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Metaphors of Healing by Dr. Harish Malhotra

One rarely sees a self-help book from a practicing psychotherapist that offers more humor and appeal to the common denominator in all of us than this collection of brief stories: Metaphors of Healing : Playful Language in Psychotherapy and Everyday Life. Dr. Malhotra offers a simple, but brilliant, idea: Use the healing language of metaphor as a therapeutic strategy and a curative approach for daily life.

Metaphors of Healing organizes metaphors by themes, including “The Daily Grind,” “Dating,” “Being a Better and Happier You,” and “Addiction,” among the 14 chapter titles. For instance, try reading “Is the Left Lane Too Fast?” as a metaphor for slowing down, easing the professional load, and getting reacquainted with our family. Its appeal is in the simplicity of applying the idea toward easing anxiety and cutting back on the “daily grind” most of us know too well. In addition, we gain a visceral sense of how the self-imposed pressure to succeed contributes to everyday unease and unnecessary fears.

Another feature of Metaphors is how easily one remembers a story, but forgets most of the high-minded advice of a therapist. If the story fits (and most of these have the superb quality of fitting very well) a client can leave his therapy session with an entirely new way of dealing with his or her issue. For instance, he says, “A dead-end road is not the same as a dead end journey.” We can always find another route more effective than the lost cause we thought was our destiny.

Malhotra’s training in both psychotherapy and behavioral approaches offered flexibility for initially coping with his patients’ various maladies. Shifting to metaphor when confronting dis-ease, he discovered, incorporated an even broader spectrum: healing words from unexpected sources. Who knew a figure of speech could have such transformative powers?

Malhotra aims to move people beyond their negativity, beyond their holding on to old problems, and even beyond their expectations to achieve a lifestyle free of judgment and criticism. I found his ideas on marriage as mindfulness exercises very significant—he speaks of empathy as the path to marital happiness: “Walking in the moccasins of one’s spouse” contributes to compassion and forgiveness, opening the door to an enduring love.

The author is not a Pollyanna, an everything-is-beautiful-if only-you employ-a-metaphor to your life issues. Change requires commitment and persistence. We all seek successful relationships, whether we are talking about a difficult boss, an annoying neighbor next-door or our beloved spouse. Malhotra stresses how precious any relationship can be when it is working, even when it is very challenging. The healing power of any relationship blooms only under certain conditions, however: practicing the difficult virtues of restraint and diligence.

This is not a book to be read in one sitting or all at once. It is one that the reader will find herself/himself picking up again and again taking in a chapter or a metaphor to ponder and, perhaps, adapt. It will become, more or less, a gentle companion that guides and inspires. One will find, on reflection and on rereading, that these simple stories contain deep insight and wisdom. Clinicians and those seeking to increase their understanding of themselves and their fellow humans would benefit immensely from reading Metaphors of Healing.

January 17, 2015
INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED by Jeremy Bullian

Individually Wrapped tells us the bizarre tale of Sam Gregory’s descent over the condensed course of a couple of days. Set in a 21st century futuristic city, technology has permeated every aspect of the city dwellers’ lives. In some ways things are more efficient: cars drive themselves, doors open on voice command, money is exchanged via thumbprints. None of the technologies presented are far-fetched; many exist today.

However, technology hasn’t made the city easier or safer to live in; traffic problems, vagrants, theft, and serial killers still abound. Workweeks include Saturday; workdays are commonly 10 hours. Sam has integrated his car’s computer system – dubbed Susan – into his home environment to simplify things. Only problem is, Susan is developing her own personality.

Sam has been given the opportunity to pitch to an important client, Nutrixion, for the ad agency he’s worked at for eight years. Sam won an award for a campaign for a paid toilet system, but hasn’t done much since, and is suffering burnout. His former partner is now his boss: a lumbering, balding, donut- and pornography-indulging man who is growing weary of his subordinate’s slacking. If Sam can’t step up his game, he’s in danger of losing his job, and he knows it. But everything in the universe seems to conspire against his being able to get the job done, and he’s running low on excuses.

Sam, and his story, is a vehicle for questioning the big-picture elements of life as we know it: Can we achieve a utopian society? How much control can we really gain over our lives, and is perceived control better than none? Are we just bits and pieces in a bigger machine controlled by a greater force? What liberties are we willing to give up in order to be free from mundane tasks and duties? What happens when what we created starts creating?

