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ICED TEE by Cherie O’Boyle, second installment of the Estela Nogales Mystery Series

A freezer with blood trickling down the side. An inquisitive border collie. Cherie O’ Boyle stirs these intriguing images to bring readers another engaging mystery with Iced Tee: An Estela Nogales Mystery, the second book in her popular series. Boyle doesn’t fail to bring another fantastic narrative for cozy mystery fans.

Readers are introduced to the quirky little community of Arroyo Loco located in the coastal mountains of California. A diverse community complete with its own obligatory Home Owners Association, filled with people you probably recognize from your own neighborhood: you have busybodies, town gossips, the obligatory community grouch, and the person who leads the association but no one really cares for them leading. Definitely a slice of California pie in this book!

Our ensemble of quirky characters is topped off by one Estela Nogales who with her border collies Shiner and Scout, “live here happily in our weathered house under a big blue oak.” Estela is an amateur sleuth and psychologist by trade. At times self-deprecating, yet charming with a wry sense of humor, Estela really drives the story forward. Cherie O’Boyle crafts a character that makes the reader want to do two things: never put the book down until it is finished and pick it back up once completed.

Estela’s perspective of the community is priceless and epitomizes the author’s desire to create a community that appears like any other real-life counterpart. Her descriptions are intimate and cozy, making readers feel right at home in the community in a feel-good type of way.

The mystery unfolds rather quickly and humorously. Community member Tee is found dead, but this is certainly not your run of the mill death. Tee is discovered in a chest freezer. What ensues is a frankly hilarious exchange of community members on what resulted in poor Tee’s demise.

The wild running theory is that Tee was killed over stolen ice cream; perhaps she was the ice cream thief. Did she fall backwards into the freezer, bumping her head, during this act of thievery? Was she startled by a fellow community member who caught her in the middle of this horrendous crime? After all, a broken camera was found in pieces on the floor near the chest freezer!

You will have to pick up Iced Tee to find out what happens next. The narrative abounds with smaller challenges popping up in the background of the freezer mystery. If you enjoy puzzles presented in the form of a laugh out loud whodunnit, than this is this book for you. Cherie O’Boyle crafts another good old cozy mystery that will certainly appeal to a wide variety of readers and keep them guessing until the final page.
Reviewer’s Note: This mystery was awarded the 2015 Chanticleer Book Reviews “Small Town Cozy” for Mystery and Mayhem Awards.

July 14, 2016
The JOURNEY AWARDS for Narrative Non-fiction Book Awards 2016 Official Finalist List
The JOURNEY Awards writing competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Narrative Non-fiction. The Journey Awards is a division of the Chanticleer Book Awards & International Writing Competitions.

We are pleased to announce the JOURNEY Awards Official Finalists List for 2016,The Official Finalists Listing is comprised of works that have passed the first two rounds of judging from the entire field of entrants. These authors and their titles will now compete for the SHORT-LIST of the 2016 Journey Awards for Narrative Non-fiction.

NOTE: This list is now Complete as of January 28, 2017. Congrats and good luck everyone.

Congratulations to the JOURNEY AWARDS 2016 FINALISTS and Good Luck to them as they compete for the Short List Positions:
- Roni McFadden – The Longest Trail
- Richard Southall – Haunted Plantations of the South
- Cyndy Sheldon – Gestalt as a Way of Life
- Sean-Michael Green – The Things I Learned in College
- Monica Sucha Vickers – My Extraordinary Life
- Robin Suerig Holleran, Lindy Philip – Bracing for Impact: True Tales of Air Disasters and the People Who Survived Them
- Michael Anthony Turpin – 53 Is The New 38
- Phillip Buchanon – New Money: Staying Rich
- Sean Dwyer – The Year without Tears
- Nick K. Adams – My Dear Wife and Children: Civil War Letters from a 2nd Minnesota Volunteer
- Abbe Rolnick – Cocoon of Cancer: An Invitation to Love Deeply
- Christopher Oelerich – Merry Christmas and a Happy PTSD
- Viviana Agostini – The True Sense of Life
- Gretchen Walker – The Silver Lining: Encounters with Angels
- Christie Musso – Hope Knows Your Name
- Hazel J. Magnussen – The Moral Work of Nursing: Asking and Living with the Questions
- Destiny Allison – The Romance Diet: Body Image and the Wars We Wage on Ourselves
- L. Darlene – Another Thirty-(Seven) Days (The Aftermath)
- Scott Kiersztyn – Metamorphosis, Notes from a stay-at-home dad naturalist
- J.E. Roth – A Fine Line
- Judy Lytle – A Mile in Her Shoes
- Gwen Miller – Echoes of Silence: Letters to a Drug Addicted Mother from the Woman Who Took Her Place
- Peter Gibb – Walking Straight, Down A Crooked Path
Good luck to all the Journey Awards Finalists who made the Finalist List as they compete to be Short Listed!

