The inimitable, always-in-demand, Jessica Morrell will be joining us at the Chanticleer Authors Conference
Jessica Page Morrell – Editor Extraordinaire!
We are delighted to welcome Jessica Morrell to VCAC21! One of the primary contributors to the Chanticleer writing blog, Jessica’s tips and advice are invaluable lessons that benefit all authors.
Each year we offer writing craft sessions from the best editors and authors in the publishing industry. This year we are excited to announce that we haveJessica Page Morrellas a teacher of theMaster Writing Class Sessions.
It sometimesdoestake a village to bring a story to life. With that in mind, we’ll discuss the many roles for your story people from protagonist to minor characters, and delineate their impact on the plots and protagonist. However, we’ll also cover the outliers in fiction and the chaos, conflict, zest, and realism they add to your story world. So we’ll be covering anti-heroes, oddballs, wretches, naughty, pain-in-the-butt types, innocents, along with villains and bad and bad ass women.
We’ll touch on other topics—how to differentiate characters via voice, creating characters based on backstories and main traits, and the importance of secondary characters to make things happen. Because living, breathing characters come from readers experiencing them through a specific emotional lens supplied by viewpoint, voice, and a character’s observations.
To further expand our discussion we’ll also cover immersive, intimate viewpoint and narrative distance. Please bring your favorite imaginary folks to the workshop.
If you are not registered for VCAC21, but would like to take Jessica’s Master Writing Class,please click here.
Conference Session: Saturday, April 24, 2021 at 10:15 a.m.
Power Writing, Word by word, sentence by sentence using language to create tension, emotion, action and resonance.
Jessica understands both sides of the editorial desk–as a highly-sought after developmental editor and author. Her work also appears in multiple anthologies andThe WriterandWriter’s Digestmagazines. She is known for explainingthe hows and whysof what makes for excellent writing and for sharing very clear examples that examines the technical aspects of writing that emphases layering and subtext. Her books on writing craft are considered “a must have” for any serious writer’s toolkit. Read some of Jessica’s writing here.
Click here for more information about the 2021 Chanticleer Authors Conference and Int’l Book Awards Banquet and Ceremony.
We are so excited to welcome Dr. Janice Ellis back to the Chanticleer Authors Conference
Dr. Ellis is one of our favorite authors—and truly a joy to get to know. She reminds us that the pen is mightier than the sword! See her at #VCAC21
VCAC 21 Conference Session:
4/24, 4:30 p.m. The Pen is Mightier than the Sword
Dr. Janice Ellis has written columns for newspapers, magazines, radio commentary, presented internationally across the U.S., and now online. For the past 30 years she analyzes educational, political, social and economic issues across race, ethnicity, age and socio-economic status. She continues her important work in these challenging times.
We are honored that Dr. Ellis presented The Critical Role Authors Play in Fostering a Better Society at Chanticleer’s first virtual conference, VCAC20. Her presentation was inspirational and thought provoking. Janice S. Ellis has been an author for over 30 years and has written a column for newspapers and radio throughout her career about education, politics, race and socioeconomics. Janice Ellis holds a Ph.D. in Communication Arts, and two Master of Arts degrees, one in Communications Arts and a second in Political Science, all from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin. Dr. Ellis is the author of two award-winning books, From Liberty to Magnolia: In Search of the American Dream (2018); Shaping Public Opinion: How Real Advocacy Journalism™ Should Be Practiced (2021).
Check out this excerpt of Chanticleer’s review for her book From Liberty to Magnolia:
As a black woman on a cotton farm in Mississippi in the 1960s, Janice Ellis could have resigned herself to a life full of status quo: never speaking up for herself, never speaking out against injustice or racism. Instead, she never let unsettling times define her or hold her back, even as a witness to some of the ugliest racial violence this country has seen. In her candid and thought-provoking memoir, From Liberty to Magnolia: In Search of the American Dream, Ellis vividly depicts her life in the South during the height of the Civil Rights and Women’s Rights movements.
Through fluid and skillful writing, Ellis recounts the battles she encountered due to her skin color or due to her gender: an abusive husband, discouragement to further her education, sexual and racial discrimination in the workplace, a lack of support from friends and family when she runs for election. Despite these mounting obstacles, she goes on to earn her Ph.D., lands leadership roles and furthers her career, and even runs for mayor in a major US city. Her faith in God and her unwavering belief that the American Dream should be accessible and attainable to everyone are what lead her.