Is technology our salvation? Ian, Sam’s coworker, thinks so, and uses it not only for work but for entertainment. He drags Sam out for a night at a club, where the patrons enjoy virtual realities of their own creation, although the alcohol is very real. By now Sam is stuttering intermittently, has headaches and numbness on one side, but doesn’t seem to take any of it as a serious problem; just side effects from a minor car accident and sleeping wrong. He still joins in the fun, and decides to become his spy-movie hero, Victor Nil. The near-comic events of the night continue his downward spiral, although he gains insight into his high-security account, setting off in him a course to take down the product, its parent company, and his agency.

Sam sees himself as a hero, not unlike Victor Nil, but doesn’t give his plan a lot of due diligence, or pay much attention to his cautioning subconscious, with which at this point he is having out-loud conversations. He is also becoming paranoid, encouraged in part by the culture of his workplace. Self-delusion is an interesting state of mind, because everyone can see it except yourself, as it propels you ever deeper into oblivion, where not even technology can save you.

An average guy with a college degree, Sam’s search for meaning and significance collide with his need for privacy, intimacy, and revenge, sometimes helped but more so hindered by technology. Individually Wrapped is a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of computers taking over in a modern world, showing how humans might not benefit from its intruding tendrils as much as technology proponents had intended in their quest for a utopian society.

Individually Wrapped by Jeremy Bullianwas awarded the Grand Prize in the Somerset Awards for Literary and Contemporary Fiction, a division of Chanticleer Reviews International Writing Competitions.

January 15, 2015
Engaging Readers and Building a Fanbase Using Leadership Communication Skills
Writing craft is the key to being an author, but engaging people is the key to building a readership and a fan base.

Some authors forget that content alone will not sell their books. They have little interest in engaging with people to find readers. They want to write. Period. Others don’t feel comfortable about engaging with others or feel conflicted about promoting their work. Unfortunately for them, selling books is not about writing books.

If you want people to read and buy your book, you must introduce yourself and your work to them. People want to know about you as an author, about your writing style and the content that you create. They need information to ascertain if they are interested in investing their time, money, brain-space, and “emotional investment” into your work. Basic book marketing is much like writing a newspaper article. People want to know: who, what, when, where, why, and how–easily and quickly when deciding on whether or not to buy a book.

Fortunately, today’s internet technology makes informing the potential readers about your work easier and less costly than ever before.

The Internet levels the playing field for all authors: self-published, indie-published, hybrid-published, and the traditionally published.

LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATION for AUTHORS

As an author it is up to you to reach out and say “hello” to potential readers and introduce yourself and your work. Authors must take the leadership role in communicating with potential readers and are responsible for maintaining and nurturing the author/reader relationship. This is called Leadership Communication in marketing speak. By leading the communication with readers about you and your work, you will have an advantage over the hundreds of thousands of other authors who do not. And with a million plus books hitting the market this year alone, every advantage helps to position your work a notch higher in the publishing world.

As an author, lead the way to creating the digital paths that will help people discover your books. And today, that means communicating via the Internet.

What is the Interverse?

The Interverse is a global network that is overlaid on the Internet. It is continuously evolving and connecting in ways that we can’t imagine or predict. It is where websites (identities), social media posts, instant messaging, apps, voice communication, blogging, chat rooms, buying and selling, and other ways of communicating via the “Net” interconnect and take place. It is where the virtual digital universe intersects with reality.

To do business on the Internet (read: sell books individually or through orders), you must exist in the Interverse, which means you must have a digital identity–a website that communicates and broadcasts your identity digitally. Even if you only sell print copies, orders are placed via the Internet in the Interverse.

Leadership Communication has Four Cornerstones:

1) Creating Identity & Branding

2) Establishing Credibility and Competence

3) Creating Shared Content

4) Committing to Action

Welcome to Chanticleer Reviews 4-Part Series on How to Market Your Books in Today’s Digital World with Leadership Communication Skills

Part 1. Discussion About the Principle Marketing Concept of Creating Identity

Identity in the business and publishing world is another name for branding. Creating Identity in today’s business world means to have an Internet presence. To have an Internet presence means you must have a website that communicates your brand, your identity, as an author.

If you, as an author, do not have a website, then you as an author do not exist in the Interverse.

And that statement is not a typo.

