Chanticleer Book Reviews

Author: james-conroyd-martin

The Chaucer 2022 Long List for Early Historical Fiction
The Chaucer Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in pre-1750s Historical Fiction. The Chaucer Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

The Chaucer Book Awards competition is named for Geoffrey Chaucer the author of the legendary Canterbury Tales. The work is considered to be one of the greatest works in the English language. It was among the first non-secular books written in Middle English to be printed in 1483.

Chanticleer International Book Awards is seeking the best books featuring Pre-1750s Historical Fiction, including pre-history, ancient history, Classical, world history (non-western culture), Dark Ages and Medieval Europe, Renaissance, Elizabethan, Tudor, 1600s, we will put them to the test and choose the best among them.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from all 2022 Chaucer Early Historical Fiction entries to the 2022 Chaucer Book Awards LONG LIST. Entries below are now in competition for the 2022 Chaucer Short List. The Short Listers will compete for the Semi-Finalist positions. All FINALISTS will be selected from the Semi-Finalists. Winners will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC23).

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 25 CIBA divisions’ Finalists.

We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on April 29, 2023, at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2023 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2022 Chaucer Book Awards novel competition for Pre-1750s Early Historical Fiction!

Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2022 CIBAs.
- Patrice Adair – The Viking Girl
- Eric Schumacher Ramirez – The Hummingbird & The Serpent
- Aaron Mead – Neither Slave nor Free
- Regan Walker – Bound by Honor, Book 2 in The Clan Donald Saga
- David Bush – General Jack and the Battle of the Five Kingdoms
- Daniel V. Meier, Jr. – Bloodroot
- GK Johnson – The Zealots
- Kerry Chaput – Daughter of the King
- Tonya Ulynn Brown – The King’s Inquisitor
- A. M. Linden – The Valley: Book Two of the Druid Chronicles
- Jean Gill – The Ring Breaker
- Patricia Bernstein – A Noble Cunning: The Countess and the Tower
- Lee Swanson – A Dangerous Journey Home
- Meredith Allard – Down Salem Way
- Elizabeth R. Andersen – The Scribe
- Brigitte Goldstein – Princess of the Blood – A Tapestry of Love and War in 16th-Century France
- Rozsa Gaston – Anne and Louis Forever Bound
- Amy Maroney – Sea of Shadows
- Amy Maroney – Island of Gold
- Karen Martin – Dancing the Labyrinth
- Kelly Evans – Unfinished: The Inspired Life of Elisabetta Sirani
- Donna Scott – The Tacksman’s Daughter
- Mary Ann Bernal – Forgiving Nero
- Eileen Stephenson – Imperial Passions – The Great Palace
- Philip Remus – Collegium, Brotherhood of Rogues
- M.D. House – The Barabbas Legacy
- Cindy Burkart Maynard – Finding the Way
- Rebecca Kightlinger – Megge of Bury Down: The Bury Down Chronicles, Book One
- Susanne Dunlap – Voices in the Mist
- Philip Remus – Gods of Men, Where the Spartans are Made
- Mack Little – Daughter of Hades
- Prue Batten – Reliquary – Book One of The Peregrinus Series
- Alexander Geiger – Immortal Alexandros
- Anna Belfrage – The Castilian Pomegranate
- Andrew Rowen – Columbus and Caonabó: 1493-1498 Retold
PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the FB post. However, for FB to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews.

Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook.

Additionally, we also post on Twitter. Chanticleer Twitter’s handle is @ChantiReviews

Or click here to go directly to Chanticleer’s Twitter feed.

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

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2021 CHAUCER Awards is Too Soon the Night by James Conroyd Martin

Click here to see the 2021 Chaucer Book Award Winners for Early Historical Fiction.

We are now accepting submissions for the 2023 Chaucer Book Awards for Pre-1750s Early Historical Fiction. The 2022 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2023.

Please click here to submit to the 2023 Chaucer Awards

For our other Historical Fiction Awards, please see the following:
Winners will be announced at the 2022 CIBA Awards Ceremony that is sponsored by the 2023 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

April 27-30, 2023! Register Today!

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.

Join us for our 11th annual conference and discover why!

As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions at info@ChantiReviews.com.
October 6, 2022
TOO SOON The NIGHT: A Novel of Empress Theodora (The Theodora Duology Book 2) by James Conroyd Martin – Historical Fiction, Eastern Roman Empire, Women Leaders

Too Soon the Night by James Conroyd Martin shows the thrilling heights to which Empress Theodora rose and the crushing depths to which she fell, in the latter half of her life. This story picks up from Fortune’s Child, the first volume of this epic duology.

This half of Theodora’s incredible journey opens at its close – as she succumbs to the cancer that drove her to dictate the record of her life. She left the task of recording her meteoric rise from actress to empress in the hands of the scribe and historian Stephen, even though she imprisoned him for several years out of fear that he would reveal her greatest secrets.