Happy Spring to our Northern Hemisphere Chanticleerians!
Happy Autumn to our Southern Hemisphere Chanticleerians!
What a crazy and challenging past year it has been! We are certainly looking forward to warmer and longer days here in the Pacific Northwest!
Spring here brings tidings of the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC)!
But, alas, this spring CAC will be VCAC once again due to Covid.
However, we have an exciting line-up of ACE Presenters for VCAC 21.
The VCAC 21 Sessions will be LIVE and INTERACTIVE!
Learn from the Best at VCAC 21!
The Virtual Chanticleer Authors Conference will take place April 21 – 24, 2021 via ZOOM webinar.
VCAC will feature bestselling international crime and mystery author Cathy Ace.
VCAC 21 and the 2020 CIBA Finalists Announcements will be broadcasted over ZOOM live from the Hotel Bellwether’s Admiral’s Room. Please scroll down for more information.
WEDNESDAY, April 21, 2021 (you may register for these separately from VCAC or combine) Registration is Required for the Master Class and the Workshop.
9:10 a.m. until noon — Book Distribution/Production WORKSHOP by Paul Hanson, Village Books
How to get Your Books on Independent Booksellers Shelves across North America – The WHY, WHAT, and HOWwith Paul Hanson, Village Books
1 – 4:30 p.m. — Master Writing Class with Jessica Morrell
Story People: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly as taught by Jessica P. Morrell
We’ll discuss the many roles for your story people from protagonist to minor characters, and delineate their impact on the plots and protagonist. However, we’ll also cover the outliers in fiction and the chaos, conflict, zest, and realism they add to your story world. To further expand our discussion we’ll also cover immersive, intimate viewpoint and narrative distance. Please bring your favorite imaginary folks to the workshop.
You may register for one or both of these without registering for VCAC21.
Click here to Register for VCAC 21 and check out Jessica’s always in demand Master Class and Paul’s workshop on how to get into national distribution to Indie Bookshops.
The next three days, Thursday, Friday, & Saturday, will offer the VCAC Sessions. These sessions will be held one at a time through out the day. These one hour-long sessions will be LIVE and Interactive with Q & A periods and discussion.
The day sessions will include Cathy Ace, crime and mystery author sharing her writing craft and marketing tips along with other stellar presenters.
The 2020 Chanticleer International Book Awards Announcements
The 2020 CIBAs FINALISTS
We will announce the titles and authors whose works advanced from the 2020 CIBA Semi-Finalists position to the Premier Finalists Level starting at 6 p.m. on April 22, 23, & 24 according to the following schedule:
Thursday, April 22, 2021 at 6 p.m. PST
CYGNUS – Science Fiction
Paranormal – Supernatural Fiction
OZMA – Fantasy Fiction
Mystery & Mayhem – Cozy and Not-So-Cozy Mysteries
CLUE – Suspense & Thriller
Global Thrillers – High Stakes and Lab Lit
Dante Rossetti – Young Adult Fiction
Click here to Register to Attend this 2020 CIBA Finalists Announcement Event. A confirmation will be sent you from ZOOM for this Chanticleer CIBA Event held on Thursday, April 22, 2021 at 6 p.m.
Friday, April 23, 2021 at 6 p.m. PST
Laramie – Americana & Western Fiction
Goethe – Post 1750s Historical Fiction
Chaucer – Pre 1750s Historical Fiction
Chatelaine – Romantic Fiction
Mark Twain – Satire, Allegory, and Humor Fiction
Somerset – Literary and Contemporary Fiction
Gertrude Warner – Middle-Grade Readers
Click here to Register to Attend this 2020 CIBA Finalists Announcement Event. A confirmation will be sent you from ZOOM for this Chanticleer CIBA Event held on Friday, April 23, 2021 at 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 24, 2021 at 6 p.m. PST – Non-Fiction Divisions
Hearten Book Awards – Uplifting, Humorous, Inspirational
Harvey Chute – Business, Enterprise, and Finance
Mind and Spirit Book Awards
Nellie Bly – Investigative and Long Form Journalism
Instruction & Insight Book Awards – How – To and Guides, Cookbooks
Journey Book Awards – Memoir, Survival and Trauma accounts
Little Peeps – Early Readers and Picture Books
Click here to Register to Attend this held on Saturday, April 24, 2021 at 6 p.m.2020. A confirmation will be sent you from ZOOM for this Chanticleer CIBA Event.
