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Contest Rankings for the Chanticleer Book Awards – The Latest 411

Genre Grand Prize Winners

Authors and writers from around the world (from more than 35 countries) submit their latest works to the Chanticleer International Writing Competitions. The winners of these novel writing contests are recognized at the annual Chanticleer Book Awards Ceremony and Banquet that takes place at the annual Chanticleer Authors Conference and 3 Day Book Fair.

We have recognized each of the 14 genres that are represented First Place category winners along with announcing the genre GRAND PRIZE Award Winners and then top the evening by announcing the Overall Grand Prize Winner for the year’s Best Book Award. At this year’s ceremony, we will also recognize a new level of award winners, the Short Listed award winners.

Books that have reached the Short List or the Semi-Finalist rounds have been read completely. These are books that we love and that we want to give extra recognition. However, only a handful will go on to achieve First Place Category Positions and only one of these will be awarded the genre’s grand prize.

The Short Listed Award Winners (aka Semi-Finalists) will compete for the 5 coveted First Place Category Position within each of the offered genre novel competitions. Conference and Banquet Attendees who have been awarded a Short List position will be recognized on stage at the awards ceremony and their books will have the opportunity to be available in the 3 Day Book Fair managed by Village Books.

Short Listed titles may use the digital badges below for website, digital, and social media promotion. “Short Listed by Chanticleer Reviews” stickers are available to Short Listers. Authors may use “Short Listed by Chanticleer Reviews on their Short Listed titles.

For more information about the Chanticleer International Book Awards, please click here.

We are grateful for our contests judges — for theirs is truly a labor of love!

As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns at KBrown@ChantiReviews.com

January 25, 2017
Robbing the Pillars by Kalen Vaughan Johnson – Historical Fiction

When James MacLaren flees his native Scotland, he leaves a body behind – but not his hatred of the upper class. In England, he meets and weds Emma, but will the skeletons in their shared past remain silent?

Robbing the Pillars crosses the Atlantic and lands in Nevada City, California at the beginning of the Gold Rush, amidst the discovery of seemingly endless supplies of the precious mineral. James and Emma, now with their young daughter Charlotte, come out to California by wagon train accompanied by Emma’s best friend, Althea and her son Justin.

Along the way and upon arrival in the region, they meet friends and ruffians including an entrepreneurial chancer with a conscience, an inveterate loser with a taste for alcohol and his eye fixed on Althea, and a Mexican who finds that MacLaren is the first white man he can trust.

MacLaren involves himself in mining, engineering, and homesteading while Emma and Althea get a taste of town life and community activism. Their children meanwhile are growing up with a sense of true freedom that their European-born parents could never have known. In pursuit of his personal quest, Justin will come up against Althea’s past; and the beautiful, willful Charlotte and her father must learn to live with the pangs of lost love.

Meanwhile, the territory is changing rapidly. Big men with big ideas are taking an interest in the fate of the new state and move to monopolize its resources. Into this mix, author Vaughan Johnson has expertly interwoven both fictional characters and real “empire barons” such as Leland Stanford, Collis Huntington, and Mark Hopkins into her epic tale.

This first part of a planned series ends with the rumbling of war that splits the nation and brings about a sad parting that begs for a reunion in a later volume.

Author Kalen Vaughan Johnson has created a large canvas; her knowledge of the region – its history, the mix of cultures, the lilt of varied accents, even the cuisine – highlights her obvious talent for creating richly detailed historical fiction. The title, for example, references an arcane aspect of mining in which, as the miners retreat from a played out vein, they risk dislodging the roof pillars as they go, endangering their lives by ferreting out every last flake of gold. Johnson depicts with equal verve and realism the lives of the rich, the wannabes, and those at the bottom struggling upward.

A sweeping look at personal idealism and autonomy pitted against the forces of greed and manipulation, Robbing the Pillars is an emotive family saga solidly rooted in the American dream.

