Chanticleer Book Reviews

Author: mark-berridge

The 2025 Journey Hall of Fame for Non-Fiction Overcoming Adversity

Recognizing Resiliency

Chanticleer International Book Awards

Journey Book Awards

Narrative Non-Fiction Division for Overcoming Adversities and Challenges

The Journey Awards Closes at the end of June. Enter today!

One of seven of the Non-Fiction Divisions for the Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBAs) is the Journey Awards. This division deals with some of the most difficult experiences people are challenged with. The Journey Book Awards was the first non-fiction division of the CIBAs. As we received a considerable number of submissions that were uplifting and inspiring as well as those that focused on overcoming adversities, we decided to offer two divisions of narrative non-fiction. To be able to recognize these fully, we split off the more heartwarming works into the Hearten Awards, while continuing to recognize and discover works that give accounts of immense challenges and personal stories of the power resiliency and overcoming adversity (some of which should come with trigger warnings) in the Journey Book Awards.

Chanticleer is looking to discover exceptional Non-Fiction dealing with Overcoming Adversity, Dysfunctional Families, Societal Issues of Race and Class, Personal Journeys, and Experiences relating to PTSD, Drug Addiction, Sexual Abuse, and Childhood Trauma. If you have a Non-Fiction Book with different themes, you can see our full list of Non-Fiction Awards here. Truth matters now, more than ever!

Check out these exceptional reads and experiences from previous Journey Grand Prize Winners

Unfollow Me
By Kathryn Caraway

When you’re a target of stalking, “Each day is a fight to stay alive. Even while sleeping, you must be ready.” So reveals Kathryn Caraway in Unfollow Me, a spine-tingling true crime novel tracing a life shattered by severe stalking.

Although the author uses the pseudonym “Kathryn Caraway” throughout this novel to protect her identity, her harrowing tales of being the target of a stalker and fighting for her rights to freedom and safety are a testament to the real danger she was exposed to. Caraway’s experience creates a compelling story of one woman’s brave quest for justice against her torturer.

Kathryn emotionally, mentally, and physically falls apart at the hands of a violent, ubiquitous presence. Despite the severity of the crimes committed against her, Kathryn’s concerns are routinely dismissed as irrational and hysterical by law enforcement officials, lawyers, and even long-time friends.

Before a malicious intruder targets her, Kathryn is a beloved mother, a wonderful friend, and a confident employee. But after she is introduced to Todd, he begins to slowly strip her life from her control.

Read More Here

To see more from this author, including her upcoming fictional sequel to Unfollow Me, visit her website!

Barbed
By Julie Morrison

Julie Morrison saddles up to take us for a ride through the harsh dry mountains of northern Arizona and beyond in her memoir, Barbed.

Readers visit the ranch where Julie’s parents try to keep the family legacy alive. Julie reveals a cowboy’s world where she meets walls instead of doors but never gives up.

Barbed opens with Morrison living in the rainy Seattle area with her husband. But the lure of a cowboy’s life on the range – working cattle and riding horseback – beckons them both. Julie needs salvation like this for her marriage, now distant and cold.

Continue Reading here.

Visit Julie’s website here to learn more!

A Fraction Stronger
By Mark Berridge

Author and businessman Mark Berridge, through the lived experience of himself and others after traumatic injuries, gained a wide understanding of overcoming disaster, and how to rehabilitate not only one’s body but mind and spirit as well. In sharing his wisdom, A Fraction Stronger is a must-read for anyone facing physical, emotional, or mental barriers.

On March 10, 2019, Berridge, due to embark on a work-related flight from his Australian home to the US later that day, went on a bike ride with some buddies. He lost control of the bike over a piece of slippery road patch work, he wrecked falling into an open culvert, striking his head; conscious, but unable to move his feet and legs. The left side of his helmet was crushed, his spinal cord injured, and numerous bone broke. Hospitals would become his world as he dealt with spinal injuries and the long road to rehabilitation – relearning how to sit, stand, and walk.

He learned more than just how to move again.

Read more here!

Visit Mark’s website to learn more about where he’s speaking here!

Better off Bald
By Andrea Wilson Woods

There exists a bond between sisters, and often that bond becomes a connection so strong that time cannot erase the love and the longing for the other. Andrea Wilson Woods defines such a bond in Better Off Bald: A Life in 147 Days.

Woods details the choreographed life she lives with her sister Adrienne, who has been diagnosed with cancer. Together they begin their dance, pirouetting around IV ports and long lists of medications. Sisters in life, love, and an all-out war against liver cancer.

Woods retells her story with compassion and a rational eye for detail while embracing all the deep emotions that ravage her as she records every one of the 147 days after the initial diagnosis.

Continue Reading here.

You can learn more about Woods’ journey and even hear early parts of the book on her website here.

The Parrot’s Perch — A Memoir of Torture and Corruption in Brazil
By Karen Keilt

Karen Keilt led a life of privilege, a life that most of us only dream of, but she turns the dream upside down in her memoir The Parrot’s Perch: A Memoir of Torture and Corruption in Brazil, where she exposes the seamy underside of that life and the corrupt government under which she lived. Keilt takes us from her childhood filled with the horses she loved, to her marriage to a man she adored, to the fatal incident that destroyed the world she knew.

The memoir moves between New York and Sao Paulo as Keilt sets the stage for an incident that occurs shortly after her marriage. Keilt places no blame, but tells her story with an objective eye, while expressing the confusion she held of her experiences: the kidnapping, torture, rape, and interrogation by the police for “…forty-five days of hell. Three million, eight hundred and eighty-eight seconds.”