But as much as Stephen should hate her for her cruelty, he has his own axe to grind against the man who would slander Theodora after her death with a scurrilous character assassination disguised as biography. So he takes up his pen and continues his recording of – if not Theodora’s unvarnished truth – at least something closer than whatever her enemies would conjure to blacken her name.

Where Fortune’s Child focused on Theodora’s early years and her rise to power with Emperor Justinian, Too Soon the Night follows her many attempts to consolidate power, protect Justinian, and secure their legacy – even with no direct heir for their throne.

In spite of the chasm of time between the mid-first century A.D. and the early 21st century, Theodora’s drives and fears are easy to empathize with and understand, even as her complex machinations push the story forward.

The story is split between Theodora’s history as she tells it to Stephen, and Stephen’s perspective of Theodora as he carries out her will.

He provides insight into Theodora’s motives and the court and city in which she lives, allowing the reader to see the Empress both as she wants to be seen and as she truly is.

The story’s setting shows people jockeying for positions in Justinian’s court, unrest among the populace, and the Emperor’s unrealistic dreams of turning the Mediterranean back into a Roman sea. These struggles and desires give the story its tension, framing the life of a singular woman, uniquely powerful for her time.

This is a long and complex journey, befitting an equally long and complex saga. Those who start at the epic’s beginning will be rewarded with an utterly compelling immersion in a fascinating life.

Too Soon the Night by James Conroyd Martin won Grand Prize in the 2021 CIBA Chaucer Awards for pre-1750s Historical Fiction.

September 19, 2022
Part Two of The 2021 Chanticleer International Book Awards (#CIBAs) Overall Grand Prize and Division Grand Prize and First Place Category Winners
We are deeply honored and excited to continue to announce the 2021 Winners of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs) with our second of three official postings.

The winners were recognized at the CIBA ceremony held on June 25th, 2022 In-Person and broadcast live via ZOOM at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether, Bellingham, Wash.

The CIBA announcements were made LIVE with Chanticleerians flying in and watching from around the globe and North America.

We cheered on the CIBA winners with our drink of choice, whether in-person or Virtual!

Btw, Kiffer’s favorite Champagne!

We want to thank all of the CIBA judges who read each and every entry and then comment, rate, and rank within each of the 25 CIBA Divisions. Without your labors of love for books, the Chanticleer International Book Awards would not exist. THANK YOU!

We want to thank all of the authors and publishers who participated in the 2021 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 2021—the premier Level of FINALIST per each CIBA Division. The CIBA judges wanted to add the Finalist Level of Achievement as a way to recognize and validate the entries that had outstanding merit but were not selected for the very few First Place Award positions within each genre division.

This post will recognize the First Place and Grand Prize Winners for the Laramie, Chaucer, Goethe, Hemingway, Chatelaine, Mark Twain, and Somerset Awards.

For the Cygnus, Ozma, Paranormal, Global Thrillers, M&M, Clue, Little Peeps, Gertrude Warner, and Dante Rossetti Book Awards, please click here for Part 1.

For the Journey, Hearten, Nellie Bly, I&I, Mind & Spirit, Harvey Chute, Military & Frontline, Series, and Shorts Book Awards, place click here for Part 3

Coveted Chanticleer Blue Ribbons!

We are honored to present the

2021 Chanticleer International Book Awards

Grand Prize Winners

The 2021 CIBA Winners!

The LARAMIE Book Awards for

American, Western, Pioneer, Civil War, and First Nation Novels

The Grand Prize Winner is

TOM SAWYER RETURNS by E.E. Burke
- Chris Bennett – Road to the Breaking
- George T. Arnold – Wyandotte Bound
- Pamela Nowak – Never Let Go
- David Fitz-Gerald – The Curse of Conchobar: A Prequel to the Adirondack Spirit Series
- Glen Craney – The Cotillion Brigade: A Novel of the Civil War and the Most Famous Female Militia in American History
- T.K. Conklin – Outlaw’s Redemption
The CHAUCER Book Awards for

Pre-1750s Historical Fiction

Grand Prize Winner is

TOO SOON THE NIGHT by James Conroyd Martin
- John A. Martino and Michael P. O’Kane – Olympia: The Birth of the Games
- Janet Wertman – The Boy King
- Wendy J. Dunn – Falling Pomegranate Seeds: All Manner of Things
- Rebecca D’Harlingue – The Lines Between Us: A Novel
- Patricia Bracewell – The Steel Beneath the Silk
- James Hutson-Wiley – The Travels of ibn Thomas
The GOETHE Book Awards for

Post-1750’s Historical Fiction

Grand Prize Winner is

AFTER THE RISING by Orna Ross
- Ron Singerton – The Refused
- Drema Drudge – Victorine
- Lee Hutch – Molly’s Song
- Adele Holmes, M.D. – Winter’s Reckoning
- Mike Jordan – The Freedom Song
- Michelle Rene – Maud’s Circus
The HEMINGWAY Book Awards for