The 2020 CIBA Finalists announcements will be on FACEBOOK LIVE and on ZOOM webinars. Attendance is Free but Registration is Required for Each Day that you want to attend.
2020 CIBA 1st Place and Grand Prize Winners
and the
2020 Winners of the SHORTS and FICTION SERIES
The 2020 CIBA First Place and Grand Prize Winners along with the SHORTS and FICTION Series Winners will be announced on June 5, 2021 at the HYBRID CIBA Ceremony and Dinner.
The CIBA Ceremonies will be ZOOMED LIVE and on FaceBook LIVE Events.
Attendance is FREE, but Registration is Required. All VCAC registered attendees will automatically be registered and will be sent the ZOOM Link.
We will broadcast via ZOOM and FaceBook LIVE the 2020 CIBA WINNERS Announcements from the Hotel Bellwether on JUNE 5, 2021 starting at 3 p.m. PST
After VCAC 21 and the FINALISTS announcements, we post the link on how to register for this FREE Event. The link and registration from will be posted by May 1, 2021.
After the announcements, we will host a HYBRID VIRTUAL/LIVE Happy Hour for the virtual and in-person attendees at the Hotel Bellwether.
Because our Chanticleer Team and Local Chanticleer Authors will be vaccinated, we are having small dinner event to celebrate VCAC21 and the 2020 CIBA Winners.
It will be our first gathering since the initial Shelter-In-Place orders of early March 2020. And we are EXCITED. If you have been fully vaccinated and live within driving distance or want to fly in, we invite you to join us for an evening of camaraderie and celebration. If you would like more information about attending and participating, please email KBrown@ChantiReviews.com
AIOSEO (All In One Search Engine Optimization) is a profoundly popular tool for marketing. Now you don’t have to respond to the daily emails offering you the First Page of Google, and you can instead feel confident you are doing the best you can.
Disclaimer:
One important thing to consider is that this article is written in early 2021. If the date is considerably later, then it is out of date.
Technology grows and changes rapidly, and we must always rise to meet it. This article won’t look too deeply at categories and tags, because those should just be already listed on your website. If you’re interested in learning more about tags, click here for our article, by Kiffer Brown on using hashtags, which follow a similar rule.
KEY TIP: Always click save when working on anything, especially after adding images. Don’t count on the program to autosave things for your website. Save your draft work early and often.
AIOSEO – More than Alphabet Soup – All In One Search Engine Optimization — will help you drive more traffic to your website.
More Web Traffic = More Book Sales
We will be using WordPress as our example, and you can see our initial AIOSEO score on a new article below:
If you pay a web service, like WordPress, for your website, they should have a help system that you should be able to email if you have additional questions to address. Let’s dive in!
We know what AIOSEO Stands for. What Does it Do?
The AIOSEO looks at how search engines will read your website. Yup, they are reading your website to try and guess how the website will be read by humans. A human programmed a search engine to try to read a website like a human in order to determine if the website will be easy for actual humans to read. If that feels circular to you, you are not alone.
We all have a lot of time in front of computers in our future
Here are things that help your website seem more readable:
Headings every few paragraphs
A Post Title of 60 Characters or slightly fewer.
Meta Description of 160 Characters or fewer
A Focus Keyphrase that appears everywhere
Less than 10% of the piece should be in passive voice
No more than 25% of sentences should be over 20 words
Paragraphs should be no more than 120 words
Images and Videos should be included
External and Internal Links should be included
Wow! That’s a lot! When do we know that we’ve done enough?
Sites like WordPress give you your AIOSEO score to see. The score is out of 100, and most website score between 60-80, so that’s a good place to aim. Obviously some of these won’t be reasonable for your website to accommodate depending on the material you promote.
For example, as a website with a lot of reviews, we have more passive voice in our reviews. Why? We don’t want to give away who is responsible for the action in the book! Passive voice avoids answer who is responsible for an action, and allows us to provide excellent, spoiler-free reviews.
Let’s break down some of those bullet points together.
