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  • HOW to INCREASE E-BOOK SALES ONLINE – Part ONE by Kiffer Brown

    HOW to INCREASE E-BOOK SALES ONLINE – Part ONE by Kiffer Brown

    INCREASING ONLINE BOOK SALES

    No. 1  What to Do If You Think Your E-Book Sales Should be Higher than They Are

    (Scroll down for more helpful tips, tools, and links).

    If you think that you have all of your selling platform pages in order and  updated with the reviews, meta-data, tags, BISAC codes, etc.  and your sales are still lackluster, you may want to consider “re-merchandising” your book. This is what the big book publishers do when sales goals are not being met—they re-merchandise.

    Here is an example of one of my favorite top selling authors best-selling books and its cover transformations:

    Notice all the different changes that Random House incorporated… color, mood, characters, details… and there were several other renditions in between until RH apparently got the right mix to appeal to the novel’s targeted market.

    This is just how important a book cover is to increasing sales online and in print.

    Especially, if your book has been out for awhile, it may be time for a new look. It is time to refresh!

    REFRESH and RE-MERCHANDISE with a new cover.  To repeat myself, a compelling cover is the most effective way to increase sales other than word-of-mouth. A compelling cover can help to create the coveted word-of-mouth buzz.

    Why is the cover the most important publishing tool for self-published and Indie authors? 

    The cover is what makes a reader who has never heard of you or read your other works pick up your book, or click on the link, or choose your book’s digital thumbprint on Amazon’s  Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought carousel of book covers.

    How to Make Your Book Discover-able to Potential Readers

    Book covers are so important that major booksellers (Walmart, yes, Walmart is a major bookseller including ebooks and audio-books) demand having the final decision in the cover designs of books that they decide to carry so that the covers will appeal to their particular customer demographics.

    In this 3 to 5 seconds, your cover must communicate quickly and effectively the following 5 Elements:

    1. The Genre (Historic? Thriller? SciFi? Romance? Cozy Mystery? Literary? etc.)
    2. The Primary Targeted Age Group (Adult for the Trade? Guys? (think Tom Clancy) or Gals? (think Rebecca Wells), General Audience? Young Adult? Middle-Grade? Clean reads market? (think Jan Karon) etc.)
    3. Mood (Humorous? Suspenseful? Adventurous? Dark? Light-hearted? Romantic? Horror? Spiritual? etc.)
    4. Timeframe (Current? Futuristic? Regency? WWI? Western? Classic Roman? etc.)
    5. Place or Cultural Reference (India? New York? Africa? Outer Space? California? Paris? Russia? Japan? etc.)

    An effective book cover will convey all of this information (or enough of it) to capture a potential reader’s attention in less than 5 seconds—three seconds really. It will garner enough interest to have the potential reader to pick it up or click on the link to find out more.

    If it does not convey the 5 elements in less than three -to-five seconds, your book is probably invisible to potential readers. And yes, that is a publishing industry’s insider’s term.

    Invisible books rarely sell.

    Effective covers sell the first book. The content between the covers sells the second book. And you can quote me on that.

    Drilling Down on Key Concepts in Book Cover Design (digital and print)

    1. Genre placement – the cover should immediately (less than 3 seconds) convey the genre of the book. Is it an intense suspense/thriller novel? or Historical Fiction? Or How-To?
    2. Category within genre – is it Regency Romance? or Contemporary Women’s Fiction with Southern elements?
    3. Does the color scheme work with the genre?
    4. Do the design elements convey an idea of what the story is about?
    5. Is the cover appealing to the readership that you are targeting?
    6. Is it dated? Covers can and should be refreshed and tweaked at least every two years.
    7. Covers should work whether they are enlarged to be 50 feet tall to hang from scaffolding at tradeshows or whether they are reduced to the size of a thumbnail. Keep in mind that cover design may be slightly different for digital and for print. Slightly.
    8. A book cover is its must important piece of retail real estate. Every inch should be considered for maximum visual and emotional impact–even if it is digital!
    9. Make sure that the entire book’s “packaging” (typography, formatting, fonts, and layout) is co-cohesive and that all of the elements are complementary to each other.
    10. Color—use color to convey emotion, time period, genre, theme, etc.

    Remember that it doesn’t matter how much time and money that you spend on getting your book in front of potential readers. If the cover isn’t  engaging to the reader, the reader will not pick it up to look at the inside or read the back cover blurb, or click on the image for more information, or read your wonderful synopsis and reviews. All of your time, money, and effort will be for naught if your cover’s real estate is not working for you.

    Covers should convey an emotion first. The cover should have a visual impact that grabs the potential reader and makes him/her want to know more about what is inside. The cover must be enticing! 

    For more information and examples, I invite you to visit this post devoted to cover design:

    Five Essential Book Cover Elements by Kiffer Brown

    When was the last time that you checked out your Amazon, Kobo, B&N, Bookchain, Smashwords, PublishDrive, etc. page(s)? 

    2) Visit your Selling Platform Pages and Tidy Them and Add Some New Interest! 