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

The Journey Short Listers will then compete for 5 First Place Category positions that 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 JOURNEY Awards. The deadline is January 31st, 2017. Click here for more information or to enter.

More than $30,000 worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to the 2016 Chanticleer Novel Writing Competition winners! Check out out fifteen genres to enter your works into to compete on an international level and distinguish your books from the two million new titles hitting the market this year.

Who will take home the $1,000 purse this coming April at the Chanticleer Awards Gala and Banquet?
July 13, 2016
S. Thomas Bailey Author of the Gauntlet Runner Series

Thank you for your great (review) service. Looking forward to being a part of your future growth in the future.

—S. Thomas Bailey, Author of Blind Faith: The Gauntlet Runner Book IV

July 13, 2016
EVEN THE SMALLEST BIRD CASTS A SHADOW by Valerie Marie Leslie, a collection of youthful poetry

Spanning adolescence to the murky adulthood of the early thirties in each thematic chapter, Even the Smallest Bird Casts a Shadow also casts a light on the familiar struggles of maturity, romance, independence, doubt, depression, and further into the experiences of growing at the end of the last century. Altered little from their original creation, preserving the “dysfunctional integrity” of the youthful poems, Leslie varies the breathless experience with free form, rhyme, and lyrical verse.

While plainly written for privacy and self-revelation, Leslie’s poems in nearly every form capture experience that might be known to any reader. Although each chapter covers roughly the decade and a half, there is a progression through the chapters that resembles the evolution of the narrative persona of Leslie. Back-to-school senses are evoked in the ramble of “During Science,” and there’s an affection to the poem “Hey Teacher,” which surely every high school writer has rendered some way. Heartbreak and romantic hope extend cover to cover but the early poems preserve the innocence of first attempts, culminating in the proud assurance of “The Ave Maria.”

As the collection advances, the reoccurrence of life’s distresses, financial struggles, social pressures, miscommunication, failed expectations, and romantic disappointments, couple with resilience, ambition, and determination to reveal turmoil that’s as close as scented memory. The fallibility of human intention is confronted in Leslie’s poems at the same time as the loss of certainty in what she, we, seek from a life of surviving.

The final chapters of supposedly reached adulthood still question the definition of that idea, and are laced with the aspirations and confusion of high school and college. The bitterness appears with simple sharp lines, “I didn’t get my degree for nothing,” and a young adult struggling to settle their purpose in life can find their frustration spoken from beginning to end in Leslie’s collection.

Many of Leslie’s poems are untitled, and several throughout question, explore, or verify a sense of spirituality, connection, and security in God. These chapters plunge into the despair of doubt, guilt, and depression. In a life seeking love, Leslie expresses from an emotional pain felt in ages beyond the experience of her poems.
Reading Leslie’s collection invited me to look back at memories and experiences of exactly the same time frame depicted, to question how I would define what I witnessed and learned then. The purpose of Even the Smallest Bird Casts a Shadow is to end a silence of self-doubt and shame, but it may easily motivate readers to delve into their past and youth for strength and inspiration.

July 13, 2016
What Works in Hollywood: The < 33 Principle

Our Guest Post today is written by Diane Sillan Isaacs. Diane brings more than two decades of experience in film and television industries as an executive film producer, president of production for Don Johnson Productions at Universal and Paramount pictures, president of development and production for Green Moon Productions where she produced films for Antonio Banderas and Emma Thompson.