Headings
See the word “Headings” immediately above this sentence? That’s a heading! Usually websites offer the opportunity to choose between Paragraphs, Headings, and Quote Text. A heading lets your reader know you are moving to a new subject. They are an excellent way to signal a change in subject, and lets the reader find the information they want to locate right away.
Within a section, you can use multiple headings, usually in the form of “Heading 1” “Heading 2” and so on to create subheadings within a section. You can see what our Heading dropdown menu on WordPress looks like below.
From here, we’ll move to looking at the keyphrase and title.
Focus Keyphrase is essential for AIOSEO
This is the main idea of your post. For this post you are reading our keyphrase is AIOSEO. You want it to be ubiquitous throughout your post. This is where it should show up:
Title
Post Title
Meta Description
The First Paragraph
Tags
Alternative Text
This is how the Focus Key phrase appears for us
Remember, these will appear differently to everyone based on a number of factors that we can’t predict, so take your time looking for them or Google what you’re looking for and the name of the website you’re using.
Post Title
See how above the “Post Title” is a “Snippet Preview” to see how your post will appear in a web search? That’s a great way to really see what it looks like. And in the bottom right corner you can see that it only uses 38 out of the 60 recommended characters.
Don’t worry, we didn’t forget about Alternative Text, it just needs a little more explanation than a quick screenshot.
Alternative Text adds a couple AIOSEO points
Generally, if you click “edit” on an image, one of the categories that pops up will be alternative text or “ALT text.” ALT text is what a screen reader will read out when it comes across an image on your webpage. This helps anyone who has issues seeing the webpage or even people who can see the webpage fine and simply prefer to have text read to them. Simple and direct is usually best with ALT text.
Internal and External Links add a few AIOSEO points
Internal links are simply links that go to somewhere else within your website. External Links go somewhere outside your website. We always recommend making sure your Links “Open a New Tab” rather than navigating away from the website you are on.
That top box is the ticket!
Opening to a new tab fulfills both your readers need to not lose their place in what they’re reading, and it fulfills your need to keep them on your website!
Thinking of screen readers again, remember to make it clear what is and isn’t a link, by stating exactly what the link leads to, and then hyperlinking it.
Probably the second one. Now imagine you are using a screen reader. Would you rather have a computer voice attempt to read that full URL to you (h t t p: w w w…), or would you rather a direct description of where the link will go followed by the words “Click Here”?
Most people recommend the hyperlink as opposed to the full URL. If you really want to use a full URL, you can always consider using a custom tiny URL by going to the Tiny URL creation website here.
One Last Note: #Hashtags
Everyone loves the Hashtag, or as we like to call it, the octothorpe. When using Hashtags, we recommend capitalizing every individual word. For example #chanticleerauthorsconference would be #ChanticleerAuthorsConference or for Twitter #CAC21 #SeriousAuthors
Octothorpe aka Hashtag aka pound symbol has 8 points
The capitalization won’t make much of a difference to the computer that analyzes your work, but it will make a huge difference in terms of whether your hashtags will actually be accessible and readable by a large audience.
So How Did We Do?
We looked at this post a couple of times before posting. Here’s how our score looked.
Here is a look at our AIOSO score throughout the writing of this article:
Text and Title Only: 58
After Adding Headings: 68
Adjusting Post Title and Meta Description to appropriate word count: 79
Adding AIOSEO as the Focus Keyphrase: 89
Adding an image with the alt text AIOSEO: 90
When we finish with adding our links, the score raises to 95! Tightening up language as suggested by the AIOSEO brings us all the way to 96!
Update from 10/24/24: We’re now at 98!
The increase in score is likely due to us always purchasing the latest p0ssible services to promote our authors.
Before you hit publish on your site, check out the AIOSEO score.
Remember, between 60-80 is considered pretty good!
Good luck, and happy posting!
If you are interested in participating in a Hands On AIOSEO Workshop, please send us an email to Chanticleer@ChantiReviews.com
Writer’s Toolbox
Thank you for reading this Chanticleer Writer’s Toolbox article.
April Fools’ Day is this week! Will you be a prankster or end up with egg on your face?
A surprisingly old tradition, historians trace the April Fools’ Day Celebration to the change in the calendar after the Council of Trent in 1563, moving the start of the New Year to January and beginning to celebrate Spring in late March rather than at the beginning of April. Those who were slow to adapt and celebrated the wrong holidays at the wrong time were knows as April Fools. For those of you who love a deep dive, you can read more here.