    • 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. Make sure that these are updated, moved around, added to, and refreshed.
    • Or to that matter, do you have anything in the Editorial Reviews section? If not, you are missing some SEO goodness. 
    • 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 is Diana Gabaldon’s Amazon 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.

    Author Photos

    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 his Deserted Lands series:Robert Slater author of ALL IS SILENCE

    • 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 website work 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 branding forward and into the hands and minds of eager book buyers.

    Handy Amazon Links

    My next posts will be on SOCIAL MEDIA and PROMOTION TIPS for Selling Books ONLINE and New Selling Platforms. So stay tuned…

    Our next Editorial Post will be on HOW to DEEPEN PLOTS

    We encourage you to stay in contact with each other and with us  during this stint of practicing physical distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

    Let us know how you are doing, what is going on where you live, how are you progressing on your writing projects.

    I invite each of you to join us at The Roost – a private online Chanticleer Community for writers and authors and publishing professionals. You are welcome to email me for more info also.

    We are active on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can find us by using our social media handle @ChantiReviews

    Minimize physical contact! Maximize social connecting!

    Here are our contact emails:  

    General information:  Chanticleer@ChantiReviews.com

    Editorial:  BookEditor@ChantiReviews.com

    Reviews: Sanderson@ChantiReviews.com

    Me:  KBrown@ChantiReviews.com

    Take care, be safe.

    Keep writing and creating magic! 

    Kiffer and Sharon & Entire Team Chanticleer 

     

  • SCRABBLE New Words to Get Your Writing and Playing Game On – from the Word Nerds – Jessica and Kiffer

    SCRABBLE New Words to Get Your Writing and Playing Game On – from the Word Nerds – Jessica and Kiffer

    Amaze (and probably irritate) Your Game-mates with These New Scrabble Words

    In these days of self-isolating and sheltering-in-place, we thought perhaps some of you are digging out some familiar and favorite board games. A top game for authors and writers, is naturally, Scrabble. 

    In keeping with our theme on WORD CRAFT, we thought it apropos to write a post on Scrabble.

    Tomorrow, we will post another writing craft or marketing post, but for today, let’s play word games! 

    For those of you who are self-isolating all alone or just want to reach out to others, I have posted links at the end of this article that will allow you to play (for free)  remotely with friends and family on your smart phone or computer.

    English is an ever-evolving and vital language. Influenced by  everything from hip hop to high tech  to Facebook, it reflects an ever-evolving culture. Proof: Merriam-Webster has just published the sixth edition of The Official SCRABBLE Players Dictionary updated with 300 new words. It seems to me that in the Scrabble world that’s a lot. Some of them like yowsa, ew, and ok seem like no-brainers. Others like facepalm, emoji,  bitcoin, hivemind, beatdown, and listicle attest to how times are a-changing, wouldn’t you agree?

    Then there’s frowny, an old word brought back into common usage. I plan to start using it. – Jessica

    Even as this article is coming together in Spring 2020, the new words above are being underlined in red (thanks to my Grammarly app and Google) as incorrect. I am having to add them one by one to Google’s online dictionary. – Kiffer

    For those who are like me and play occasionally, you may not know that Merriam-Webster Dictionary has THE final authority on whether or not a word makes it onto the Scrabble word list for the U.S. and Canada.

    So here are some words to for those of you (who are like me) a leg-up on the master players (Here’s looking at you, Jessica.).  Although, knowing Jessica, she already uses them, so I will probably lose yet another game. But I can always hope. 😊 –Kiffer

    • bae
    • fleek
    • mansplain
    • wordie
    • preggo
    • hench
    • fatberg
    • agender
    • puggle
    • schneid
    • bestie

    Merriam-Webster says, “A thorough mastery of two-letter words is among the most important skills necessary in the creation of a successful and incomprehensible SCRABBLE board. The ability to add seemingly random letters to existing ones will allow a player to enjoy far greater latitude in placing their words on the board, and will annoy opponents who think that the game should be played with words they recognize.”

    According to  Merriam-Webster, one of the newest two-letter word is”ew.” As in the Friends TV series “ew.”

    Ew joins another 106 two-letter words, which are aa, ab, ad, ae, ag, ah, ai, al, am, an, ar, as, at, aw, ax, ay, ba, be, bi, bo, by, da, de, do, ed, ef, eh, el, em, en, er, es, et, ex, fa, fe, gi, go, ha, he, hi, hm, ho, id, if, in, is, it, jo, ka, ki, la, li, lo, ma, me, mi, mm, mo, mu, my, na, ne, no, nu, od, oe, of, oh, oi, ok, om, on, op, or, os, ow, ox, oy, pa, pe, pi, po, qi, re, sh, si, so, ta, te, ti, to, uh, um, un, up, us, ut, we, wo, xi, xu, ya, ye, yo, and za.”

    Some three-letter words are:  pya, rya, yah, yak, yam, yap, yar, yaw, and yay.

