Chanticleer Book Reviews

Blog

  • Prepping to Write – Plotting, Inciting Incidents, Atmosphere, Characters – Brainstorming Tips for the NaNoWriMo Season – Chanticleer’s Writer’s Toolbox Series

    Prepping to Write – Plotting, Inciting Incidents, Atmosphere, Characters – Brainstorming Tips for the NaNoWriMo Season – Chanticleer’s Writer’s Toolbox Series

    The FIRST RULE of Writing Your Next Book

    (From top editor Jessica Morrell and Chanticleer’s own Kiffer Brown along with advice from Stephen King, Chelsea Cain, Ernest Hemingway, Robert Dugoni, and many more bestselling authors).

    Don’t edit your first draft as you write it!

    Writing your first draft should be a mad dash to get your story out of your brain. Don’t hinder it by worrying about each little detail. There will be time for that later. NaNoWriMo or not.

    Not taking our word for that piece of advice?

    Chelsea Cain, a bestselling thriller author (with a TV series to her credit),  gives this piece of advice:

    Write the bare-bones version of the scene first using mostly dialogue, and then move on and in the second draft flesh out the scenes with description and action.

    Action is dialogue. Dialogue is action. – Robert Dugoni, Amazon Bestselling Author

    What is YOUR STORY?

    Story is essentially a problem that needs solving for the protagonist. – Jessica Morrell

    • What is your protagonist’s problem that must be solved—or else?
    • What is the worst thing that can happen next to your protagonist?
    • Remember that it is not your problem. It is your protagonist’s problem, obstacle, impossible dream.
    • Start at least one subplot. This subplot(s) should also complicate the protagonist’s goals.

    No matter when the problem begins (it’s always in Act One) the problem is weighty and vexing, perhaps insurmountable. If the problem is not immediately personal, it should become so that it will create a bond (connection) between the protagonist and antagonist. (A classic example is the connection between Sherlock Holmes and Jim Moriarty).

    Sherlock Holmes and Jim Moriarty

    What is the inciting event or threat? 

    The inciting incident might lead to the problem. This event will disrupt the status quo, demand response, and set actions in motion. It’s a threat that unbalances the story world and creates dilemmas that must be dealt with.

     These excerpts above are from The Inciting Incident blogpost

    Environment (internal and external)

    • Remember you want to send your protagonist into new emotional territory with new challenges and pressures.
    • And at the same time, she will need to deal with new physical territories such as a new school (Footloose) or a different culture (Dances with Wolves) or a different legal society with different norms (Handmaid’s Tale) or a new environment (Deadwood)  or a different time ( Outlander) or galaxy (Farscape).
    • Don’t be afraid to stage danger in benign or lovely settings or conversely gentle scenes in dangerous and gruesome settings.

    Atmosphere

    • Allow the overall atmosphere and mood to imbue your writing from the get-go.
    • The atmosphere lends itself to the overall tone and mood of a work. Allow it to permeate your work as you write.

    Why use atmosphere in your first draft? (or during NaNoWriMo)? 

      • Because it will affect your mood and approach to your story.
      • It will make you focus on creating unease–a necessary ingredient not always considered in early drafts.
      • Unease contributes to writing a page-turner.
      • Atmosphere underlines themes–even if you don’t have your themes nailed down yet.

    Here is the link to our Writer’s Toolbox article on Atmosphere

    Emotional Baggage

    • Know your protagonist’s main emotional wound, sometimes called baggage in real life. How is it going to affect his or her ability to solve the story problem? (See the questions below to jumpstart creativity.)

    Remember that Writers (that is you) should carry a notebook everywhere you go. You never know when a brilliant solution is going to appear. Jessica Morrell

      If I could offer a single piece of advice about creating characters it would be this (Jessica Morrell):

      • Take risks with your main characters.
      • Make them stand out from the myriads of fiction published each year.
      • And don’t be afraid to allow eccentricities, quirks, and oddball ways of seeing reality.

      More questions for your protagonist from Jessica Morrell—these are guaranteed to get your creative wheels turning:

      First, ask yourself these questions and then “ask” your protagonist. Have your protagonist go into depth. Find out what your protagonist’s iceberg under the waterline is all about.

      Photo taken in Greenland’s waters.

      Kiffer suggests that you take a walk when you are considering these questions. Be sure to either take notes or record your thoughts on your smartphone while you explore your protagonist’s emotional baggage. Walk a mile in your protagonist’s shoes. 

      • What’s the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?
      • What is your biggest regret?
      • What is your superpower?
      • Who do you cherish most in the world?
      • If you could change one thing about your world, what would it be?
      • What is your average day or schedule?
      • What 5-6 words sum up your values?
      • What do you do after a really bad day?
      • How do you celebrate?
      • The secret you’d never tell your significant other? Your mother? Your sibling?
      • What reminds you of home?
      • What item must you always take along when traveling?
      • Favorite drink?
      • Secret vice?
      • Pizza or tacos? Cookies or tequila?
      • Favorite climate?
      • Reading or television to unwind?
      • Breakfast or coffee only?

      We hope that we helping you, Dear Writer, to arm and prep yourself to get down to the writing of your next work—the reckoning.

       

       

      Ernest Hemingway:  There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.

      Stay tuned for more NaNoWriMo Tips // Jump Start Your Novel Tips

       

      Chanticleer Editorial Services – when you are ready

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

      Tools of the Editing Trade

      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, McMillian, Thomas Mercer, Penguin Random House, Simon Schuster, etc.).

      If you would like more information, we invite you to email Kiffer or Sharon at KBrown@ChantiReviews.com or SAnderson@ChantiReviews.com for more information, testimonials, and fees.

      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!

      Chanticleer Editorial Services also offers writing craft sessions and masterclasses. Sign up to find out where, when, and how sessions being held.