Of course, there have been other traditions of dressing up in costumes and pranking people, but the real question we want to look at is what’s funny in writing?
Humor Writing
At first blush, Chanticleer only has The Mark Twain Award that appears to cater to humor writing, but we all know that humor is key for almost any story. What better way to keep the reader engaged than those laugh out loud moments?
Interested in learning more about the Mark Twain Awards? Click here for more information and here to submit!
We can think of a few common times of humor in writing:
Satire (obviously)
Dark Humor
Situational Humor
Self-Deprecating Humor
Let’s go deeper!
Satire
One of the big keys to Satire is to always punch up. Making fun of people who are already having a tough time often leaves a bad taste in the reader’s mouth.
One classic example of Satire is George Orwell’s Animal Farm which critiques the fascist re-envisioning of Communism by Joseph Stalin through the lens of barnyard animals. This is a darkly told satire with the intention of speaking truth to power.
For lighter Satire, you can always look at Saturday Night Live and see their most recent jokes about whoever holds political power in the US.
Satire often ends up with someone adopting a role they don’t actually believe to expose parts of that belief that don’t hold up well, such as Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal.”
Dark Humor
Also known as Gallows Humor, Dark Humor looks at terrible situations and finds the irony in them.
This often pops up when someone says “Well, at least it can’t get any worse!”
Situational Humor
This happens when the character’s position in a scene happens to be very funny. For example, in Who Mourns for Morn from Star Trek: Deep Space 9, the Ferengi bartender Quark is harangued by 4 different thieves, all looking for a cut of the estate of Quark’s best customer (now deceased). At one point, all four of them, not knowing the others are there, arrive in Quark’s quarters where he hides each of them from the previous until he has a full house!
Quark at the center of attention with 4 phaser pistols pointed at his head
Self-Deprecating Humor
This often can be seen in Non-Fiction work. Self-Deprecation can make people feel less intimidating and put the reader at ease with a speaker. Possibly one of the best examples of this comes from the prologue of a 1910 Calculus Textbook.
Be careful though! A little Self-Deprecating Humor is a lovely introduction, but too much will quickly tire a reader out.
Final Tips:
Be Personal:
You know what’s funny in your own life. Start there with retelling those stories to see how it works out.
Subvert expectations:
We’ve all seen cliches, and those have their place in all stories, but think about times when a scene did not go the way you expected. One great example is in The Last Jedi when Rey returns Luke’s lightsaber and he immediately tosses it.
Such hope immediately dashed
Rule of Three
This is one of the big places to subvert expectations. You offer two regular, expected ideas, and then follow it up with a third option that surprises
Ex: “What are you up to today? Work? Day off? World domination?”
Obviously, there’s often a little more time between the appearances.
Chanticleer Book Reviews to make you laugh and cry
INSYNNIUM by Tim Cole
Grand Prize Winner for the Cygnus Awards
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 real-time, he’s only missed a day or two. (For E=MC squared fans, it’s basically reverse engineering of Einsteinian physics.)
First Place Winner for the Mystery & Mayhem Awards
Who commits a murder in a crowd of a hundred people relaxing in a park, and how did the Agatha Christie Book Club miss the entire thing from only a few feet away? In the trendy Sydney suburb of Balmain, Kat Mumford, social media interior design star, has been murdered during the inaugural Cinema Under the Stars. Her distraught husband, Eliot, is clearly the prime suspect, but at the time of Kat’s strangulation, he is nowhere near her. In fact, no one was sitting near Kat, and the crowd seems to have been so absorbed by the movie, Agatha Christie’s Evil Under Sun, that no one saw a thing out of the ordinary.
When Alicia Finlay and her book club realize the murder occurred right under their noses, there is no way they can just let the police handle it. When Alicia’s boyfriend, Detective Inspector Liam Jackson, actually calls her for information, she and her club decide to do a little investigating of their own. Despite being told to butt out, Alicia, Lynette, Claire, Missy, and Perry go undercover to find the killer, but the twists, in this case, will lead them down a strange path to find a crafty killer. The club must sift through the suspects: a smarmy barman, a detestable reverend, a pregnant domestic abuse victim, a mystery mustached man, a dead junky, and a hipster hubby. With few clues but many dead ends, the club will meet their most challenging mystery yet!