    Here is a link to Scrabble strategy: https://www.businessinsider.com/scrabble-tips-exchange-tiles-2018-9

    To see the whole gambit of the new 300 words that have been added such as zomboid, Qapik, and bestie, please click on this link:  https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/new-scrabble-words-2018/twerk

    I didn’t know that words for money currencies, like Qapik, are allowed in Scrabble. But they are!

    Or how about aquafaba (four A’s!), the name for the water that beans are cooked in,  is also allowed.

    Or bizjet. Yes, bizjet is allowed and it has a Z (10 points!) and a J (8 points!) and if you can open with it and make it plural (living the dream–multiple jets!) for a whopping 120 points. t.

    Scrabble Trivia

    Scrabble even has its own special day: April 13th is National Scrabble Day. The game was created by Alfred Mosher Butts, an American architect, in 1938.

    • There are exactly 100 tiles in Scrabble
    • There are 225 squares on the Scrabble board
    • Earning at least 30 points per turn is the mark of an good Scrabble player

    Jessica or I could spend hours on the Merriam-Webster website reading posts like this one:  10 Obscure Words That Are Somehow Real.  

    And here is another Scrabble post from AP News:  https://apnews.com/9e99f02fdf1444b78208d6f76b78677a

    Here are some links for online Scrabble playing: 

    You can play for free (without an ad blocker) or pay $.6.99 a month. You can cancel at anytime. POGO is owned by publicly traded Electronic Arts Inc., which should be more secure than other apps.

    It will take a bit to set-up on POGO, but once you are set-up, it will go much more quickly. Promise!

    POGO  Online Games that you can play remotely with others or by yourself.   https://earlyaccess.pogo.com/

    To start, pause your ad blocker if you have one and then enter your age on the slider on the homepage and you will be taken to the site.

    You will need to register. Click the Register Now blue button (remember this is a regulated publicly traded stock, so it should be safe. And there is the LOCK secure image on the far left of the URL).

    You will need a secure password. Be sure to keep track of it.

    Then sign in.  Pogo will have a video to show you around.

    Type SCRABBLE in the search field or take a look around at all  they have to offer.

    You can play now or take on up to three friends.  Your friends will need to register also.

    Then you can create a TABLE where others can join you.  I am new to this online gaming stuff, but once I figured it out it was fun. There are all sorts of options and rules for any level.

    (Remember to play free, you have to have your ad blocker off). To play without ads, you will need to join for $6.99 a month, you can cancel at any time according to EA Inc terms.

    Now back to the game!  

    Keep writing, keep dreaming, have heart.  Jessica   

    Keep writing and creating magic. Kiffer  

    Take care. Be safe. 

    Minimize physical contact! Maximize social connecting!

  • CAMPARI CRIMSON: Franki Amato Mysteries, Book 4 by Traci Andrighetti – Private Investigator Mysteries, Vampire Mysteries, Cozy Mysteries

    CAMPARI CRIMSON: Franki Amato Mysteries, Book 4 by Traci Andrighetti – Private Investigator Mysteries, Vampire Mysteries, Cozy Mysteries

    Texas transplant Franki Amato has only lived in New Orleans for only a year and a half, but she has already seen some pretty strange things. As a private investigator for Private Chicks, she has had her share of oddball cases and clients, but this one is blood-curdling – a vampire serial killer is stalking The Big Easy. With Halloween only days away, the initial robberies of local blood banks by a caped figure seem more prank-like than serious until a fraternity member of Delta Upsilon Delta is found drained of blood in one of the city’s above-ground crypts with the message “Campari Crimson” scrawled on the wall in his own blood. Franki wants nothing to do with the cryptic case, but when a psychic gives Franki a chilling impromptu reading from a restless spirit who claims someone drained and drank his blood and then warns her the same thing is going to happen to her brother Anthony, Franki fears she will be drawn in anyway. Her fears are confirmed when Josh Santo, a multi-millionaire millennial, hires Franki to find the real culprit after he is accused of the thefts. Josh’s bizarre behavior of dressing up as infamous self-proclaimed NOLA vamp Compte Jacques de Saint Germain – all while living in the house belonging to the bloodsucker – attracts the attention of Detective Wesley Sullivan and Franki thinks Josh may be more guilty than innocent. As the case escalates with yet another killing, Franki faces danger at every turn and finding the killer becomes entirely too personal. The Crescent City on the eve of a blood moon Halloween, what could possibly go wrong?

    Real terror meets comedy that forces the reader to hang on with both hands in this fast-paced romp through one of America’s most enigmatic cities. From the sixty-something ex-stripper and nudist Glenda to Pam the hippie with her sweater-wearing Dachshund, this novel is one fun ride. Around every corner, it is sure to surprise like a Gothic cabaret funhouse. The vividly drawn characters are a genuine joy, and the city is celebrated in fine fashion. Anyone who has ever visited and loved this famously irreverent place will appreciate how NOLA becomes a living, breathing entity. Set against the backdrop of voodoo, cities of the dead, and history ripe with vampire lore, New Orleans is intricately woven into every aspect of the plot. One aspect of the city that comes through loud and clear is the idea of “live and let live.” First appearing on a necklace worn by one of the characters, this theme extends throughout the plot from a priest’s “judge not” advice to Raven the vampire’s philosophy of only feeding on willing donors. A feeling of acceptance for all permeates the atmosphere of N’Awlins and thus the novel. “Let the good times roll” is more than a motto; it’s a way of life for the New Orleanians.