Karen Keilt presents a memoir that is tough and unapologetic. She sandwiches her story within an interview at the UN, which is smart because some of the events are so intense and violent, they call for a breathing space where readers can decompress.

Continue Reading here.

Visit Karen Keilt’s website here to learn more!

Thank you for celebrating our Journey Hall of Fame Winners with us!

Remember to add your next reads to your StoryGraph or Goodreads account! Now that you’re set on your next five reads, what are you waiting for? The only way to join this amazing list of Journey 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!

You know you want it…

If you have a great Narrative Non-Fiction Book about Overcoming Adversity, submit it to us before the end of August to enter the 2025 CIBAs!

July 25, 2025
The 2024 Journey Hall of Fame for Overcoming Adversity Non-Fiction
Recognizing Resiliency

Chanticleer International Book Awards

Journey Book Awards

Narrative Non-Fiction Division

for Overcoming Adversities and Challenges

The Journey Awards Closes at the end of June. Enter today!

One of seven of the Non-Fiction Divisions for the Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBAs) is the Journey Awards. This division deals with some of the most difficult experiences people are challenged with. The Journey Book Awards was the first non-fiction division of the CIBAs. As we received a considerable number of submissions that were uplifting and inspiring as well as those that focused on overcoming adversities, we decided to offer two divisions of narrative non-fiction. To be able to recognize these fully, we split off the more heartwarming works into the Hearten Awards, while continuing to recognize and discover works that give accounts of immense challenges and personal stories of the power resiliency and overcoming adversity (some of which should come with trigger warnings) in the Journey Book Awards.

Chanticleer is looking to discover exceptional Non-Fiction dealing with Overcoming Adversity, Dysfunctional Families, Societal Issues of Race and Class, Personal Journeys, and Experiences relating to PTSD, Drug Addiction, Sexual Abuse, and Childhood Trauma. If you have a Non-Fiction Book with different themes, you can see our full list of Non-Fiction Awards here. Truth matters now, more than ever!

Check out these exceptional reads and experiences from previous Journey Grand Prize Winners

Barbed
By Julie Morrison

Julie Morrison saddles up to take us for a ride through the harsh dry mountains of northern Arizona and beyond in her memoir, Barbed.

Readers visit the ranch where Julie’s parents try to keep the family legacy alive. Julie reveals a cowboy’s world where she meets walls instead of doors but never gives up.

Barbed opens with Morrison living in the rainy Seattle area with her husband. But the lure of a cowboy’s life on the range – working cattle and riding horseback – beckons them both. Julie needs salvation like this for her marriage, now distant and cold.

Continue Reading here.

Visit Julie’s website here to learn more!

See the full list of 2023 Journey Winners here!

A Fraction Stronger
By Mark Berridge

Author and businessman Mark Berridge, through the lived experience of himself and others after traumatic injuries, gained a wide understanding of overcoming disaster, and how to rehabilitate not only one’s body but mind and spirit as well. In sharing his wisdom, A Fraction Stronger is a must-read for anyone facing physical, emotional, or mental barriers.

On March 10, 2019, Berridge, due to embark on a work-related flight from his Australian home to the US later that day, went on a bike ride with some buddies. He lost control of the bike over a piece of slippery road patch work, he wrecked falling into an open culvert, striking his head; conscious, but unable to move his feet and legs. The left side of his helmet was crushed, his spinal cord injured, and numerous bone broke. Hospitals would become his world as he dealt with spinal injuries and the long road to rehabilitation – relearning how to sit, stand, and walk.

He learned more than just how to move again.

Read more here!

Visit Mark’s website to learn more about where he’s speaking here!

See the full list of 2022 Journey Winners here.

Better off Bald
By Andrea Wilson Woods

There exists a bond between sisters, and often that bond becomes a connection so strong that time cannot erase the love and the longing for the other. Andrea Wilson Woods defines such a bond in Better Off Bald: A Life in 147 Days.

Woods details the choreographed life she lives with her sister Adrienne, who has been diagnosed with cancer. Together they begin their dance, pirouetting around IV ports and long lists of medications. Sisters in life, love, and an all-out war against liver cancer.

Woods retells her story with compassion and a rational eye for detail while embracing all the deep emotions that ravage her as she records every one of the 147 days after the initial diagnosis.

Continue Reading here.

You can learn more about Woods’ journey and even hear early parts of the book on her website here.

See the full list of 2021 Journey Winners here.

The Parrot’s Perch — A Memoir of Torture and Corruption in Brazil
By Karen Keilt

Karen Keilt led a life of privilege, a life that most of us only dream of, but she turns the dream upside down in her memoir The Parrot’s Perch: A Memoir of Torture and Corruption in Brazil, where she exposes the seamy underside of that life and the corrupt government under which she lived. Keilt takes us from her childhood filled with the horses she loved, to her marriage to a man she adored, to the fatal incident that destroyed the world she knew.

The memoir moves between New York and Sao Paulo as Keilt sets the stage for an incident that occurs shortly after her marriage. Keilt places no blame, but tells her story with an objective eye, while expressing the confusion she held of her experiences: the kidnapping, torture, rape, and interrogation by the police for “…forty-five days of hell. Three million, eight hundred and eighty-eight seconds.”

Karen Keilt presents a memoir that is tough and unapologetic. She sandwiches her story within an interview at the UN, which is smart because some of the events are so intense and violent, they call for a breathing space where readers can decompress.

Continue Reading here.

Visit Karen Keilt’s website here to learn more!

See the full list of 2020 Journey Winners here.