Creating Identity and Branding for Authors

Identity is a brand. A brand is a warranty. A warranty is a promise, an assurance. It allows people to know what they should expect in a transaction. It allays fear of committing to a transaction or an agreement or an emotional investment. Branding helps you to distinguish yourself from the other millions of authors and associate yourself and your works with authors and books within a particular niche of publishing.

Effective author branding leads to increased book sales.

Make sure that your author’s website exudes your branding, your identity. The first thing that any bookseller, agent, librarian, publisher, or media professional will do before investing any amount of time or money into your book is to visit your website. It is of the upmost importance that your website makes a professional and consistent impression that communicates your brand, your identity. Your “author branding” should reflect your work in the best possible ways that are compelling to your book(s)’ target market.

Your brand should come across vividly on or with your:
- author name or pen name
- website
- social media platforms (Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Reddit, etc.)
- book covers
- marketing materials
- author persona at book signings, conferences, conventions, panel discussions
- blogposts
- social media posts
- business cards & book marks
- visual content
- typography and layout of books
- advertising venues and tactics
Consistency, constancy, and authenticity are what will add value to your branding efforts.

How to Determine What Your Author Identity/Brand Is?

The brand should focus on your writing, your books. Answering these questions will help you to focus on what your branding should be:

What is the overriding theme to your works? What is your passion that comes through in your writing? What makes your work compelling? What are the values that you are trying to convey with your writing? What is the “mood” of your works? What sort of emotions do your works generate in readers? What is the most unique quality about your writing? What makes your writing stand apart from others? What is the ‘voice’ of your books?

Who Are Your Readers? And How Do You Attract Them?
- How will your branding add to your readers’ experience?
- Can you identify your readers?
- Can your readers identify with your book? What is the touchstone? (a huge argument for taking time for social media)
- Why does your book resonate with its readers?
Building Audience with Branding

Your branding should help you build audience. Your branded website is your calling card in the Interverse. It is the home-base for all aspects of your business as an author. It is the touchstone of all your marketing and promotional efforts as an author.

How will readers, who you will probably never meet in person, decide to read your book? How will you communicate across the Interverse to compel them to take a chance on your book? To invest their time reading your books? To forge a virtual connection with you as an author? To be able to “connect” with you and your work?

Don’t feel overwhelmed. It is good to remember that websites and digital collateral (your digital footprint in the Interverse i.e. website, social postings, blogposts, etc.) are dynamic, changing entities. You can add, subtract, adjust, pivot, and enhance your Interverse presence. You can add new websites for new books and new pen names. Nothing is carved in stone.

Websites and Branding

Your website should quickly answer the following in a visually and contextually appealing manner for your targeted readers by utilizing the journalistic method of: who, what, when, where, why, and how.

The average length of time that you have to make an impression on a website visitor is about 5 to 10 seconds. It is in this amount of time that a website visitor will decide whether to close the browser window to your website or stay and “visit.”

Website Basics for Author Branding:
- websites should load quickly (visitors no longer wait for websites to load)
- websites should be visually interesting and compelling with a LOT of pertinent photos, graphics, and images
- websites should always have blog posts with fresh new content for SEO crawlers–even if it is just a paragraph or a blurb at least once a week
- websites should supply pertinent information as to Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How
WHO — Who You Are as an Author? Who Are Your Favorite Authors? Do You Have Hobbies? What Are Your Interests & Pet Peeves, Your Idiosyncrasies?

WHAT — What Do You Write? What Inspires You? What Do You Like to Read?

WHEN–When Can They Expect: your next installment, your next book, your next signing, your next blogpost, etc.?

WHERE — Where Do You Write? Do you write while on the bus, at a local café, in the garden, do you do your best work while traveling, or under pressure with NaNoWriMo ? Where do you get your inspiration?

WHY— Why Do You Write? Why are you inspired to write?

HOW–How Do You Write? Are you fueled by lattes, morning runs, chocolate, or traveling? Are you a pantzer or planner? Remember to most readers, authors are intriguing beings with magical skills of creating characters, worlds, and stories.

Notice the order of the questions is in the order of importance. Readers can then choose to drill down for more information or “turn the page” for the rest of the story. Your objective is to keep them captivated and interested.

Answering these questions will facilitate interaction with potential readers, and convert readers to fans. Fans amplify your marketing and promotional efforts. Fans are evangelists for your books! Then the Interverse will then amplify these actions and grow your audience and readership organically. Growing your audience increases your book sales.

My next post will be about: Establishing Competence and Credibility as an Author in Today’s Digital World.

