Science Fiction often asks the question: What Could Be? At Chanticleer, we seek to discover those strange new worlds, from Space Opera to Alternate History, and Cli-Fi to YA Sci-Fi. Wherever your book lands on the Speculative Fiction spectrum, there’s a good chance that it will fit in here with us!
Let’s take a look at the Hall of Fame for Grand Prize Winners of the Cygnus Awards
Will a knockoff weapons salesman end peace between Humans and Vulbathi? Alien tech and a spectacular cast of characters drive The Luna Missile Crisis into high gear and will have readers screaming for more! Highly recommended!
Jaime Castle and Rhett C. Bruno are the Audible #1 bestselling authors of The Buried Goddess Saga (Aethon Books, Audible Studios), and The Luna Missile Crisis, amongst other works. Rhett C. Bruno is also a USA Today Bestselling & Nebula Award nominated Sci-Fi/Fantasy Author.
Appropriate to a novel about time travel, there is considerable time-shifting from chapter to chapter that will require readers to stay on their toes as they work through this 500-page novel. And like any skilled author who plants clues neatly in the text – clues that are keys to resolving the overarching mysteries in the book – Cole does the same. What can we say? Here’s an impressive novel by a major new talent, and one we highly recommend keeping an eye on.
Insynium is Tim Cole’s Debut novel. We are shivering with anticipation and hope at the prospect of something new from him!
The Korpes File by J.I Rogers
An award-winning space opera that’s sure to gather a dedicated audience. One of our favorites! Recommended!
When not writing Award Winning novels, J.I. Rogers writes Award Winning Shorts, having recently won two six-word story challenges. The most recent of which being “Inherited ruin. Forged a new Empire.” Visit Rogers’ website here for even more excellent Sci-Fi! The second book in the series, The Korpes Agenda, is out now, and we’re excitedly waiting for the next book to finish revisions!
“The catastrophic Purge War at the end of the twenty-first century destroys planet Earth, jeopardizing the future for the remnants of humanity. Horrific repercussions roll across the ages until, generations later, a scientific group called the Time Forward Project harnesses a deep-space wormhole in which they can travel through time. They find the portal unstable and shrinking, but they have little choice but to take desperate, drastic measures and journey back to prevent the war.”
Straight from John Yarrow’s website! The Story Plant Publishing company will publish the full trilogy starting with Future’s Dark Past! You can preorder The Future’s Dark Past today, and the sequel, Time Unfolded, is expected to come out in the Summer of 2023!
In a world where the rich obtain immortality, a forbidden love can either bridge the gap of unimaginable inequity or drive the disparaging classes even farther apart. A science-fiction novel with an earthly conscious.
Sean Curley‘s new book, Anika’s Gift is making good progress through the cover design process, and ARCs are being sent out now. Sean is a renaissance man who loves new experiences, diversity, and challenges (though more intellectual than physical). He is also the author of the the 2014 Chaucer Grand Prize for Early Historical Fiction with his book Propositum. Sean will also be at the Chanticleer Authors Conference June 23-26, 2022!
Now that you’re set on your next five reads, what are you waiting for? The only way to join this amazing list of Cygnus Winners is to submit today!
Those who submit and advance will have the chance to win the Overall Grand Prize of the CIBAs and $1000!
Are you a Chanticleer Author who has some good news to share? Let us know! We’re always looking for a reason to crow about Chanticleerians! Here are some recent achievements from our authors:
FLEXIBLE REGISTRATIONS ARE AVAILABLE for these challenging times.
Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.
Congratulations to the First Place Category Winners and the Grand Prize winner of the OZMA Book Awards for FANTASY Fiction, a division of the 2019 CIBAs
Chanticleer International Book Awards celebrates the best books featuring magic, the supernatural, imaginary worlds, fantastical creatures, legendary beasts, mythical beings, or inventions of fancy that author imaginations dream up without a basis in science as we know it. Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, Dragons, Unicorns, Steampunk, Diesel-punk, Gaslight Fantasy—we love them all.
The 2019 OZMA BOOK Awards First Place Category Winners and the OZMA Grand Prize winner were announced at rhe Virtual Chanticleer Authors Conference that was broadcast via ZOOM webinar the week of Sept 8 -13, 2020 from the Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash.
J.I. Rogers, the CYGNUS Grand Prize Award Winner for her novel the KORPES AGENDA, announced the 2019 OZMA Award Winners.
OZMA Awards The Search for the Best Fantasy Fiction
This is the OFFICIAL 2019 LIST of the OZMA BOOK AWARDS First Place Category Winners and the OZMA Grand Prize Winner. Congratulations to all!
Elana A. Mugdan – Dragon Blood
Michelle Rene – Manufactured Witches
Noah Lemelson – The Sightless City
KC Cowan & Sara Cole –The Hunt for Winter
Susannah Dawn –Search for the Armor of God
Dan Zangari & Robert Zangari –A Prince’s Errand
Tim Westover – The Winter Sisters: A Novel
The OZMA BOOK AWARDS 2019 Grand Prize Winner is:
Manufactured Witches by Michelle Rene
The Grand Prize Winner of the 2018 OZMA Book Awards, Dragon Speaker by Elana Mugdan
A Note to ALL the WINNERS: The coveted CIBA Blue Ribbons will be mailed out starting in October. We will contact you with an email to verify your mailing address and other items. We thank you for your patience and understanding.
