at the end of your book that you include an invitation to visit your website/blogpost/social media posts for:
more information
a chance to win free prizes
for advance notifications of your next book
to have a character named after the reader
Book Club Benefits (ZOOM – Virtual Visits and Discussions)
You can have these printed off and slip them into the books — they should not be bigger than the book. Remember, this is a surprise for the reader to find and must not add to “clutter” the book.
Your Books at Indie Booksellers
If you don’t live close to the booksellers selling your books, see if any of your street team members, family, friends, or other authors (you know, the ones that you are cross-promoting with) if they would stop by the shops in their neighborhoods and help implement the P-O-S plan. Of course, make sure that they utilize all safety and health pandemic protocols. Make sure that they have a letter from you (they can print it out if you email it to them). Have your “street team” introduce themselves to the shop’s staff and explain what is going on.
We all have to PIVOT, PIVOT, PIVOT in these unprecedented times.
AND now is a good time to schedule your VIRTUAL Author Events and Book Club Meetings for 2021!
And add the events to your website and social media platforms.
Good Manners for Point of Sale Tips
Use magic tape (and carry it with you) so that you will not gum up the store’s shelves with shelf-talkers — and you don’t have to ask the staff to take time to look for some for you.
If the staff is busy, consider coming back at a later time. The holidays are a “make or break” season for most small brick and mortar stores so you don’t want to impede the staff from making sales and helping customers during this crucial time. [This is a pet peeve with booksellers about authors #justsaying]
If your books are “shop-worn” ask about exchanging them out for fresh new books.
Offer to help out-of-the-area authors with the books that are for sale in your neighborhood. Connect and reach out!
REPEAT. RESTOCK. RE-POST. REMIND.
Remember the GIFT CARD buying season stretches into the end of February.
Take advantage of this busiest season of the year and help your bookseller sell more of your books.
Now make sure that some of those billion dollars on Holiday Gift Cards are used to purchase YOUR BOOKS!
That would be me, Kiffer Brown–Mother Hen and Head Hen at Chanticleer Reviews.
The CHATELAINE Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Romantic Fiction and Women’s Fiction. The Chatelaine Book Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards (The #CIBAs).
Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best new books featuring romantic themes and adventures of the heart, historical love affairs, perhaps a little steamy romance, and stories that appeal especially to fans of affairs of the heart to compete in the Chatelaine Book Awards (the CIBAs). The Short Listers’ works will compete for the Semi-Finalists positions. Semi-Finalists will be announced and recognized at the CAC21 banquet and ceremony. We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremonies April 21-25th, 2021 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. at the 2021 Chanticleer Authors Conference–whether virtual, hybrid, or in-person.
These works have survived the infamous slush pile (all entries) and are now competing to advance to the Chatelaine 2020 Long List
Sara Stamey – Pause
Mike Owens – Bernie & Bertie (Serial Killers Need Love Too)
Linda Stewart Henley – Estelle: A Novel
Tabetha Waite – Behind a Moonlit Veil
Lindy Miller – The Magic Ingredient
Alexandrea Weis – The Christmas Spirit
Mary Ting – When the Wind Chimes
Linda Lee Graham – A Thimbleful of Honor
Betty Codd – Abigail
Patricia A. Williams – We’ll Always Have Paris
Laura O’Hare – Frangipani Escape
F. E. Greene – Some Place Like Home
L.A. Liechty – Winter Mountain
Ramcy Diek – Eagles in Flight
Gayle Woodson – After Kilimanjaro
Rebekah N. Bryan – Jenna with the Red Pen
Michael Aloysius O’Reilly – Romeo and Juliet Are Alive and Well in California
R.Harrington – Veronica
Kelly Miller – Death Takes a Holiday at Pemberley
R.A.R. Clouston – Cry Savage Tears
James G. Skinner – When a Conscience Knocks
Eileen Charbonneau – Mercies of the Fallen
Tammy Mannersly – Drawn to Him
Beverly Allie – Where the Monarchs Dance
Elizabeth Crowens – Dear Mom, The Killer is Among Us
Bat Maxwell – The Color of Honey
Harper McDavid – Zapata
Carol VanDenHende – Goodbye, Orchid: To Love Her, He Had to Leave Her
Mona Sedrak – Gravity
Gail Noble-Sanderson – The Lavender Bees of Meuse
Lindsey Cowherd – My Texas Streak
Holly Brandon – Life in the Chastity Zone
Michelle Cox – A Child Lost
Ursula Sinclair & Kassanna – Defiant
Rachela Marie Lavita – Within the Stars
Betsy Dudak – Wanna Bet
Charlene Johnson – Homecoming, Sterling Wood Series, Book 1
Roxanne Kelly – If I Should Stay
M.M. Routson – Jealousy Burning
Tina Sloan – Chasing Cleopatra
Barb Warner Deane – The Whistle Stop Canteen
J M Liner – Big Easy Passion
Good luck to all!