January 24, 2017
MYSTERY & MAYHEM SHORT-LIST for 2016 (2016 M&M Semi-Finalists)

These titles are in the running for the 5 First Place Book Awards for the 2016 Mystery & Mayhem Book Awards competition!

Congratulations to these authors for their works moving up from the 2016 M&M Finalists to the Short List. The novels will now compete for the First Place Category Positions!

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from SLUSH pile to FINALISTS LIST and now has moved forward to the SHORT LIST of the 2016 M&M Book Awards. They are now 2016 M&M Semi-Finalists as they compete for the limited First in Category Positions of the 2016 M&M Book Awards in the last rounds of judging.

Each of the titles below have earned the M&M AWARDS SHORT LIST Semi-Finalists bragging rights!

The Mystery & Mayhem Writing Competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Cozy Mysteries and Classic Mysteries. The M&M Awards is a division of Chanticleer International Novel Writing Competitions.

More than $30,000.00 dollars worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to Chanticleer Book Reviews 2016 writing competition winners!

The M&M Book Awards FIRST IN CATEGORY sub-genres are: Amateur Sleuth, Romance, Animals, Cooking/Knitting/Hobbies, Blended Genre, Medical/Lab, Travel, Humorous, Historical, Classic British, Y/A, and Senior Sleuth.

The following titles will compete for the FIRST IN CATEGORY Positions and Book Awards Packages.

NOTE: This is the Official List of the M&M 2016 SHORT LIST.

The Finalists Authors and Titles of Works that have made it to the Short-list (aka The Semi-Finalists) of the M&M 2016 Novel Writing Contest are:

Under English Heaven by Alice K. Boatwright

Secrets Revealed by Kate Vale

The Body Next Door by Gay Yellen

A Scone To Die For – H.Y. Hanna

Death Runs on Time by A. B. Michaels

Secrets, Lies, and Champagne Highs by Jeanette Hubbard

Killer Transaction by Catherine Bruns

Twelve for Twelve by Dawn Rasmussen

The Prosecution of Mr. Darcy’s Cousin by Regina Jeffries

The Secret Life of Anna Blanc by Jennifer Kincheloe

A Girl Like You by Michelle Cox

Engaged in Danger: A Jamie Quinn Mystery by Barbara Venkataraman

Death Unscripted by M.K. Graff

Deadly Dye and a Soy Chai by Traci Andrighetti

Sherlock Holmes and the Dance of the Tiger -Suzette Hollingsworth

Skyrizer # 7 by Phillip Buchanon

The Erotica Book Club for Nice Ladies by Connie Spittler

Smart, but Dead by Nancy G. West

Hot Scheming Mess by Lucy Carol

The M&M Semi-Finalists will compete for the M&M First In Category Positions, which consists of Seven Judging Rounds. First Place Category Award winners will automatically be entered into the M&M GRAND PRIZE AWARD competition, which has a cash prize purse of $200. The CBR Grand Prize Genre Winners will compete for the CBR Overall Grand Prize for Best Book and its $1,000 purse.

All Short Listers will receive high visibility along with special badges to wear during the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions at Info@ChantiReviews.com.

Congratulations to the Finalists in this fiercely competitive contest!

Good Luck to each of you as your works compete for the M&M Awards First Class Category Positions.

Good Luck to all of the M&M Semi-Finalists as they compete for the coveted First Place Category positions.

First In Category announcements will be made in our social media postings as the results come in. The 2016 First In Category Winners and Semi-Finalists will be recognized at the 2017 Chanticleer Annual Awards Gala and Banquet.

The M&M Grand Prize Winner will be announced at the April 1st, 2017 Chanticleer Writing Contests Annual Awards Gala, which takes place on the last evening of the Chanticleer Authors Conference that will be held in Bellingham, Wash.

We are now accepting submissions into the 2017 M&M Awards writing competition. The deadline for submissions is March 31st, 2017. Please click here for more information.

January 23, 2017
Spotlight on: Diane Garland, Continuity Editor and CAC17 Speaker

Have you even written a story and halfway through your protagonists eye change from green to brown? Unless you are writing a fantasy with metamorphic characters, that is generally not supposed to happen. But how do you keep track of all those niggly details, especially in a multiple book series?