LEARN FROM THE BEST!
If you have any questions, please email info@ChantiReviews.com == we will try our best to reply in 3 or 4 business days.
Congratulations to the First Place Category Winners and the Grand Prize winner of the CYGNUS Book Awards for all forms of Science Fiction, a division of the 2019 CIBAs
Chanticleer International Book Book Awards celebrates the best books featuring space, time travel, life on other planets, parallel universes, alternate reality, and all the science, technology, major social or environmental changes of the future that author imaginations can dream up. Hard sci-fi, soft sci-fi, apocalyptic, cyberpunk, time travel, genetic modification, aliens, super-humans, Interplanetary travel, dystopian, and settlers on the Galactic Frontier.
The 2019 CYGNUS BOOK Awards First Place Category Winners and the CYGNUS Grand Prize Winner were announced on Tuesday, September 8, 2020 at the Virtual Chanticleer Authors Conference that was broadcast on the VCAC20 ZOOM webinar.
Elana Mugdan, the OZMA Grand Prize Winner for Fantasy Fiction for her novel, Dragon Speaker, announced the 2019 CYGNUS Award Winners.
It is our privilege and profound honor to announce the 1st in Category winners of the 2019 CYGNUS Awards, a division of the 2019 CIBAs.
This is the OFFICIAL 2019 LIST of the CYGNUS BOOK AWARDS First Place Category Winners and the CYGNUS Grand Prize Winner. Congratulations to all!
Alternate History / Time Travel: Tim Cole – Insynnium
Apocalyptic/Dystopian: J. I. Rogers – The Korpes Agenda
Hard Science Fiction: Jacques St-Malo – Cognition
Space Opera: Shami Stovall – Star Marque Rising
Soft Sci-Fi/Young Adult – Rey Clark – Titan Code Series: Dawn of Genesis
Speculative Fiction: Paul Werner – Mustang Bettie
Science Fiction: Robert M. Kerns –It Ain’t Over…
Honorable Mentions:
Andrew Lucas McIlroy – Earthling
William X. Adams – Intelligent Things
Sandra J. Jackson – Playing in the Rain
The Grand Prize Winner for the Chanticleer International Book Awards, 2019 CYGNUS Division is
Tim Cole
Insynnium
The CYGNUS Grand Prize Badge is customized for the 2019 Award Winner.
A Note to ALL the WINNERS: The coveted CIBA Blue Ribbons will be mailed out starting in October. We will contact you with an email to verify your mailing address and other items. We thank you for your patience and understanding.
How to Increase Online Book Sales – Part 2 by Kiffer Brown
I receive several emails a week from authors wanting to know if there is one thing that they can do to increase book sales. Many confess that they despise spending time that they could be writing on “marketing tasks” and abhor the idea of “wasting time” on social media.
The Attack of Social Media – sometimes I feel this way…
I get it. I truly do.
However, as with any product, your books must have a marketing and promotional strategy if you are going to increase sales. Participating in social media is a must in just about any product marketing strategy.
J.D. Barker, master of suspense and international best-selling thriller author and whose books are under contract for TV series and movies, reminded us at the Chanticleer Authors Conference,
“Books are products—products to be sold.” – J.D. Barker
If you want to make a living as an author, never forget those simple words from J.D.
At CAC 19, J.D. shared with us his very structured plan that he developed for launching his first novel. We hope to have him back soon.
JD Barker presented at CAC19
A successful marketing and promotion plan is part data driven, part art, and part luck. And you know the old saying that, “Luck is Opportunity meeting Preparation and Planning.” Your job is to write the best work possible, promote it like an expert guerrilla marketeer, and, of course, build your brand as an author. Easy Peasy. Well, no. But if you do, and one day the stars align, and those days do happen, you will be ready. And remember your plan doesn’t have to be perfect. Every little bit helps and builds.
The main thing is to get started as another one of my favorite authors says.
Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. ~Goethe
Your brand and book marketing strategy should be a multi-pronged approach that is consistent and plans for at least three years into the future. You can always pivot if needed.
Remember that Budweiser, Pringle Potato Chips, Heinz ketchup, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and others pay the $5.6 million dollars for a 30-second ad in the 2020 Superbowl just to keep their brands in your Top-of-Mind associations.
Your marketing and promotion strategy is to keep your brand (author name) and products (books) promoted with magazine articles, interviews, blog posts, social media posts, old-school marketing materials, graphics and visual images, etc. on a consistent basis with a few “major event promotions” throughout the year for content and P/R generation.
Keep that $5.6 million dollars per 30-seconds in mind the next time you think that you are wasting time promoting your brand and your work on social media. And like the Superbowl ads, your social media posts must be compelling to stand out in a crowded field.
Whether or not you are aiming to go the traditional publishing route or self-publish, building your brand and book promotion strategy is key to have a successful writing career. Having a brand and marketing strategy will open many more possibilities and doors for you.
Here is an all-too-familiar scenario that I have heard again and again from literary agents (mostly when we are having drinks together in the evening after book expos or trade shows):
The conversation from the lit agent (no pun intended) generally goes something like this:
I just read this compelling manuscript. I thought that it might have potential (as in commercial potential because that is what pays the bills). So, I got online to see what kind of digital footprint the author has. Crickets. The website’s last blog post was eighteen months ago. I clicked on the Facebook page–no fan-base or street team. Twitter was just re-posting of posts that have nothing to do with other authors in her genre or of interest to potential readers…and Instagram was the same. So, I guess I will have to give this manuscript a pass. It seems to me that the author just isn’t serious about having a writing career and I don’t have the time to get her social media platform up to speed while shopping the manuscript.