Up-to-date practical, effective marketing and promotional skills are Kiffer Brown’s forte.

Honed business experience and an entrepreneurial spirit, along with a true understanding “that nothing happens until something is sold” is what Kiffer Brown brings to the table. Kiffer presents at numerous writers conferences and publishing conventions. She is a media scout for executive film producers, literary agents, and publishing houses. She searches for today’s sparkling gems that will become tomorrow’s best sellers. She truly loves what she does and her passion shows.

She has presented at Writer’s Digest National Conferences in NYC, RWA National Conferences, Emerald City Writers Conferences, PubSense Summits, PNWA conferences, and others. She is the founder and president of Chanticleer Book Reviews and International Writing Competitions, L.L.C. and the publisher of Chanticleer Reviews. She is the organizer of the Chanticleer Authors Conference.
January 14, 2015
FAREWELL to a QUEEN by Don Douglass

The sinking of the Queen of the North, a British Columbia ferry, in a remote area of the Inside Passage in 2006, was a commercial, financial, and political blow for the Canadian Government, an ecological disaster for the pristine area in which the boat sank, a personal catastrophe for passengers who lost their vehicles and possessions, and a fatal tragedy for the two passengers who lost their lives.

The documented events reveal a disturbing lack of crew discipline and accountability, as well as a troubling inadequacy of timely response from Canadian authorities. Only the two crew members on the bridge that night know exactly what happened, and they’re clearly not telling the truth.

The heroes of this true story are the rescuers from the tiny First Nations fishing village of Hartley Bay who transported and took care of the shocked and freezing travelers.

This book is a fascinating study of the events before and after the ship collided with an island, followed by an astute analysis of the probable causes for the reason the navigator failed to make a routine course change. The author includes a variety of supporting documents, including photos, a radio log transcript, charts, and a detailed description of the trial that finally took place seven years after the sinking. The author of Farewell to a Queen dares to ask himself, “What really happened aboard the Queen that fateful night.”

Don Douglass is well qualified to write about this lamentable event and the courageous rescuers who put their own lives at risk to save the Queen’s crew and passengers. Douglass himself has navigated over 100,000 miles at sea, and is an author of guidebooks and charts for the Pacific Northwest. He and his wife, Réanne Hemingway-Douglass, have plied these waters for decades. They have documented and navigated the British Columbia coastal waters and have taught others to do so.

Douglass doesn’t shy away from asking the hard questions about what might have caused the flagship of the B.C. Ferries fleet to run aground and sink into the deep depths taking two lives with it and putting more in harm’s way. He returns repeatedly to the fact that the two crew members on the bridge were former lovers. Some may find his account “politically incorrect” or a touch vitriolic. Nonetheless, ferry passengers may find themselves warily eyeing their boat crews and keeping life preservers close at hand after reading this well written and documented account of a modern disaster at sea.

“When it got near the end, it rose up until the bow was vertical, absolutely pointing straight at the sky,” Captain Henthorne, the Queen’s captain, remembered. “Then, it just went straight down, straight as an arrow, disappeared, gone.” [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][CBC News, B.C.]

On March 22, 2006, The Queen of the North sank into the depths of Wright Sound, 70 nautical miles south of Prince Rupert, B.C.

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January 13, 2015
BURIED THREADS by Kaylin McFarren

From the alluring book cover depicting a Japanese woman holding a beautiful sword, to the twisty, explosive ending, Kaylin McFarren’s second novel in the Threads series, Buried Threads, takes you on an wild ride that will having you reading long into the night.

Treasure hunters Rachel Lyons and Chase Cohen, first introduced in Severed Threads, return in this novel, racing against time and overwhelming odds to recover a long-lost Japanese treasure. The Buddhist monk Satoru Yamada, or Shinzo, has hired them to locate a valuable Templar stone embedded in the scabbard of a sword at the bottom of the ocean. The sword is one of three, robbed from the tomb of a prince. Rachel’s employer believes that its return will save the soul of the woman who originally robbed the tomb, and also prevent a catastrophic natural disaster that could kill millions.

Fearlessly combining the influence of Japanese Manga with elements of romance, suspense, paranormal, and action-adventure, McFarren provides a fast-paced, scary, yet addictive reading experience. The author doesn’t mind bending the rules of craft or genre to present a complex, multi-layered story about fascinating characters – the beautiful yet numb geisha, the obsessed, vengeful Yakuza killer, the Buddhist monk who claims to see into both the future and the past, and of course, the intelligent and talented heroine, troubled by personal insecurities yet strong enough to expertly brandish a sword. As McFarren introduces you to each of these people against the backdrop of modern and ancient Japanese culture, you become hooked, soon kept in thrall of their unfolding stories and fearful of who will still be alive at the end.