Persistence of Light
By John Hoyte

Reading John Hoyte’s memoir, Persistence of Light, is like sitting around a campfire absorbing stories of adventure, loss, and love – and feeling better for it. With journalistic precision, Hoyte shares both the facts and the emotional impact of his fascinating travels, doing so void of self-pity for his suffering and without self-aggrandizement for his vast achievements.

Born in 1932 to medical missionary parents (his father, Stanley, was British; his mother, Grace, American), Hoyte enjoyed a vibrant childhood taking nature walks and playing with his five siblings. A pivotal moment came at 8 years old when his parents were summoned to a missionary hospital, 1300 miles away in Lanchow. Hoyte and his siblings ended up in a Japanese internment camp without either parent.

Despite weeks with little to no food, wearing tattered clothing and walking barefoot (shoes were a commodity), he mustered the energy and the interest to write, sketch and draw – ultimately finding mystery and hope in a world besieged by authoritarian forces. His intense curiosity that percolated as a child, along with his faith in God, leads him on the many adventures he depicts in this thoughtful and exciting memoir.

Continue Reading here.

Visit John Hoyte’s blog here.

See the 2019 First Place Journey Winners here

Thank you for celebrating our Journey Hall of Fame Winners with us!

Remember to add your next reads to your StoryGraph or Goodreads account! Now that you’re set on your next five reads, what are you waiting for? The only way to join this amazing list of Journey 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:
Reach out with your news to info@ChantiReviews.com

You know you want it…

If you have a great Narrative Non-Fiction Book about Overcoming Adversity, submit it to us before the end of June to enter the 2024 CIBAs!
June 6, 2024
The 2024 Cygnus Hall of Fame for the best Science Fiction
Love Sci-Fi?

So do we!

Captain Jean Luc Picard (played by Patrick Stewart) celebrating

The Cygnus Awards is one of the inaugural Book Award Divisions at Chanticleer, and we adore the worlds that they’ve created.

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!

**Beam your book to us by June 30, 2024**

Join us in celebrating these amazing Hall of Fame Grand Prize Cygnus Award Winners!

The Shadow of War
By Timothy S. Johnston

The Chanticleer Editorial Review for The Shadow of War, book 5 in the Oceania Series is to come, but here’s what initial readers are saying:

A tightly plotted action-packed thriller about an undersea war. Beautiful and heartbreaking character development, best for those who want The Expanse but underwater. — Chanticleer

And on Goodreads readers say

As always, Johnston has written a thriller with hot-off-the-presses technology, edge-of-your-seat moments, separated into heart-pounding seconds, and characters who don’t always do what they’re supposed to. — Kelly

Timothy S. Johnston delivers another page turner that keeps the pace moving. — Ian

You can find The Shadow of War locally on Bookshop or from Amazon today!

The Last Lumenian
By S. G. Blaise

Nineteen-year-old Lilla could have an idyllic life, but in The Last Lumenian by S.G. Blaise, she comes face to face with a rebellion and their just cause.

Lilla’s father leads the Pax Septum Coalition, a nineteen-planet confederation. As a princess in her own right, she should be enjoying the status and wealth that comes from living on Uhna, the richest planet in the coalition due to the diamond mines found by her pirate ancestors centuries ago. She most definitely shouldn’t be worried about the rebellion brewing right under her father’s nose. However, when Lilla meets rebels in a refugee camp, she thinks she has found her destiny, a true purpose.

Wanting to fight against the injustice and horrific treatment of the refugees, Lilla tries desperately to prove herself, especially after a disastrous first mission where she not only crashes her ship but also ends up in the hands of General Callum, leader of the Teryn Praelium.

Continue Reading here!

A War in Too Many Worlds
By Elizabeth Crowens

Musician-turned-time-traveler John Patrick Scott adds spy and saboteur to his resume while undercover in Germany in the final months of World War I, in A War in Too Many Worlds, the third installment of Elizabeth Crowen’s thrilling sci-fi series, The Time Traveler Professor.

Meanwhile, Scott’s once and future collaborator in psychic experiments, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is back in Britain sharing real time-travel adventures with the inventor of the fictional time machine, H.G. Wells.

Scott, after being wounded in the trenches, has finally been given an assignment in the Intelligence services. His extensive pre-war experience as a professor at the Conservancy of Music in Stuttgart, Germany, will do him good.

Continue Reading here!

Rhett C. Bruno & Jaime Castle for
The Luna Missile Crisis

Authors Rhett C. Bruno and Jaime Castle come together to tell the tale of alien first contact gone awry in their epic science fiction release, The Luna Missile Crisis.

The year is 1961, and cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin is set to become the first man in space. But when Yuri, snug inside the Vostok 1, is launched from the cosmodrome and into the coming night, he’s met with a collision that changes the course of history. The Vostok 1 crashes into an oncoming alien starship. Assuming the collision was actually a missile fired from Russia’s space race opponent, the United States, the soviet nation quickly launches an arsenal of nuclear warheads in response. But those warheads never make it to their target. Instead, they detonate against the hidden starship, sending a wave of nuclear destruction over eastern Europe.

In the coming weeks after contact day, military troops from both sides of the cold war are sent into the ruins of eastern Europe – into an area now called the Dead Curtain – to search for useful alien technology. During a skirmish between the Russians, the Americans, and the Vulbathi (the toad-like alien race aboard the damaged starship), a combat medic name Kyle McCoy stumbles into the chaos and sparks a ceasefire. His actions create a domino effect, bringing about relative peace between all three parties. Three years pass, and in exchange for aid in repairing their damaged ship, the Vulbathi agree to offer some of their exceptional technology to mankind. And Kyle McCoy, once foot soldier turned head of the Department of Alien Relations, is given a desk job with a title that suits his place in history.