As opposed to this rare excited version of a lit agent discovering the magical gem of great writing and serious promotional efforts that I did have the opportunity to hear (and drink a celebratory glass of champagne with):
Oh my god! I just read this compelling manuscript. I thought that it might have potential. So, I got online and JACKPOT! This author is doing everything right to reach her target market. Her marketing strategy will make it so much more easier for me to sell the book to _______ (insert publisher here). She has a lively website that is current and up-to-date. I saw a lot of consistent activity on her author Facebook page. Her Instagram posts are subtlety promotional. Perfect! And I see that she has a calendar full of scheduled events. It is so rare to find this combination of talent and business sense.
Now I understand that some of you will say, “Au contraire, mon ami! If I self-publish, I will be the bane of literary agents. Lit agents will not touch self-published authors.” I hear you mumble to yourself.
As for the disbelievers who think that self-publishing makes you untouchable to literary agents, I will use J.D. Barker as one of the tried and true examples of disproving that is old advice from before 2010. What a difference a decade makes.
J.D. Barker successfully published his debut novel as an indie and sold enough copies to land on the radar of the traditional publishers in a BIG way including seven-figure advances, two feature films, and a television series.
For now, please bear with me as I go off-topic for a bit… for those who are familiar with me, you probably have come to expect this wandering around bit on my part.
SHORTS – (a prelude to Part Two — How to Increase Online Sales)
Even if you are planning on going the traditional publishing route and not self-publishing, you will have to create a social media platform and a brand. Remember the book and the film Julie and Julia by Julie Powell. She is an inspiration to bloggers everywhere. Her book was basically a compilation of her blog posts.
Julie Powell–inspiring bloggers everywhere!
Hugh Howey self-published the science fiction blockbuster short story Wool – and Simon and Schuster picked up his omnibus of short stories. Howey is now sailing around in the South Pacific on his custom yacht as I write this. (I did have a chance to meet him several times before he embarked– he is a really nice guy.) Of course, everyone thinks that Howey was an overnight success. It only took him ten years of writing consistently for one short story to take off and create a fandom for all of his works.
Hugh Howey, author of WOOL
Andy Weir self-published his debut novel, The Martian. He said “I was writing all sorts of stories. I had three different serials going, and random short stories that I would post. I just kind of wrote whatever I wanted, and ‘The Martian’ was just one of the serials, but it was the one that the readers clearly liked the best, and so that helped encourage me to write it more than the others,” Weir told Recode.
It took Weir a long time to get his writing career off the ground. He even took several years of as software programmer to work on his writing, but then had to go back to programming until The Martian took root and agents were contacting him about publishing deals and movie deals.
As Jerry Macquire said, “Show me the money.” In the publishing industry that equates to copies sold and your author brand.
CIBA SHORTS
We became so excited about Short Stories from writing this blog post that we decided to finally offer a CIBA Book Awards division. We have received many requests for an awards program for just for short stories, novelettes, and novella. So without further ado… The CIBA Shorts!
Michelle Cox, a Mystery & Mayhem Grand Prize Winner, shares her strategy for promoting her well-received Henrietta and Inspector Howard mystery novel series.
Michelle says, “I spend five to seven hours a day doing marketing and PR—anything from writing the blog or the newsletter or articles or interviews, taping podcasts, setting up events, answering email, attending to social media, etc. It’s really a full-time job, though, sadly, the actual writing, the part I love, is the part I get to spend the least on.”
Award-winning mystery author, Michelle Cox
Michelle continues:
All marketing is pretty elusive, isn’t it? It’s a constant process of throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks. It’s also important to remember that what works for one person, might not work for everyone. It’s not an exact science. If it were, we’d all be rich!
But, in general, here are some good marketing tips that I have found to work:
Try to figure out where your readers are. Most of my readers, for example, are on Facebook, so that’s where I spend most of my social media time.
Think of yourself as a brand and try to match your posts accordingly. I post things about myself or the book or writing, but mostly old recipes, period drama news, or old stories from the past (which constitute my blog).
Also, I’m very careful never to post anything religious or political. This is a business, and the more you see yourself that way and follow basic business protocols, the more successful you’ll be.
Try to build your newsletter list by offering a freebie (such as free story, writing tips, a webinar, a prequel). Personally, I do it by running contests with really big prize packages. I make sure to state that the contest winner will be picked only from my newsletter subscribers. I pay a designer to create a beautiful graphic of the prizes, post it on Facebook, and then boost the post. Not only does this get me a lot of new subscribers (sometimes up to 1,000!), but it exposes the series to new readers as well!
Build your network.Join online author groups (I am part of a fabulous private FB group organized by my publisher, She Writes Press. We all share ideas, marketing tips, and offer support and advice, especially to the newer authors just coming on board. It’s a collective wealth of information.) or real-world groups in your area. Don’t be jealous of the success of others, but help each other as much as possible. As my publisher, Brooke Warner has said, “There’s room for everyone at the table.”
Show up at other authors events, write reviews, help promote whenever possible. Go to conferences to meet not just readers, but other authors who can potentially help you. Remember that you are a business, and you need to do work within your community to begin standing out.