Buried Threads interweaves cross-genre these plot elements in a tale that nevertheless accurately depicts Japanese subcultures. McFarren obviously has done her research on this exotic setting, enriching each page with details of Japanese urban nightlife, modern feminist attitudes, as well as the mindset of a centuries-old warrior culture. Readers who love to learn about foreign locales will enjoy this aspect of the book.

Because the author takes you so deeply inside the minds of multiple characters that are central to the plot, the back-and-forth among their points of view can at first be distracting. Typically, this would make it harder to connect with the characters. But McFarren draws intricate pictures of multi-faceted people, revealing their strengths as well as their fears and anxieties, so that you feel you know them instantly. The plot complications come fast and furiously, and you meet the large cast of characters quickly enough that you must pay close attention. This reviewer’s advice, though, is to be patient. Before you realize it, you’ll be well and truly immersed in this complex, edge-of-the-seat thriller.

Buried Threads was awarded a CLUE Award for Steamy/Action Thriller, a division of the Chanticleer Reviews Internationals Novel Writing Competitions.

January 11, 2015
CYGNUS AWARDS for SciFi & Speculative Fiction FIRST PLACE Category Winners
Chanticleer Book Reviews is honored to announce the First Place Category Winners for the Cygnus Awards 2014, a genre division of the Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Award Writing Competitions.

The Cygnus Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Fantasy, Science Fiction, Paranormal, Mythological, and Steampunk fiction. The Cygnus Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer Book Reviews Blue Ribbon Awards Writing Competitions.

First Place Category Winners for the Cygnus Awards are:
- Space Opera Sci-Fi Series: Citadel 7, Earth’s Secret: Enemy of Existence by Yuan Jur
- Military Sci-fiction: Betrayal on Triton by Ryan Henry
- Paranormal: The Unbeliever by Zachary Kitchen
- Dark Fantasy/Gamer: Mythborn: Rise of the Adepts by Vijay Lakshman
- Epic Fantasy: Dream of a Vast Blue Cavern by Selah Tay-Song
- Speculative Fiction: The Ariadne Connection by Sara Stamey
- Mythological: The Immortal Game by Joannah Miley
- Sci-Fi: Shadow of the Last Man, Book 1 by J. M. Salyards
- SciFi/Cyperpunk: Legacy: The Biodome Chronicles, Book 1 by Jesikah Sundin
- Time Travel: Timelapse by Lorrie Farrelly
- Lab Lit SciFi: The Borealis Genome by Thomas P. Wise and Nancy Wise
- New Adult Dystopian: The Cloud Seeders by Jamie Zendt
- New Adult Sci-Fi: ISO by H.G. Bleackly
- YA Dystopian: All Is Silence by Robert L. Slater
- Best SciFi Manuscript: Natural Selection by Michael Simon
CONGRATULATIONS!

The 1st Place Category Winners compete for the CYGNUS AWARDS 2014 GRAND PRIZE position. The 2014 CYGNUS category winner was announced at the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala in September 2015. See the Grand Prize Winners.
- The deadline for The Cygnus Awards 2014 was Jan. 31, 2014.
- The deadline for The Cygnus Awards 2015 is Jan. 31, 2015.
GRAND PRIZE Overall Cygnus Awards Winner from 2013:

Bennett R. Coles, Virtues of War.

Titan U.K picked up VoW for a three book deal. Check out the cover reveal from TOR here.

Tor.com is pleased to reveal Fred Gambino’s cover art for Virtues of War, a new military science fiction novel from Bennett R. Coles! Virtues of War is the first book in The Astral Saga trilogy, and will be published in June 2015 by Titan Books.

To view the 2013 CYGNUS Award Winners, please click here.

To compete in the 2015 CYGNUS Awards or for more information, please click here.

THE DEADLINE TO ENTER THE 2015 CYGNUS Novel Writing Competitions is January 31st, 2015.

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Chanticleer Book Reviews & Media, L.L.C. retains the right to not declare “default winners.” Winning works are decided upon merit only. Please visit our Contest Details page for more information about our writing contest guidelines.