      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/

      Writer’s Toolbox

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

      Writers Toolbox Helpful Links: 

      The INCITING INCIDENT: STORY, SETBACKS and SURPRISES for the PROTAGONIST – A Writer’s Toolbox Series from Jessica Morrell’s Editor’s Desk

      ESSENCE of CHARACTERS – Part One – From the Jessica Morrell’s Editor’s Desk – Writer’s Toolbox Series  

      Keep writing, keep dreaming, have heart. Jessica

      Jessica Morrell is a top-tier developmental editor and a contributor to Chanticleer Reviews Media and to the Writer’s Digest magazine. She teaches Master Writing Craft Classes at the Chanticleer Authors Conference that is held annually along with teaching at Chanticleer writing workshops that are held throughout the year. 

       

      Keep creating magic! Kiffer 

      Kathryn (Kiffer) Brown is CEO and co-founder of Chanticleer Reviews and Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards (The CIBAs) that Discover Today’s Best Books. She founded Chanticleer Reviews in 2010 to help authors to unlock the secrets of successful publishing and to enhance book discoverability. She is also a scout for select literary agencies, publishing houses, and entertainment producers.

       

      The Secret to Successful Publishing

    • AFTER OLYMPUS: A Work of Quasi-Fiction by Santiago Xaman – Magic Realism, Literary Fiction, Multi-Cultural

      AFTER OLYMPUS: A Work of Quasi-Fiction by Santiago Xaman – Magic Realism, Literary Fiction, Multi-Cultural

      Reviewers note:  Consider the term, “quasi-fiction” in the subtitle of this novel by Santiago Xaman. It’s key to reading and understanding this deeply compelling and innovative work. The book begins with two definitions of quasi-fiction:  1. A narrative combining fictional characters with published facts of minor historical significance. 2. The form of realism evoked by quasi-fictional content. Having completed the book, I find I must smile at the term, “realism,” as used in the second definition.

      In this groundbreaking novel, what is real – and what isn’t – is always the heart of the matter. There are elements of reality in the fantastical, and there are elements of magic realism in the rather ordinary. After Olympus is a novel about characters who don’t just think outside the box; they are outside the box.

      Intrigued? You should be. We don’t see novels like this every day, but this one will find its way into the hands of the most discerning readers.

      After Olympus is arranged into six sections: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delton, Epsilon, and Omega. Yes, Greek letters, very appropriate for a work laced with mythic associations, associations that will take the reader, as the title notes. Santiago Xaman tells his story via a manuscript found on his property in California. We learn of his childhood in Guatemala in the 1950s and early 1960s, his plea to Xaman Ek, the North Star, for the power of invisibility. We meet his sister who wants to fly like the Mancho bird that nests where the rainbow ends. A fire will change the tide of Santiago’s life, eventually bringing him to the United States, where adoptive American parents raise him.

      Throughout his adult life, he will live with a Russian woman raised in the communist Soviet Union and who has burdensome secrets that will impact Santiago’s life in ordinary and extraordinary ways. One night, Santiago witnesses what he thinks is a falling star but is fuselage falling from a Soviet spacecraft. The event brings two international Stanford scientists to his door and a puzzle of a quest begins, one that will encompass the themes of schism and reconciliation, myopia and sight, and inequity and prosperity.

      Gus, a businessman with a dream to be the “Yahoo of the medical world,” will join this group that Santiago comes to refer to as “magicians.” They will accomplish things that might seem magical, but just as one must carefully observe a magician for sleight of hand, the reader should follow the words of this enigmatic narrative with complete focus.

      The magicians’ projects include designing new frameworks to analyze and make use of neuropsychological testing, intersections of social and political media, employment opportunities for young women with small children, and a gamut of concepts intended to make the world a better place through the removal of hurdles and the dissolving of problems. If technical innovation can be decapitalized and the profits realized by those most deserving of them, the economy can be reinvented. But there are villains on the scene as well and what they do to counter the magicians’ is astounding.

      The ultimate triumph of After Olympus is that it’s not just one book. It will be different books for different people. Included in it is the old and classic story of the blind men who describe an elephant in entirely different ways. What one brings to this book may influence what one thinks they’re reading. The ending alone will make readers wonder if they really know the difference between tusk and tail.

      After Olympus is a superb selection for any book group interested in a novel that is so thoroughly outside the box, so uncaged, that it’s a bit wild, in the best of ways.

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

    • OCTOBER is PARANORMAL TIME for ALL things that go BUMP in the night!

      OCTOBER is PARANORMAL TIME for ALL things that go BUMP in the night!

      October is for OZMA, but of course, it also stands for Ooooooo-Oooooo!

      Ghosts and goblins and haunted places. Oh, my!

      Welcome to the PARANORMAL Book Awards!

      We’re ready. Are you?

      Paranormal Fiction Awards

      Every year during the month of October, we carve faces into our pumpkins, turning them into Jack O’Lanterns and set them burning on our porches to light the way for trick or treaters. We decorate our homes in spider webs and skeletons and all sorts of creepy crawlies. Now is the time of year we binge on all things haunted, possessed, inexplicable, unseen.

      Why?

      Because we are thrilled by the experience of riding high on candied apples and candy corn and relish being frightened – just a little – especially when we know the thing we’re frightened of is just a story, some tale we tell over and over at this time of year. Because this is the season when it’s perfectly acceptable to scream.

      Last year, Joy Ross Davis won the Grand Prize for her manuscript, The Mad Woman of Preacher’s Cove!  The story was just that good. We are waiting for the release!

      Joy Ross Davis!

      Send us your stories of dark places, alien abductions, magic and magical beings, the supernatural, vampires & werewolves, angels & demons, fairies & mythological beings, weird otherworldly tales… and gothic horror stories. We will put them to the test and discover the best among them for the 2019 Paranormal Book Awards, a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards – the CIBAs.

      The deadline for the Paranormal Awards is October 31, 2019.

      Don’t be frightened – enter here.

       

      Travel with us through the Paranormal Book Awards Hall of Fame…

      The 2018 PARANORMAL Book Awards Grad Prize for Supernatural Fiction is awarded to: 

      Joy Ross Davis for her manuscript, The Madwoman of Preacher’s Cove.