You can discover more Book Marketing and Promotion Gems by reading Sharon E. Anderson’s 10 Question Interviews blog posts series that can be found on the Chanticleer Reviews website.
The latest interview is with the CYGNUS Grand Prize winner, J.I. Rogers. Rogers discusses her marketing tips and her Patreon marketing strategy. Click here to read.
Please stay tuned for Part Three of How to Increase Online Book Sales by Kiffer Brown
HANDY LINKS – Chanticleer Reviews Tool Box Series
Below are links to blog posts on the Chanticleer website that have more information on the above points:
Thank you for reading this Chanticleer Writer’s Toolbox post on Marketing and Book Promotion to Increase Online Book Sales.
We do a post (SOON) about book selling and distribution platforms – increasing your target market globally.
Also, we will continue to post the 2019 CIBA Finalists, so please stay tuned.
And, we will have new writing craft posts from top editors coming your way to keep you writing and editing during these unprecedented times.
We encourage you to stay in contact with each other and with us during this stint of practicing physical distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Let us know how you are doing, what is going on where you live, how are you progressing on your writing projects.
I invite each of you to join us atThe Roost– a private online Chanticleer Community for writers and authors and publishing professionals. You are welcome to email me for more info also.
We are active onFacebook,Twitter, and Instagram. You can find us by using our social media handle @ChantiReviews
Minimize physical contact! Maximize social connecting!
Let me introduce you to J.I. Rogers, one of our favorite authors here at Chanticleer Reviews!
In 2019, J.I. Rogers was awarded the 2018 GRAND PRIZE in the Chanticleer International Book Awards for CYNUS – our Science-Fiction Division for her Space Opera, The Korpes Files, a cyber-punk sci-fi, dystopian space opera, and nothing has been the same since.
We asked J.I. Rogers to take part in our 10-Question Author Interview series to share with us her journey of becoming a CYGNUS Grand Prize winner.
Chanticleer: Tell us a little about yourself, how did you start writing?
Rogers: Well, the biography on my website starts off like this: I am a green-eyed, ginger-haired, caffeine addict who is currently working on The Korpes File Series.
When not acting as a conduit for the voices in my head or pursuing something artistic, I’m a poster child for Generation X and the Queen of most boondoggles that lead to eye-strain and tinnitus.
Ancient History: I’ve always had a love of science fiction, mythological, and fantasy themes. I attended Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design back in the 80s, studying film animation when it was still a college, and I have been working as a professional artist for over thirty years. My love of writing dates back just as far as my artistic ventures. I even had a small Fantasy APA/Fanzine called “Northwest Passages.”
Recent History: The Korpes File Series is my first foray into writing science fiction. The core concept for the series came to me thirty years ago, and it was then that I began the process of world-building. In that time the idea behind my series has shifted from being hard science fiction to space opera, to finally come to rest in the middle as a hybrid between dystopian and science fiction.
How did I start writing? In 2012, I was working as a concept wrangler for a couple of game design studios and was put in charge of world development for one of the projects. I wrote two cut-scenes based on situations that the players would encounter as an experiment. When that project concluded, the short stories were released back to me, and the encouragement I received was what prompted me to continue writing. I decided to expand on what I’d created and that’s when the Muse struck. NaNoWriMo followed a week later, and at the end of that November I had enough core material to know where I was going with my story.
Chanticleer: Rock on #NaNoWriMo! When did you realize that you were an author?
Rogers: Honestly? The first time it sank in was when someone had purchased a paperback copy of The Korpes File then traveled to meet me and asked if I would sign it.
Chanti: That always feels good, right? And now, you have the second in series! Please tell us more about the genre shifts that your work has made and what led you to write in this genre?
Rogers: The closest definition I could come up with for The Korpes File Series would be that it’s a blend of dystopian and science fiction elements. As I said earlier, the series began as hardcore science fiction then transitioned to Space Opera and then into what is now dystopian with science fiction elements with a healthy dollop of space opera mixed in as well. I’m a fan of character-driven plot. What led me to write in this genre? My Muse kept sending me love notes in the form of characters quotes and world-building concepts.
Chanti: I love it when that happens. Do you find yourself following the rules or do you like to make up your own rules?
Rogers: Life rules? I’m unconventional, but I’ve managed to get away with things thus far by waving the ‘eccentric artist’ banner over my head. In writing? I follow the rules in non-dialogue portions of my writing, mostly (I do use Oxford commas, adjectives, and past tense when appropriate). The only place you’ll see me play fast and loose is in dialogue; this flexibility allows characters to sound unique.
Nash’s glasses
Chanti: How do you come up with your ideas for a story?
Rogers: I find inspiration via many portals. I’ve discovered that downtempo psy-bient electronica, industrial, and angsty bands from the late 90s and early 2000s inspire my dystopian Muse. My Pinterest folder is bursting with images on everything from flora and fauna to human culture, science, geology, tech, space… You get the idea. I also save links to new and emerging technology there. Even the characters in my story have suggested elements to me… when they go off-road.
(Chanti: I think Pyewacket and Tannith have to take some credit here, too, don’t you?!)
Chanti: Name five of your favorite authors and describe how they influence your work.
