Chanticleer Book Reviews

Author: kristie-clark

The GLOBAL THRILLER 2022 CIBA WINNERS for High Stakes Suspense
The Global Thriller Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in High Stakes Thriller Fiction. The Global Thriller Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

Chanticleer Book Reviews is looking for the best books featuring suspense, thrilling stories that put the balance of world power or that will end the world as we know it. We include with Global Thrillers the Lab Lit genre. Lab Lit is when Fiction Meets Real Science and Research or stories that are based on real science and research up to a certain “what if” point.

For other Mystery Divisions see our Clue Awards for Suspense/Thriller Novels and our M&M Awards for Cozy-and-not-so-Cozy Novels.

1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners were announced at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony by Ron McManus on Saturday, April 29th, 2023 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2023 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

This is the OFFICIAL 2022 LIST of the GLOBAL THRILLER BOOK AWARDS First Place Category Winners and the GLOBAL THRILLER Grand Prize Winner.

Congratulations to the FIRST PLACE CATEGORY WINNERS of the GLOBAL THRILLER BOOK AWARDS for High Stakes Fiction and Lab Lit, a division of the 2022 CIBAs.
- Amy Sommers – Rumors From Shanghai
- Charlie Robinson – Hybrid Hysteria – A Novel of Corporate Intrigue Both Holy and Diabolical
- Kristie Clark – Dragon Clan
- Lucien Telford – The Sequence
- Randall Krzak – Revenge
- Daniel Greene – Northern Shadows (Northern Wolf Series Book 5)
- J. Luke Bennecke – Waterborne
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 GLOBAL THRILLER Awards is:

HYBRID HYSTERIA

By Charlie Robinson

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

Attn CIBA Winners: More goodies and prizes will be coming your way along with promotion in our magazine, website, and advertisements in Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards long-tail marketing strategy. Welcome to the CIBA Hall of Fame for Award Winners!

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A Note to ALL the WINNERS: The coveted CIBA Blue Ribbons will be mailed out starting in June. We will contact you with an email to verify your mailing address and other items.

ALL the WINNERS: You will receive an OFFICIAL EMAIL NOTIFICATION with Digital Badges and more information.

Grand Prize Division Winners will receive a customized digital badge. When we receive it from our graphic artist, we will also post here and in the Grand Prize Division Winners Official Posting.

Thank you for participating in the 2022 CIBAs! We are looking forward to reading your future entries.

Team Chanticleer!
May 4, 2023
Happy Earth Day 2022! Celebrating our Environmental Authors
Reading for a Better Earth Day

Being a Rooster, Chanticleer is pretty keen on the idea of Earth Day.

It may surprise you to hear that Earth Day is the largest secular holiday in the world, celebrated for the past 50 years! You can read our last article that focused on the origins of Earth Day, as well as the powerful impact literature can have on the environment, as happened with Silent Spring by Rachel Carson.

This year, we want to take time to recognize and cheer on some of the Chanticleer authors who have made their own contributions to environmental literature. While nature focused writing can fit into almost any genre, the genres we most often see with environmental stories are: Global Thriller Awards, Journey Awards, Little Peeps Awards, Hearten Awards, and, of course, our Cygnus Awards with the rise of the Cli-Fi genre!

Books show where we put our focus and attention, and we’re glad that these authors did such a great job highlighting the world in their work!

WISHES, SINS, and the WISSAHICKON CREEK
By PJ Devlin
Somerset First Place Winner

The award-winning Wishes, Sins, and the Wissahickon Creek by PJ Delvin is a contemporary masterpiece in short story collections. Highly Recommended!

PJ’s newest book, The Chamber is available for purchase now! You can also read our review of her first book, Wissahickon Souls, here.

KILLING DRAGONS: Order of the Dolphin, Book One
By Kristie Clark

A smart, science fiction thriller that will have readers looking twice at dolphins – and scanning the waters for something far more menacing. Highly recommended.

Kristie Clark is a pediatrician with the heart of a writer. She always knew that she wanted to write and began writing poetry in middle school. Her mother read to her at night, instilling a love of books. As a child, C.S. Lewis’s Narnia series impacted her greatly, and as a teenager, she began reading science fiction for fun, enjoying books by Arthur C. Clarke.

Big congratulations are in order for Kristie Clark as this book recently made the Finalists list for our Global Thriller Awards. Her newest book, Dragon Gold, is on the Finalist list for the Cygnus Awards, and her short story “Dragon of the Sea” is a Finalist for the Shorts Awards. Way to go Kristie!

All Book Award Winners will be announced at the Chanticleer Authors Conference.

A DIVINE WIND
By Norman M. Jacobs MD, MS

An intelligent techno-thriller that won’t leave you even after the final page is read. Highly recommended!