      “Joy Ross Davis is more than an eloquent storyteller!  A college professor, mother, daughter of Irish descent whose family settled in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee, Joy loves all things Irish, including the Green Isle itself.  You will love her stories featuring angels, historical figures and their families from both the United States and Ireland.  Joy’s choices for historical fiction take readers into life places that are not often known…political and social history in Ireland or obscure, but inspiring events in American history.”

      She was awarded the Paranormal Grand Prize award at the CIBA ceremony by nonother than J.D. Barker himself—the master of suspense.

      Joy Ross Davis, Paranormal Grand Prize Book Award Winner

      The First in Category Winners are: 

      • Path of the Half Moon by Vince Bailey
      • Anthesteria by K.A. Banks
      • Suburban Vampire Ragnarok by Franklin Posner
      • Storm Island: A Kate Pomeroy Mystery by Linda Watkins
      • Peaches and Lace by Joy Ross Davis
      • The Balance and the Blade by Olivia Bernard    
      • The Sea Archer – Jeny Heckman

      The 2017 PARANORMAL Book Awards Grand Prize for Supernatural Fiction is awarded to:

      Van Ops – The Lost Power is a story in which “Alexander the Great’s obscure Egyptian weapon has been lost for eons. Can Maddy Marshall and covert agent Bear Thorenson find the ancient weapon in time to stop fragile post-Cold War peace from being forever shattered?”

      Avanti Centrae is the author of the international award-winning VanOps thriller series. Her work has been compared to that of James Rollins, Steve Berry, Dan Brown, and Preston/Child’s Pendergast series.

       

       

       

      2017 Paranormal Book Awards First Place Winners for Supernatural Fiction Novels are:

      • Willow’s Discovery by Joanne Jaytanie
      • Virtuous Souls by Pamela LePage
      • Rea by Lydia Staggs
      • A Pocketful of Lodestones, Time Traveler Professor Book 2 by Elizabeth Crowens
      • Dark Water by Chynna Laird

      The 2016 PARANORMAL Book Awards Grand Prize:

      Almost Mortal “Blending the high-octane thrust of a contemporary legal thriller with the magical realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, “Almost Mortal” cleaves a new, inventive niche in the legal thriller genre. This fast-paced legal thriller will leave the reader hungering for more. A terrific read!”

      Christopher Leibig is a novelist and a criminal defense attorney. He thinks about Fiction like this…”Fiction, while by its definition invented, need not tell that lie. In fiction, the devil is everywhere. And everyone has their story.”

       

       

       

      2016 Paranormal Book Awards First Place Winners for Supernatural Fiction Novels are:

       

      The 2015 PARANORMAL Book Awards Grand Prize:

      The Aurora Affair (retitled as Mobius) “… is a story about a skeptical heroine who discovers that her love affairs
      are the key to harnessing her own power to influence the world—for better if she does it right, or for worse if she fails.”

      Carolyn Haley “… is a freelance writer and editor who lives in rural Vermont. I write a mix of commercial copy, articles for regional and national publications, and edits diverse projects in fiction and nonfiction.” She writes award-winning novels in her spare time.

       

       

      2015 Paranormal Book Awards First Place Winners for Supernatural Fiction Novels are:

       

      The 2014 PARANORMAL Book Awards Grand Prize:

       An Ex to Grind in Deadwood is a wickedly funny paranormal mystery romance series that takes place in its namesake city in South Dakota.

       

      Ann Charles, USA Bestselling Author

      Ann Charles “…lives in the beautiful Northern Arizona mountains with her clever husband, charming kids, and an incredibly sassy cat. After many years and several colleges, she managed to obtain her Bachelor’s Degree in English with an emphasis on creative writing from the University of Washington.”

      2014 Paranormal Book Awards First Place Winners for Supernatural Fiction Novels are:

       

      The 2013 PARANORMAL Book Awards Grand Prize:

      The Watcher is a story where “…ancient history is only the beginning.”

       

       

      Lisa Voisin “… spent her childhood daydreaming and making up stories, but it was my love of reading and writing in her teens that drew her to Young Adult fiction.” 

       

       

       

      2013 Paranormal Book Awards First Place Winners for Supernatural Fiction Novels are:

      • Spirit Legacy by E.E. Holmes
      • Poe, Nevermore by Rachel M. Martens
      • The Immortal American by L. B. Joramo
      • The Dream Jumper’s Promise by Kim Hornsby
      • Montana Mustangs by Danica Winters
      • The Third Option by Ben A. Sharpton
      • Witch’s Malice by David Hutchison
      • Dancing on the Dark Side by Mairin Fisher-Fleming

       

      2012 1st Place Winner in the Paranormal Awards,

      Sacred Fires is a well written and crafted romantic paranormal novel with elements of intrigue and suspense along with a story set in a lush locale with mystic Aztec undercurrents. Greenfeder has succeeded in writing a fast-paced romantic suspense novel that is refreshingly different.

       

      Catherine Greenfeder “… continues to pursue her dream of getting her work published. To date, she has had five novels including a western historical, two adult paranormal novels, and two young adult paranormal novels published. She anticipates a few short stories and another young adult novel published in the near future.”

      Who will win the PARANORMAL Book Awards Blue Ribbons for 2019?

      Submit your works today!

      The last day for submissions into the 2019 Paranormal Book Awards is August 31, 2019.

      Click here for more information and submission form! 

      Don’t Delay! Enter Today! 

    • HOW DACHSHUNDS CAME to BE: A Tall Tale About a Short Long Dog by Kizzie Jones – Children’s Books, Mythology & Folk Tale, Children’s Dog Books

      HOW DACHSHUNDS CAME to BE: A Tall Tale About a Short Long Dog by Kizzie Jones – Children’s Books, Mythology & Folk Tale, Children’s Dog Books

      Author Kizzie Jones creates a beautiful origin story about how the lovable dog species – the Dachshund – came to be with the help of illustrator Scott Ward.

