Chanticleer Book Reviews

Category: Contest News

The CHAUCER Awards for Historical Fiction – Official 2014 Finalists List
The CHAUCER Awards recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Historical Fiction Novels. The Chaucer Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Blue Ribbon Awards Writing Competitions.

More than $25,000 dollars in cash and prizes will be awarded to Chanticleer International Blue Ribbon Awards Winners annually.

The Chaucer Awards for Historical Fiction has twelve categories to compete in for First Place Category Positions. The Chaucer First in Category award winners will compete for the Chaucer Grand Prize Award for Best Historical Book 2014. Grand Prize winners, blue ribbons, and prizes will be announced and awarded on September 29th at the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala, Bellingham, Wash.

We are proud to announce last year’s award winners and this year’s Chaucer finalists at the Historical Novel Society’s 2015 Conference in Denver, Colorado that will take place on June 27, 2015.

The CHAUCER Historical Novel Competition Categories are:
- Women’s Historical Fiction
- Legacy/Legend
- Pre-historic
- Ancient History
- Medieval, Renaissance, Dark Ages
- Elizabethan/Tudor
- 1600s
- Regency, Victorian, 1700s & 1800s
- Turn of the 19th century
- Turn of the 20th century
- World Wars
- Young Adult/New Adult
- World/International History
Congratulations to following CHAUCER 2014 FINALISTS and good luck to all as they compete for the twelve First In Category positions:
- Michael S. Pritchett for Saints and Strangers
- P. Lorraine Buck for By Blood and By Vow
- J.S. Dunn for Bending the Boyne
- Mary S. Black for Peyote Fire
- S. Thomas Bailey for Forest Sentinels: The Gauntlet Runner
- Kerryn Reid for Learning to Waltz
- Sandy James for Runaway
- Michael J. Cooper for The Rabbi’s Knight
- J. P. Kenna for Beyond the Divide
- R.N. Vick for Wings of Fury
- Patricia Averbach for Painting Bridges
- Rebecca Lochlann for The Year-God’s Daughter and The Thinara King
- Jared McVay for The Legend of Joe, Willy, & Red
- Syril Levin Kline for Shakespeare’s Changeling: A Fault Against the Dead
- Emma Rose Milar and Kevin Allen for Five Guns Blazing
- Elizabeth Soloway for The Great Deception
- Anna Angelidakis for The Icon Thief
- T.E. Taylor for Zeus of Ithome
- J.L. Oakley for Timber Rose
- Susanne Petito Egielski for Nelson’s Castle: a Bronte Fairy Tale
- David Brendan Hopes for The One with the Beautiful Necklaces
- Lilian Gafni for The Alhambra Decree: Flower of Castile
- Gloria Javillonar Palileo for The Indios
- William Jarvis for The Partisan
- Helena P. Schrader for St. Louis’ Knight
- Michele Rene for I Once Knew Vincent
- Jodi Lew Smith for The Clever Mill Horse
- Catherine A Wilson and Catherine T Wilson for The Lily and The Lion
- Gregory Erich Phillips for The Love of Finished Years
- Chelsea Lemon Fetzer for The River Map
- Ben Sharpton for 7 Sanctuaries
- Jeff Ridenour for The Art Procurer
- Elisabeth Storrs for The Golden Dice: A Tale of Ancient Rome
- Sharon Short for My One Square Inch of Alaska
- Ruth Hull Chatlien for The Ambitious Madame Bonaparte
- Ginger Cucolo for The Knoll and Beyond the Knoll
- Wendy Roberts for Where the Foxes Say Goodnight
- Jeff Braun for The Secret of the Just
- Dr. Evan Mahoney for Nongae of Love and Courage
- Steph A Amey for Holloway 8632
- Jeni Renner for Puritan Witch
- James Zerndt for The Korean Word for Butterfly
- Michael Hugos for Leptis Magna: Emperor’s Dream on the Edge of a Desert
- William Meisheid for The Partisan
- Donna Scott for Shame the Devil
- Karleene Morrow for Destinies
- Gita Simic and G.T. Simm for As for Costanza
- Michael D. McGranahan for Silver Kings and Sons of Bitches
Finalists will continue on to compete for a first place category win in their sub-genre, and then for the overall grand prize of the 2014 Chaucer Awards. The First In Category award winners will receive an award package including a complimentary book review, digital award badges, shelf talkers, book stickers, and more.