Continue Reading here!

Insynnium
By Tim Cole

The dramatic premise explored in a new novel, Insynnium, is a wild, immersive leap into a world-changing (but fictional) drug. In other hands, what could be a dystopian thriller goes one step further in author Tim Cole’s capable hands. He focuses on the humans who first discover and use the drug and weaves his story with a devilish charm.

This is somewhat Bill Murray/“Groundhog Day” territory, a film exploring one man’s reliving a day in his life over and over until he learned new behaviors, new skills, and came out of it a better man. Unlike “Groundhog,” Max McVista takes multiple doses of the drug against all advice, then somehow expands time itself in what he calls an “AUE” or “Alternative Universe Experience,” enabling him to spend months and sometimes years becoming or experiencing whatever he wishes. When returning to real-time, he’s only missed a day or two. (For E=MC squared fans, it’s basically reverse engineering of Einsteinian physics.)

From a man with few basic skills, a drunk who all but abandons his wife and sons, he returns to his family with outsized skills as a musician, entrepreneur, carpenter, medical savant, and pilot. Skills he could not have learned in any traditional manner. He lies about how he learned everything, tracing it back to an accident, choosing to bury his drug-induced years of time-traveling across the world, spending concentrated periods exploring whatever he fancies with no time “penalty” in the real world.

Continue Reading here!

Remember to add your next reads to your StoryGraph or Goodreads account! 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!

You know you want it…

Will your science fiction story be next to join this stellar lineup? Those who submit and advance will have the chance to win the Overall Grand Prize of the CIBAs and $1000, but more importantly, you’ll join a community of visionary authors whose work shapes the future of the genre.

These celebrated works represent the best in contemporary science fiction—and your story could be next!

Enter the Cygnus Awards by June 30, 2025, and join this prestigious Hall of Fame!
June 4, 2024
SPOTLIGHT on the 2024 JOURNEY AWARDS Overcoming Adversity
The Search for the BEST Narrative Non-Fiction books on Overcoming Adversity for 2024!

The 2024 Journey Awards submissions close June 30, 2024

Accepting manuscripts and published work!

Your Journey Deserves to Be Discovered!

The CIBAs Levels of Achievements. Books are promoted each time they advance!

The Journey Categories are:
- Overcoming Adversity – Personal Journey
- Dysfunctional Family/Siblings
- Societal/Class/Race Issues
- Personal Journeys/Experiences/PTSD
- Drug Addiction
- Sexual Abuse
- Childhood Trauma
The Journey Awards were the first Non-Fiction Division ever opened by Chanticleer. You can now see the full range of Non-Fiction Divisions here. The sheer quality of the books describing Overcoming Adversity that we received was staggering. These stories demand to be heard, and we, as readers, are better for it.

Join us in exploring these amazing books that are overcoming adversity!

BARBED
By Julie Morrison
Grand Prize Winner for Journey Awards

Julie Morrison saddles up to take us for a ride through the harsh dry mountains of northern Arizona and beyond in her memoir, Barbed.

Readers visit the ranch where Julie’s parents try to keep the family legacy alive. Julie reveals a cowboy’s world where she meets walls instead of doors but never gives up.

Barbed opens with Morrison living in the rainy Seattle area with her husband. But the lure of a cowboy’s life on the range – working cattle and riding horseback – beckons them both. Julie needs salvation like this for her marriage, now distant and cold.

Continue Reading here!

A FRACTION STRONGER
By Mark Berridge
2022 Grand Prize Winner for Journey Awards

Author and businessman Mark Berridge, through the lived experience of himself and others after traumatic injuries, gained a wide understanding of overcoming disaster, and how to rehabilitate not only one’s body but mind and spirit as well. In sharing his wisdom, A Fraction Stronger is a must-read for anyone facing physical, emotional, or mental barriers.

On March 10, 2019, Berridge, due to embark on a work-related flight from his Australian home to the US later that day, went on a bike ride with some buddies. Following the group around a corner, he fell, striking his head; conscious, but unable to move his feet and legs. Hospitals would become his world as he dealt with spinal injuries and the long road to rehabilitation – relearning how to sit, stand, and walk.

He learned more than just how to move again.

Continue reading here

GOD, The MAFIA, MY DAD, and ME: A True Story of Secrets and Survival
By Lori Lee Peters
Grand Prize Winner for Collections in the Shorts Awards
First Place Winner for Journey Awards

God, the Mafia, My Dad, and Me by Lori Lee Peters begins in the voice of a child, compelling not just for its narrative honestly, but for the fact that it might not be reliable. As the book opens, we learn that this narrator firmly believes she will be killed.

Readers can easily see through the childlike hyperbole, but that doesn’t detract from the intrigue. How did a kid come to such an extreme conclusion? Is there any seed of truth to it? These questions will hook readers from the start.

Author Peters set out to write a book about her dad. God, the Mafia, My Dad, and Me tells the true story of her father, and his fascinating work helping the FBI tackle Mafia activity in Lodi, California. Yet in the end, this is a memoir in which the compelling lead character – young Lori – overshadows her father in many ways.

Continue Reading here!

A SKY Of INFINITE BLUE: A Japanese Immigrant’s Search for Home and Self
By Kyomi O’Connor
Grand Prize Winner for Mind & Spirit Awards

“It’s my armor,” Kyomi O’Connor realizes, as she sees herself continuing life as normal after her husband dies of cancer.