    What do you get when you cross a meddling nonna with a slacker brother? For Franki, you get family. When Franki is bulldozed by her mother into taking in her grandmother and brother (despite the fact that she has only a one-bedroom apartment), she doesn’t send the two packing back to Texas. Although an unwilling participant in this new “get Anthony a life” scheme, Franki still agrees to take them and even gives up her bed for her nonna, a force of nature in black weighing in at less than a hundred pounds. Nonna’s constant meddling in Franki’s love life, or lack thereof, and her case are both an annoyance and a sweet reminder of an Italian grandmother’s love. Regardless of the problems they cause, both Nonna and Anthony are family, “[a]nd among Italian-Americans, family [is] everything.” It’s an endearing part of the story that will make the reader love Franki Amato even more.

    Campari Crimson: Franki Amato Mysteries, Book 4 by Traci Andrighetti won First Place in the CIBA 2018 M&M Awards for Mystery and Mayhem novels.

     

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  • 15 Self-Editing Tips from the Editor’s Desk of Jessica Morrell – Chanticleer Writers Toolbox

    15 Self-Editing Tips from the Editor’s Desk of Jessica Morrell – Chanticleer Writers Toolbox

    Refresh your writing with these Self-Editing Tips

    It is time to Spring Clean our writing habits with precise, fresh language. Jessica Morrell suggests searching for these culprits that can easily sneak into our writing.

    Declutter Your Sentences by Eliminating These Junk Words

    1. Breathing, deep breaths, barely breathing, inhaling, exhaling, and other lung movements.  Many writers of all levels reveal their characters’ emotions and reactions using their breath, lack of breath, breathlessness, or as their main method of reacting and showing emotion. “I took a deep breath” is a phrase I’ve seen so often it’s a cliche.  Unless a character has the breath knocked out of him or is in the midst of childbirth, avoid focusing on breathing as your main means to create emotion. Instead collect a variety of mannerisms, reactions, gestures, and body language individual to each character.
    2. Said exclamations: Today’s readers are sophisticated and understand when characters are talking and that at times the character’s voices and emotions change. The notion is the ‘he said, she said’ parts of fiction appear invisible. Readers understand that a character might sound shrill by the circumstances and dialogue spoken so you don’t need to proclaim, Mary Ellen shrieked shrilly. Never write Jason emoted, pleaded, bantered, snarked, smirked, blasted, bleated, peeped, groused. Now occasionally in the midst of a horror story, you might want to underline how terrified a character is, but consider dabbing these attributions in only for the most terrifying or surprising moments.
    3. Down or up. As in Rachel sat down. Now Rachel can collapse into a chair, or sidle into an empty seat in a dark theater, or ease onto a sofa, or flump onto a bed. Sit and sat means a person is lowering himself or herself.  As in down. More accurately sit means supporting your weight on your buttocks.  Question your use of up. It seems so innocent, doesn’t it? Blithe stood up. Stood means up because standing means a person is upright, supporting himself on his feet.  Denzel stood, joining the screaming fans. Also, do not write grabbed up; grabbed suffices. Avoid appending up to spoke, hurry, lift, climb, and rose.
    4. Towards, backwards, forwards, upwards, downwards.  Replace with toward, backward, forward, upward, downward.
    5. Clichés.  Oh how, I hate thee. Eliminate all your I took a deep breath. Ditto for eyes widened, out of the corner of my eye, jaw dropped, raven locks, and steely blue eyes. Then there is:  Each and every, knife to my heart, piece of cake, fire in the belly, he/she took my breath away. And before you write about your characters staring into each other’s eyes, think about how often it happens in real life and how often it happens in your stories.
    6. Mind matters, especially in the first person. You don’t need to report on how the character is reviewing things in his/her mind because this distances the reader and reminds her there is a narrator instead of the reader living amid the story world. So eliminate ‘mind raced‘ ‘thoughts raced‘ ‘mind’s eye‘ (a truly lame term), and ‘searching her mind.’
    7. Really. I mean really? Do you need it? Is the weather really cold or is it frigid or dangerously cold?
    8. I saw. If you’re writing in close first person you don’t need the I saw or I looked part of the sentence. Example: I saw ahead of me three leprechauns frolicking merrily in the grass. Instead: Ahead three leprechauns frolicked merrily in the grass. Why? The reader wants to pretend that he or she is spotting the leprechauns along with the character. Also describing the leprechauns implies the narrator or character is seeing or observing. No need to state it.
    9. Literally means exactly as described or in a literal or strict sense. It does not mean quite, actually or really. Wrong: I was so mad I was literally shaking like a leaf and red-faced. Or, I was so terrified I literally jumped out of my skin. Or, Her death literally brought me to my knees.  Better: The playoffs were watched by literally millions of fans.
    10. Basically, essentially, obviously, basically, totally. Hint: question every adverb you use with an -ly ending because many are so overused they’ve become meaningless. However, the larger issue is many people sow these words into their stories without understanding their correct meanings mostly to maximize or intensify. Over time many adverbs have become meaningless. Basically means at a basic level or fundamental sense, not almost or mostly. Essentially means the essence of something or in an essential manner, not almost or often.  Practically means in a practical manner not almost or mostly. Totally means completely, in every part, not really.
    11. Moments. I’ve read manuscripts where characters pause or think or kiss for only a moment hundreds of times throughout the story. There are plenty of ways to describe brief actions or thoughts.
    12. Suddenly. Because if you’re reading fiction you assume that actions, twists, and surprises will happen abruptly. They are devices used to increase tension and suspense. No need to announce it.
    13. That. If a sentence works without that, ditch it. Easy, right?
    14. Just. No, I’m not just kidding. Too many of us (guilt-hand raised) use this one out of habit. 
    15. Prepositional phrases. Prepositions are the carbohydrates of language. Of course, we need them for clarity but use with care. Instead of a book of poetry, use poetry book. Instead of a tower of flames, use towering flames.