      In an enchanted time and place, a little girl walks every day along a beautiful beach, delighting in the sea stars, anemones, mussels, and barnacles that are revealed when the tides sweep out. She combs the beach for treasured “friends” of shells and sand dollars. A pod of humpback whales visits the beach twice yearly, and the little girl thrills to see the whales and their newborn calves. But the little girl is lonely and more than anything, wishes for an animal friend to take home with her.

      Kizzie Jones loves dachshunds (she has three) and lives near the Salish Sea, where Orcas and Humpback whales and other sea life frolic and play. This familiar setting provides a rich environment for her charming stories to take root. How Dachshunds Came to Be: A Tall Tale About a Short Long Dog, is Kizzie Jones’ first book, and like the other books in her series, A Tall Tale About a Dachshund and a Pelican: How a Friendship Came to Be, and her very latest book in the series,  A Tall Tale  About Dachshunds in Costumes: How MORE Dogs Came to Be, artist Scott Ward’s illustrations perfectly match the mood of Jones’ narrative – bright, fresh, almost etheric colors of sea, sand, and the whimsical renderings of the little girl and those who love and surround her. Each page number is highlighted on the back of a dachshund, and the three dogs that rush to befriend the little girl are simply adorable. This sweet collaboration makes a perfect “read-to” for parents and grandparents of toddlers and an engagingly accessible tale for older children to delve into on their own.

      Shortly after the little girl leaves the beach for home, the whales decide to find a companion for her. This friend would need to be a warm-blooded mammal – able to breathe fresh air. Each creature has ideas about the ideal companion. A barnacle suggests giving it a long nose; seals advise a “long sleek body” just right for cuddling; anemones think it needs soft wavy whiskers and eyebrows. The octopus naturally suggests 8 limbs. Still, the group settles on four, with padding on the ends of their legs – suitable for walking on land.

      By the time the little girl awakens and returns to the beach, she finds not one but three new friends – black, brown-red, and golden dachshunds. They run to her, ready for cuddles and loves.

       

    • The Semi-Finalists Announcement for the M&M Book Awards for MYSTERIES – a division of the 2019 CIBAs

      The Semi-Finalists Announcement for the M&M Book Awards for MYSTERIES – a division of the 2019 CIBAs

      Cozy Mystery Fiction Award

      The M & M Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the Cozy and Not-So-Cozy Mystery & Mayhem fiction genre.  The Mystery & Mayhem Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

       

      Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring “mystery and mayhem,” amateur sleuthing, light suspense, travel mystery, classic mystery, British cozy, not-so-cozy, hobby sleuths, senior sleuths, or historical mystery, perhaps with a touch of romance or humor, we will put them to the test to discover the best!  (For suspense, thriller, detective, crime fiction see our Clue Awards)

      These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from SLUSH pile to the 2019 M&M Book Awards LONG LIST to the M&M Shortlist and have now advanced to the M&M Semi-Finalists positions. Semi-Finalists will be recognized at the 2020 Chanticleer Authors Conference and the 2019 CIBA banquet and ceremony. The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 16 CIBA divisions Semi-Finalists. We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 18th, 2020 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash.

      Congratulations to the 2019 Mystery & Mayhem Book Awards for Cozy and Not-So-Cozy Mysteries Semi-Finalists

      • Susan Z. Ritz – A Dream to Die For
      • Michelle Cox – A Veil Removed
      • Lucy Carol – Hit That, Madison Cruz – Mystery 4
      • Mollie Hunt – Cat Cafe
      • MJ O’Neill – The Corpse Wore Stilettos 
      • JL Oakley – Hilo Bay Mystery Collection
      • Kate Vale – Fateful Days
      • Henry G. Brinton – City of Peace
      • Kaylin McFarren – High Flying
      • Janet K. Shawgo – Legacy of Lies
      • Kari Bovee – Peccadillo at the Palace
      • Kari Bovee – Girl with a Gun – An Annie Oakley Mystery
      • M. J. Simms-Maddox – Mystery in Harare
      • Carolyn Haley – Killer Heart
      • Wally Duff – bada-BOOM!
      • Arlene McFarlane – Murder, Curlers & Cruises
      • Jean Rover – Ready or Not
      • Mary Seifert – Titanic Cocktail
      • M. K. Graff – Death at the Dakota: A Trudy Genova Manhattan Mystery
      • Toni Kief – Mildred In Disguise With Diamonds
      • Anna Castle – Moriarty Brings Down the House
      • Vee Kumari – Dharma, A Rekha Rao Mystery
      • Lori Roberts Herbst – An Instant Out of Time
      • Alexandrea Weis with Lucas Astor – Blackwell
      • Anna Castle – Moriarty Brings Down the House
      • D. J. Adamson – Let Her Go
      • Linda Hughes – Secrets of the Island
      • Jane Willan – The Hour of Death
      • Gerard Shirar – When the Rules Don’t Apply
      • Susan Lynn Solomon – Writing is Murder

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

      The M&M Grand Prize Winner and the Five First Place Category Position award winners along with the previously announced Semi-Finalists will be recognized at the April 18th, 2020 Chanticleer International Book Awards Annual Awards Gala, which takes place at the Chanticleer Authors Conference that will be held in Bellingham, Wash. 

       

      We are now accepting submissions into the 2020 Mystery & Mayhem Book Awards. 

    • The LITTLE PEEPS Book Awards for Early Readers and Picture Books – The Long List – 2019 CIBAs

      The LITTLE PEEPS Book Awards for Early Readers and Picture Books – The Long List – 2019 CIBAs

      Early Readers and Picture booksThe Little Peeps Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in Early Readers and Children’s Picture Books. The Little Peeps Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

       

       

      Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring stories of all shapes and sizes written to an audience for Early Readers. Storybooks, Beginning Chapter Books, Picture Books, Activity Books & Educational Books we will put them to the test to discover today’s best children’s books. 