20th Century Wartime Fiction

Grand Prize Winner is

EO-N by Dave Mason
- Murray Pura & Patrick E. Craig – Far On The Ringing Plains
- Marian Exall – Daughters of War
- Marina Osipova – Too Many Wolves in the Local Woods
- Richard Alan Schwartz – The Soldier: A Novel of the Vietnam War Era
- Jerena Tobiasen – The Emerald, Book II of The Prophecy
The CHATELAINE Book Awards for

Romantic Fiction and Women’s Fiction

Grand Prize Winner is

THE LONG DESERT ROAD by Alex Sirotkin
- Deborah Swenson – Till My Last Breath, Book One in the Desert Hills Trilogy
- Valerie Taylor – What’s Not Said — A Novel
- Evie Alexander – Highland Games
- Tina Sloan – Chasing Cleopatra
- Kana Wu – No Secrets Allowed
- Emma Lombard – Discerning Grace
- John W. Feist – The Color of Rain
The MARK TWAIN Book Awards

for Humor and Satire

Grand Prize Winner is

CERTIFIED by Roger Wilson-Crane
- Charlie Suisman – Hot Air
- Elizabeth Crowens – Babs and Basil, and the Hounds of the Hollywood Baskervilles
- Lou Dischler – My Only Sunshine: Getting Straight with the Bomb
- Andy Becker – The Kissing Rabbi: Lust, Betrayal, and a Community Turned Inside Out
- Anne Pfeffer – Binge
The SOMERSET Book Awards

for Literary, Contemporary, and Mainstream Fiction

Grand Prize Winner is

LIES IN BONE by Natalie Symons
- Alex Sirotkin – The Long Desert Road
- Robert Gwaltney – The Cicada Tree
- Judy Keeslar Santamaria – Jetty Cat Palace Cafe
- Kent Politsch – Beebe and Bostelmann, a historical novel
- Douglas Green – A Dog of Many Names
- Barbara Linn Probst – The Sound Between the Notes
- M. J. Simms-Maddox – The Mysterious Affair at the Met
Congratulations to ALL!

We will email each winner with more information about their prize packages and more information.

Be sure to FOLLOW and LIKE us Facebook and on Twitter @ChantiReviews

Not seeing your Division? Try the links below!

For the Cygnus, Ozma, Paranormal, Global Thrillers, M&M, Clue, Little Peeps, Gertrude Warner, and Dante Rossetti Book Awards, please click here for Part 1.

For the Journey, Hearten, Nellie Bly, I&I, Mind & Spirit, Harvey Chute, Military & Frontline, Series, and Shorts Book Awards, place click here for Part 3

And the OVERALL GRAND PRIZE for the 2021 CIBAs!

Stay Tuned for Part 3 which will announce the Overall Grand Prize Winner!

We are now accepting entries into the 2022 and 2023 Chanticleer International Book Awards.

Click here for more information and submission deadlines: https://test.chantireviews.com/contests/

As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please email us at Chanticleer@ChantiReviews.com — We will try our best to respond within 3 business days.

Thank you for joining us in celebrating the 2021 CIBA Winners! – The Chanticleer Team
July 12, 2022
Chanticleer Magazine featuring USA Today Bestselling Author Ann Charles is Available in Print and E-Zine
The latest issue features Ann Charles, USA Today Best-Selling Author.

Ann shares her amazing author journey and her secrets to success! She has five, count them, five book series that are filled with mystery, humor, romance, supernatural, and the paranormal. Ann has also been awarded the CIBA Grand Prize for Paranormal Fiction.
- - Five Tips for Building Relationships with Readers
    
    How to Refuel Your Creative Tank
    
    Charting Plot Structure
    
    Writing Life
    
    Secrets for Writing Series
All this and more in Sharon E. Anderson’s great interview with Ann!

Order your print copy today!

Download your e-pub copy today! Click here for a digital copy featuring Ann Charles.

Writing Craft with Jessica Morrell, Top-Tiered Editor and one of Chanticleer’s exceptional Master Writing Class instructors, expands on the components of successful fiction.

Jessica Page Morrell

James Conroyd Martin, Chanticleer Overall Grand Prize Winning Author known for bringing historical fiction to life, 10 Question Interview.

James Conroyd Martin, Overall Chanticleer Grand Prize Winner!

Sweet Lavender Days with Gail Noble-Sanderson with her delicious lavender shortbread cookie recipe. Gail is a multi-award-winning author who weaves an epic tale of romance set against World War I and II, full of warmth, family, and the hope that love can indeed conquer all.