    Kiffer’s Note:  So here’s the trick: When writing your first draft, write it. Don’t worry about the trees—words. Concentrate on the forest—the story. Then, when you are editing fix these issues. Replace dullards with the perfect words that will move your story forward, increase tension, enhance the atmosphere, add depth to your characters, make your dialogue pop, and immerse your reader into the world that you have created.

     A handy tool to help you recognize if these egregious junk words have infiltrated your manuscript is the “Find and Replace” tool that  can be found in WORD or other word processors. This tool finds and highlights specific words so that you can replace if needed to insure that every word counts. Click on this link, if you would like more information and how this tool works:  https://support.office.com/en-us/article/find-and-replace-text-c6728c16-469e-43cd-afe4-7708c6c779b7

    Don’t always use the first word or phrase that pops into your head because you might be using rusty, old clichés. Or fix these dullards when you edit. Like stock still, fast asleep, choking back tears, stirred up a hornet’s nest, did a double take, under the radar, and never in her wildest dreams.

    You are welcome to copy and paste this article into a document and print it for your writing craft and tools notebook for ease of access while you are editing you work-in-progress.

    Jessica Page Morrell

    Jessica Page Morrell is a top-tier developmental editor for books and screenplays. Her articles have appeared in Writer’s Digest and The Writer magazines. She is known for explaining the hows and whys of what makes for excellent writing and for sharing very clear examples that examine the technical aspects of writing that emphases layering and subtext. Her books on writing craft are considered “a must have” for any serious writer’s toolkit.

    Jessica will teach the Master Craft Writing Classes at the Chanticleer Authors Conference on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020  and will present sessions during the conference. She and Kiffer will also host a fun kaffeeklatch for Word Nerds at CAC20.

    Did you know that Chanticleer offers editorial services? We do and have been doing so since 2011.

    And that our professional editors are top-notch and are experts in the Chicago Manual of Style. They have and are working for the top publishing houses (TOR, Macmillan, Thomas Mercer, Penguin Random House, etc.) and award-winning independent presses. If you would like more information, we invite you to email Kiffer or Sharon at KBrown@ChantiReviews.com or SAnderson@ChantiReviews.com.

    Click here to read more about our Editorial services: https://www.chantireviews.com/services/Editorial-Services-p85337185

    A great way to get started is with our manuscript evaluation service. Here are some handy links about this tried and true service:

    https://www.chantireviews.com/manuscript-reviews/

    We work with a small number of exclusive clients who want to collaborate with our team of top-editors on an on-going basis. Contact us today!

    Writer’s Toolbox

    Thank you for reading this Chanticleer Writer’s Toolbox article. 

  • EVIL UNDER the STARS: The Agatha Christie Book Club (Book 3) by C.A. Larmer – British/Irish Cozy Mystery, Humorous Literary Fiction, Cozy Mysteries

    EVIL UNDER the STARS: The Agatha Christie Book Club (Book 3) by C.A. Larmer – British/Irish Cozy Mystery, Humorous Literary Fiction, Cozy Mysteries

    Who commits a murder in a crowd of a hundred people relaxing in a park, and how did the Agatha Christie Book Club miss the entire thing from only a few feet away? In the trendy Sydney suburb of Balmain, Kat Mumford, social media interior design star, has been murdered during the inaugural Cinema Under the Stars. Her distraught husband, Eliot, is clearly the prime suspect, but at the time of Kat’s strangulation, he is nowhere near her. In fact, no one was sitting near Kat, and the crowd seems to have been so absorbed by the movie, Agatha Christie’s Evil Under Sun, that no one saw a thing out of the ordinary. 