      These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from SLUSH pile to the 2019 Little Peeps Book Awards LONG LIST. These entries are now in competition for 2019 Little Peeps Shortlist. The ShortListers’ works will compete for the Semi-Finalists positions. Semi-Finalists will be announced and recognized at the CAC20 banquet and ceremony. The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 16 CIBA divisions Semi-Finalists. We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 18th, 2020 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash.

      These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2019 Little Peeps Book Awards for Early Readers and Children’s Picture Books. 

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

      • Sylva Fae and Katie Weaver – Elfabet
      • Laura Lynn – Something Special about an Anemone
      • Lauren Mosback – In Grandpaw’s Pawprints
      • Lauren Mosback – My Sister’s Super Skills
      • Cheree Finley – W-B-C Team
      • Dawn Marie Thompson – Double Trouble
      • Dawn Marie Thompson – Barnyard Bully
      • M. Lisa Rinaca – Nate and The Nanticoke Clipper
      • Trevor Young & Eleanor Long – Galdo’s Gift: The Boovie
      • Norma Lewis – Let All Things Now Living
      • Norma Lewis – Totem Pole
      • Norma Lewis – The Canter Beary Tales
      • Ginger Smith – Ella Bella Clap Your Hands
      • Kizzie Jones – A Tall Tale About Dachshunds in Costumes: How MORE Dogs Came to Be
      • Robert Wright Jr – Mummy in the Museum
      • M Lisa Rinaca – Maddie and Jake
      • Marianne Andresen Magin – The Legend of Santa’s Sleighbells
      • Remi Nicole – Oh Please, Peetie!
      • George Yuhasz – Imagine That: The Magic of the Mysterious Lights
      • Angie McPherson – My Mom Is Sick and It’s Okay
      • Stephanie Dreyer – Not A Purse
      • Connie Sorrell & Susan Cole – When Cows Pass The Hat Around
      • Mojy Sadri – Puppy Doesn’t Laugh
      • Justine Avery – What Wonders Do You See… When You Dream?
      • Lucy Patterson Murray – Dream Island
      • Ellie Smith – Tex the Explorer: Journey Around the Earth
      • Shana Hollowell – When the Squirrel Sings
      • Mary Troxclair Adamson – Yo, Ho! Armadilleaux!
      • Arlene Gillo – Bruce Wayne Is Insane: Meeting Ninja Kitty
      • William Tracy Byarlay – Adventures of Kalham and Britton: Fly with me
      • Gregory Pohl – The Impossible
      • Linda Bledsoe – Pigs Can’t Skate
      • Oleg Kush – 1 & 0, Lion & Mouse, Aries the Sheep and Other Fairy-Tales
      • Kasey J. Claytor – Pinky, And The Magical Secret He Kept Inside
      • Edyta McQueen – Girly Girl Adventure: Rescue on the Ski Hill
      • Ann Riley Cooper – Catch and Release
      • Juliette Douglas – We are Awesome Possums
      • M.J. Evans – Percy-The Racehorse Who Didn’t Like to Run 
      • Kelly Carter – In the Shoes of… James | In the Shoes of… Trey
      • Keri T Collins – You Can Call Me Katelyn
      • J. Steven Young – Gus and the Winter Sprite
      • J. Steven Young – Gus and the Greedy Goblin
      • Johnny Ray Moore – Anthill for Sale 
      • Melodie Tegay – Hannah’s Two Homes: life in a “blended” family; a 5-year-old’s perspective

      Which ones of the above works will move forward in the judging rounds to the 2019 Little Peeps Book Awards Shortlist?

      The excitement builds for the 2019 CIBAs! 

      The 16 divisions of the 2019 CIBAs’ Grand Prize Winners and the Five First Place Category Position award winners along with recognizing the Semi-Finalists will be announced at the April 18th, 2020 Chanticleer International Book Awards Annual Awards Gala, which takes place at the Chanticleer Authors Conference that will be held in Bellingham, Wash.

      We are now accepting submissions into the 2020 Little Peeps Book Awards.

      As always, please contact us at Chanticleer@ChantiReviews.com with any questions, concerns, or suggestions!

    • GENERAL in COMMAND – The Life of Major General John B. Anderson by Michael M. Van Ness – Military History, WWII Biographies, Military & Spy Biographies

      GENERAL in COMMAND – The Life of Major General John B. Anderson by Michael M. Van Ness – Military History, WWII Biographies, Military & Spy Biographies

      Michael M. Van Ness, the grandson of “the general in command,” has created a remarkable biography chronicling the adventures of a farm boy who rose high rank in the US military and served with distinction in two world wars as a combatant, officer, and sage observer.

      Born in 1891, John Benjamin Anderson must have had considerable intelligence as well as patriotism and grit, since he was accepted at West Point Military Academy at age 19, an honor conferred on only 130 applicants per year—and finished in the top third of his class. He would soon serve under General Pershing in the Mexican War, giving him the experience of combat and coincidentally, his first ride in an automobile. That deployment earned him inclusion in Pershing’s ranks in World War I. It was then his diaries began, and though he protested humorously that “I hate to write,” these personal recollections give readers an up-close picture of the devastation of warfare.

      Anderson also describes, in straightforward prose, the grim conditions of foot soldiers in that terrible war—in muddy water up to their waists in the trenches, and always carrying two gas masks. The war gave him a chance for advancement through the ranks, and admiration for his fellow fighters, including the “bulldog tenacity of the British.”

      His welcome home included giving a speech to the locals along with the realization that the military would be his lifetime profession, as the family had died or scattered. He studied to attain the rank of major and then lieutenant colonel, married happily, worked in Washington, DC, and had an assignment with the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) during the Great Depression.