We are now accepting entries into the 2015 Chaucer Awards. The deadline is May 31, 2015. Click here for more information or to enter.

More than $30,000 worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to the Chanticleer Novel Writing Competition winners! Ten genres to enter your novels and compete on an international level.

Who will take home the $1,000 purse this September at the Chanticleer Awards Gala and Banquet?

Last year’s Chanticleer Grand Prize winner was Michael Hurley, for The Prodigal.

You know you want one!
May 5, 2015
Raw NaNoWriMo 2014 Finalists – Official CBR Listing
The CBR Raw NaNoWriMo 2014 writing competition is to discover originality of story concept and raw story-telling ability from unedited manuscript drafts from those who earned a NaNoWriMo certificate for completing at least 50,000 words in November.

The following manuscripts were found compelling and have advanced forward into the Raw NaNoWriMo 2014 Finalist positions:
- Memory Bengesa for The Sameness Life of Nandi Broken
- Kristine E. Brickey for They Said She Was Crazy
- Sean Curley for Over
- Laila Dawning for Caged Inside
- Donna Degna for Donna Degna in Italy
- Laurie Fitzpatrick for Niello
- Parris Garland for My Name Is Not Daisy
- Richard E. Gower for Death Comes Full Circle
- Anja Jones for Love You Like a Brother
- Joshua Nathanial Kaukl for A Here After
- V. Lakshman for Mythborn 2: Bane of the Warforged
- Rebecca Nolen for Token
- Vanessa Russell for The Pure
- Matthew Spangler for Villainous Jupiter
- R. E. Steedman for The Phantasmagorical Theatre of Crespin Varlot
- Kenneth Stokes for Return to Villa Serena
These Finalists will compete for THE BEST NaNoWriMo 2014 Entry and for 1st Place Genre Winner positions upon receiving proof of their NaNoWriMo 2014 certifications.

The Best RAW NaNoWriMo 2014 entry will receive a CBR Manuscript Evaluation ($395).

1st Place Genre Winning entries will receive a complimentary CBR related novel writing contest entry gift certificate ($45 value) along with a Great Beginnings entry gift certificate ($15 value). Certificates are valid until March 2017.

Winners will be announced before May 30, 2015.
- Authors/Publishers maintain all rights to their works submitted to the RAW NaNoWriMo contest. Simple.
RAW NaNoWriMo 2015 Info

We will begin accepting entries for RAW NaNoWriMo 2015 on December 1st, 2015 until January 31st, 2016 or until the limit of entries is met. You will be asked to upload the digital file of your manuscript upon entry.

The RAW NaNoWriMo Writing Competition is a division of Chanticleer Writing Competitions, L.L.C.

Image courtesy of National Novel Writing Month. Please click here to be taken to the OFFICIAL NaNoWriMo organization’s website.

NaNoWriMo Facts and Stats

National Novel Writing Month was established in 1999. It is also a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that believes stories matter.
April 6, 2015
Summer Shorts & Novellas 2015 Official Finalists Listing
The Finalist results for the 2015 Spring/Summer Short Stories and Novellas are in!

We are pleased to announce the following authors whose works have made it to the Finalist round and will go on to compete for First Place Summer Shorts Award.

Prize Package for the First Place Summer Shorts Award Winner: A Chanticleer Review Package or a $ 100 purse for Overall First Place for Spring/Summer Reads. The award winner will be recognized at the CBR Awards Banquet 2015.