Award-Winning Author Gail Noble-Sanderson

What Will You Read Next? Discovery New Reads from this issue’s Chanticleer reviews of these authors’ works from Non-Fiction to Fiction and even an anthology! More than 80 Chanticleer Reviews on the following authors’ works.

Robert L. Slater, Ted Neill, G.R. Morris, Paul E. Vaughn, T. K. Riggins, JW Zarek, Joy Ross Davis, Jeny Heckman, Richard J. OBrien, Chris Karlsen, Corey Lynn Fayman, Kevin G. Chapman, Pamela Beason, Norman M. Jacobs, M.D., Marilyn Larew, Michael Pronko, Michelle Cox, Wally Duff, Ann Charles, Karen Musser Nortman, Anna Castle, James Conroyd Martin, Bruce Gardner, Blaine Beveridge, Joe Vitovec, Sandra Wagner-Wright, Andrea McKenzie Raine, Gerri Hilger, Michael L. Ross, Kari Bovee, David Fitz-Gerald, Sandra Rostirolla, L. A. Thompson, Susan Faw, Tiffany Brooks, Kay M. Bates, Robert D. Calkins, Aric Cushing, Sara Dahmen, Robert Scott Thayer, Simon Calcavecchia, L. E. Rico, Bronwen Evans, Elana Mikalsen, Claire Fullerton, Gene Helfman, Charlie Suisman, Lou Dischler, Eileen Charbonneau, Yorker Keith, Kris Kelso, Julie Jason, Lance Brewer, Franklin Ball, David Okerlund, Linda Jamsen, Cassandra Overby, Stevanne Auerbach, Bill W, Thomas Widman, Karen Keilt, Jill Anderson, Dan Juday, Ilene Birkwood, Dr. Rhona Epstein, Ramzi Najjar, K, Tanner T. Roberts, J. Nell Brown, Maya Castro, Janice S. Ellis, Ph.D, and The Red Wheelbarrow Writers.

Where can you get you copies of the Chanticleer Reviews Magazine?

You may order print and e-zine copies directly from us! Print copies receive complimentary shipping to anywhere in the United States.

OR Purchase Print Copies from these Independent Booksellers:

U.S.

Village Books of Bellingham, Wash. They can mail magazines out anywhere and they keep copies of the latest issue of Chanticleer Reviews quarterly magazine in stock on their magazine racks.

Canada & U.K.

If you live in Canada or the United Kingdom, then order your print magazine from Dragon’s Lair: www.DragonsLairArtist.com or email Susan Faw at susan@dragonslairartist.com | We ship a stack to Dragon’s Lair in Ontario, Canada. Then, they can ship them much easier, faster, and for cheap to Canadian addresses.

E-zines!

Order from Bookchain.ca

Or download directly from us!

Advertise? Yes, please! Email DBeaumier@ChantiReviews.com for more information.

Chanticleer Reviews magazine will make a great showpiece for the coffee table, or to take to book signings, or to have in your writer’s den, or to take to other promotional events for your books, or with you to book club meetings, and just in time for the holidays!
October 20, 2021
Chanticleer Fiction Series Book Awards – 2020 First Place Division and Grand Prize Winners
The CIBA FICTION SERIES Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in any of our 18 Divisions where the author has written a series. The Fiction Series Book Awards is a division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs) is seeking for the best book series in all of its fifteen fiction divisions: Mysteries, Suspense Thrillers, Espionage/High Stakes, Young Adult, Middle-Grade Readers, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Supernatural and Paranormal, Romance, Historical Fiction

Congratulations to the First Place Category Winners

for the CIBAs New Division for Fiction Series Book Awards!

CHATELAINE Book Series Awards for Romantic Fiction

Multi-cultural/Inter-racial Romance Series:
- The Prodigy Slave by Londyn Skye
  - The Prodigy Slave: Journey to Winter Garden
  - The Prodigy Slave: The Old World
  - The Prodigy Slave: The Ultimate Grand Finale
Regency/Georgian Romance Series:
- The Donet Trilogy by Regan Walker
  - To Tame the Wind
  - Echo in the Wind
  - A Fierce Wind
Historical Romance Series:
- The Lavender Meuse Trilogy by Gail Noble-Sanderson
  - The Lavender House in Meuse
  - The Passage Home to Meuse
  - The Lavender Bees of Meuse
HEMINGWAY Book Series Awards for Wartime Historical Fiction

The Devil’s Bookkeepers – Three Books by Mark Newhouse
- - The Noose
  - The Noose Tightens
  - The Noose Closes
CLUE Awards Series for Mystery & Suspense
- The Annie Oakley Mystery Series – Three Books by Kari Bovee
  - Girl with a Gun
  - Peccadillo at the Palace
  - Folly at the Fair
LARAMIE Series Awards Western, Americana, Civil War Fiction