      In 1942, as a new war was rumbling once more in Europe, he took charge of training an infantry division. In 1944, he met with Winston Churchill; in fact, at one time he escorted Winston Churchill and Field Marshal Montgomery over the Rhine River. General William Simpson was a dear friend of Anderson’s and the pair maintained contact for years. He wrote letters to his wife, daughter, and mother-in-law; his homey descriptions included seeing a cart drawn by a dog, and noting foreign celebrations of Christmas. His XVI corps served in the Rhineland campaign, and he personally oversaw the liberation of the Dutch city of Roermond, where his name is revered to this day.

      After the war, Anderson retired but often attended reunions with his military cohort and continued to receive civilian recognition. However, unlike many others, including his friend Simpson, he did not receive a post-war promotion. A rise to lieutenant general would fairly reflect his actual role in World War II, so Van Ness and others continue to petition for this honor—a third star—to be bestowed posthumously, as it is undoubtedly merited.

      Van Ness served in the Navy in a medical capacity and shares a deep understanding of his outstanding forebear in this well-organized life story, which offers a thorough, thoughtful exploration of the many issues that arose during his grandfather’s wartime service. General in Command – The Life of Major General John B. Anderson will resound those who have served their country, either at home or abroad, their families, and with military history buffs. Highly recommended.

       

    • Jump Start Your Novel – Brainstorming Tips for NaNoWriMo Season from the Editor’s Desk of Jessica Morrell – Chanticleer Writer’s Toolbox Series

      Jump Start Your Novel – Brainstorming Tips for NaNoWriMo Season from the Editor’s Desk of Jessica Morrell – Chanticleer Writer’s Toolbox Series

      To NaNoWriMo or Not NaNoWriMo – These Tips will help to Jump Start Your Novel

      Here are brainstorming tips from the desk of Jessica Morrell that will help to JUMP START Your Novel whether or not you are one of the thousands of writers participating in NaNoWriMo.

      For the uninitiated, NaNoWriMo is an annual mad sprint, penning 50,000 words of a story at a frenzied speed while part of a writing community. Writers are divided about the effectiveness of NaNoWriMo. Some swear by it. Others swear that it is a distraction.

      But whatever your take on NaNoWriMo is, I believe that you will find Jessica’s brainstorming tips useful additions to your writer’s toolbox. Kiffer Brown

      Prepping for NaNoWriMo–start with character…oh and food.

      If you’re making plans to take part in NaNoWriMo you will be wise to prepare. I recommend a deep house or apartment cleaning and stocking the pantry and freezer. Stock plenty of protein-rich dishes ready for the days ahead. The kind you can simply thaw or nuke. What else keeps you going? Perhaps chocolate, apples, snacks, coffee, tea, bottled water, and rewards like decent wine for milestones achieved.

      Buckle Up

      But with the end of October here, I also recommend that you get acquainted with your protagonist before you plunge into writing a new novel.

      It’s simple really; if you get acquainted with him or her beforehand, the story will unspool with more ease and speed. Because what the protagonist wants/desires and fears the most (the dreaded alternative) will be at stake in the story.

      Now, it’s likely that the protagonist’s needs and goals will shift and grow throughout the story, but you need a starting point of need and imbalance. If you begin with basic dynamics of storytelling now, then by the time the conflict heats up and things are really hairy, you’ll understand your protag’s reactions and next steps.

      In fiction, needs and motivations create goals.

      The protagonist’s goals will meet with opposition from the antagonist or another force. The protagonist will struggle to overcome the obstacles. These struggles create conflict and conflict fuels the whole shebang.

      Goals matter. Goals define fictional characters from Woody from Toy Story to Dorothy Gale in the Wizard of Oz to Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird.

      Goals are tied to dramatic structure and prevent your characters from being merely reactive.

      Fictional characters don’t give up even though goals are hard to achieve.

      Goals provide action, drive stories.

      CHARACTERS

      HUNGER GAMES by Susanne Collins

      Katniss Everdeen: Her path to greatness began the day of the Reaping when she steps in to save/protect her sister Primrose from taking part in the annual and deadly Hunger Games. Leaving home with Peeta, the other Tribute from District 12, she plans to somehow stay alive because if she dies her mother and sister will not be able to survive without her. Along the way, she trains, forms an alliance with Peeta, collects allies and enemies, and ultimately fights to protect Peeta’s life too. By story’s end, their examples show how remaining true to your principles is most important of all.

      The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

      Hazel Lancaster in The Fault in Our Stars: Teenaged Hazel has been dealt a lousy hand, thyroid cancer that has metastasized into lung cancer. Her first goal, to please her mother, is accomplished when she attends a support group for kids with cancer. At this meeting, she makes friends with Augustus Waters who becomes her first love. She introduces Augustus to her favorite novel about a girl with terminal cancer and explains she wants to meet the author and understand what really happened to his family. You see, the motivation that drives Hazel is that she needs to believe her parents will be okay after she dies. (spoiler alert) Along the way Hazel and Augustus travel to Amsterdam and meet the author, lose their virginity, and Hazel realizes how much she wants to live. But Augustus has been hiding a horrible truth: his cancer has returned and he has little time left. Quite a plot twist, isn’t it? Now Hazel needs to somehow support him, cherish their last days together, then handle her grief all the while coping with her own terminal diagnosis. She comes to understand what being a survivor means and that life has meaning no matter what stage you’re at. And she comes to feel more peace about her parents, especially after she learns her mother has been getting a degree in social work.

      Star Wars by George Lucas

      Luke Skywalker: Skywalker is a freedom fighter from humble beginnings. His path (and character arc) begins with a restless need to escape his dead-end existence on his uncle’s barren farm. He learns that Princess Leia is leading a rebellion against the Empire and wants to join. He longs to become a Jedi Knight, or fighter pilot especially after Obi-Wan Ben Kenobi, a desert hermit, informs him that his father was a Jedi fighter and he has the ability to harness the Force. Still reluctant to leave his family, his mind is made up for him when Imperial stormtroopers savagely murder his aunt and uncle. He’s all in now. Skywalker begins training with Hans Solo, then learns the princess has been captured. His next goal is to rescue the princess, which he accomplishes with more than a few swashbuckling moves. This sets up his final, seemingly hopeless goal of taking out the Death Star and ultimately saving the Rebel alliance.