Congratulations are in order to the following authors and their works:
- Robert Cone for Redcoats!
- Jianna Higgins for Destiny’s Alliance
- Jianna Higgins for Just Waiting
- L.S. Kilroy for Roma
- Charles Kowalski for Let This Cup Pass From Me
- Elaine MacPherson for One Twenty-Nine
- Alix Nichols for Falling for Emma
- Alix Nichols for You’re the One
- YA/New Adult: Natasha Tsakos for Colours
- Annie Wood for Just a Theory: a Quantum Love Adventure
We are now accepting entries into the Winter Shorts 2016 writing competition. Please click here for more information or to enter.
April 1, 2015
The Dante Rossetti Awards 2014 for Young Adult Novels – Official Finalist List
The Dante Rossetti Awards recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Young Adult, New Adult, and Tween Novels. The Rossetti Awards is a division of Chanticleer International Blue Ribbon Awards Writing Competitions.

More than $25,000.00 dollars worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to Chanticleer Book Reviews 2014 writing competition winners!

The Dante Rossetti Awards FIRST IN CATEGORY nine sub-genres are: Contemporary, Fantasy/Steampunk/SciFi, Romance, Historical, Inspirational, Dystopian/Edgy/Urban, Mystery/Thriller/Suspense, Lighthearted/Humorous, New Adult, and Tween.

The Official Listing of Finalists of the Dante Rossetti Awards 2014 Young Adult Novel Competition:
- Song Magick by Elizabeth Hamill
- An Outcast State by Scott Smith
- The Labyrinth Wall by Emilyann Girdner
- Student Bodyguard for Hire by Callie James
- The Black Shadow by Ben Hutchins
- Skin Deep by Kate Pawson Studer
- Just Going by Jianna Higgins
- Crazy Like Mom by Joanna Bowman Woods
- Scargirl by Eliza Mann
- Fruit of Misfortune; Creatura Book 2 by Nely Cab
- A Slow Climb Up the Mountain by Susan Cornfield Dugan
- Project Aquarius by Colleen Jordan
- The ARK Brothers by James B. Hoke
- Odette Speex – Time Traitors by Padgett Lively
- Unearthed by Karen Seymour
- Kerry’s Shattered Heart by Samantha Giles
- Ice Massacre by Tiana Warner
- The Curse of the Crystal Kuatzin by Jan H. Landsberg
- The Obsidian Dagger by Brad A. LaMar
- The Sage Wind Blows Cold by Clint Hollingsworth
- In the Rock by Mark Facciani
- Orbit by Leigh Hellman
- Ambrosia Chronicles, the Discovery by K. C. Simos
- Chrissie’s Run by S. A. Mahan
- Mark of the Remaker by Ian Yamagata
- Elainraigh: The Vow by S. A. Hunter
- The Star Catcher by Stephanie Keyes
- Kharishma by Jenny L. R. Nay
- Riding with Crazy Horse by PJ Martin
- Strega by Karen Monahan Fernandes
- Ruth 66 by Elizabeth Barlo
- The Sage of the Heroine by Bobbie Groth
- The Diamond of Talakmoon by S. E. Burt
- In the Blink of an Eye by Linda L. Creel
- Solomon’s Lake by Jenny Clark
- Scriptors by Shannon Crolly
- The Curse of the Thrax by Mark Murphy
- Discovering Daniel by Nadine Christian
- The Dragon Within by Cindy Lyle
- The Escape of Princess Madeline by Kirstin Pulioff
- The Flying Burgowski by Gretchen K. Wing
- Twist by Roni Teson
- Once Upon a Road Trip by Angela N. Blount
- Scattered Links by M. Weidenbenner
- Sydney West by Rebecca McKinsey
- Legacy, the Biodome Chronicles by Jesikah Sundin
- Project Aquarius by Colleen Jordan
- Orbit by Leigh Hellman
- Mischief and Mayhem by Monte French
- Solomon’s Lake by Jenny Clark
- Dreams of a Red Horizon by Chris Pawlukiewicz
Finalists will continue on to compete for a first place category win in their sub-genre, and then for the overall grand prize of the 2014 Dante Rossetti Awards. First place category winners will receive an award package including a complimentary book review, digital award badges, shelf talkers, book stickers, and more.

We are now accepting submissions into the Dante Rossetti Awards 2015 for YA Novels. Deadline is April 30, 2015.