Grief brings with it many companions: childhood trauma, memories of difficult seasons of life, triumphant moments of growth, epiphanies, healing, love. In A Sky of Infinite Blue, Japanese immigrant Kyomi O’Connor allows grief to open her heart to the lessons of her past.

In particular, she recognizes emotional armor that since childhood, she has built up, torn down, and built up again. Through her relationship with her husband, her devoted Buddhist practice, and her trust in her “Self,” Kyomi makes meaning of her life and redeems her darkest memories. Readers walk through these memories with her as the book shifts between past and present.

Continue Reading here!

CHOP THAT SH*T UP!: Leadership and Life Lessons Learned While in the Military
By CSM Daniel L. Pinion
First Place Winner for Military & Front Line

In Chop That Sh*t Up: Leadership and Life Lessons Learned While in the Military, Daniel L. Pinion reminisces about his experiences in the US Army, both good and bad, before he retired as a Command Sergeant Major.

Some of the stories and lessons he offers are heartbreaking, some are horrifying, and some are insightful. As it turns out, some are even heartwarming.

The author explains his origins: a quiet and uneventful childhood that did not give him much idea of what he should do with his life. Some counseling and a few incidents led Pinion, after high school, to the National Guard and eventually the US Army, where he found his life’s calling.

Continue Reading here!

SAINTS And SOLDIERS: Inside Internet-Age Terrorism, From Syria to the Capitol Siege
By Rita Katz
Grand Prize Winner for Nellie Bly

To many, atrocities such as mass shootings and violent counter-protests seem to appear out of thin air, undertaken by independent actors. But Rita Katz, in her groundbreaking exploration of internet-age terrorism Saints and Soldiers, reveals a sinister ecosystem of violence multiplying worldwide, visible yet largely ignored.

Katz– executive director of the counterterrorist organization SITE Intelligence Group– uses a strategic blend of primary media sources, personal narrative, and research analysis to unearth the haunting truths of internet-age terrorism. Although SITE once focused mainly on monitoring the actions of Islamist terrorist groups, Katz describes how it began applying the same tracking methods to white supremacists and neo-Nazis over a decade ago. As Katz writes, “the internet is more than just an asset for today’s new breed of terrorists. It is a necessity.”

Throughout Saints and Soldiers, Katz uses her decades of intensive experience to describe how a new generation of internet-born white supremacist movements followed the same trajectory as ISIS. She exposes the network of threads that link white supremacist violence such as the Christchurch massacre of 2019 to their origins on messaging platforms such as 8chan, Discord, Stormfront, and Telegram. Indoctrinating vulnerable minds with extremist neo-Nazi ideology, these violent groups use a “screw your optics” mantra that celebrates gruesome violence and the “saints ” and “martyrs” that drive their hateful cause.

Continue Reading here!

Thank you for joining us for this spotlight on the Journey Awards and a fraction of the incredible Non-Fiction that comes through our door!

We’re still feeling the joy and warmth from the 2024 Chanticleer Authors Conference! See what authors are saying about it!

Congratulations on a very informative conference and festive awards ceremony! The care and effort Team Chanticleer puts into the event was obvious.

I am honored that The Hanford Plaintiffs received a First Place prize in the Nellie Bly category. Nellie Bly was an amazing and accomplished woman.

It’s wonderful to be part of the Chanticleer “family”!- an honor!

— Trisha Pritikin

I had such an amazing time over the weekend!! From the wonderful hotel, classes/workshops, events, authors, 100-year-old war veteran, bagpipe author, and lucky enough to win another award.

Thank you all so much!! What a kickass group of wonderful individuals. Beyond grateful!!!

— Lori Lee Peters

A thousand and one thanks for putting on a great author’s conference! I learned a lot – some things that I was doing well (which is always nice to know) and new things I need to get to work on. And I made some great new friends, including you. It was well worth the time and expense.

— Dave Lager

While not a Journey Winner, there was no way these Blue Ribbon Winners were going to pass on a photo with 100-year-old veteran Burl Harmon.

Got a Winner?

The Journey Awards are open until June 30, 2024!

Submit Today!

Truth matters more than ever
May 30, 2024
Spotlight on Mark Berridge, Award Winning Author of A Fraction Stronger and Motivational Speaker
MARK BERRIDGE – Author, Leader, and Motivational Speaker

By melding his professional background with the lived experience of his personal recovery journey, Mark brings his unique insights, perspective and practical tips and strategies to every custom-curated presentation he delivers.

Mark’s authenticity, openness, expertise and practicality profoundly impact the individuals, teams and organisations he presents to, helping them build the resilience they need to succeed in today’s challenging business environment.

His book, A Fraction Stronger was the Grand Prize Winner for the 2022 Journey Award.

Most recently, Mark presented at TedEx Brisbane.

We’re excited to have him back for CAC24! Mark will be presenting two sessions for us that will focus on:
1. Success comes in many shapes and sizes. Explore his 3 tips for amplifying it.
  - Notice how / when your goals creep.
  - Reward yourself for achieving your original goals and for re-calibrating new goals
  - Embrace and celebrate all the other gains / outcomes from your action that seem ancillary to your goals.
2. Plan well, adapt better. Why he is firm on purpose but flexible on pathway.
  - Good preparation is a valuable foundation, but we can never see all the possibilities.
  - Action (especially when embracing uncertainty) liberates possibilities.
  - Things work, things fail. Own where you are at and make plans, take action to keep going.
Still thinking about Registering for the Chanticleer Authors Conference?

Register Today!