Norman M. Jacobs MD, MS is an award-winning writer and former bookstore owner. He’s a scientist and physician and has published many newspaper and scientific articles. He has a master’s degree in physics, passed a PhD exam in physics at the University of Pennsylvania, and completed a residency program in radiology at Duke University Medical Center with specialty training in neuroradiology. Congratulations Norman on being a Finalist in the Global Thriller Awards!

KOBEE MANATEE® – Climate Change and the Great Blue Hole Hazard
By Robert Scott Thayer
Illustrated by Lauren Gallegos

Kobee Manatee® Climate Change and the Great Blue Hole Hazard is a fantastic journey showcasing fun, friendship, and the necessity of keeping our oceans clean.

You can find all 4 of the Kobee Manatee® books here!

Robert Scott Thayer always had a passion for manatees, oceans, weather, and sea life. He is also an award-winning recording artist who writes and sings in the pop, jazz, and children’s genres. Robert’s newest children’s tune, Kobee’s Song, is available on iTunes.

Lauren Gallegos earned her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Illustration from Cal State Fullerton in 2009 and has been illustrating ever since. When it comes to stories, Lauren has always loved books that warm the heart and touch the soul; timeless narratives that speak to your inner child. As a young girl she loved to pour over illustrations that were rich and full. Lauren still loves books that take you to mysterious places and let your imagination run wild with possibilities. Her biggest illustration influences are Chris Van Allsburg, Loren Long, Chris Sheban, Arthur Rackham, and Scott Gustafson to name only a few.

Over
By Sean P. Curley

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!

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 updates from our authors:
Reach out with your news to info@ChantiReviews.com

VIRTUAL and IN-Person – June 23 – 26, 2022! Register Today!

FLEXIBLE REGISTRATIONS ARE AVAILABLE for these challenging times.

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 10th annual conference and discover why!

Featuring: International Best Selling Author Cathy Ace along with A+ list film producer Scott Steindorff.
April 21, 2022
SHORTS Book Awards for Short Stories, Novellas, and Collections 2020 CIBA Award Winners
The Short Story Awards recognize emerging talent and outstanding works in Short Stories, Novelettes, Novellas, and Short Story Collections and Anthologies. The Short Story Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards program.

The Chanticleer International Book Awards program discovers today’s best works. The Short Stories Awards discovers the Best New Shorts in Fiction and Narrative Non-Fiction.

After several years of requests, the Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards program now offers a division for Short Fiction and Narrative Non-Fiction in 2020. Since it is a new division, we are still ironing out the proverbial wrinkles. However, it has proven to be quite popular, so we will continue to offer it in our book awards program. These books have advanced to the Premier Level of Achievement in the 2020 CIBAs.

The 2020 SHORTS Book Awards Finalists and the SHORTS Grand Prize Winner were announced by Sharon Anderson on Saturday, June 5, 2021 at the Hotel Bellwether and broadcast via ZOOM webinar and Facebook Live.

SHORT STORIES and NOVELETTES

Historical Fiction (Chaucer/Goethe/Laramie/Hemingway)
- Kristie Clark – Dragon of the Sea
- Vali Benson – Blood and Silver
- Grendolyn Soleil – Snow Dust and Boneshine: The Chronicles of Granny Witch
- Marina Osipova – From Stalin with Love
Mystery & Suspense (M&M/Clue)
- J. J. Clarke – Dared to Fly
- Alan E. Fleischauer – Sherlock and the Tiger
- Joanne Jaytanie – Twice As Bad, Miss Demeanor, P. I. Series
Out of This World Fiction – Speculative Fiction
- Robin Lee Lovelace – Savonne, Not Vonny
- Alexandrea Weis – Sisters of the Moon
- Matilda Scotney- Joy In Four Parts
- Sarena Ulibarri – Inviting Disaster
- Grendolyn Soleil – Snow Dust and Boneshine: The Chronicles of Granny Witch
Contemporary/Literary/Satire (Somerset/Mark Twain)
- Susan Lynn Solomon – Reunion
- V. P. Evans – N
- V.P. Evans – W
- Michelle Rene Magee – Danielle’s Inferno
- Dennis M. Clausen – The Accountant’s Apprentice
Chatelaine
- Joanne Jaytanie – Christmas Chemistry, Forever Christmas in Glenville, Book 3
- Vicki Batman – Raving Beauty
- Gail Meath – Fire Blossom
- Joanne Jaytanie – P.I. I LOVE YOU, Miss Demeanor, P.I. Book I
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2020 SHORTS Awards for Short Stories is:

Robin Lee Lovelace for

Savonne, Not Vonny

FINALISTS for SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS are:
- Pierce Koslosky Jr. – A Week at Surfside Beach
- Lindy Ryan – Dead of Winter
- Janet Oakley – Hilo Bay Mystery Collection
- Sean Thomas Dwyer – Voices I Hear
- Susan Lynn Solomon – T’was the Season
- Abbe Rolnick – Tattle Tales: Essays and Stories Along the Way
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2020 SHORTS Awards for Short Story Collections is:

Pierce Koslosky Jr. for

A Week at Surfside Beach

The 2021 SHORTS Book Awards winners will be announced at CAC22 on April 10, 2022. Save the date for CAC22, scheduled April 7-10, 2022, our 10 year Conference Anniversary!