CBR’s rigorous writing competition standards are why literary agencies seek out our winning manuscripts and self-published novels. Our high standards are also why our reviews are trusted among booksellers and book distributors.

Please do not hesitate to contact Info@ChantiReviews.com about any questions, concerns, or suggestions about CBR writing competitions. Your input and suggestions are important to us.

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January 10, 2015
KNIGHT of JERUSALEM by Helena P. Schrader

Knight of Jerusalem by Helena P. Schrader is the first in a trilogy of three biographical novels about the crusader Balian d’Ibelin. It is a story brimming with adventure and court intrigue. Set in the Holy Land after the Christians have won it in the first crusade (12th c.), Schrader’s novel covers a period of history not often visited in fiction.

Balian was portrayed by Orlando Bloom in the Ridley Scott directed Kingdom of Heaven, but Schrader thought the real story was far more fascinating—the third son of an affluent man in Jerusalem, Balian inherited nothing yet somehow managed to rise to prominence and marry into the royal family. And it is.

Schrader’s novel opens as Balian’s much older brother, Hugh, dies after falling from his horse. Hugh has raised Balian, and with his last breaths he tells him to go to the court at Jerusalem to make himself, because the king owes him a favor. Once he arrives at court, Balian is offered a position as a riding tutor to the king’s son Baldwin, who has leprosy. The assignment may very well be a death sentence, but Balian cannot in good faith turn it down. Indeed, in Jerusalem, leprosy is considered a mark of holiness, a sign that one has been touched by God.

Balian provides faithful service to his courageous pupil and prince, whom he admires for his heroic perseverance, but he still yearns for adventure and to make his own mark. However, Balian is ostracized due to his close contact with the leper prince; he is an outsider at court. The only woman who will approach him is Maria Zoe Comnena, Baldwin’s beautiful young stepmother. This is when Schrader brings a fresh new perspective to this period of history with an unvarnished view that she deftly weaves into the subtext of the novel—a woman’s perspective of the subjugation and fettering of females that permeated the medieval times. The author is a scholar of this era and has earned her PhD. in History from the University of Hamburg.

Intrigue and politics of the court ensue when the king dies suddenly. Balian finds his role at court becoming more vital, as Prince Baldwin takes the throne. When he finally reaches his majority and can cast aside his regent, Baldwin rewards Balian with the position of Constable of Ascalon, a prestigious but dangerous appointment that will require diplomatic skill as well as military prowess.

As Balian must keep Salah-ad-Din’s forces away from his holdings, the story picks up speed, focusing on military battles and the budding romance between Balian and Maria Zoe, a woman he believes too far above his station to marry. The battle scenes ring vividly of scimitars, clashes of sword upon sword, of armored horsemen and horses charging at each other, and the brutality of combat.

Before this, much of the novel’s action is summarized instead of immediate, as Schrader deftly covers a long period of time to get Balian to his position of influence and power. Readers will be awarded for their patience though. Aficionados of historical fiction will be pleased with the details that Schrader brings to Knight of Jerusalem making it a jewel to add their favorite reads.

Schrader is clearly knowledgeable about the time period and ably weaves a portrait of an oft-overlooked figure from history. Her time spent in the Middle East as a diplomat shows in her striking descriptions of places and structures, mores and customs. While she adheres ferociously to historical accuracy of the times, Schrader finds balance with the narrative to keep the reader entertained—no small feat.

The author brings romance, chivalry, the fury of battles, and the turbulence of the time vividly to life as she lays the ground work for the next two volumes that we hope will indulge us more about the fascinating Balian and his exciting true adventures in this little known time of great upheaval where East meets West and the future of today’s world is shaped.

The Knight of Jerusalem earned the CHAUCER Awards High Middle Ages First Place Award 2014.

January 6, 2015
Grand Prize Winners Who Were Recognized at the 2014 Chanticleer Awards Gala
Congratulations to the Grand Prize Award Winners who were recognized at the 2014 Chanticleer Authors Conference Awards Gala!