    When Alicia Finlay and her book club realize the murder occurred right under their noses, there is no way they can just let the police handle it. When Alicia’s boyfriend, Detective Inspector Liam Jackson, actually calls her for information, she and her club decide to do a little investigating of their own. Despite being told to butt out, Alicia, Lynette, Claire, Missy, and Perry go undercover to find the killer, but the twists, in this case, will lead them down a strange path to find a crafty killer. The club must sift through the suspects: a smarmy barman, a detestable reverend, a pregnant domestic abuse victim, a mystery mustached man, a dead junky, and a hipster hubby. With few clues but many dead ends, the club will meet their most challenging mystery yet!

    This third book in The Agatha Christie Book Club series is one crazy ride. Anyone who loves a good whodunnit will adore this novel. C.A. Larmer makes it easy for readers to learn who’s who in the Agatha Christie Book Club. There’s Claire, the vintage clothing shop owner; Missy, the pink-haired librarian; Perry, museum PR organizer; Lynette, self-trained food blogger; Alicia, online journalist; and even the reluctant Anders, the doctor who pronounces Kat dead on the scene. They all create a fantastic cast of characters who genuinely engage the readers from the first page. Like Christie’s beloved Miss Marple, the book club members are amateur sleuths who rely on a stealthy approach to crime-solving and often go undercover. DI Indira Singh, the no-nonsense, by-the-book detective in charge of the case, is not amused – on more than one occasion. The ease with which the author introduces this kooky crew of curious minds will make it simple to jump in headfirst and enjoy this fast-paced roller coaster complete with plenty of red herrings and dead ends, eventually leading to a killer who manages a daring, deadly crime in the middle of hundreds of witnesses. 

    An unexpected plus in the plot is the romance between Alicia and Liam. Having just broken up with another club member Anders (creating tension among the book club), Alicia’s fledgling relationship with hunky Liam experiences some bumps when she interferes with his case. Still, the respect he has in her abilities–and that of the club–adds depth to what appears to be solely a mystery novel on the surface. Liam seeks out Alicia’s help, valuing her abilities, and not attempting to control her. Being the less attractive of the Finlay sisters, Alicia is often “eclipsed” by the beautiful blonde Lynette, but she never feels anything less with Liam. He makes it “crystal clear which sister he prefer[s] in his orbit.” Liam even takes Alicia “on the beat” to track down would-be suspects and leads, partly because he needs her and partly because he knows she will love it. This symbiotic-style relationship is sweet in a mature way that romance readers will appreciate. In short, Larmer will delight her followers with this third installment of the series, and have new fans ordering up the first two books in no time! Highly recommended. 

    Evil Under the Stars won First Place in the CIBA 2018 Mayhem & Mystery Awards.

     

  • A Letter and Update from Kiffer Brown, president of Chanticleer Reviews

    A Letter and Update from Kiffer Brown, president of Chanticleer Reviews

    Hello to You, Wherever You Are Roosting. 

    I do hope that this email finds you well and safe during this unprecedented time of the COVID-19 pandemic that is presenting new challenges on many fronts: globally, nationally, and locally.

    If you are like me, you found yourself this past week checking on loved ones, procuring supplies for self-isolation, reading the latest news and updates on the coronavirus, and scrambling around to try to batten down the hatches for the approaching storm along with trying to make some sort of sense out of what is happening on different fronts.

    We want to extend our concern and support to you, dear Chanticleer Community. We consider you our friends and colleagues. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during these trying times.

    While Chanticleer Reviews is based out of a small corner in the great Pacific Northwest, in Bellingham, Wash., our community is indeed global. Chanticleerians hail from the fifty states and territories of the USA, Canada, England, Australia, Holland, Germany, Spain, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Africa, Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, and the list goes on. The Chanticleer Community is truly global. We are all in this together. And together we are strong. 

    Please know that the Chanticleer Team of professional reviewers, top-notch editors, picky book awards judges, bloggers, graphic artists, SEO and Meta-Data specialists, website masters, and others all have worked as telecommuters  for years (as is now standard for many in the publishing industry) and we are ready to serve you.

    As for our small admin team and student interns, we began working from our homes starting on Sunday, March 8th  for the protection of our small staff and to do our part to prevent the spread of the virus. The university and the local college closed on Wednesday, March 11th sending most students back to their homes. Now that we are all working from our respective home offices for a while, the best way to reach us is by the emails listed at the close of this post.

    By now, many of you know that the Chanticleer Authors Conference that was scheduled for mid-April has been rescheduled to be held on September 4-6, 2020 at the beautiful Hotel Bellwether, Bellingham. The good news is that ALL of the keynote presenters and faculty have confirmed to present and teach for the new dates. CAC20 is now a little more than five months in the future and we are looking forward to it immensely!

    Meanwhile, the Spring edition of the Chanticleer Reviews magazine is about ready to publish. Our professional reviewers and editors are staying busy.

    We have added new divisions to the 2020 Chanticleer International Book Awards to accommodate the increasing number of entries submitted. Judges are busy with the difficult responsibility of deciding which of the 2019 CIBA finalists will advance to the next level. We are shooting for early May to make announcements regarding the 2019 CIBAs. We will keep you posted and updated as soon as we hear anything. Promise!