Rogers: My list is eclectic and includes artists: Jaime Hernandez – I’ve been a fan of Jaime for over thirty years. He and his brothers have demonstrated time and time again that you can tell a provocative, epic story with dimensional characters using both words and images. Love & Rockets is a masterpiece and I aspire to create something as beautiful.
Winner of the 2014 LA Times Book Prize! Image from the Publisher.
Barbara Hambly – While her storylines are great it was Barbara’s characters that spoke to me, and they grounded me into every event in the plot. I have re-read certain books just to re-experience these ‘old friends.’ When I finally decided to write, I made a point of finding the personality touchstones in all of my protagonists and antagonists.
Neil Gaiman – There’s a definite ‘other-worldly’ quality to his work; it’s like he exists somewhere between here and the twilight realm of Faerie and can translate that experience back. While I was designing aspects of Tamyrh and the aliens that hide in plain sight, I reflected on Mr. Gaiman’s “Sandman” series and allowed the ambiance to run its course.
James S.A. Corey – He recently displaced my favorite go-to for science fiction for the simple reason that he’s created a modern dystopian sci-fi epic that hasn’t fallen into the usual pitfalls of mocking itself or weighing itself down with unnecessary angst. If I want to escape my world but stay in the mood to write, I read Mr. Corey’s work or catch an episode of “The Expanse.” I don’t know if I’d call him an influence, rather a reminder that dystopian sci-fi can be done well.
Philip K. Dick – Our styles are different, but we definitely gravitate toward the same themes; his work lit a fire under my Muse back in high school. I’d like to add something about film here. I read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep before I saw the film Blade Runner, but the latter was what firmly cemented the love of noir, dystopian sci-fi in my soul. It was one of the first sci-fi films I’d seen that didn’t inject ‘comic relief buffoonery’ or ‘cute fuzzy creatures’ in order to expand its appeal. Alien, Logan’s Run, and 2001: A Space Odyssey are other fine examples that inspire.
Chanti: Give us your best marketing tips, what’s worked to sell more books, gain notoriety, and expand your literary footprint.
Rogers: Honestly, I haven’t reached the point where I’m selling millions of books; part of that may be due to my advertising budget, which is microscopic. This advice is aimed at those like me. I maintain an active presence on social media (the usual free ones – Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) and I operate a Patreon page, where potential readers and fans can find out what I’m up to, ask me questions, get special offers and swag, etc. My Patreon page is now at the point where it covers my website fees as well as the production costs of book-related items like the limited-run character sketchbook.
I owe my modest notoriety as an author to the fantastic people who interact with me, both online and in real life. They have acted as my ‘street team’ and encouraged their friends to buy my books. I estimate that 70% of my sales are due to their efforts and I’m very grateful… now to find a way to get everyone to leave reviews too.
If you’re on a tight budget like me, my advice is:
Share posts with other authors and leave comments
Support your creative community
Create engaging content
Leave reviews
Shamelessly promote others
Chat with fans, and
Be positive without looking for direct evidence of karmic return. In other words, treat people the way you’d like to be treated. This seems to be working for me.
Also – treat your author time on social media like a job or it’ll become a time sink and you’ll not get any writing done.
Chanti: That’s great advice! What is the most important thing a reader can do for an author?
Rogers: I have two answers to this question.
A). If they enjoyed the book, then I’d encourage them to leave a review saying so. B) If they didn’t like the book, I’d ask that they offer some feedback via the author’s website. Simply saying it was bad isn’t helpful; no one improves without constructive criticism.
Chanti: Do you ever experience writers’ block? What do you do to overcome it?
“Emerging Words” (which is a 18″ x 24″ artwork made from a mold of my face, silk, and pages from the proof copy of The Korpes File).
Rogers: My writing Muse sometimes takes an impromptu vacation and leaves me home, staring at the screen. When that happens, I’ll swap over to another project – usually art. Right now, I’ve got two illustration commissions on the go as well as Patreon projects. If that fails, there’s always gardening or my secret vice… MMORPGs like World of Warcraft.
Chanti: I think dialogue is where it’s at as far as character development – for sure. What do you do when you’re not writing? Tells us a little about your hobbies.
Rogers: I think my hubby would argue that I’m always writing as my ‘office’ pins down territory around the house depending on my mood. I draw, paint, sculpt, and garden (weather dependent on that last one – we get a lot of snow in the winter).
Chanti: Thank you, J.I. Rogers, for sharing your author journey with us. I am looking forward to seeing you at the next Chanticleer Authors Conference.
J. I. Rogers won the CYGNUS 2018 Grand Prize because The Korpes Files rock! And also, because she dared to enter the work into the CYGNUS division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards…
In other words, if you don’t enter, you will never know how your work stacks up against the other entries.
If you want a shot at the HONOR of CYGNUS SciFi Book Awards for 2020, don’t delay, enter the CYGNUS B00k Awards today!
The Cygnus Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Science Fiction, Steampunk, Alternative History, and Speculative Fiction. The Cygnus Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).
Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring space, time travel, life on other planets, parallel universes, alternate reality, and all the science, technology, major social or environmental changes of the future that author imaginations can dream up for the CYGNUS Book Awards division. Hard Science Fiction, Soft Science Fiction, Apocalyptic Fiction, Cyberpunk, Time Travel, Genetic Modification, Aliens, Super Humans, Interplanetary Travel, and Settlers on the Galactic Frontier, Dystopian, our judges from across North America and the U.K. will put them to the test and choose the best among them.