      TAKEAWAYS

      Notice how the protagonists’ goals powered the story?

      Getting to know you….getting to know all about you…

      So how are you going to get acquainted with your protagonist? There are lots of questionnaires available online to create a physical presence and backstory. My Character Cheat Sheet link is at the end of this article.

      Walk a mile in their shoes…

      However, it seems to me that walking along or imagining characters as if they’re with you, their creator, can be one of these best methods of getting to know someone. Especially if you want to learn what makes them tick. Or in fiction speak, their motivations. Motivations stem from a character’s past, basic nature and personality, and compelling circumstances.

      Let’s repeat: Motivations create needs which create goals which fuel conflict = story.

      Just try it. Step outdoors and plan to walk for at least a mile with your invisible pal at your side.

      • What would your character notice or remark on?
      • How does he/she hold his/her body?
      • Fast walker? Ambler? Quiet?
      • Hates exercise? Feels most alive when moving?
      • What’s on his or her mind? Distracted? Preoccupied? Impatient?

      Do you remember those moments in life when you’re walking along with a friend and a profound truth slips into the conversation? Maybe it’s a tidbit or a bombshell or sharing a long-ago memory. We all have wounds and they’re often twined to a character’s internal goals and secrets. Those are the moments, the gold you’re searching for.

      And although time is short with November looming, how about a short road trip with your character riding shotgun? Or can he or she tag along when you’re running errands or chauffeuring the kids? Have you ever noticed how some people are a delight to travel with and some people are a nightmare? Which one is your protagonist? A nervous, watchful traveler? Open to adventure? Afraid of the unknown? Chatty? Reticent?

      Shaping your protagonist’s goals

      What’s wrong or not working in his/her current situation?

      What about emotional needs from the past? In other words, what’s screwing up your character?

      What first, clear-cut action step can the protagonist take toward his/her goal?

      Remember, a protagonist’s goals work best if they’re relatable, visible, and barely achievable. Side note: some of a character’s goals will remain ‘invisible’ since they are inner, emotional, personal growth goals.

      INCITING INCIDENTS

      What is the impetus to push your protagonist toward that goal?

      The inciting incident such as Prim begin chosen to participate in the Hunger Games? The first plot point when Hazel meets Augustus at the support group? Dorothy’s inciting incident? Luke Skywalkers’ inciting incident?

      What is your protagonist’s inciting incident? 

      Stay tuned for more NaNoWriMo Tips // Jump Start Your Novel Tips

      Jessica Page Morrell

      Keep writing, keep dreaming, have heart. Jessica

      Jessica Morrell is a top-tier developmental editor and a contributor to Chanticleer Reviews Media and to the Writer’s Digest magazine. She teaches Master Writing Craft Classes at the Chanticleer Authors Conference that is held annually along with teaching at Chanticleer writing workshops that are held throughout the year. 

       

       

      Chanticleer Editorial Services

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

      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, McMillian, Thomas Mercer, Penguin Random House, Simon Schuster, etc.).

      If you would like more information, we invite you to email Kiffer or Sharon at KBrown@ChantiReviews.com or SAnderson@ChantiReviews.com for more information, testimonials, and fees.

      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!

      Chanticleer Editorial Services also offers writing craft sessions and masterclasses. Sign up to find out where, when, and how sessions being held.

      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/

      Writer’s Toolbox

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

      Writers Toolbox Helpful Links: 

      The INCITING INCIDENT: STORY, SETBACKS and SURPRISES for the PROTAGONIST – A Writer’s Toolbox Series from Jessica Morrell’s Editor’s Desk

      ESSENCE of CHARACTERS – Part One – From the Jessica Morrell’s Editor’s Desk – Writer’s Toolbox Series  

      http://jessicamorrell.com/?page_id=174

    • OCTOBER is for OZMA Book Awards and a Spotlight on ALL THINGS FANTASY – Fantasy Fiction Hall of Fame

      OCTOBER is for OZMA Book Awards and a Spotlight on ALL THINGS FANTASY – Fantasy Fiction Hall of Fame

      Join the Magic!

       

      Elana Mugdan and her dragon.
      Elana Mugdan and her dragon.

      Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books 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, we will put them to the test and choose the best among them and award them an OZMA Book Award! 

      Last year, Elana Mugdan, our Grand Prize winner, earned her title for Dragon Speaker, a story about a young girl who is charged with rescuing a dragon and, ultimately, saves her world in this wide-reaching fantasy conception of love, war, danger, and magic. Massive amounts of magic!

      Elana has plenty of Magic going on these days, but how about you? Do you have what it takes to be the next OZMA Grand Prize winner? If you don’t enter, you’ll never know!

      The last day to submit your work is October 31, 2019. We invite you to join us, to tell us your stories, and to find out who will take home the prize at CAC20 on April 18th, 2020.

       

      As our deadline draws near, don’t slip into an alternate reality and forget to enter your fantasy novel! We accept completed manuscripts and published works.

      Enter today!

      Ozma Awards for Fantasy Fiction

       

      We encourage everyone to attend our Awards Ceremony on April 18, 2019,  that will take place during the 2020 Chanticleer Authors Conference. First Place category winners will be whisked up on stage to receive their custom ribbon and wait to see who among them will take home the Grand Prize. It’s an exciting evening of dinner, networking, and celebrations!

      First Place category winners and Grand Prize winners will each receive a stunning awards package well worth the price of entry into the OZMA Awards competition!

       

       

      2018 Chanticleer Int’l Book Award Winners!

       

      The OZMA Book Awards for Fantasy Fiction

      Hall of Fame

      The 2018 OZMA Book Awards GRAND PRIZE WINNER for Fantasy Fiction Novels:

      Dragon Speaker by Elana A. Mugdan

      Elana took home the OZMA Grand Prize Ribbon

       

       

      Congratulations to the 2018 OZMA Book Awards for Fantasy Fiction Novels First in Category Winners!