Meet Diane Garland, continuity editor. She has mastered the art of keeping track of every single changeable detail in a book series through her keen eye and her crackerjack proficiency with spreadsheets.

And you can find her at the upcoming Chanticleer Author Conference—CAC17—March 31st to April 2nd where she will be teaching A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World: Building a Foundation for your Characters & Plot.

As part of our spotlight series, we asked Diane our five questions to get her perspective on professional success.

1. When did you know what you really wanted to be?

I think I discovered myself and what I wanted to be back in 2012 when an off comment by Ann Charles had me delving into the uncharted waters of continuity in books and series. With much refinement and encouragement I turned my ideas into a business, Your WorldKeeper. Right now I am very happy with how my business has progressed, but it is constantly evolving which keeps things interesting.

2. What was the biggest challenge you faced?

Probably my biggest challenge I faced was building my author base. Determining who would most benefit from my work and how to advertise and reach those authors was daunting at first. I’m still adding authors to my client list and each one adds another dimension to my work. Having authors of different genres with different wants and needs in their worlds is fun and challenging.

3. How do you define success?

Success for me is doing something I enjoy. I love my work and knowing I make things easier for my clients to write their next book is a part of what makes me successful. When detailing their worlds and helping them maintain continuity and fluidity in them I am helping to create a product for all to enjoy. That is my success.

4. How long did it take to achieve your success?

It only took a couple of months to determine Your WorldKeeper a success. Finishing the detailing of the first couple of books in the Deadwood series and having it be an useful tool for Ann Charles as she wrote her next one, showed me that what I offer is needed. Working with various authors and helping them to create their next book is very rewarding.

5. What is the best advice you have ever received?

The best advice I ever received was two fold. Don’t give up and embrace the small successes. It takes hard work to create a business, to be successful, to be fulfilled. If you believe in what you are doing, don’t give up. Take those small things that work, things that go right, and hug them to you. A successful business is built of many small details that perform as needed. If you keep adding in the little details, you’ll soon have a business that works.

If you have not registered for CAC17 yet, what are you waiting for? Diane Garland and more fantastic speakers (including yourself possibly, if you register before the schedule is full) will be sharing their experience and knowledge about writing books, selling books, and everything to do with being a successful author.

About Diane

Diane specializes in the world of continuity editing, a systematic way of cataloging all the little known facts in a book series. USA Today bestselling author, Ann Charles, amongst others, count on her attention to detail and her organizational skills to keep their series on track and their fans coming back.

Diane works with many authors to keep their story continuity on track. Story continuity is a small but very important part of a book series. It allows the author to provide consistency to their story world and makes for a smooth transition for the reader from book to book.

Visit her website at www.YourWorldKeeper.com where she can help you to organize and track changes and details within their series.

Diane’s class:

A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World: Building a Foundation for your Characters & Plot- Worldbuilding and WorldKeeping. What’s the difference? Do you need them? Learn how to organize your world to weave an intriguing and compelling tapestry that will hold up throughout a long series. Tools will be provided to help you maintain continuity and interest throughout your series.

Check out all the classes and sessions we have scheduled!

Register for CAC17 NOW!

January 20, 2017
Cherie O’Boyle, mystery author

“A local independent bookstore asked last fall if they could carry all three of my books…. You’d think they would sell more of the first book in the series, Fire at Will’s…. But instead, they are selling way more of the middle book, Iced Tee. I had to take more books in this morning because they had sold out again. I asked [the store] why they thought they were selling so many more of Iced Tee. [Their answer:] It’s the shiny gold Chanticleer sticker, of course!

So naturally, I have now entered the most recent book, Missing Mom, in the Mystery & Mayhem contest for 2018.”

Cherie O’Boyle

January 17, 2017
CYGNUS BOOK AWARDS – Short List 2016
These titles are in the running for the 5 First Place Book Awards for the 2016 CYGNUS Science Fiction Novel Writing competition!