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 the Chanticleer International Book Awards. Your input and suggestions are important to us.
Click here for more information about the Chanticleer Book Reviews International Book Awards.
The Cygnus Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Science Fiction, Steampunk, Alternative History, and Speculative Fiction. The Cygnus Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).
Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring space, time travel, life on other planets, parallel universes, alternate reality, and all the science, technology, major social or environmental changes of the future that author imaginations can dream up for the CYGNUS Book Awards division. Hard Science Fiction, Soft Science Fiction, Apocalyptic Fiction, Cyberpunk, Time Travel, Genetic Modification, Aliens, Super Humans, Interplanetary Travel, and Settlers on the Galactic Frontier, Dystopian, our judges from across North America and the U.K. will put them to the test and choose the best among them.
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 the Chanticleer International Book Awards. Your input and suggestions are important to us.
Click here for more information about the Chanticleer Book Reviews International Book Awards.
Set in a world that is ridden with lethal radiation from a cataclysmic event, J. I. Rogers’s debut novel and the first novel of her 942 series is a definitive addition to the science fiction genre.
Life in The Korpes File is lived almost entirely indoors and relies highly on the advancement of technology to support life on a planet that is no friend to the living. Technician Nash Korpes is a member of the Diasporan people, who face harsh discrimination from the Korlo people of Korlune, where this saga is set. Nash is a genetic anomaly that gives him the appearance of his ancestors long ago. Because of this, he is recruited as an official subject within the government research organization KMR & D.
Nash has his reasons for signing over his life; his mental state is deteriorating, and his growing medicine regime are becoming too much and even dangerous, he decides he has to find a way out.
Spanning ten years of rising tensions across Korlune and within Nash’s mind, The Korpes File is packed with a large cast of characters told from numerous points of view. The interlocking plotlines can be hard at times to keep track of, but Rogers kindly includes a handy character index and map for reference, and they’ll need it. Readers are immersed straight into Nash’s world of unquestioned conformity and strict societal expectations. Still, the story itself is unapologetic to readers and rarely takes the time to explain itself, which, in a way, is its defining quality.
The truth is hidden deep, and J. I. Rogers scatters little details calling back to earlier points that help to unravel the overarching mystery. In a way, there are two mysteries. One within Nash’s mind and the nature of his condition and subsequent treatment, whereas the other is of a resurfacing war of destruction that will change life in Korlune forever. For both these mysteries, Rogers’s narrative style involves abrupt changes throughout the novel that are frankly disruptive. Still, they are useful in creating a sense of chaos one would face in a world of rising tensions and competing realities.
When presented with a large number of characters, it may seem like a daunting task to achieve necessary amounts of character development, and Rogers does just that, again and again. Just as attachments begin to form, the chaos prevalent in the novel tears them away from the forefront. Nash himself is present throughout the story but becomes a very different person from the beginning of because of all the mental, emotional, and physical trails he goes through spanning the ten-year passage of time. The story is only just beginning, however, and Nash’s story is far from over.
The Korpes File is a dynamic debut from J. I. Rogers that is sure to delight any die-hard science fiction fan looking for something new. The second novel of the 942 series was published this past March and continues the trials and tribulations of Technician Nash Korpes trying to find his way in a turbulent and dangerous world.
The Korpes File won Grand Prize in the CIBA 2018 Cygnus Awards for Speculative Science Fiction.
The Cygnus Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Science Fiction, Steampunk, Alternative History, and Speculative Fiction. The Cygnus Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBA).
Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring space, time travel, life on other planets, parallel universes, alternate reality, and all the science, technology, major social or environmental changes of the future that author imaginations can dream up. Hard Science Fiction, Soft Science Fiction, Apocalyptic Fiction, Cyberpunk, Time Travel, Genetic Modification, Aliens, Super Humans, Interplanetary Travel, and Settlers on the Galactic Frontier, Dystopian, our judges from across North America and the U.K. will put them to the test and choose the best among them.
CYGNUS Book Awards Alumni – The Stakes Are Out of This World!
Bennett R. Coles, a CYGNUS Grand Prize award winner for VIRTUES OF WAR, his debut novel, landed a sweet 3 book deal from Titan UK and he has just landed another from Harper Collins Voyager for his science fiction works.
Bennett Coles CYGNUS Grand Prize for VIRTUES of WAR (2013)
We love having the CYGNUS awards and Chanticleer quotes on the covers! #justsaying
CYGNUS 1st Place Winners CHILDREN of the FIFTH SUN and IT TAKES DEATH to REACH a STAR by Gareth Worthington and Stu Jones were picked up by VESUVIAN Media Group.
Please email us about your work’s progress! We love to brag about CYGNUS Award-Winning Science Fiction
These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from SLUSH pile to the 2019 Cygnus Book Awards LONG LIST. These entries are now in competition for 2019 Cygnus Shortlist. The Short Listers will compete for the Quarter-Finalist positions. The Quarter Finalist works will compete for the Semi-Finalists positions. Semi-Finalists will be announced and recognized at the CAC20 banquet and ceremony. The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 16 CIBA divisions Semi-Finalists. We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 18th, 2020 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash.
These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2019 Cygnus Book Awards novel competition for Science Fiction!
Good luck to all as your works move on the next rounds of judging.