We have a stellar line up of speakers for CAC24, with multiple options to attend.

Find out why The 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.
April 5, 2024
Chanticleerians in the News! Journey Grand Prize Winner Mark Berridge on TEDx Brisbane
When your mission is to Discover Today’s Best Books, you come across good news regarding authors!

At 5pm PST (10am AEST) 10/13/23, TEDx Brisbane will begin. Around 5:16pm PST, Mark Berridge, the 2023 Journey Grand Prize Winner will take the stage and talk about his incredible journey chronicled in his book A Fraction Stronger. This article will be updated with a link to stream Mark’s talk as soon as it’s available!

We fortunate enough to hear Mark speak at CAC 23 where he received standing ovations! He is authentic, tenacious, and insightful! He finds belief and possibility in life’s impossible moments and is truly inspirational!
Mark Berridge to take Center Stage at TEDx Brisbane in Australia!

A Journey Grand Prize Winner and CAC Keynote Speaker, Mark constructively challenges pre-existing mindsets of his audience to inspire positive outcomes. He delivers stimulating perspectives from both his personal and professional experiences, from successfully negotiating multiple hundred-million dollar deals in his corporate career, to how he deals with uncertainty and adversity in his ongoing battle to overcome a devastating spinal cord injury.

Mark Berridge getting ready to present at TEDx

From TEDxBrisbane 2023: THE POWER OF INTENTION

Intention is a powerful thing. It takes a great idea and transforms it into determination. Determination to act, make a difference, grow, create, discover. To change minds, lives or perhaps the entire world.

The power of intention reflects the heart of the TEDxBrisbane community.

At TEDxBrisbane, we bring together thinkers, doers and changemakers on our stage and in our audience. We inspire, inform and challenge. We grow networks, spark and nurture collaborations, forge lasting communal memories, and generate intention and impact.

Curious to learn more?

Visit the TEDx Brisbane Facebook Page here

See Mark Berridge’s Personal website here

The Chanticleer Review of A Fraction Stronger

There’s still time!

Want to be a Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards Winner like Mark? The last 11 CIBA divisions close in October! And submissions for the 2024 CIBAs are already open. You can see the full list of Awards here: https://test.chantireviews.com/contests/

The 2022 CIBA Blue Ribbon Winners

You know you want one!

Are you ready? Then Submit Today!

Why Opt for the Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards?

Credibility: Our awards spotlight and guide readers to extraordinary writing. We are partnered with or recommended by ALLi, IBPA, Reedsy, and Book Award Pro.

Prestige: Whether it’s the Blue Ribbons, the Author Interview, or the Book Reviews, even advancing partway through a Book Award Program shows readers and publishing experts that you’re doing right by your book when it comes to marketing.

Support: The CIBAs are run by human beings, and we’re here for you. Each time you advance in our Tiers of Achievement, your name and book title are promoted on our high-traffic website, across social media, and in our newsletter.
October 13, 2023
Spotlight on the June Book Awards! Cygnus, Journey, Dante Rossetti, and Chatelaine!
The Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards Are already receiving record submissions!

Fresh off the Chanticleer Authors Conference, there’s never been a better time to be an author!

Embark on extraordinary adventures and explore thrilling frontiers!

These Sizzling Book Awards are starting summer out right!
Note: We have recently revised our Book Award deadlines according to feedback from both authors and our readers! The hope with the new deadlines is that authors will be able to receive information faster and readers will be more able to read steadily without interruptions are sudden influxes. Thank you for your patience as we adjust to the new schedule.

These are four of our longest running and most competitive Book Award Divisions.
Don’t hesitate to join the authors who have already submitted to the CIBAs!

The tiers of achievement for the CIBAs with $30,000+ awarded annually, as well as expert long tail marketing to maximize your digital footprint

The Chanticleer Int’l Book Award lists provide excitement and energize author reader bases each time one of them are released. From Long List to Overall Grand Prize Winner, there are a myriad of opportunities for debut and experienced authors to promote their work through the CIBAs.

Summer is the perfect season to get ahead of the game and submit, but we should also pause to enjoy some of the excellent work that’s been submitted to Chanticleer.

Journey Book Awards for Non-Fiction Memoirs that Overcome Adversity

A FRACTION STRONGER: Finding Belief and Possibility in Life’s Impossible Moments
By Mark Berridge

Author and businessman Mark Berridge, through the lived experience of himself and others after traumatic injuries, gained a wide understanding of overcoming disaster, and how to rehabilitate not only one’s body but mind and spirit as well. In sharing his wisdom, A Fraction Stronger is a must-read for anyone facing physical, emotional, or mental barriers.

On March 10, 2019, Berridge, due to embark on a work-related flight from his Australian home to the US later that day, went on a bike ride with some buddies. Following the group around a corner, he fell, striking his head; conscious, but unable to move his feet and legs. Hospitals would become his world as he dealt with spinal injuries and the long road to rehabilitation – relearning how to sit, stand, and walk.

Read more here.

BETTER OFF BALD: A Life in 147 Days
By Andrea Wilson Woods

There exists a bond between sisters, and often that bond becomes a connection so strong that time cannot erase the love and the longing for the other. Andrea Wilson Woods defines such a bond in Better Off Bald: A Life in 147 Days.

Woods details the choreographed life she lives with her sister Adrienne, who has been diagnosed with cancer. Together they begin their dance, pirouetting around IV ports and long lists of medications. Sisters in life, love, and an all-out war against liver cancer.

Read more here.