Most recently, Diane has joined the Chanticleer Team as Creative Director, and also partnered with Kiffer & Andy Brown to form SillanPaceBrown Publishing + Production, a new publishing platform that specializes in global rights and vertical product integration for intellectual properties based on stories.

What is a Writer’s Prerequisite to Admission to Tinseltown?

Seems like every writer you meet in Hollywood has a HOT! script in their bag, eager to pitch their story to producers and anyone with media contacts.

Random hems and haws, kindas, umms and ya-knows have left many a talented writer with their script curbside. These short storylines, known as loglines, are essential in the film industry and working screenwriters (key adjective) have their magic bullet in the chamber ready to fire off with every handshake and chance meeting to first, spark a reaction, second, be asked to tell more, or third, be invited to send their script in for a read.

Most have learned to prepare and practice a quick one-liner of their story to hook fast and furious interest before the elevator doors open, or the valet pulls the Tesla around. The fast pitch of their +/- 100 page script [with a lot of scenes and dialogue] is the prerequisite to Tinseltown’s admission.

The <33 Principle

I call it the < 33 principle. Tell me your story in less than 33 words to give me a sense of genre, main characters, obstacles, twists and high concept, and you got my attention. Of course, the script has to live up to the logline, but a well-constructed logline is the first key to get in the door. Turns out the stories that hold up under the strict discipline of time and words are the ones with the best Velcro and have a better chance to go the distance.

At a recent literary conference, a number of authors approached me to tell me about their [hot!] book. Used to streamlined loglines, I was taken back at the oftentimes meandering descriptions about the story, the opening scene, side stories, past lives, psychological thinking, flash forwards and more. While authors enjoy a literary license to write as the please, the story still needs the discipline of a succinct logline. Like screenwriters, authors need to be able to tell his or her story in less than 33 words with all the elements to seduce me and have me ask for more. “Me” is code for your potential readers, agents, publishers, colleagues- audience of any and all kind!

The Origin of the Logline in Hollywood

As a film producer, I appreciate the value of the logline vetting process. Given the amount of material [did I mention every writer has a hot script in their bag?], the slushing process comes in the form of a logline. It started in the early studio days, where contracted readers would write the logline on the binder of the vaulted scripts for producers to get a quick sense of the story at a glance. Loglines are also an amazing tool for the writing process to make sure all the elements of the book are aligned with the story foundation.

There may be the rare exception of someone that asks for the long, drawn-out, over-explained and complicated version first, but you already have a few versions of that in the archives. Now, let’s get you lean and memorable.

What works in Hollywood…works in Publishing.

Log in. Log on. Logline! Here’s the Logline Challenge:

Go to a mirror, set your timer for :15 seconds. Imagine the image staring at you just asked you what your book/story. Start Jeopardy music for added anxiety.

A _____hero does___ when ____happens and then____ but the world_______ [your own Mad Libs variation]

Time’s up. Did you have to think about it? Did you false start a few times? Did you fudge things around until you cobbled together a line or two? Did you forget the best part? Was it nearly impossible to distill your massive story down to a concise sound bite?

Or did it have a zesty punch that piqued curiosity and imagination of your mirror image? [Thumbs up, Thumbs up?!]

So even if you got a positive reaction from your alter ego, know that he or she is biased. It’s time to create a logline, or perfect the one you started- one that seamlessly rolls off your tongue at a mere thought of your book.

It’s time to brand your story with a compact package of words that will astonish and delight. It’s a craft of its own!

It’s probably the most important tool to pitch your book, sell your book and, oh yeah, write your book. Your logline should be with you before, during and after writing your story. Without it like a business without a plan, a charity without a mission or an ad campaign without a hook. Pointless.

Take the time to streamline it down. Count the words (<33, please), time the statement (< :15, thank you), and practice it so that it comes across as off-the-top-of-my-head casual when a friend, colleague, stranger, hairdresser, neighbor, flight attendant, future fan, or agent asks ‘what’s your story about?’.

Note from Kiffer Brown:

Diane will present two Logline workshops (one on Friday, March 31st and one on Saturday, April 1st) at the 2017 Chanticleer Authors Conference. The workshop is included in the registration fee. Participation is limited to 12 attendees at each session. Signup is encouraged at time of registration.