Americana Fiction
- An American Journey Novel Series – Four Books by Richard Alan Schwartz
  - The Emigrant
  - The Pioneer
  - The Surgeon
  - The Soldier
GOETHE for Historical Fiction Series, post-1750s
- The Poland Trilogy – Eastern European Literature -Three Books by James Conroyd Martin
  - Push Not the River
  - Against a Crimson Sky
  - The Warsaw Conspiracy
DANTE ROSSETTI Book Series Awards for Young Adult Fiction
- The Adventures of Jonathan Moore Book Series – Three Books by Peter Greene
  - Warship Poseidon
  - Castle of Fire
  - Paladin’s War
M & M Book Series Awards for Cozy and Not-So-Cozy Mysteries
- The Henrietta and Inspector Howard Mystery Series – Five Books by Michelle Cox
  - A Girl Like You
  - A Ring of Truth
  - A Promise Given
  - A Veil Removed
  - A Child Lost
OZMA Book Series Awards for Fantasy Fiction
- Terribly Serious Darkness Gaslamp Fantasy Book Series – Three Books by Sam Hooker
  - Peril in the Old Country
  - Soul Remains
  - Now Before the Dark
PARANORMAL Book Series Awards for Supernatural Fiction
- The Winters Sisters – a Paranormal Romantic Suspense Series – Four Books by Joanne Jaytanie
  - Chasing Victory
  - Payton’s Pursuit
  - Willow’s Discovery
  - Corralling Kenzie
SOMERSET Book Series Awards for Contemporary, Literary, & Mainstream Fiction
- The Anne McFarland Book Series – American Literature – Three Books by Jill G. Hall
  - The Black Velvet Coat
  - The Silver Shoes
  - The Green Lace Corset
The GRAND PRIZE Winner of the 2020 CIBA New Division in BOOK SERIES:

is Proudly Awarded to

The Devil’s Bookkeepers – Three Books by Mark Newhouse

The Noose, The Noose Tightens, & The Noose Closes

Don’t Delay! Enter Today!

Enter your book or manuscript in a contest today!

We are now accepting entries into the 2021 Fiction Series Book Awards, a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions at info@ChantiReviews.com.
June 22, 2021
The 2020 CHAUCER Book Awards for pre-1750s Historical Fiction – the Semi-Finalists for the CHAUCER Division of the 2020 CIBAs
The CHAUCER Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in pre-1750s Historical Fiction. The CHAUCER Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

The Chaucer Book Awards competition is named for Geoffrey Chaucer the author of the legendary Canterbury Tales. The work is considered to be one of the greatest works in the English language. It was among the first non-secular books written in Middle English to be printed in 1483.

Chanticleer International Book Awards is seeking for the best books featuring Pre-1750s Historical Fiction, including pre-history, ancient history, Classical, world history (non-western culture), Dark Ages and Medieval Europe, Renaissance, Elizabethan, Tudor, 1600s, we will put them to the test and choose the best among them.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from the 2020 LONG LIST to the SHORT LIST and have now progressed to the 2020 SEMI-FINALISTS.

These titles are in the running for the Finalist positions of the 2020 CHAUCER Book Awards for pre-1750s Historical Fiction. Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.
- James Hutson-Wiley – The Travels of ibn Thomas
- Patrick E. Craig – The Mennonite Queen
- Regan Walker – Summer Warrior
- N.L. Holmes – Bird in a Snare
- Thoren Syndergaard – Ripley of Valor
- Seven Jane – The Isle of Gold
- Edward Rickford – The Bend of the River: Book Two in the Tenochtitlan Trilogy
- Helena P. Schrader – The Emperor Strikes Back
- Dave & Steve Curliss – To Give Thanks – Our Pilgrim Ancestors
- Brook Allen – Antonius: Son of Rome
- Sherry V. Ostroff – Caledonia
- Amy Wolf – A Woman of the Road and Sea
- Marilyn Pemberton – Song of the Nightingale: a Tale of Two Castrati
- Wendy J. Dunn – Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters
- Denis Olasehinde Akinmolasire – The Mission to End Slavery
- Janet Wertman – The Path to Somerset
Which of these works will move forward in the judging rounds for the 2020 Chaucer Book Awards for pre-1750s Historical Fiction?

The 2020 CIBA FINALISTS will be announced at VCAC21 – April 21 – 24, 2021.

The 2020 CIBA Finalists for all divisions will be announced at VCAC21 with the First Place and Grand Prize winners announced on Sunday, April 25, 2021.

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

The Semi-Finalists’ works will compete for the First Place Winner positions, and then all will be recognized in the evenings at VCAC21 April 22-24th from 6-8 p.m. PST.

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 23 CIBA divisions Finalists. We will announce the 1st Place Category Winners and Grand Prize Division Winners the CIBAs Ceremonies June 5th, 2021 virtually (Free) and LIVE at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash.

Register today!

We are now accepting submissions into the 2021 CHAUCER Book Awards for pre-1750s Historical Fiction. The deadline for submissions is July 31, 2021. The 2021 winners will be announced in April 2022.