How does the Chanticleer Blue Ribbon International Writing Competitions for BEST BOOKS work?
- Each work submitted enters into one of ten specific genre competitions:
  1. The CYGNUS Awards for SciFi, Speculative Fiction, Fantasy
  2. The JOURNEY Awards for Narrative Non-Fiction
  3. The M&Ms Awards for Mystery & Mayhem Novels
  4. The DANTE ROSSETTI Awards for YA and New Adult Fiction
  5. The CHAUCER Awards for Historical Fiction
  6. The LARAMIE Awards for Western, Pioneer, & Civil War Fiction
  7. The CHATELAINE Awards for Women’s & Romantic Fiction
  8. The CLUE Awards for Mystery, Thriller, Suspense Novels
  9. The PARANORMAL Awards for Paranormal and Supernatural Powers Fiction
  10. The SOMERSET Awards for Literary, Mainstream, & Contemporary Fiction
- These contests rotate throughout the year in order to facilitate the rounds of judging required for the competition
- Each work competed to be listed as a FINALIST within the genre competition (Finalists withstood 3 rounds of slush pile reading, a minimum of sixty pages for a work to move forward)
- Finalists are then announced in Chanticleer’s social media postings as results come in
- The OFFICIAL LIST of FINALISTS are posted on CBR’s website once all results are in
- Finalists then compete for FIRST IN CATEGORY positions within the genre competition
  - Works continue to drop out as “saggy middles,” plots begin to wander, poor dialog creeps in, and other telltale signs begin to show
  - An internal list of all works that were completely read by the judges and found to be of merit is made
- All completely read books are then evaluated by the all the genre competitions’ judges and individually ranked by best in category
- Works then compete for First in Category Positions for each genre
- Results are tallied and then announced in Chanticleer’s social media postings
- The OFFICIAL Listing of FIRST in CATEGORY titles and authors are then posted on the Chanticleer website
- The FIRST in CATEGORY works compete for the genre’s grand prize position
A combined team of CBR judges, librarians, editors, booksellers, and other publishing professionals select the GENRE GRAND PRIZE Award Winners and the OVERALL GRAND PRIZE Award Winner for the year. These works are recognized at the annual Chanticleer Authors Conference Awards Gala.

And now to recognize the works that were awarded the CHANTICLEER GRAND PRIZE BLUE RIBBONS in 2014!

Each of these works competed in the 2013 Chanticleer Blue Ribbon International Writing Competitions that were held in 2013.
- VIRTUES OF WAR by Bennett Coles took home the CYGNUS Grand Prize
- MORE FASTER BACKWARDS, REBUILDING DAVID B by Christine Smith to home the JOURNEY Grand Prize
- FATAL INDUCTION by Bernadette Pajer to home the M&M Grand Prize
- THE BOREALIS GENOME by Thomas P. Wise and Nancy Wise took home the DANTE ROSSETTI Grand Prize
- PROPOSITUM by Sean Curley took home the CHAUCER Grand Prize
- UNBROKE HORSES by Dale B. Jackson took home the LARAMIE Grand Prize
- CHOICES by Kate Vale took home the CHATELAINE Grand Prize
- RAGGEDY MAN by Clyde Curley took home the CLUE Grand Prize
- THE WATCHER by Lisa Voisin took home the PARANORMAL Grand Prize
- INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED by Jeremy Bullian took home the SOMERSET Grand Prize
and (drumroll, please)
- THE PRODIGAL by Michael Hurley took home the OVERALL Grand Prize for Best Book
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Michael Hurley

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Chaucer Awards

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Christine Smith and Kiffer Brown

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Bernadette Pajer and WIlliam Dietrich

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Ben Coles accepting an award from Chanticleers founder Kiffer Brown

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Thomas P. Wise and Nancy Wise with Kiffer Brown

To SUBMIT YOUR WORK TO COMPETE IN THE CHANTICLEER BLUE RIBBON AWARDS FOR BEST BOOKS, click here!

You know that you want a CBR BLUE RIBBON!

All photos are compliments of Elaine Dillon. All rights reserved.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
January 1, 2015
The Prestigious NAACP 46th Awards Nominates “Remedy for a Broken Angel” by Toni Ann Johnson

Remedy for a Broken Angel by Toni Ann Johnson has been nominated for a prestigious 46th NAACP Image Award for 2014. The NAACP Image Awards is the nation’s premier event celebrating the outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in the arts, as well as those individuals or groups who promote social justice through their creative endeavors. Please click here for a direct link to the Official List of Nominees.

Ms. Johnson recently contacted us about the nomination and credited Chanticleer’s review for its helpful role in getting the work noticed and nominated. We are proud and honored to play a small part in her nomination for this coveted award.