July 13, 2016
The SILK and the SWORD by Ron Singerton – an epic journey from Rome to the Great Wall of China

Tacitus, the rebellious son of Gaius Septimus, learns too late that the temple that his gang has desecrated was his mother’s chosen holy place. Barely able to contain his murderous rage, Gaius issues an ultimatum to his son: Tacitus can spend the rest of his life as a slave, or he can work to redeem himself through military service.

However, Tacitus has little time to absorb the shock of his punishment and his decision to join the military. Behind closed doors, Caesar’s consul, Marcus Crassus, makes a case for war and creating the need for many of the legionnaires. Tacitus is called to action, answering directly to the leadership of his centurion father, Gaius, who is Julius Caesar’s chosen “First Spear.”

Cursed by his own arrogance and greed, Marcus Crassus’s military mission crumbles, leaving Gaius, Tacitus and a small band of surviving legionnaires to navigate uncharted foreign lands and savage cultures in their quest to return to Rome. With betrayal and deceit at every turn the soldiers suffer enormous physical and emotional beatings.

Their survival, much less their success, hinges on the unlikely chance that Tacitus, an unrepentant son, and Gaius, an unforgiving father, will cast aside their differences and work shoulder-to-shoulder to restore order, hope and honor to their men.

In this well-crafted follow-up to his first historical novel, “The Villa of Deceit,” author Ron Singerton delivers a cast of fresh, flawed, and completely believable characters through which he illuminates the universal strengths and weaknesses in all of us.

Building upon the life story of his original main character, Gaius, the author invites the reader to investigate the events that have created a chasm between father and son. As Tacitus sheds his underdog status and takes the spotlight, we become invested in his trials and triumphs. And, as his respect for himself and his father grows, he becomes a hero worth rooting for.

From the battlefields of Carrhae (now modern day Turkey), to the towering mountains and sweeping expanse of ancient Asia’s “Silk Road,” and on to the Great Wall of China, “The Silk and the Sword” is packed with vibrant historical and tactical detail.

Culled from primary historical references as recorded by Plutarch, Pliny and Julius Caesar, the author illuminates the fascinating, multi-faceted private and public worlds of the Roman legionnaire. Fans of both historical fiction as well as Roman history will find Ron Singerton’s “The Silk and the Sword” to be a highly engaging, satisfying read about one of the most detrimental defeats in Roman military history.

July 11, 2016
BLIND FAITH: THE GAUNTLET RUNNER BOOK VI by S. Thomas Bailey, a powerful historical fiction novel

Blind Faith: The Gauntlet Runner Book VI by S. Thomas Bailey is the latest in his award-winning series. This historical novel does well in carrying its readers through a part of the French and Indian War in 1759. We gain powerful insights, feeling the emotional swings and hazards faced by the characters. The author, a brilliant historian, weaves characters amidst historical facts, giving readers a view of the war’s colonist trackers and focuses on their leader, Jacob Murray––his tenacious endurance––and his dilemmas.

The side story of his wife Maggie establishes her as a pioneering heroine. Their deep characterization inspires admiration when we consider the many folks who came before us––to settle North America. The underlying current of love gives us hope as we traverse through the agony of war and the challenges of the wild.

Reader interest is captured on the first page. After the latest demoralizing battle defeat, Jacob’s compassion and disgust rises when he sees the pathos caused by inept British Officers. Jacob agonizes over his dilemma–stay and fight–or desert his men, including his son, to try to find his beloved wife, presumably lost to the north while searching for their child.

Commissioned by the British Army, Jacob, and his fellow colonists operate as trackers gathering vital information for the British. He’s not a military man, but a settler who must fight in a British war. He leads his men using wisdom and strength but obeys commanding officers because he must. The secondary characters weave into the story either to support Jacob and Maggie or to be their foes––all characters have their own unique journey.

The author truly resurrects the history of this war, making it alive and vivid. Readers are gripped within the reality of the fight. We feel the honor, courage, fear, horror, despair, and hope.

Readers slog with Jacob and his men through the wilderness. Utilizing body language and dialogue, the author shows emotion and moves the story ahead. We feel their fatigue. We witness the unrelenting threat of attacks from the French and native warriors.