    Since 2010, Chanticleer has grown authentically and organically with your support and patronage. We will continue to post our informative blogs on writing craft, marketing tips and tools, the latest in publishing technology for authors and publishers in this new era of content creation for storytelling in all its forms.

    We look forward to working with you on your writing projects in the 2020’s and beyond. Please look for our blog posts, emails, videos, podcasts, and social media postings. If you haven’t subscribed to our free e-news, we invite you to do so.  Also, we are starting a column on the Chanticleer Reviews website to promote your good news, book launches, and promotions. We are currently reaching out to online Book Clubs and will have more news about that. So, please stay tuned!

    We encourage you to stay in contact with each other and with us  during this stint of practicing physical distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

    Let us know how you are doing, what is going on where you live, how are you progressing on your writing projects.

    I invite each of you to join us at The Roost – a private online Chanticleer Community for writers and authors and publishing professionals.

    We are active on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can find us by using our social media handle @ChantiReviews

    Minimize physical contact! Maximize social connecting!

    Here are our contact emails:  

    General information:  Chanticleer@ChantiReviews.com

    Editorial:  BookEditor@ChantiReviews.com

    Reviews: Sanderson@ChantiReviews.com

    Me:  KBrown@ChantiReviews.com

    Take care, be safe.

    Keep writing and creating magic! 

    Kiffer and Sharon & Entire Team Chanticleer 

  • BICKER and the SOOLIVANS by Jenna Hestekin – American Civil War Era, Historical & Heartwarming Romance, Family Drama

    BICKER and the SOOLIVANS by Jenna Hestekin – American Civil War Era, Historical & Heartwarming Romance, Family Drama

    The Soolivan family is split apart by the Civil War, but when the ugly side of fate intervenes, a silver lining appears to bring a broken family back together again. While Andy Soolivan is convalescing in the hospital with his new friend, Bicker, he receives news that his uncles have all been killed. In a letter explaining the details, August Soolivan urges his son Andy to come home. The family has suffered enough.

    As the Soolivan family comes back together, a one-armed Bicker arrives like a lost pup looking for a home. He is welcomed into a family that values togetherness above all else. Penelope, the oldest daughter, catches his eye. The only problem is Penelope. She’s hiding the fact that she is engaged to her beau, who is still fighting in the war. She agonizes, though, because he hasn’t written in weeks. But she isn’t the only daughter in the family with secrets to keep. Will fate allow the Soolivan family to find peace when the war has taken so much from them, and will the emerging feelings between Penelope and Bicker be allowed to flourish? Fate and family are at the heart of Bicker and the Soolivans, and everyone from the casual reader to the critic will feel their heart warmed throughout this authentic feel-good story.

    Hestekin’s greatest strength is her ability to create well-developed, engaging characters that fuel a wonderfully character-driven story. The majority of the novel takes place at the Soolivan home and in the nearby small town of Alma, Wisconsin. The characters drive a gripping tale of a family coming together to heal from the losses of a devastating war and the splitting apart again to follow love’s new beginnings.

    Bicker and the Soolivans will sweep you off your feet, make you forget about the current state of world affairs, and fall in love with the antics of a midwestern family in Civil War-era America.

    Jenna Hestekin’s Bicker and the Soolivans earned Semi-Finalist status in the CIBAs 2018 for American Western Fiction, the LARAMIE Awards.

     

     

    **You can purchase a copy of Bicker and the Soolivans directly from the author’s website, by clicking here.

  • JETTY CAT PALACE CAFÉ by Judy Keeslar Santamaria – Magic Realism, Psychological Literary Fiction, Literary Fiction

    JETTY CAT PALACE CAFÉ by Judy Keeslar Santamaria – Magic Realism, Psychological Literary Fiction, Literary Fiction

    Judy Keeslar Santamaria’s skillfully crafted debut novel, Jetty Cat Palace Café, takes the reader from the sophisticated urban areas of Washington state to its remote cranberry coast, accompanying professor Morgen Marín on a life-altering quest.

    Like a present-day recipient of a DNA test gone wrong, when 34-year old Morgen, celebrated pianist and music professor, leaves after visiting her elderly grandmother Eleanor, her mind is spinning. Eleanor, preparing for the inevitable, shared family history, documents, and longstanding questions, which blindsided her granddaughter.

    Everything Morgen believed about herself is wrong—not an uncommon experience, but still . . .

    For Morgen, clarity is often elusive. She frequently misperceives the world around her. Like Alice, after she walked through the looking glass, Morgen exists in a kind of alternative universe. While Alice’s experiences were novel, magical even, Morgen’s are not. She lives on the autism spectrum.

    Setting out with her mother’s restored Volkswagen bus and the keys to a storage unit containing family papers and memorabilia, Morgen has a clear sense of purpose. She is on a single-minded journey to find her mother’s stolen cremation urn, learn the identity of her biological father, and free herself from the man who has dominated and abused her for years.