As always, please contact us at Chanticleer@ChantiReviews.com with any questions, concerns, or suggestions!
April 7, 2021
FORTUNE’S CHILD: A Novel of Empress Theodora by James Conroyd Martin – Ancient History Fiction, Middle Eastern Literature, Biographical Fiction

James Conroyd Martin brings to life one woman we should all know better in his multi-award-winning, epic novel, Fortune’s Child: A Novel of Empress Theodora.

Like Cleopatra, Empress Theodora was a legend in her own time. And also, like Queen Cleopatra before her, Empress Theodora’s life and accomplishments were distorted and maligned by the male historians of her own time. Even after death, men who couldn’t bear or couldn’t believe that a woman, particularly a woman of the lower classes as Theodora was, could possibly have accomplished the things she did or wield the power she had.

Fortune’s Child, the first book of a projected duology, Theodora, near death, determines to leave behind an accurate chronicle of her life and work. She’s desperate to get a step ahead of the official biography already being written by a man who hates her, everything she came from, and everything she stands for.

What’s an empress to do?

As Claudius does in Robert Graves’ landmark I, Claudius, Theodora intends to tell her own story before it is too late. A terrible cancer that will eventually claim her life significantly weakens Theodora. She lacks the strength to write the biography herself. So she commissions an old friend, the scribe, historian, and palace eunuch Stephen, to write it for her.

After all, he was there for a great deal of it. So much of it, in fact, that Theodora placed him into prison to keep him quiet about it all and has now released him to have him set the record straight.

An empress in the making.

As Theodora tells Stephen details of her past, both before they met and after, the reader experiences her hardscrabble childhood. One comes to understand that before all else, Theodora was a survivor.

Everything she did, every decision made, every hard path she took, points to a woman who wanted to survive. In the truest form of survival, Theodora wanted to make a better life for herself, and if possible, for the women who came after her.

James Conroyd Martin masterfully brings the 6th century Eastern Empire to life. From Africa to the Levant to the glittering gem of Constantinople, the reader sees the sprawling successor to the Roman Empire through the eyes of a woman whose story began at the bottom as an actress and a prostitute. Despite the humble background, the Empress determines to rise to the top by any – and every – means available to her.

Empress Theodora’s story will resonate with modern readers.

The determination to make a far better life for herself, based on her own gifts and on her own, Theodora’s proto-feminism makes her an easy character for contemporary readers to identify with as she rises to dizzying heights and unprecedented power. As she discovers loyal friends and makes desperate enemies on all sides.

The facts and figures of Martin’s masterpiece are not hidden. They are for all to uncover. Theodora’s life and accomplishments are not nearly well enough known. The adventure, the danger, the drama, and the glitter swallow readers whole into this recreation of a world that is long gone and an empress who should be better remembered.

Fortune’s Child is a brilliant historical biography rendered in full color, vibrantly animated by its author, James Conroyd Martin. Theodora’s life story is so significant, in fact, that it will take more than one volume to tell all there is to tell. And that is simply glorious.

James Conroyd Martin won the Overall Grand Prize in the 2019 CIBA Awards, the Best Book of the Year, for Fortune’s Child: A Novel of Empress Theodora.

April 2, 2021
The 2020 CHAUCER Book Awards for pre-1750s Historical Fiction – the Short List
The CHAUCER Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in pre-1750s Historical Fiction. The CHAUCER Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

The Chaucer Book Awards competition is named for Geoffrey Chaucer the author of the legendary Canterbury Tales. The work is considered to be one of the greatest works in the English language. It was among the first non-secular books written in Middle English to be printed in 1483.

Chanticleer International Book Awards is seeking for the best books featuring Pre-1750s Historical Fiction, including pre-history, ancient history, Classical, world history (non-western culture), Dark Ages and Medieval Europe, Renaissance, Elizabethan, Tudor, 1600s, we will put them to the test and choose the best among them.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from SLUSH pile to the 2020 Chaucer Book Awards LONG LIST and now have progressed to the 2020 SHORTLIST.

These titles are in the running for the Semi-Finalists positions of the 2020 CHAUCER Book Awards for pre-1750s Historical Fiction. Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.
- James Hutson-Wiley – The Travels of ibn Thomas
- Patrick E. Craig – The Mennonite Queen
- Regan Walker – Summer Warrior
- N.L. Holmes – Bird in a Snare
- Leah Angstman – Out Front the Following Sea
- Thoren Syndergaard – Ripley of Valor
- Seven Jane – The Isle of Gold
- Edward Rickford – The Bend of the River: Book Two in the Tenochtitlan Trilogy
- Helena P. Schrader – The Emperor Strikes Back
- B.L. Smith – The Fall of the Axe
- Dave & Steve Curliss – To Give Thanks – Our Pilgrim Ancestors
- Brook Allen – Antonius: Son of Rome
- Sherry V. Ostroff – Caledonia
- Amy Wolf – A Woman of the Road and Sea
- Marilyn Pemberton – Song of the Nightingale: a Tale of Two Castrati
- Robert Wright – The Stone Gardner’s Fire, Second Book of the Before They Awaken Trilogy
- Jim Fuxa – At War with Mars
- Wendy J. Dunn – Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters
- Denis Olasehinde Akinmolasire – The Mission to End Slavery
- Indra Zuno – Freedom Dues
- Janet Wertman – The Path to Somerset
Which of these works will move forward in the judging rounds for the 2020 Chaucer Book Awards for pre-1750s Historical Fiction?