Congratulations to these authors for their works moving up from the 2016 CYGNUS Finalists to the Short List. The novels will now compete for the First Place Category Positions!

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from SLUSH pile to FINALISTS LIST of 28 titles, and now has moved forward to the SHORT LIST of 15 titles for the 2016 CYGNUS Book Awards. They are now 2016 Cygnus Semi-Finalists as they compete for the limited First in Category Positions of the 2016 CYGNUS Book Awards in the last rounds of judging.

Each of the titles below have earned the CYGNUS AWARDS SHORT LIST bragging rights!
- Jonathan Renshaw – Dawn of Wonder
- Robert L. Slater – Straight Into Darkness
- Sean P. Curley – Over
- K.N. Salustro – Unbroken Light
- Greg McLeod – King of Dreams
- Nikki McCormack – Dissident (Forbidden Things Book One)
- Gary Grossman – OLD EARTH
- Elizabeth Crowens – Silent Meridian: The Transparency of Time
- Ryan London – Prophecy of the Immortals
- Cyril Adams – The Peace Proxy
- L. Woodswalker – Tesla’s Signal
- Jesikah Sundin – ELEMENTS (The Biodome Chronicles #2)
- Jim Musgrave – Life in 2050
- Dennis M. Clausen – The Accountant’s Apprentice
- Sara Stamey – The Ariadne Connection
- Stephanie R. Sorensen – Toru: Wayfarer Returns
- Tiffany Pitts – Wizzy Wig
- Rhett C Bruno – Titanborn
Good Luck to each of you as your works compete for the CYGNUS Awards First Class Category Positions.

We hope to see you at the Chanticleer Awards Banquet on April 1, 2017.
January 17, 2017
Five Guns Blazing: A Pirate Novel by Emma Rose Millar and Kevin Allen – Historical Romance

Containing exquisite historical imagery and diction in addition to brutal sensory detail of what life was like in 1700’s London and the Caribbean, particularly regarding the slave trade are portrayed in Emma Rose Millar’s and Kevin Allen’s Five Guns Blazing. The word choices, spelling, and dialogue are not only authentic to the time period, they contain a palpable amount of emotional heft.

Laetitia Beedham, the daughter of a criminal, ends up on the ‘Revenge,’ piloted by known pirate John ‘Calico Jack’ Rackham. When Rackham and his two lady friends, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, are captured by pirate hunter Jonathan Barnet, Beedham must save her friends while a price hangs over her own head.

Laetitia Beedham’s story begins at age 11 as she watches her chronically reprehensible mother sentenced to a workhouse. Since no provisions are made for the motherless at the time, Laetitia joins her mother in the workhouse disguised as a boy and referred to as “Nathaniel.” Her time in there is short and tragic, but she makes a few friends who introduce her to a life with a slightly better potential for a girl in her circumstances.

After her mother offends the law again, both mother and daughter are tossed onto the brutal steer of a ship on its way to the Caribbean to work off the transportation sentence. As a temporary slave, Laetitia learns a few hard lessons about what existence is like for those poor people chained to a life of permanent servitude and unforgiving masters.

Halfway through the book, the pirate ship arrives and Beedham’s mother, true to her nature, sells Laetitia for five guineas to the infamous pirate, ‘Calico Jack’ Rackham, in exchange for her daughter’s maidenhead. Known on the ship only as “Beedham,” Laetitia is constantly unsure of her place, looking for anyone to give her the nurturing that she didn’t get from her birth mother – especially from Pierre Bouspeut, who (like Jack, Mary, and Anne,) is a true-to-life character. In pirates, Laetitia finds unexpected allies, people who care for her and help her along the way. Much to the delight of the reader, these characters aren’t carbon-copy stereotypes of pirates we’ve come to know and expect.