      • Virtuous Souls by Pamela LePage
      • RAGNAROK: Demon Seed by Ea Bishop
      • Money Jane by T.K. Riggins
      • Heart Of Shadra by Susan Faw
      • Into the North: A Keltin Moore Adventure by Lindsay Schopfer
      • Antler Jinny and the Raven by Chris Dews
      • Luminess Legends: Dragon Ascendants by Paul E. Vaughn

       

      2017 OZMA Grand Prize Winner

      How to Set the  World on Fire by T.K. Riggins is a coming-of-age School of Magic novel that readers will find hard to put down.

       

       

      2017 First Place Winners include: 

      • Eva’s Soul by Sarah M. Morin
      • Daughter of Aithne by Karin Rita Gastreich
      • In Her World: The Dark-Winter War by John W. Lord
      • The One Apart: A Novel by Justine Avery
      • Runebinder by Alex R. Kahler
      • The Engine Woman’s Light by Laurel Anne Hill
      • The Bookminder by M. K. Wiseman   

      2016 OZMA Grand Prize Winner:

       

      Mythborn II Bane of the Warforged by Vijay Lakshman 

      Where myths and legends are brought to life!

       

      2016 First Place Winners:

      Our 2019 Chanticleer International Book Awards feature more than $30,000.00 worth of cash and prizes each year! 

      • All First in 2019 Category Winners receive a coveted Chanticleer Book Review Package (value $425) and go on to compete for the Ozma Grand Prize
      • The Ozma Grand Prize Winner is named Chanticleer Reviews Best Fantasy Fiction Book of the Year and goes on to compete for the Chanticleer Overall Grand Prize Best Book of the Year
      • The Overall Grand Prize Winner is named Chanticleer Reviews Best Book of the Year and awarded the $1000 prize
      • All winners receive a Chanticleer Prize Package which includes a digital badge, a ribbon and a whole assortment of goodies detailed below (winners outside the US pay a shipping & handling fee)

      That’s more than $30,000.00 worth of cash and prizes! The Fine Print.

      ~$1000 for one lucky Overall Grand Prize Winner
      ~$30,000+ in reviews, prizes, and promotional opportunities awarded to Category Winners

      Currently accepting entries. Deadline: Oct. 31st, 2019.

      What are you waiting for? Enter today!

    • The BOOKMINDER by M.K. Wiseman – Fantasy, Coming of Age, Magic

      The BOOKMINDER by M.K. Wiseman – Fantasy, Coming of Age, Magic

      More than anything, Liara just wants to belong. As an orphan “fey” child in the seventeenth century, Liara has been a ward of the Church for ten of her sixteen years. Grateful to be taken in and cared for by Father Phenlick, she knows most of the villagers want her gone.

      The product of a rape by a magical creature, Liara is imbued with magic and in many ways is magic itself. The powerful wizard who created the creatures responsible for the attack during the attack on the valley, knows nothing of her existence. Father Phenlick enlisted the help of Nagareth, the wizard of the woods, to shield Liara and the village from further assaults all while outlawing the very power he is secretly trusting.

      At St. Sophia, Liara is safe until she steals from the village busybody. When Liara’s extensive hidden stash is discovered in a “magicked” hollow tree, the Venetian soldiers who protect the valley force Father Phenlick to ostracize Liara. Abandoned by even her friends, Liara is taken in by Nagareth, who promises Phenlick that he will not teacher Liara his craft. Liara begs Nagareth for magical instruction, but he only allows her to care for his extensive magical library. Gradually, Nagareth sees great potential in his new ward, but when everyone in Dvigard is killed by a mysterious plague, he begins to fear that he can’t protect her from her powerful creator who will want her powers for his own if she is discovered.

      Liara cannot see the danger around her, and as her own magical knowledge grows through her maintenance of Nagareth’s books, her only goal is to exact revenge against her father. As her abilities grow so does her anger and confusion at the only person standing between her and her destruction.

      Liara is a complex, dynamic character. Her history gives her more than normal teenage problems. Liara’s mother was driven crazy by the rape and was never able to truly care for or love Liara, leaving Liara to the cruelty of the villagers. Without Father Phenlick, Liara would never have survived, and though he tries to give her a home, he isn’t able to fill the emptiness deep within her. Liara desperately needs something and somewhere of her own, which is why she steals–to fill her life with things that are her own. In creating her hollow-tree hiding place, she creates that place where she isn’t afraid to be herself. Though she is unaware of her own magic, it is as much a part of her as her history.

      In the beginning, all Liara wants is to grow that power. She desires the very thing others accuse her of having to give her what she has never had, but it’s a double-edged sword. She is hated for her supposed abilities even before she shows evidence of magic, but when she finds the magic she wants so badly, it will define her. She wants others to see she has feelings and dreams, but in the very thing she wants most, this undeniable power, people will see only that. She limits herself to this magical creature, and that drive quickly becomes an obsession. Only too late does she see Nagarath’s minimal use of magic isn’t a waste. She almost allows her prejudiced idea that magic should be grandiose to cloud the important lesson she learns about living simply, living for love and not power. As she grows through her relationship with Nagareth, she learns what magic should truly be.

      The evolving bond between Liara and Nagareth is a beautiful story. Only nine years Liara’s senior, Nagareth sees Liara as a child in the beginning, but over the novel’s development, he begins to see Liara as a true companion. The joy she brings to his life, the peace she makes him feel, even though she annoyingly begs him to teach her magic, becomes invaluable to the lonely wizard.

      He wants to make sure she has a life of stability, not fear. As he opens himself up more and more, he becomes her friend. He realizes she has given him more than he has returned and relents in his promise not to teach her. Nagareth grows as much as his precious ward.

      The Bookminder won 1st Place in the CIBA 2017 OZMA Awards for Fantasy Fiction.

       

       

       

    Chanticleer Book Reviews