More than $30,000 worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to the Chanticleer Novel Writing Competition winners! Nine genres to enter your novels and compete on an international level.
March 6, 2015
The Mystery & Mayhem Awards 2014 – Official Finalists List
The M&M Awards recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Cozy Mysteries and Classic Mysteries. The M&M Awards is a division of Chanticleer International Blue Ribbon Awards Writing Competitions.

More than $25,000.00 dollars worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to Chanticleer Book Reviews 2014 writing competition winners!

The M&M Awards FIRST IN CATEGORY sub-genres are: Amateur Sleuth, Romance, Animals, Cooking/Knitting/Hobbies, Blended Genre, Medical/Lab, Travel, Humorous, Historical, Classic British, Y/A, and Senior Sleuth.

The following titles will compete for the FIRST IN CATEGORY Positions and Awards Packages.

The Finalists Authors and Titles of Works that have made in through the first three rounds of the M&M 2014 Novel Competitions are:

Danger Comes Home by Judy Alter

No Place Like Rome by Julie Moffett

Mrs. Kaplan and the Matzoh Ball of Death by Mark Reutlinger

Civil Blood by Linda Triegel

Grand Theft Death by Ann Philipp

Sex, Lies, and Snickerdoodles by Wendy Delaney

The Deep End by Julie Mulhern

Peete and Repeat by Karen Musser Nortman

The Only Clue by Pamela Beason

Sati and the Rider by Winslow Eliot

Behind the Walls by Elaine L.Orr

Find Me Again by Janet K. Shawgo

Murder on the Bermuda Queen by Cheryl Peyton

The Ghost of Laurie Floyd by Courtney Mroch

Tax Cut by Michele Lynn Seigfried

Kauai Temptations by Terry Ambrose

The Wham Curse by Virgil Alexander

Contempt of Court by Ken Malovos

Her Father’s Daughter by Kate Vale

Who Killed Tom Jones by Gale Martin

Sydney West by R. McKinsey

Parchman Redeemer by Michael H. Thompson

Ladd Springs by Dianne Venetta

The Green Remains by Marni Graff

Killed Milk by Stephen Kaminski

Dead Silent by Amy Beth Arkawy

Summerville by JoHannah Reardon
The M&M Finalists will compete for the M&M First In Category Positions, which consists of Four Judging Rounds. First Place Category Award winners will automatically be entered into the M&M GRAND PRIZE AWARD competition. The CBR Grand Prize Genre Winners will compete for the $1,000 purse.
- All First In Category Award Winners will receive high visibility along with special badges to wear during the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala.
- First In Category winners will compete for the M&M Awards Grand Prize Award for the $250 purse and the M&M Grand Prize Ribbon and badges.
- TEN genre Grand Prize winning titles will compete for the $1,000 purse for CBR Best Book and Overall Grand Prize.
- A coveted Chanticleer Book Review valued at $325 dollars U.S. CBR reviews will be published in the Chanticleer Reviews magazine in chronological order.
- A CBR Blue Ribbon to use in promotion at book signings and book festivals
- Digital award stickers for on-line promotion
- Adhesive book stickers
- Shelf-talkers and other promotional items
- Promotion in print and on-line media
- Review of book distributed to on-line sites and printed media publications
- Review, cover art, and author synopsis listed in CBR’s newsletter
- Award winning books may be eligible to be included in the Chanticleer Collections (which sell and promote the winning titles) in North America through Promontory Distribution. The Chanticleer Collection is represented toIndependent Book Stores and major bookseller chains such as Barnes & Noble and Books A Million through an exclusive agreement with Promontory Distribution for our vetted Chanticleer Collection. Participating in the Chanticleer Collections is not required.
- The Chanticleer Collection is our way of helping new Indie authors find North American distribution for their titles, but is in no way mandatory. Self-published and Indie published authors in our pilot program have found the CC to be extremely beneficial in increasing sales and readership.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions at Info@ChantiReviews.com. We promise to reply.
- Default First in Category winners will not be declared. Contests are based on merit and writing craft in all of the Chanticleer Writing Competitions.
Congratulations to the Finalists in this fiercely competitive contest!