Lawrence Brown – David: Savakerrva, Vol. 1
Mart Sander – The Goddess Of the Devil
Jim Cronin – Aeon Rises
William X. Adams – Intelligent Things
Erick Mars & Mike Wood – A Legacy of Wrath
Richard Mann – Purpose
Brett A. Lawrence – Shadow Seers
Callie Smith and Maura Smith – Fort Snow
Andrew Lucas McIlroy – Earthling
Charis Himeda – CRISPR Evolution
Paul Ian Cross – The Lights of Time
Jenn Lees – Stolen Time: Community Chronicles Book 2
Robert M. Kerns – It Ain’t Over…
J. I. Rogers – The Korpes Agenda
D. D. Wolf – Orchids Ablaze
Bryan K. Prosek – Paradoxal
William T. Kenny – The Conscious Whole
Alison Lyke – Forever People
Paul Werner – Mustang Bettie
V.L. Arias – The Expiration Date
Adam Boostrom – Athena’s Choice
Monica Harte – San Francisco
Jay Ashkinos – Hypergiant – Compendium One
Rey Clark – Titan Code: Dawn of Genesis
Trever Bierschbach – Embers of Liberty
Tim Cole – Insynnium
Sandra J. Jackson – Playing in the Rain
Samuel Winburn – Ten Directions
Grace Goodwin – Rogue Cyborg
J. Steven Young – Trumpery Resistance
Robert Sells – Revelations
Ken Hart – It was a Small Affair
Jacques St-Malo – Cognition
Timothy S. Johnston – The War Beneath
Thomas McDaniel – Rekindled
John Bowie – The Houses of the Curious
Shami Stovall – Star Marque Rising
D G Lamb – The Deepest Cut (Driven to the Hilt Book 1)
Terry Persun – BIOMASS Rewind
N. Matthias Moore – CLOUD 9
Darrell Lee – The Apotheosis
William X. Adams – Reluctant Android
David C. Crowther – City of Drowned Angels
Stephen Martino – The Final Reality
K.N. Salustro – Light Runner
Congratulations to J. I. ROGERS for the KORPES FILE taking home the 2018 CYGNUS Book Awards Grand Prize Ribbon
All Semi-Finalists will receive high visibility along with special ribbons 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.
The CYGNUS Grand Prize Winner and the Five First Place Category Position award winners along with the Semi-Finalists will be announced at theApril 18th, 2020 Chanticleer International Book Awards Annual Awards Gala,which takes place at the Chanticleer Authors Conference that will be held in Bellingham, Wash.
We are now accepting submissions into the 2020 CYGNUS Awards writing competition. The deadline for submissions is April 30th, 2020. The winners will be announced in April 2021.
We are deeply honored to announce the 2018 Winners of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs). The winners were recognized at the annual Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Banquet Ceremony on Saturday, April 27, 2019, at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether, Bellingham, Wash.
We want to thank all of the authors and publishers who participated in the 2018 Chanticleer International Book Awards (the CIBAs). Each year, we find the quality of the entries and the competitiveness of the division competitions increasing exponentially. We added a new level to the judging rounds in 2018—the SemiFinalists. The CIBA judges wanted to add Semi-Finalists as a way to recognize and validate the entries that were not selected for the very few First Place Award positions within each genre division.
PublishDrive, a global distribution platform, andHindenburg Systems, audiobooks and podcasts software, awarded more than $30,000 (cash value) in additional prizes to the 2018 Chanticleer International Book Award winners. Thank you!
A Recap of the CIBA Selection Process
There are 16 divisions of the CIBAs: 14 fiction genre divisions and 2 non-fiction divisions.
First Place Category award winners were selected for each one of the 16 divisions from an overall field of titles that progressed to the Semi-Finalists positions from the Shortlists, the Long List, and the infamous beginning slush pile rounds.
One Grand Prize award winner was selected from the First Place Category Award Winners for each of the 16 CIBA divisions.
One Overall Grand Prize award winner was selected from the 16 divisions of Grand Prize Award Winners
All CIBA Semi-Finalists in attendance at the CIBA awards ceremony were recognized with their respective division at the CIBA awards ceremony along with receiving a Semi-Finalist ribbon and digital badge and a significant discount to attend the Chanticleer Authors Conference.
Additional Prize from the DONALD MAASS LITERARY AGENCY
An additional prize was awarded to the 2018 CIBA Grand Prize Award Winners by the Donald Maass Literary Agency (that represents more than 150 novelists and sell more 100 novels each year to leading publishers in the U.S. and overseas). Donald Maass has offered “a high priority submission” process opportunity to the 2018 Grand Prize CIBA winners and a “priority submission” process opportunity to the 2018 CIBA 1st Place Category winning titles for consideration by his agency.
An email will go out to all 2018 CIBA grand prize award winners prior to June 10, 2019 with instructions, links, and more information about the awards packages. We appreciate your patience. As stated in the Semi-Finalist notification email, “One does not need to be present at the CIBA ceremony and banquet to win. But it sure is a lot more fun!”
And now to present the 2018 Chanticleer International Book Awards Grand winning titles and their authors who were announced on April 27, 2019, at the CIBA ceremony and banquet.
From Liberty to Magnolia: In Search of the American Dream by Janice S. Ellis took home the 2018 JOURNEY Book Awards for Narrative Non-Fiction Grand Prize Ribbon!