There are many elements of story that work to tie the character, Laetitia, firmly in place. We get to know her and grow to love her as the thread of her tale is woven into historical characters’ narrative. In Laetitia, we see a bit of Cinderella as well as many of the Caribbean folk tales, which only lends flavor and familiarity to her plight. Sometimes she has trouble reflecting and learning not to trust those who betray her, yet the authors’ purposeful use of significant poetic symbolism adds much-needed justice to Laetitia’s tragic tale.

Though this book is advertised as a pirate novel, the pirates don’t show up until almost halfway through. When they do, though, the story picks up a significant pace. Knowing that Calico Jack, Pierre Bouspeut, Anne Bonny, and Mary Reed were real people adds to the overall historical appeal.

Five Guns Blazing is a dark, rich, historical 18th-century tale that weaves real pirates into a fictional story with many unexpected twists and turns. A must read for those interested in immersing themselves in 18th-century life, textures, and shadows.

January 14, 2017
Lost Secrets of Master Musicians: A Window Into Genius by David Jacobson – Non-Fiction

Told with assurance and passion, a tale of one man’s lifelong journey to connect with his own musical and artistic aesthetic unwinds across decades and touches upon the techniques of some of the best known musicians of modern times. Classically trained musicians and amateurs alike will find the techniques discussed in Lost Secrets of Master Musicians thought-provoking.

In a chronological and easy-to-follow fashion, Mr. Jacobson begins by providing background for his insight into the existence of these lost secrets, describing his own introduction into musical study and detailing his experiences with various well-known mentors, eventually culminating with his study at the prestigious Curtis Institute while still a young teen.

While not every classically trained musician or music educator will agree with his conclusions, Mr. Jacobson has the undeniable pedigree and real life experience to discuss the techniques of fine playing, specifically of the violin, and successful music pedagogy within his genre.

Lost Secrets of Master Musicians attempts to answer the promise of its title. Any musician who has spent time studying the twentieth century masters: Jascha Heifetz, Nathan Milstein, and David Oistrakh, Vladimir Horowitz, and Glenn Gould will find their interest piqued by the re-discovery of playing techniques that Mr. Jacobson puts forth in his insightful and revealing, and yet, what some musicians may consider controversial, treatise.

As a performer, Mr. Jacobson begs the musician and the reader to recognize what has been lost and how it can be recovered. The included photographs of proper position when playing the violin aid in the many points covering body symmetry, tone in playing, and what is referred to as “mind/body flow.”

Individual chapters are devoted to an instrument’s intrinsic value apart from the player, the role of authority in the face of the conductor or mentor, and the composer’s role in the modern repertoire. Each are examined through the lens of Mr. Jacobson’s new approach before the approach itself is compared to that of the well-known and controversial Suzuki Method, as well as Galamian instruction, a method of violin pedagogy found at both Juilliard and the Curtis Institute.

Mr. Jacobson’s unique idea, what he has termed the “bel canto instrumental technique,” eschews the idea of individual musical talent in favor of exploring – and challenging – how music itself is approached and taught from the most basic level of instruction to the pinnacle of performance.

A Curtis Institute graduate, Mr. Jacobson also holds a Master of Music Performance degree from Boston University and is the founder and director of the San Francisco Institute of Music.

January 14, 2017
The OZMA AWARDS for Fantasy, Magic, Steampunk, Fairytale, Swords & Sorcery Fiction Book Awards 2016 Official Finalist List
The OZMA Awards writing competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Fantasy, Magic, Steampunk, Fairytale, Swords & Sorcery Fiction. The OZMA Awards is a division of the Chanticleer Book Awards & International Writing Competitions.

We are pleased to announce the OZMA Awards Official Finalists List for 2016. They will now compete with each other for coveted spots on the “Finalist List” from all the 2016 entries received. The Official Finalists Listing is comprised of works that have passed the first three rounds of judging from the entire field of entrants. To pass the first three rounds of judging, more than sixty pages of the works below have been read and been deemed worthy by the CBR judges of continuing in competition for the Short List and then compete for the 2016 OZMA Awards FIRST IN CATEGORY positions and their prize packages.