Cygnus Book Awards for Science Fiction

The LUNA MISSILE CRISIS
By Rhett C. Bruno and Jaime Castle

Authors Rhett C. Bruno and Jaime Castle come together to tell the tale of alien first contact gone awry in their epic science fiction release, The Luna Missile Crisis.

The year is 1961, and cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin is set to become the first man in space. But when Yuri, snug inside the Vostok 1, is launched from the cosmodrome and into the coming night, he’s met with a collision that changes the course of history. The Vostok 1 crashes into an oncoming alien starship. Assuming the collision was actually a missile fired from Russia’s space race opponent, the United States, the soviet nation quickly launches an arsenal of nuclear warheads in response. But those warheads never make it to their target. Instead, they detonate against the hidden starship, sending a wave of nuclear destruction over eastern Europe.

Read more here.

FUTURE’S DARK PAST: Time Forward Trilogy, Book 1
By J.L. Yarrow

A time travel epic, Future’s Dark Past is the creative endeavor of J.L Yarrow, husband and wife duo of John and Leanne Yarrow. The time-hopping action begins in the year 2355, in a world virtually uninhabitable outside a few city pods where food is scarce and violence a certainty.

Caught sneaking into a city pod with nowhere else to go, Kristen Winters agrees to join the Time Forward Project, a group from which no volunteers have ever returned. Kristin’s new superiors send her to fight a deadly battle for the fate of humanity. In 2025, Hunter Coburn becomes an important piece of the puzzle after he gets accidentally connected to Kristen’s time jumps. Initially on opposite sides, they must figure out how to work together as the plan to save the future becomes increasingly unstable.

Read more here.

Dante Rossetti Book Awards for Young Adult Fiction

TARO: The Legendary Boy Hero of Japan
By Blue Spruell & illustrated by Miya Outlaw

Adventure, classic tales, fantasy, and exciting action combine in TARO: Legendary Boy Hero of Japan, a well-poised debut novel by award-winning author Blue Spruell.

In the turbulent final decades of the sixteenth century, feudal Japan reeled in mayhem as the central hereditary dictatorship collapsed, and tyrannical powers fought to control the empire. TARO: The Legendary Boy Hero of Japan is the story of how one man revolutionized a nation by taking its reigns and forging a new destiny through his depths of compassion and determination.

Read more here.

The BEST WEEK THAT NEVER HAPPENED
By Dallas Woodburn

Dallas Woodburn’s debut novel The Best Week that Never Happened is a roller-coaster ride through Hawaii and the mysterious depths of its briny deep, sparkling with unreal magic, a poignant romance, and incessant hope.

Tegan Rossi, a freshly graduated eighteen-year-old, awakens in the secretive hideout she discovered with Kai Kapule as two eight-year-old children on her first trip to Hawaii Island. She needs to make amends with Kai as they had a major squabble over something very important that she now oddly forgets. When Tegan catches up with Kai in Hawaii, she enters her best week yet – the Best Week That Never Happened.

Read more here.

Chatelaine Book Awards for Romance Fiction

OPERATION MOM: My Plan to Get My Mom a Life and a Man
By Reenita Malhotra Hora

Master storyteller Reenita Malhotra Hora’s YA romance Operation Mom: My Plan to Get My Mom a Life and a Man takes us on a charming journey through the life of one teen, Ila Isham.

Hora introduces Ila and her best friend Deepali, two boy-crazy teens on a summer quest. Readers will fall in love with the smart, sassy, angst-filled, rebellious Ila. A typical teenage girl, Ila lives in Mumbai with her mom and Sakkubai, their house manager. Ila’s mother calls her obsessed, but that seems unfair. Is she obsessed just because her every waking minute is spent thinking of Ali Zafar, famous pop icon, singer, and heartthrob? Or is she obsessed with fellow classmate Dev?

Read more here.

The LONG DESERT ROAD
By Alex Sirotkin

Alex Sirotkin’s debut novel, The Long Desert Road, navigates the emotional arcs of life in contrast with the greater expanse of the cosmos. Here a young woman must face her addictions while the people around her try to move beyond her backlash.

We meet Henry Spinoza, a 44-year-old quirky science writer. He ponders his life as half over, looks for the right woman, and wonders if there isn’t more to existence.

Read more here.

Your book deserves to be discovered

First Place and Grand Prize Authors at the Chanticleer Authors Conference

Thank you for celebrating these Chanticleer Grand Prize Winners with us!

Remember, if you have a great book in the following genres, you should submit today!
The world needs good books now more than ever
June 2, 2023
The 2022 CIBAs Grand Prize Winners for Non-Fiction, Shorts, and Series!
A Huge Congratulations to all of the Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards (CIBAs) Division Non-Fiction, Book Series, and SHORTS Grand Prize Winners!

Every tier of the CIBAs is an important one, though few rise to be one of the coveted Division Grand Prize Winners.
- See all Fiction Grand Prize Winners here
- See the Overall Grand Prize Winner here
All First Place and Grand Prize winners were announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference at the CIBAs Ceremonies on Saturday, April 29th at the Chanticleer Banquet. We have a separate post for Fiction, the Shorts Awards, and the Series Awards.

Now let’s take a step back and look at where we came from to make this happen.

Want to join in the fun? Submit to the 2023 CIBAs today!

Now, presenting the Non-Fiction Awards Grand Prize Winners!