Submissions for the 2021 SHORTS Book Awards are open until the end of December. Enter here!

Don’t delay! Enter today!

A Note to ALL the WINNERS: The coveted CIBA Blue Ribbons will be mailed out starting in July. We will contact you with an email to verify your mailing address and other items. We thank you for your patience and understanding.
June 22, 2021
KILLING DRAGONS: Order of the Dolphin, Book One by Kristie Clark – Environmental Thrillers, Navy SEAL Dolphins Sci-fi, Human-Animal Communications Thrillers

A search for the truth behind Lusca, the legendary sea dragon, leads to areas far more menacing than a mere myth in Kristie Clark’s Killing Dragons: Order of the Dolphin.

Eva Paz is a doctorate-level marine biologist at the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences (RIMS), performing research on whistle-signature spectrograms. Even though Eva believes she’s close to a breakthrough in dolphin-human communication, her statistics may not be enough to keep the grant she needs to continue her work and support her employment at RIMS. Her connection with a petite Atlantic bottlenose dolphin named Taffy, an animal trained by the Navy, and Taffy’s mate, Finn, go back thirteen years during a horrific time in Eva’s life.

During that time, Eva met Thomas Sternberg, a Navy SEAL diver who changed his career path to a pediatric oncologist. He’s also Eva’s ex-boyfriend.

Luis’s mysterious death (boyfriend to Eva’s mother) raises concerns about the welfare of her family since she becomes the sole supporter; holding onto that grant is now a necessity. Even more disturbing is the sizeable conical tooth found near his corpse—a sign to the locals that Luis fell victim to none other than Lusca, the mythological sea dragon.

Julian Gulliver, a notorious investor, approaches Eva, hoping that she’ll take up his offer to support her research while requesting her assistance to identify a predator that’s been attacking Atlantis, his open-ocean fish farms. Unbeknownst to Eva, Julian hires Thomas as his expert diver for his newly-opened dive shop in the expensive Parrot Tree resort, a legal cover for his illegitimate business transactions.

Meanwhile, Taffy’s pectoral fin washes ashore with another conical tooth.

Heartbreaking as that is, Eva discovers something else. Taffy is pregnant. As Eva’s problems build with additional mysterious deaths and Finn earmarked as the target monster, the last person she expects to have back is Thomas. Danger only heightens when he joins her cause, trying to solve the mystery behind the Lusca myth.

Rising author Kristie Clark spins a gripping debut that is more fact than fiction. Clark sets her story in Roatan, the largest and most developed of the Bay Islands in the Western Caribbean. Her book opens with a glimpse into the life of Eva Paz—a devoted marine biologist whose research focuses on advanced human-and-animal communication with Navy dolphins trained to locate sea mines—before all things sinister break lose.

Luis’s horrendous death fosters locals’ belief in the legendary Lusca.

To Eva, Luis’s demise only sends a reminder of her horrifying past when her brother died. From that point, scenes continually flip from backstories to the present and alternate between protagonists (Eva, Thomas, and even Taffy, the dolphin!) and antagonists (Julian and Ignacio).

The events in Killing Dragons cover little over seven nail-biting weeks.

To keep her narrative flowing, Clark employs a variety of literary elements. One is her journal entry style that opens each chapter, which mentally prepares readers for location changes.

High on the literary-element chart, though, several unresolved situations among the characters roll from one unsettling scene to the next; add to that, terror continues building as the mysterious monster takes more lives amid the ominous presence of Julian and his minions. If that wasn’t enough, Clark throws one more item into the mix: the slow-burning-sexual tension between Eva and Thomas’s strained relationship.

Clark skillfully weaves in a flurry of fascinating facts covering everything from environmental issues with the fish farming industry and the reality of tainted fish to the severe effects on humans and the latest treatment in oncology/cancer research. Clark includes incredible advances in marine life research, as well.

Brilliantly executed, Killing Dragons undoubtedly whets the literary appetite of those who like their sci-fi thrillers with a bit of sexy in the mix. Clark has no trouble holding her own in the vast field of thriller authors – and readers will be happy to learn the next book in the Order of the Dolphin series may splash on the scene very soon!

June 1, 2021