The nominees were announced on December 9th at press conference in Beverly Hills, Calif. Ms.
Johnson’s work was nominated as an Outstanding Literary Work by a Debut Author in NAACP Awards Literary Division. Her work will compete with four other nominated works by debut authors for the trophy for Best Outstanding Literary Work by a Debut Author. Winners will be announced during the two-hour star-studded event which will broadcast LIVE on Friday, February 6, 2015 at 9pm/8c as a two-hour special. A one-hour pre-show will air live from the red carpet at 8pm/7c. http://www.naacpimageawards.net/

We are excited for Toni Ann Johnson and wish her the very best of luck for the recognition of her literary work that is an

“intense examination of the troubled personal histories of two beautiful and talented women of color. Their stories are told in alternating chapters which reveal the mother’s and her daughter’s attempts to reclaim and understand their broken pasts. Each chapter is a revelation into the pain and damage caused by unknown family secrets. Both women struggle with a legacy of shame and self-blame for the price they’re paying for never hearing the truth. Each must learn the lessons found in past years of failure to communicate.”

Johnson writes with authority about the world in which the characters in her novel live as they endure an endless struggle for the truth. She deftly exposes the many faces of patterns of abuse and how the “unseen hand” perpetuates and feeds the demons within in this literary work of contemporary women’s fiction from Nortia Press.

We will be standing by, watching and waiting, on February 6th, 2015 in hopes that Ms. Johnson will take home the coveted trophy!

To read Chanticleer’s review of “Remedy of a Broken Angel,” please click here.

To visit Toni Ann Johnson’s website, please click here.

Toni’s Red Carpet photo-op at the NAACP Awards Ceremony.

December 31, 2014
CBR Celebrates Movie Deal of Grand Prize Winner — “The Prodigal” by Michael Hurley

Michael Hurley, the author of The Prodigal, was presented with the $1,000 Grand Prize purse at the Chanticleer Awards Gala in September that was held in Bellingham, Washington. The awards gala is a part of the annual Chanticleer Authors Conference. Hurley was awarded the cash prize along with a custom embossed blue ribbon as the grand finale of the CBR Awards Ceremony. The ceremony recognizes CBR’s best book discoveries of the year.

CBR uses Editorial Reviews and International Writing Competitions to Discover Today’s Best Books.

The evening before, Diane Isaacs, an Emmy-nominated executive film producer, announced at the conference’s cocktail soiree that she had recently contracted The Prodigal for film rights. She explained that announcing the event at a cocktail party was apropos since it was at a cocktail party that she first heard about The Prodigal. Diane Isaacs met Kathryn Brown, the founder and president of Chanticleer Book Reviews, at a cocktail party at Brown’s home this past February. It was here when Diane asked Kathryn if she had read any good books lately. Kathryn told her about The Prodigal and promised to send her link to Chanticleer’s review of it. At the time, Kathryn didn’t know that Diane was an executive film producer and Diane didn’t know that Kathryn was a scout for media professionals. Luckily, the two hit it off and stayed in contact. They are currently working together on several projects.

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Dianne Isaacs

Diane Isaacs is an Emmy-nominated Hollywood producer and former head of Green Moon Productions for Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffiths. She trained at NYU Film School and found her first job on The David Letterman Show; she later became associate producer of Miami Vice. She was head of Don Johnson Productions at Universal/ Paramount Studios before going to work for Banderas and Griffiths. She has produced several critically acclaimed films, including Imagining Argentina, starring Banderas and Emma Thompson, and Crazy in Alabama, starring Griffiths.

Isaacs said, “Chanticleer’s review is compelling. It got my attention and is a game-changer for The Prodigal by Michael Hurley.” After reading Chanticleer’s review, she immediately read Hurley’s work and was enthralled with it as was Brown. Six months later, an agreement was entered into by Hurley, Isaacs, and Brown.

A little statistical information about the film and publishing industry: only one percent of all novels are ever optioned for film. And only one percent of all books optioned ever make it out of development onto the silver screen. But as Hurley wrote about in his blog about “Tinseltown dreams:”

It’s a great honor to have a novel optioned for film….But when your dream is shared by people who are in the dream-making business, well, that’s really something…But dreams are funny things. They appear from nothing, refuse to die, and have the strangest habit of coming true at the darkest hour, when all seems lost. Sounds like a novel I know.”

To read Chanticleer’s review of The Prodigal by Michael Hurley, click here.

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Micheal Hurley

To visit Michael Hurley’s website, click here. [/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

December 30, 2014

Chanticleer Book Reviews