In addition to battling human enemies, the men withstand rugged overgrown terrain and impassable waterways. They must obey officers of doubtful ability and endure the prejudice of the British against the lowly colonists. We see Jacob’s genius when he and his men work feverishly to prepare for the brutality of an advancing Canadian winter.

Maggie engages readers in her own chapters. She forges through the wilderness amidst hostile Indians, searching for her two-year-old son. Knowing she must shoot and kill to survive, Maggie pushes forward––on foot and in stolen canoes––against overwhelming odds. When hope waxes thin and she’s a captive of her circumstances, she ignores her suspicions and must trust others.

We experience her vivid trials (similar to Jacob’s) in the wild tangled forests leading along the St. Lawrence River. She must reach Quebec City. We navigate the trails, get stuck in the waterways, and feel the impact of weather. We sympathize with her exhaustion and isolation. We can hear her smacking the swarms of mosquitoes and black flies.

Jacob and Maggie can only groan inwardly, wondering about the fate of each other. Readers expect opposing forces during this mid-seventeen hundred French and Indian War. But a unique formidable foe arises––a traitor obsessed with revenge. He morphs within his growing depravity, turning into a deadly enemy spreading havoc and death.

When we read the last words of the story, we are pointed to the next book in the series; we are left hanging in the midst of a crisis. So close, but not quite done. This reviewer is willing to wait for the next book for the outcome.

Blind Faith by S. Thomas Bailey is an outstanding historical novel in its accuracy, craft, and ability to resurrect dynamic characters who are struggling to live another day.

July 9, 2016
WAKING REALITY by Donna LeClair, a courageous memoir about surviving abuse

Writing a memoir is more than merely putting facts down on paper and regurgitating the gory details of our painful past. We’ve all had heartbreak and joy, but the glue must be in the story. As American author Susan Shapiro (“Five Men Who Broke My Heart”) puts it, “A novel that is merely autobiographical is a great disappointment, but a memoir that reads like a novel is a great surprise.”

Donna LeClair does the genre justice in Waking Reality, her page-turning memoir. It will make you appreciate full disclosure honesty rather than disparage over a writer evincing her suffering, which occurred mainly at the hands of men, including her father. This memoir is for anyone willing to go along for the ride with a writer who exposes her life’s nooks and crannies, some uplifting, and many horrifyingly unreal.

Through engaging and well-written prose, LeClair relates the 1963 murder trial known as State of Ohio v. Bill Bush, a police sergeant who murdered three members of one family. Bush happened to be her uncle and the family he tore apart, hers. Due to the circumstances of the trial, LeClair and her sisters were in protective custody. Imprisoned at ten years old in her own home, she was forced to crawl so she “would not be within visual range of a shooter.” She stopped watching TV because the glowing screen alerted potential intruders when the family was home.

Amid the horror, LeClair introduces the word “hologram” 27 times (I counted), evoking themes of truth, light, and above all, faith, as in this passage early in the book: “Lurking behind these seasoned holograms are withering spirits who weep in unfathomable chateaux, scrutinizing the tumbling of their gingerbread thoughts. None of our lives’ fantasies or any of our hearts’ desires can put crumbling pieces back together, but if you secure the courage to journey inward, the key to your happiness reflects there.”

She doesn’t just tell us the story of her childhood fear, she sings it, using these fairytale-like passages: “I know angels carried me home that day because I was too young to make the journey unaccompanied, and hell is too far of a gallop for legs groomed not for devil’s track. Wings of godliness cloaked my thought’s defiance of belief and knowing; the communion of virtue and endurance heralded a sanctuary of nudities unbeknownst to my virgin eyes.”

To some, the fantasy interludes may be a distraction; others will see the distorted sense of reality her child self endured. “Mirror, mirror of the truth, I beg of you, show no more. Why do I have to look inside? It would be easier to hide… Hide, if you wish, but there is no escape to all those things buried deep inside.”

LeClair apparently honed her literary acumen in high school, but not by attending class and taking notes. Detecting a deep sadness in her student, LeClair’s English teacher excused her as long as she produced a short story or poem by the end of the day.