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 I&I Awards is:

Emotional Magnetism

by Sandy Gerber

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 NELLIE BLY Awards is:

Saints & Soldiers

by Rita Katz

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 HARVEY CHUTE Awards is:

Reconfigurement

by E. Alan Fleischauer

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 MIND & SPIRIT Awards is:

A Sky of Infinite Blue

By Kyomi O’Connor

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 HEARTEN Awards is:

Inner Trek
– a reluctant pilgrim to the Himalayas

By Mohan Ranga Rao

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 MILITARY & FRONT LINE Awards is:

Lost in Beirut: A True Story of Love, Loss, and War

by Ashe & Magdalena Stevens

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 JOURNEY Awards is:

A Fraction Stronger

by Mark Berridge

Now, presenting the Shorts & Series Awards Grand Prize Winners!

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 SHORTS Awards for Collections and Anthologies is:

God, the Mafia, My Dad, and Me

by Lori Lee Peters

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 SHORTS Awards for Short Stories and Essays is:

Old Man Baseball

by Mike Murphey

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 SERIES Awards is:

The Curtis Jefferson Series

by Vince Bailey

We have badges available starting with the Short List. If you need a digital badge reflecting your tier level, please email info@ChantiReviews.com with your division and rank, and we will send you one as soon as possible.

The 2022 Grand Prize Winners!

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.

To 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

Make sure your Award gets the attention it deserves on Goodreads.com

In the Librarian Manual on Goodreads, you can go to your Book Edit Page — Literary Awards.

You want to list the Award for Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBA) Winners, and be sure to include the year and what place you received. For example:

The year Long List, Short List, Semi-Finalist, Finalist, First Place, Division Grand Prize, or Overall Grand Prize Winner

Note from Goodreads: “To add a new award or edit an existing award, you’ll need help from one of our volunteer librarians or a staff member.” For assistance, post in the Goodreads Librarians Group.

Always double check that you’ve written everything correctly before posting it. The search function for Awards on Goodreads is both case and punctuation sensitive.

The Overall Grand Prize Winner for the 2022 CIBAs

was Michelle Cox’s Book A Spying Eye

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.
See all Fiction Grand Prize Winners here

See the Overall Grand Prize Winner here
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!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, for Facebook 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 Facebook and Twitter handle is @ChantiReviews

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

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.

To 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 22, 2023
The JOURNEY 2022 CIBA WINNERS for Overcoming Adversity Non-Fiction
The Journey Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Overcoming Adversity in Narrative Non-Fiction and Memoir. The Journey Book Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring true stories about adventures, life events, unique experiences, travel, personal journeys, global enlightenment, and more. See our full list of Non-Fiction Divisions here.

1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners were announced at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony by Lisa Spicer 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 JOURNEY BOOK AWARDS First Place Category Winners and the JOURNEY Grand Prize Winner.

Join us in celebrating the following award-winning authors and their works in the 2022 CIBAs.
- Sandi Paris – Catching Rain
- Norris Comer – Salmon in the Seine: Alaskan Memories of Life, Death, & Everything In-Between
- Laura Whitfield – Untethered: Faith, Failure, and Finding Solid Ground
- Kyomi O’Connor – A Sky of Infinite Blue- A Japanese Immigrant’s Search for Home and Self
- M. E. Schuman – The Understory: A Female Environmentalist in the Land of the Midnight Sun
- Mark Berridge – A Fraction Stronger
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 JOURNEY Awards is:

A Fraction Stronger

by Mark Berridge

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!

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. FB rules — not ours.

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.

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.

To 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 15, 2023
A FRACTION STRONGER: Finding Belief and Possibility in Life’s Impossible Moments by Mark Berridge – Memoirs, Motivational, Personal Transformation Self-Help

Author and businessman Mark Berridge, through the lived experience of himself and others after traumatic injuries, gained a wide understanding of overcoming disaster, and how to rehabilitate not only one’s body but mind and spirit as well. In sharing his wisdom, A Fraction Stronger is a must-read for anyone facing physical, emotional, or mental barriers.

Berridge, due to embark on a work-related flight from his Australian home to the US later that day, went on a bike ride with friends. He lost control of the bike over a piece of slippery road patch work, he wrecked falling into an open culvert, striking his head; conscious, but unable to move his feet and legs. The left side of his helmet was crushed, his spinal cord injured, and numerous bone broke. Hospitals would become his world as he dealt with spinal injuries and the long road to rehabilitation – relearning how to sit, stand, and walk.

He learned more than just how to move again.

From the very moment he regained consciousness, he grappled with the need to be brave, able later to opine that, “When it counts, you can be braver than you ever imagined.” The experience led him to appreciate the presence of helpers and empathizers he calls “angels.” Along with angels, though, there can be demons – voices and influences that dwell on doom and disheartenment. Yet, amongst their darkness shine “lanterns” – small but significant reasons that life is worth living.

Berridge, whose pre-accident, 25-year career was spent in the world of finance, marketing, and business transformation, writes as if born to the realm of wordsmithing.

He combined his harrowing experience with memorable metaphors and encouraging, credible counseling. This book cites a number of courageous people: celebrated sports figures like paralympic swimmer Karni Liddell; a well-known blind musician, Dr G Yunupingu; and personal connections like Chi, a Vietnamese immigrant struggling with a rare disease and sharing physiotherapy with the author. From even the merest glimmers of hope, Berridge creates a panorama of possibilities, knowing intimately the discouragement that can sweep over a survivor so easily.

Each chapter concludes with a set of questions for self-study. His guidance for those who face physical barriers could also help those grappling with grief, psychological deficits, financial cataclysm, or any seemingly insurmountable trial that many, perhaps all of his readers will encounter at some point – or finding themselves better placed to support others by knowing this story. A Fraction Stronger motivates both individuals and groups seeking inspiration and innovative direction.

April 21, 2023