Congratulations to the OZMA AWARDS 2016 FINALISTS and Good Luck as they compete for the Short List Positions:

NOTE: This IS the OFFICIAL LISTING of 2016 OZMA FINALISTS as of January 24, 2017. Please check back as we add to the list.
- April Holthaus – Legend of the Fae
- Jennifer Morse – Fairy Godmothers of The Four Directions
- Rebecca Lochlann – The Sixth Labyrinth
- Murray Lee Eiland Jr – The Emperor of Babylon
- Brad Farley – A Pallid Moon
- Luke Taylor – Vault of Dreams
- Alec Hutson – The Crimson Queen
- Katherine Leannan – Fantasy
- Tyrean Martinson – Champion’s Destiny
- Sydney M. Cooper – Forsaken Lands Book 1: Tragedy
- James Malone – Rainbow Gardens
- Wayne D. Penney – VALHALLA: The Saga of Leif the Lucky
- Susan Buffum – Black King Takes White Queen
- Elizabetta Holcomb – Category Jeremy
- Maighread MacKay – Stone Cottage
- Kristen and Daniel Sheridan – Elementals
- Zakary J Bennett – The Archmage Trials: Trial by Deception
- Allie Mendelsohn – The Stone Keepers
- Gary J. Hurtubise – Darksea
- Keith W. Willis – Traitor Knight
- Murray Lee Eiland Jr – The Sword of Telemon
- Sam J. Charlton – Journey of Shadows
- David H. Luz – TALLOK
- V. Lakshman – Mythborn 2
- Nicole Evelina – Camelot’s Queen
- Woody Carter – Narada’s Children: A Visionary Tale of Two Cities
- Alan Sproles – Billy Bedivere in the Quest for the Dragon Queen
- Elizabeth Crowens – Silent Meridian
- Elisabeth Hamill – Song Magick
- Michael Joseph Murano – Epic of Ahiram: Age of the Seer (Book One)
- Phillip Buchanon – Aquatic Bourne #4
- Bruce Graham – Visitor from the Reich
- Christopher Leibig – Almost Mortal
- Andrew Craven – The Curse on Long Autumn Valley
- Raven Oak – Amaskan’s Blood
Good luck to all the OZMA Awards Finalists who made the Finalist Listing as they compete for the Short List and then the First In Category Positions !

More than $30,000 dollars in cash and prizes are awarded to Chanticleer International Blue Ribbon Awards Winners annually.

The OZMA First Place Category book award winners will compete for the OZMA Grand Prize Award for the 2016 Best Fantasy Fiction. Grand Prize winners, blue ribbons, and prizes will be announced and awarded on April 1, 2017 at the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala, Bellingham, Wash.

The First In Category award winners will receive an book award package including a complimentary book review, digital book award badges, shelf talkers, book stickers, and more.

We are now accepting entries into the 2017 OZMA Awards. The deadline is October 31st, 2017. Click here for more information or to enter. We have split CYGNUS Awards in to two separate competitions: Cygnus for Science Fiction and the OZMA awards for Fantasy. Visit our Contest Page for more information.

More than $30,000 worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to the 2016 Chanticleer Novel Writing Competition winners! Fifteen genres to enter your novels and compete on an international level.
January 13, 2017
Spotlight on: Nicole Evelina, CAC17 Speaker, Author & 2015 Overall Grand Prize Winner

Meet Nicole Evelina, author and historian. At last year’s conference she was awarded the 2015 Overall Grand Prize at last years authors conference.

And you can find her at the upcoming Chanticleer Author Conference—CAC17—March 31st to April 2nd where she will be teaching How to Use Pinterest to Develop Your Story and Career.

As part of our spotlight series, we asked Nicole our five questions to get her perspective on professional success.