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

The ShortListers’ works will compete for the Semi-Finalists positions. Finalists will be selected from the Semi-Finalists, and then all Finalists will be recognized at the VCAC21 ceremonies. The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 22 CIBA divisions Finalists. We will announce the 1st Place Category Winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Ceremonies April 21-25th, 2021 live at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash.

We are now accepting submissions into the 2021 CHAUCER Book Awards for pre-1750s Historical Fiction. The deadline for submissions is July 31, 2021. The 2021 winners will be announced in April 2022.

As always, please contact us at Chanticleer@ChantiReviews.com with any questions, concerns, or suggestions!
March 13, 2021
The CHAUCER Book Awards for pre-1750s Historical Fiction – the Long List for the 2020 CIBAs
The CHAUCER Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in pre-1750s Historical Fiction. The Chaucer Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

The Chaucer Book Awards competition is named for Geoffrey Chaucer the author of the legendary Canterbury Tales. The work is considered to be one of the greatest works in the English language. It was among the first non-secular books written in Middle English to be printed in 1483.

Chanticleer International Book Awards is seeking for the best books featuring Pre-1750s Historical Fiction, including pre-history, ancient history, Classical, world history (non-western culture), Dark Ages and Medieval Europe, Renaissance, Elizabethan, Tudor, 1600s, we will put them to the test and choose the best among them. These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from SLUSH pile to the 2020 CHAUCER Book Awards LONG LIST. These entries are now in competition for 2020 CHAUCER Shortlist. The Short Listers’ works will compete for the Semi-Finalists positions. Semi-Finalists will be announced and recognized at the CAC21 banquet and ceremony. We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremonies April 21-25th, 2021 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. at the 2021 Chanticleer Authors Conference–whether virtual, hybrid, or in-person.

These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2020 Chaucer Book Awards for pre-1750s Historical Fiction. Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.
- James Hutson-Wiley – The Travels of ibn Thomas
- Patrick E. Craig – The Mennonite Queen
- Regan Walker – Summer Warrior
- N.L. Holmes – Bird in a Snare
- Leah Angstman – Out Front the Following Sea
- Bob Atkinson/Thoren Syndergaard – Ripley of Valor
- Seven Jane – The Isle of Gold
- Edward Rickford – The Bend of the River: Book Two in the Tenochtitlan Trilogy
- Helena P. Schrader – The Emperor Strikes Back
- B.L. Smith – The Fall of the Axe
- Catherine Meyrick – The Bridled Tongue
- Dave & Steve Curliss – To Give Thanks – Our Pilgrim Ancestors
- Dick Rosano – Islands of Fire: The Sicily Chronicles, Part I
- Brook Allen – Antonius: Son of Rome
- Sherry V. Ostroff – Caledonia
- Amy Wolf – A Woman of the Road and Sea
- Tony Dietz – Eve 1057
- Marilyn Pemberton – Song of the Nightingale: a Tale of Two Castrati
- K.M. Butler – The Welsh Dragon
- Robert Wright – The Stone Gardner’s Fire, Second Book of the Before They Awaken Trilogy
- Jim Fuxa – At War with Mars
- Wendy J. Dunn – Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters
- Denis Olasehinde Akinmolasire – The Mission to End Slavery
- Marc Graham – Son of the Sea, Daughter of the Sun
- Indra Zuno – Freedom Dues
- Samary K. Birkline – MacGregor Strong
- Janet Wertman – The Path to Somerset
Good Luck to All in the Next Rounds!

Congratulations to James Conroyd Martin whose work Fortune’s Child: A Novel of Empress Theodora took home the Grand Prize for the 2019 Chaucer Book Awards and the overall BEST BOOK Grand Prize for 2019.

Here is the link to the 2019 Chaucer Book Award Winners!

Our next Chanticleer International Book Awards Ceremonies will be held April 21 – 25, 2021, for the 2020 CIBA winners. Enter your book or manuscript in a contest today!

Don’t Delay! Enter Today!

Enter your book or manuscript in a contest today!