Waking Reality is recommended reading for anyone looking for an engrossing account of a woman’s courageous story growing up in the 1960s. You will want to see that she emerges through the dark tunnel of abuse; LeClair has two children and three grandchildren and does lectures around the country.

July 6, 2016
Will Your Books Have PRIME Shelf Space in one of the TOP Indie Bookstores in America?

Publisher’s Weekly recognized Village Books of Bellingham and Lynden, Wash. as one of the top five independently owned bookstores in North America for 2016. (Publisher’s Weekly, Jan. 26, 2016)

“…the 2016 PW Awards reflect the growth and vitality of independent bookstores,” said PW senior v-p and publisher Cevin Bryerman. “They are coming off a strong holiday season, and several just opened, or are about to open, second or third locations.”

Every year at the Chanticleer Author Conference, we pack a ton of value into the weekend for our authors: from valuable knowledge in workshops and sessions, to a thrilling Awards Gala, to the 3-day Books by the Bay book fair that is managed by Village Books, a national leading independent bookstore.

Books by the Bay is an exciting opportunity for attendees to sell their books during the CAC weekend, but to also to gain exposure to a nationally recognized bookseller.

But wait! That’s not all! Village Books sweetens the pot by offering to the Books by the Bay participating authors of the top 5 bestselling titles of the book fair to continue to carry their title at Village Books after the event. Village Books will also feature the books in their bookstores at Books by the Bay Bestsellers and feature the books on the VB website and in VB’s social media.

But it doesn’t end there. After the weekend Village Books, our hardworking bookseller, tallies the numbers and comes up with the Top Five Bestselling Titles of Books by the Bay.

Congratulations to Sharon Anderson, Nicole Evelina, James Wells, Donna Barker and Grant Harper Reid for rising to the top! These titles get the added benefit of remaining for sale and on display in Village Books. They were also featured in the highly circulated Chuckanut Reader.

Registration for the Chanticleer Author Conference in 2017 (CAC17) is already open and we have some jaw dropping early bird rates if you register before September 8th. It’s a full weekend of learning, packed with networking, gourmet meals and fun, a full weekend of book sales, and many many residual benefits. We are already receiving registrations! Seating is limited, so don’t miss out!

June 29, 2016
THE DREAM JUMPER’S PROMISE by Kim Hornsby, a romantic thriller novel

A mysterious murder and vivid, strange dreams are the perfect recipe for an engaging story. Readers who enjoy a good adrenaline rush will find this a brilliant romantic thriller.

Kristina (Tina) Green’s life was perfect. She owned a diving shop on the beautiful island of Maui, spending her days diving along the coasts and her nights with her loving husband.

But when her husband disappeared, Tina’s life was uprooted, and ten months later she finds herself still unable to move on until she discovers what happened. Worse, her dreams relentlessly push her into the eerie depths of the ocean each night, and she is convinced that the ocean is trying to tell her something.

As Tina desperately tries to move on from her husband’s assumed death and her mysterious dreams, someone from her past enters her life unexpectedly. The person has a preposterous offer of help by entering her dreams to determine what happened to her husband. Tina reluctantly accepts his aid, but her family and friends begin to act oddly. She finds herself on the brink of insanity as everyone loses her trust; she can only cling to the hope of resolving her husband’s mysterious disappearance.

Kim Hornsby’s The Dream Jumper’s Promise begins with a heartbreaking premise and quickly envelops the reader in a cloud of intrigue. At first, the romantic energy of the novel and the developing background of each intriguing character is enough to keep the reader hooked. But soon it becomes clear that the death of Tina’s husband is a larger puzzle begging to be solved. Tina is a strong protagonist worth rooting for. As the mystery develops, Tina begins to lose herself, and the reader must advocate for the resilient woman to push through as she teeters between the waking world and the dream world.

The narrative is further complicated by the strain put on Tina’s relationships with the people around her. The complexity weaves itself around Tina as she copes with her husband’s mysterious death, having someone invade her dreams, and trying to figure out whom she can trust. Readers are thrust into Tina’s mind as they’re left unsure with who and which world is telling the truth.

The Dream Jumper’s Promise, the first in Kim Hornsby’s The Dream Jumper’s series, is a sexy, paranormal thriller that gets the blood pumping and the heart racing.

June 29, 2016

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