Which of these works will move forward in the judging rounds for the 2020 Chatelaine Book Awards for Romantic Fiction?
Congratulations to Gail Avery Halverson whose work The Skeptical Physicktook home the Grand Prize for the 2019 Chatelaine Book Awards.
The CLUE Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Suspense and Thriller Fiction. The Clue Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The #CIBAs).
Chanticleer International Book Awards is seeking the best books featuring suspense, thrilling adventure, detective work, private eye, police procedural, and crime-solving, we will put them to the test to discover the best! (For lighter-hearted Mystery and Classic Cozy Mysteries please check out our Mystery & Mayhem Awards). We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremonies April 21-25th, 2021 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. at the 2021 Chanticleer Authors Conference–whether virtual, hybrid, or in-person.
These works have survived the infamous slush pile and have advanced to the 2020 CLUE Book Awards Long List. They will compete in the next rounds of judging for the CLUE 2020 Short List.
Chuck Morgan – Crime Denied, A Buck Taylor Novel
Toni Bird Jones – The Measure of Ella
E. Alan Fleischauer – Just Die
Grahame Shannon – Bay of Devils
Mike Langan – North Country
Kari Bovee – Bones of the Redeemed
Blaise Ramsay – BloodLaw
Elizabeth Lewes – Little Falls
Hal Malchow – 42 Million to One
Avanti Centrae – Kiss of the Cobra – An M2 Action Thriller
Kari Bovee – Folly at the Fair
Dana J. Summers – Downhill Fast
Rafael Amadeus Hines – Bishop’s Law
Ken Farmer – Three Creeks
Kevin G. Chapman – Lethal Voyage (Mike Stoneman Thriller)
J.P. Kenna – The Anarchist Girl’s Confession
John Danenbarger – Entanglement: Quantum and Otherwise
Elizabeth Crowens – Dear Mom, The Killer is Among Us
Ronald Lamont – Post-Mortem Narrative
Chuck Morgan – Crime Conspiracy: A Buck Taylor Novel
J. L. Oakley – The Quisling Factor
Charles Evans – Love Minefields
Sheila McGraw – The Knife Thrower’s Wife
Martin Roy Hill – The Fourth Rising
Chris Karlsen – A Venomous Love
Christopher Leibig – Almost Damned
Brooke Skipstone – Someone To Kiss My Scars
Brooke Skipstone – Some Laneys Died
J.J. Clarke – Dared to Run
Laura Wolfe – Top Producer
James B. Cohoon – Do No Harm
Megan Allen – The Slave Players
Megan Allen – The Meat Hunter
Michelle Cox – A Child Lost
Valerie J. Brooks – Revenge in 3 Parts
Corey Lynn Fayman – Ballast Point Breakdown
Kevin G. Chapman – Deadly Enterprise (Mike Stoneman Thriller)
Shanessa Gluhm – Enemies of Doves
Chris Karlsen – A Venomous Love
C.L. Stuart – Raven’s Grave
Chuck Morgan – Crime Denied, A Buck Taylor Novel
Suanne Schafer – Hunting the Devil
E. Alan Fleischauer – Sherlock & Tiger
Steve Bassett – Payback: Tales of Love, Hate and Revenge
Tina Sloan – Chasing Cleopatra
John DeDakis – Fake
Which of these works will move forward in the judging rounds for the 2020 CLUE Book Awards?
Good Luck to All!
Congratulations to Joanne Jaytaine whose work Salvaging Truthtook home the Grand Prize for the 2019 CLUE Book Awards.
Don’t Delay! Enter Today! 
During these uncertain times, recent news reports have indicated that children as young as three years old can experience symptoms of anxiety and depression. Clearly, emotional upheaval is at an all-time high. Luckily, child psychologist, Lauren Mosback is here with her new book, My Sister’s Super Skills. A tale that provides a fun and entertaining kid-friendly book that offers up healthy coping tools to help manage stress and promote positive emotional development for even the youngest of sufferers.
Thank you so much! 
Hope you’re catching your breath after the conference. I know it is a ton of work, but from my side of the screen, it was terrific. I just loved it.