We are now accepting entries into the 2021 Chaucer Book Awards, a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions at info@ChantiReviews.com.
December 15, 2020
The 2019 Overall Chanticleer International Book Awards Grand Prize Winner – 2019 CIBAs

We are honored and excited to announce the Best Book Overall Grand Prize Winner of the 2019 Chanticleer International Book Awards – the 2019 CIBAs

Chanticleer Reviews Grand Prize Ribbons!

Who took home the coveted Overall Grand Prize Best Book Blue Ribbon?

There are 17 Grand Prize Blue Ribbons, but only one will Overall Grand Prize Blue Ribbon for Best Book. The competition is fierce and competitive. We love each one, but only one can win.

Who will be able to display and promote the gorgeous Grand Prize Badge in all book promotions for the winning title?

17 authors made it to the exclusive CIBA Grand Prize Levels

Which title will receive the Chanticleer Reviews Package and be featured in the Chanticleer Reviews magazine winter quarter’s edition?

There were 17 CIBA Grand Prize Division Winners!

Who will be interviewed and featured in our well-trafficked website?

All of the CIBA Grand Prize Division Award Winners will be featured!

Who will receive the Overall Best Book Grand Prize Book Award Winner’s $1,000 USD?

There is only one $1,000 USD check at this time for the one CIBA OVERALL BEST BOOK.

CONGRATULATIONS to

James Conroyd Martin,

author of the 2019 CIBA Overall Best Book Fortune’s Child: A Novel of Empress Theodora

The journey of Fortune’s Child: A Novel of Empress Theodora by James Conroyd Martin in the 2019 Chanticleer International Book Awards.

James Conroyd Martin, author of the Overall Best Book of the Chanticleer International Book Awards selection: FORTUNE’S CHILD: a novel of Empress Theodora

Fortune’s Child: a Novel of Empress Theodora authored by James Conroyd Martin advanced from the entry level of all submissions into the 2019 Chaucer Book Awards for Pre-1750s Historical Fiction to the division’s Long List. From there, it advanced to the Chaucer Book Award’s Shortlist. Then it advanced in the next rounds to the Semi-Finals. More than half of all the 2019 Chaucer entries have fallen off the list and did not advance to the Semi-Final rounds. For works to advance to the Premier FINALIST rounds in each division, they must have been entirely read, rated, and then ranked by the CIBA judges for an overall average score of at least 8 out 10. From that point, the competition becomes fierce. Each judge evaluates the works competing for the limited first place category positions for each division. And then the judging continues as the selections are made for the CIBA Grand Prize Winners.

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 2019—the premier Level of FINALIST per each CIBA Division. The CIBA judges wanted to add the Finalist Level of Achievement as a way to recognize and validate the entries that had outstanding merit but were not selected for the very few First Place Award positions within each genre division.

We want to thank each and every one of the 2019 CIBA judges.

Without your passion and labor of love for books, the Chanticleer International Book Awards would not exist and we could not fulfill our mandate: Discovering Today’s Best Books!

THANK YOU JUDGES!

The Chanticleer International Book Awards Discovers Today’s Best Books!

We want to thank all who have entered and participated in the prestigious CIBAs.

We invite you to click on the links below that honor and recognize all 17 Divisions of the CIBAs First Place Award Winners and Division Grand Prize Winners.

PART ONE – The 2019 Chanticleer International Book Awards Division Winners

PART TWO – The 2019 Chanticleer International Book Awards Division Winners

PART THREE – The 2019 Chanticleer International Book Awards Division Winners

Additionally, there are links on the Chanticleer Reviews website recognizing and announcing the works that advanced to the Premier Finalist Level of the 2019 CIBAs.

The winners were recognized at the Virtual Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Ceremonies that were held on during VCAC September 8 – 13, 2020 by ZOOM webinars based at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether, Bellingham, Wash.

You know you want a coveted Chanticleer Reviews Blue Ribbon!

Submit your works (manuscripts or novels published after or on January 1, 2018, are accepted) to the prestigious Chanticleer International Book Awards today! Entries are being accepted into the 2020 and now 2021 CIBAs in all 17 fiction divisions and five non-fiction divisions.

Be sure to register early for the 2021 Chanticleer Authors Conference that will start on April 16th, 2021 with the 2020 CIBA banquet and ceremony scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 17th, 2021 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. If we cannot move forward with CAC21 due to the coronavirus, we will host another LIVE and HYBRID Chanticleer Authors Conference and 2020 Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards ceremony.

Pivot and Oscillate are the Words for Today’s Challenging Times as We All Learn Together!

An email will go out to all 2019 CIBA award winners prior to October 31, 2020, with instructions, links, and more information about the awards packages. We appreciate your patience. As stated many times before “One does not need to be present at the CIBA ceremony and banquet to win. But it sure is a lot more fun!” –even if it is virtual!

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

Be well. Stay Healthy. Take Care!

The Chanticleer Reviews Team

October 19, 2020