Good Luck to all of the M&M Finalists as they compete for the coveted First In CATEGORY positions for the 2014 M&Ms.

First In Category announcements will be made in March 2014. Results will be announced in social media as they come in.

The M&M Grand Prize Winner will be announced at the September 29th Chanticleer Annual Awards Gala, which takes place on the last evening of the Chanticleer Authors Conference.

We are now accepting submissions into the 2015 M&M Awards writing competition. The deadline for submissions is March 30th, 2015. Please click here for more information.
February 11, 2015
JOURNEY AWARDS for Narrative Non-fiction FIRST PLACE Category Winners
Chanticleer Book Reviews is honored to announce the First Place Category Winners for the JOURNEY Awards 2014, a genre division of the Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Award Writing Competitions.

The Journey Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Narrative Non-fiction. The Journey Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer Book Reviews Blue Ribbon Awards Writing Competitions.

First Place Category Winners for the Journey Awards are:
- Global Enlightenment: Thwarted Escape by Lopamudra Banerjee
- Personal Journey: The Breast is History, by Bronwyn Hope
- Career Experiences: Caregiving Our Loved Ones by Nanette J. Davis, Ph.D.
- An Era Memoir: Soviet Letters by Alex Posoukh
- Travelogue Experiences: Moroccan Musings by Anne B. Barriault
- True Action: Waking Reality by Donna LeClair
- How-to/Life Experiences: The Accidental Teacher: Life Lessons from my Silent Son by Annie Lubliner Lehmann
- Best Manuscript: Five Thousand Brothers in Law: Love in Angola Prison by Shannon Hager
CONGRATULATIONS!

The 1st Place Category Winners compete for the JOURNEY AWARDS 2014 GRAND PRIZE position. The 2014 JOURNEY category winner was announced at the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala in September 2015. See the Grand Prize Winners.
- The deadline for entries into the Journey Awards 2014 was Feb. 28, 2014.
- The deadline for entries into the Journey Awards 2015 is Feb. 28, 2015.
GRAND PRIZE Overall Journey Awards Winner from 2013:

Christine Smith, More Faster, Backwards: Rebuilding David

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

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

THE DEADLINE TO ENTER THE 2015 JOURNEY Novel Writing Competitions is February 28th, 2015.

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

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

Thank you for your interest in Chanticleer Book Reviews international writing competitions.

Chanticleer Book Reviews & Media, L.L.C. retains the right to not declare “default winners.” Winning works are decided upon merit only. Please visit our Contest Terms and Conditions page for more information about our writing contest guidelines.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
February 2, 2015
CYGNUS AWARDS for SciFi & Speculative Fiction FIRST PLACE Category Winners
Chanticleer Book Reviews is honored to announce the First Place Category Winners for the Cygnus Awards 2014, a genre division of the Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Award Writing Competitions.

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

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

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

Bennett R. Coles, Virtues of War.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you for your interest in Chanticleer Book Reviews international writing competitions.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
January 10, 2015
Grand Prize Winners Who Were Recognized at the 2014 Chanticleer Awards Gala
Congratulations to the Grand Prize Award Winners who were recognized at the 2014 Chanticleer Authors Conference Awards Gala!

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

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

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

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Chaucer Awards

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Christine Smith and Kiffer Brown

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Bernadette Pajer and WIlliam Dietrich

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Ben Coles accepting an award from Chanticleers founder Kiffer Brown

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Thomas P. Wise and Nancy Wise with Kiffer Brown

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

You know that you want a CBR BLUE RIBBON!

All photos are compliments of Elaine Dillon. All rights reserved.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
January 1, 2015
Best of the 2014 Summer Shorts & Novellas Writing Competition
Summer Shorts 2014 Overall Best Short Story/Novelette Writing Competition Official Announcement

We are pleased to announce the first place overall winner for the 2014 Summer Short Stories and Novelettes Writing Competition. The honor goes to:

The Stone God’s Wife

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Sharon E. Anderson, author

by Sharon Anderson (please click on her name to visit her website)

This short story is an exceptional example of the dark fantasy genre. Desperate to save her sister, Cilla does the unthinkable…and the unforgivable. The Stone God’s Wife is compellingly written, well characterized, fast paced, and engaging.