1. When did you know what you really wanted to be?

I finally started taking my writing seriously in 2008, so when I was 29. Before then, it was just a hobby, something I did to entertain myself when I was bored. I always had a drive to tell stories, but I didn’t think that being a writer was something real people actually did. That is until I read Twilight. (Go ahead and laugh if you want.) Stephanie Meyer was the first average person I’d ever seen “make it” as a writer. I thought to myself “well, if she can do it, there is a chance for me.” At the time, I was about ¾ of the way into the first draft of what would become Daughter of Destiny, my debut novel, so I decided it was time to act like a professional writer. It took another eight years for the book to be published, but I did it!

2. What was the biggest challenge you faced?

My biggest challenge was getting my book into the hands of readers. It took me two years to get an agent, and then we were on submission for two years. We got sooooo close to an offer three times, but every time the publishing houses said the same thing: she’s new and we don’t know how to market Arthurian legend. My agent and I ended up parting ways and I didn’t have any luck getting another one, so I decided to go independent. After so many years of hoping and waiting, Daughter of Destiny was published just four months after I opened my own publishing company.

3. How do you define success?

I don’t think there is one single definition of success. On one hand, I’m successful just because my books are out there and readers like them, which is so important. I’m also successful in that I’m creatively fulfilled – I know I’m doing what I’m meant to be doing. That may even be more important. I’ve won a lot of awards, so I know I’m doing something right!

I’m making money on my books, which is also a definition of success. However, I’m not a full-time writer or the critically-acclaimed, bestselling author I want to be, so in that regard, I still have a ways to go. But that’s okay; it gives me something to strive for.

4. How long did it take to achieve your success?

All told, around six years. Only the gods know how long it will take to fulfill my loftier dreams!

5. What is the best advice you have ever received?

One of my mantras is “dreams don’t work unless you do.” I think I probably got that off the Internet, but it is so true. If you want to be successful, you have to put in the effort. It may be hard at the time, you may even think it’s going to kill you – I did – but it is so worth it when you begin to see it pay off. Writing is a business no matter if you are traditionally or indie published, so you have to treat it like one, put in the hours and do the work, even when it’s not fun and you are exhausted. No one is going to hand you anything just because you are you. There really is no such thing as overnight success. (There are rare exceptions but, more than likely, you are not one of those.) As the author, you are the best advocate for your work, so get out there and tell everyone how wonderful it is, and eventually, they will catch on. That’s how you build a fan base – one reader at a time.

If you have not registered for CAC17 yet, what are you waiting for? Nicole Evelina and more fantastic speakers (including yourself possibly, if you register before the schedule is full) will be sharing their experience and knowledge about writing books, selling books, and everything to do with being a successful author.

About Nicole

Nicole Evelina’s writing has appeared in The Huffington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Independent Journal, Curve Magazine and numerous historical publications. She is one of only six authors who completed a week-long writing intensive taught by #1 New York Times bestselling author Deborah Harkness. As an armchair historian, Nicole researches her books extensively, consulting with biographers, historical societies and traveling to locations when possible. She has consulted with internationally acclaimed author and historian Geoffrey Ashe, as well as Arthurian/Glastonbury expert Jaime George, the man who helped Marion Zimmer Bradley research The Mists of Avalon.

Chanticleer Reviews 2015 Book of the Year –

You may think you know the story of Guinevere, but you’ve never heard it like this: in her own words. Listen and you will hear the true story of Camelot and its queen.

Fans of Arthurian legend and the Mists of Avalon will love Daughter of Destiny, the first book in a historical fantasy trilogy that gives Guinevere back her voice and traces her life from an uncertain eleven year old girl to a wise queen in her fifth decade of life.

Nicole’s classes:

How to Use Pinterest to Develop Your Story and Career – As an author, you can use Pinterest for far more than collecting recipes and craft ideas you probably won’t ever get around to trying. Nicole Evelina will provide tips for and share personal examples of how to: Create boards for your stories, settings and characters, How to use those boards in marketing and fan activities, Use the images you find to brainstorm character attributes, Collect imagines for future inspiration, Provide a “human face” behind your author brand, Advertise and hold contests on Pinterest to attract and retain readers.

Check out all the classes and sessions we have scheduled!

Register for CAC17 NOW!

January 12, 2017

Chanticleer Book Reviews