CONGRATULATIONS to Ronald E. YATES for The LOST YEARS of BILLY BATTLES(Book 3 of the Finding Billy Battles Trilogy) taking home the CHANTICLEER OVERALL Grand Prize for BEST BOOK in the 2018 CIBAS
“…the reader experiences that all too rare sense of complete transport to another world, one fully realized in these pages because the storytelling is so skillful and thoroughly captivating.”
The photo below is of Ronald E. Yates with his GOETHE Grand Prize Ribbon and his Chanticleer Overall Best Book Ribbon
“Reading a Book is Like Life: You Live it One Page at a Time.” (Ron Yates) Ron is a former foreign correspondent and Professor Emeritus of Journalism, Dean of the College of Media and is an award-winning historical novelist. Read more about this Pulitzer nominated journalist and Chanticleerian by clicking on this link.
Twelve of the Sixteen Grand Prize Division Winners were present to receive their ribbons on stage at the 2018 Chanticleer International Book Awards Ceremony.
We will post more photographs and information. Do check back and subscribe to the Chanticleer Reviews e-news letter.
We have exciting news for the Chanticleer Community on the horizon so do stay tuned!
You know you want a coveted Chanticleer Reviews Blue Ribbon!
Submit your works (manuscripts or novels published after or on January 1, 2017, are accepted) to the prestigious Chanticleer International Book Awardstoday! Entries are being accepted into the 2019 CIBAs in all 16 divisions.
Be sure to register early for the 2020 Chanticleer Authors Conference that will take place on April 16, 17, 18, & 19, 2020 with the 2019 CIBA banquet and ceremony scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 18th, 2020 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash.
An email will go out to all 2018 CIBA award winners prior to June 10, 2019, with instructions, links, and more information about the awards packages. We appreciate your patience. As stated in the Semi-Finalist notification email, “One does not need to be present at the CIBA ceremony and banquet to win. But it sure is a lot more fun!”
As always, please contact us at Chanticleer@ChantiReviews.com with any questions, concerns, or suggestions!
We have begun planning for the 2020 Chanticleer Authors Conference (April 16, 17, & 18, 2020) and the 2019 CIBA Banquet and Ceremony that will take place on April 17, 2020, at the Hotel Bellwether, Bellingham, Wash.
CYGNUS BOOK AWARDS for Science Fiction, a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards.
We are excited and honored to officially announce the Grand Prize Winner and the First Place Category Winners for the 2018 CYGNUS Book Awards for Science Fiction Novels at the annual Chanticleer Authors Conference and the 2018 Chanticleer International Book Awards ceremony. This year’s ceremony and banquet were held on Saturday, April 27th, 2019 at the Hotel Bellwether by beautiful Bellingham Bay, Wash.
We want to thank all of those who entered and participated in the 2018 Cygnus Book Awards for Science Fiction, a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards.
Sean Curley, the author of the previous Cygnus Grand Prize Winner, OVER, announced the First Place Award Winners and the Grand Prize Winner for the 2018 CYGNUS Book Awards at the Chanticleer International Book Awards Banquet and Ceremony. PublishDrive and Hindenburg Systems awarded additional prizes to the 2018 CYGNUS Book Award winners. Thank you!
2018 Cygnus Book Awards for Science Fiction First Place Winners – Best in Category
The Fortune Follies by Catori Sarmiento
It Takes Death to Reach a Star by Stu Jones & Gareth Worthington
Solar Reboot by Matthew D. Hunt
Apex Five by Sarah Katz
The One Apart: A Novel by Justine Avery
The Selah Branch by Ted Neill
Honorable Mention: Ten Directionsby Samuel Winburn
Congratulations to the First Place Category Winners of the 2018 Cygnus Book Awards for Science Fiction.
And now for the
CYGNUS BOOK AWARDS
GRAND PRIZE WINNERfor Science Fiction
The Korpes File by J.I Rogers took home the 2018 CYGNUS Book Awards for Science Fiction Grand Prize Blue Ribbon.
An email will go out to all First Place Category Winners and Grand Prize Winners with more information, the timing of awarded reviews, links to digital badges, and more before May 31st, 2019 (approximately four weeks after the awards ceremony). Please look for it in your email inbox.
When we receive the digital photographs from the Official CAC19 professional photographer, Dwayne Rogge of Photo Treehouse, we will post the CYGNUS winners on this page.
Michelle Cox,
We are now accepting submissions into the 2020 CYGNUS Awards writing competition. The deadline for submissions is April 30th, 2020. The winners will be announced in April 2021. 
A manuscript titled The PORTALS of PERIL by Jules Luther took home the Gertrude Warner Book Awards for Middle-Grade Readers
The GOETHE Book Awards GRAND PRIZE WINNER for Post-1750s Historical Fiction
The LARAMIE Book Awards GRAND PRIZE WINNER for Western Fiction
The CHATELAINE Book Awards GRAND PRIZE WINNER for Romantic Fiction
The LITTLE PEEPS Book Awards GRAND PRIZE WINNER for Early Readers
The 
The OZMA Book Awards GRAND PRIZE WINNER for Fantasy Fiction Novels
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The Madwoman of Preacher’s Cove, a manuscript by 
The Global Thriller Book Awards GRAND PRIZE WINNER for Lab Lit & High Stakes Thriller Novels
The SOMERSET Book Awards for Contemporary, Literary, Satire Novels
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CONGRATULATIONS to 