Sharon Anderson will be awarded a CBR Blue Ribbon and a $100 U.S.D. purse at the 2015 Chanticleer Authors Conference Awards Banquet.

We invite you to also check out the Finalists who made the short list! Click here for the list.

Congratulations to all the finalists of the 2014 Summer Short Stories and Novelettes Writing Competition!

Do you have a short story or novella that you would like to enter?

2015 Short Stories, Novellas, and Novelettes Writing Competitions offer two submission deadlines:
1. January 15, 2015 Please click on the date for more information.
2. June 15, 2015 Please click on the date for more information.
Click here for general contest information. [/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
December 29, 2014
Win a Manuscript Overview for Your RAW NaNoWriMo 2014 Manuscript!
Do you have a diamond in the rough with your 2014 NaNoWriMo manuscript?

If you think that you have written a diamond in the rough during NaNoWriMo 2014: a great story, created compelling characters, or have a new twist to a classic theme (think Twilight), then consider entering the Chanticleer RAW NaNoWriMo writing competition.

This is the probably one of the few times that an author should not polish a work before submitting it to a contest. Judges are looking for raw storytelling ability and/or originality of story concept. CBR has been contacted by publishers and literary agents to hold a RAW NaNoWriMo contest to search for that next Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen or Wool by Hugh Howey.

Does your RAW work have a compelling story? Is it original? Does it have an irresistible plot arc? Will your work’s characters resonate with readers?

Here is your chance to find out!

Enter your official 2014 NaNoWriMo manuscript into the RAW NaNoWriMo 2014 competition.
- Ten genres to choose from to enter your NaNoWriMo 2014 work: SciFi, Romance, Historical, Paranormal, YA, Western, Mystery, Thriller/Suspense, Literary, and Narrative Non-Fiction
- Keep in mind that this contest is for UNEDITED works. Judges, editors, and literary agents are looking for RAW writing talent.
- The number of entries is limited to insure that each work will be seen by the panel of NaNoWriMo 2014 judges. Don’t delay, enter today!
- Each work submitted will go be seen by NaNoWriMo 2014 CBR judges.
- A maximum of 11 winners’ slots! One for each genre writing competition that CBR offers. However, winners are selected on merit and not to fill slots.
- Minimum word count: 50,000.
- You must be able to supply your 2014 NaNoWriMo Winner’s Certificate upon request.
- Authors/Publishers maintain all rights to their works submitted to the RAW NaNoWriMo contest. Simple.
RAW NaNoWriMo 2014 Prize Package

The Best NaNoWriMo 2014 entry will receive a CBR Manuscript Overview Evaluation ($395).*

1st Place Genre Winners will receive a complimentary CBR writing novel contest entry gift certificate ($45) along with a Great Beginnings entry gift certificate ($ 15) valid until Feb. 1st, 2016.

Maximum Prize Package Value upon entering the polished work in the Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Novel Writing Competitions:
- A chance to take home the $1,000 Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Grand Prize purse!
- A chance of your work being awarded One of TEN CBR Genre Grand Prize Packages valued at $750
- Or a chance at a First in Category Chanticleer Review Package!
- And, most importantly, to have your published work listed in the Chanticleer Best Book Discoveries.
Winners will be announced before May 1st, 2015. Results will be announced as they come in on Chanticleer’s social media posts. The Official RAW NaNoWriMo 2014 Winners Website Posting will be published by May 15, 2015.

Submissions will be accepted until Jan. 30th, 2015, midnight PST or until the limit of entries is met.

Enter your work into the CBR RAW NaNoWriMo 2014 competition rounds for a $35 fee. This link will take you to the submissions page.

Click here for more information.

Images courtesy of NaNoWriMo. Please click here for more information about how to participate in NaNoWriMo! By clicking this link, you will be taken directly to the Official NaNoWriMo organization’s website.

NaNoWriMo Facts and Stats

National Novel Writing Month was established in 1999. It is also a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that believes stories matter.
December 27, 2014