    Her search takes her to a remote fish camp on Washington’s cranberry coast, miles away from the hectic, affluent areas bordering the Puget Sound. The cast of characters she meets are society’s flotsam and jetsam who drifted in on random currents and found safe harbor in this isolated place, straight into the Jetty Cat Palace Café. With the locals’ claims of the place being haunted, the café binds the motley group together with unseen ties.

    How these random people, in this unlikely place, are melded into parts of Morgen’s past and future creates a story that stretches readers’ credulity and imagination. And, as in looking glass land, Morgen learns that things are not always as they seem, random events have meaning within their own context, and actions from the past exist as long as there is someone left to perceive them.

    In Jetty Cat Palace Café, Judy Keeslar Santamaria’s often lyrical, meticulous writing, engaging characters, vivid imagery, and intricate plot work together to create a winner.

     

  • CONFESSIONS FROM the CONSORTIUM of ROGUE GENE SCIENTISTS by Charles and Cassandra Doe – Metaphysical Science Fiction, Medical Fiction, One-Hour Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Reads

    CONFESSIONS FROM the CONSORTIUM of ROGUE GENE SCIENTISTS by Charles and Cassandra Doe – Metaphysical Science Fiction, Medical Fiction, One-Hour Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Reads

    Confessions from the Consortium of Rogue Gene Scientists is presented as a letter to guide the surviving children of a pair of married scientists who have died as a result of a mysterious genetic illness. The letter is an attempt to prepare the children, explain who and what they are, and what they will likely encounter and why.

    I would be remiss if I didn’t start with what Confessions from the Consortium of Rogue Gene Scientists isn’t before I try to describe what it is. It isn’t a novel or novella. It is around 6,200 words. In literary terms, that’s about 25 pages. It is a mixture of poetry and rational reasoning that borders on brilliant.

    The children’s parents are genetic engineers and researchers. The children are the products of their parents’ work. They are genetically engineered, even though the practice is against the law. Despite the intense societal backlash against the genetic engineering of people, it was the only way to assure the children would not be afflicted with the diseases that killed their parents.

    Confessions from the Consortium of Rogue Gene Scientists is written in the first-person, past tense in the voice of the children’s last surviving parent, their father. The observations within it are revealing; observations on the nature of man, the nature of life, and the root of why things are the way they are. This short story will open your eyes and make you think, and maybe make you a little sad.

    In a sense, this remarkable, thought-provoking treatise serves as a chilling warning to what the children can expect in the future—a warning, perhaps, not only for the scientists’ children but for us all. In a very real way, the letter feels like the start of something bigger, a strong foundation for a groundbreaking work. We can only wait and see. What is certain, the work may be short, but it will stay with you for a very long time.

     

     

     

  • COWBOY by Bob C. Holt – Literary Fiction, Vietnam Era Coming of Age, Literary

    COWBOY by Bob C. Holt – Literary Fiction, Vietnam Era Coming of Age, Literary

    Love is at the center of Cowboy, a novel set in the turbulent 1960s. Love of family, friends, country, love of exploring your personal freedoms, and of course, the love you can experience when you’re young that hurts so bad you can taste it.

    Jim Davis is a Texan, born and bred, who knows early on he must sample life away from the insular farm life of his small home town. Life at home is complicated by the turbulent relationship with a highly religious hard-driven father and a younger, football-star brother. Love of country and love of God are never far from the life of his family, but neither is Jim’s love of girls and sex, which carries a level of complexity all its own.

    Jim’s plans for his own future become even more problematic when his father insists that he join the military. When he enlists in the Army, Jim becomes an officer, and, thanks in part to his completion of a dangerous mission—and his girlfriend, the daughter of a general—a successful life in the military seems all but assured.

    Except he’s not biting. What else does the world offer? Jim leaves the military, winds up as a student at an eastern university, and discovers for the first time the drugs, sex, anti-war sentiments and other new feelings that became everyday experiences to others of his generation. All that becomes secondary to his relationship with Trish, the girl he falls in love with, who provides him with even greater complexities and harder choices that he could have ever foreseen. Can he allow her emotional roller coaster to control his life? Then again, can he truly live without her?

    While their relationship is the centerpiece of Cowboy, the novel also provides a sketchbook of the times as seen by a young man who doesn’t necessarily buy into the social revolution in the glowing terms as do many of his contemporaries. Setting aside all that, Jim’s willingness to wait out the twists and turns of Trish’s life will ring true for anyone of any generation who has entered the country of love and discovered there are no paved roads and no roadmap.

    To 21st Century readers, this is a historical novel. It takes place more than a half-century ago when so many of the social mores were first challenged by millions of young people across the world. How people talk to each other sometimes feels stagy. But it still rings true, both to the times and to the emotional makeup of the many characters who appear throughout the novel.

    While Cowboy has the shape and feel of a memoir, it’s a worthwhile read for anyone who wants to remember the ‘60s or has a curiosity about that fabled era that their parents and/or grandparents lived through. More important, however, is the love story of Jim and Trish. The dynamics of their fragile love ring true for anyone of any age.

    Cowboy by Bob Holt won CIBA 2018 Somerset First in Category in the SOMERSET Awards for literature.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

Chanticleer Book Reviews