A bitingly funny collection of life-stories from Christie Nicholls – stand-up comedian, actor, and writer – made all the more piquant by her repeated insistence that she has no short-term memory. Fortunately for us, her long-term reminiscences more than make up the deficit.
Nicholls has divided the book into four parts. In the first, “A Broad Abroad,” she recalls her experiences of traveling to far-flung places, beginning with a summer in Belém, Brazil as a child. She and her brother, for some reason nicknamed Beluga, slept in hammocks and played in a swimming pool, but much of her cherished time involved a German Shepherd named Ferdinand, from whom she learned dog talk. Raucous family bowling in Bologna, Italy, is contrasted with attendance at a staid English wedding. At a later period, Nicholls and her mother went to Sweden, where the budding comic tried her hand at stand-up in newly acquired Swedish, leading to an amusing mix-up of jargon.
Chanticleer Editorial Services – when you are ready
Did you know that Chanticleer offers editorial services?We do and have been doing so since 2011.
Tools of the Editing Trade
Our professional editors are top-notch and are experts in the Chicago Manual of Style. They have and are working for the top publishing houses (TOR, McMillian, Thomas Mercer, Penguin Random House, Simon Schuster, etc.).
If you would like more information, we invite you to email Kiffer or Sharon at KBrown@ChantiReviews.com or SAnderson@ChantiReviews.com for more information, testimonials, and fees.
We work with a small number of exclusive clients who want to collaborate with our team of top-editors on an on-going basis.Contact us today!
Chanticleer Editorial Services also offers writing craft sessions and masterclasses. Sign up to find out where, when, and how sessions being held.
Appreciating International Women’s Day and looking at Women’s Fiction
The theme for 2021’s international Women’s Day is Choose to Challenge. We thought an excellent challenge to offer to our wonderful Chanticleerians would be to read more women’s fiction. To read more about International Women’s Day, click here. To jump into it though, we first want to define the genre.
While one might the that the Chatelaine Awards would be the location of Women’s Fiction, especially with the image of Jane Morris being used when her story could be written as an excellent example of women’s fiction. If you’re interested in entering the Chatelaine Awards you can click here, and if you want to read more about our most recent Spotlight for the Awards, click here.
Jane Morris’ life is often said to be the inspiration for Eliza Doolittle in George Bernard Shaw’s My Fair Lady. Morris trained herself into being a lady, learning French and Italian while reading anything she could get her hands on. She was a renowned embroiderer, even running an embroidery company that did quite well. She was also the muse of pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Rossetti (the model for our Rossetti Awards). By the end of her life, she even managed to purchase the home she lived in so that her daughters would have an inheritance to support them after her death.
Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle
While Morris could be a great subject for a book of women’s fiction, her story is often peppered with romantic narratives, even in fictional retellings like My Fair Lady. It’s true that her husband and Rossetti all rented an apartment together, which allowed for Morris and Rossetti to have an affair while her husband was in Iceland, presumably with her husband’s knowledge as the painter and the subject were considered an open secret, though it seems a painful one for William Morris.
Surrounded by so much romance and intrigue, we couldn’t help but have Jane Morris’ portrait by her lover be the representation of the Chatelaine Awards, which leads us to the use of William Somerset Maugham as the representative of the Somerset Awards.
The Somerset Awards focuses on:
Contemporary Theme
Adventure/Suspense
Literary
Women’s Fiction + Family Themes
Satire/Allegorical
Magic Realism
Action/Adventure
Connections
Social/Psychological Themes
To read more or to enter the Somerset Awards, click here.
Of course, here we want to focus on the women’s fiction portion of that, though there is overlap. Somerset’s first novel that won him critical acclaim was Liza of Lambeth, (1897) which propelled him to become one of the highest paid authors of the turn of the century. He was inspired to write this novel while he was working as an obstetric clerk and medical student at a hospital in a working-class district of London. Somerset is known for his “shrewd understanding of human nature.Britannica
In the novel, Liza, like many women in novels of this era, has her life dictated by the men who surround her, unable to break free of the desires and expectations that surround her, ultimately leading to her death. This examination of consent and the harmfulness of denying women agency can be seen reflected in the urgency of the suffrage movement.
With his story of Liza, Somerset focuses on the hardships women face, especially concerning domestic violence and abuse. He highlights the lack of consequences men face for treating women like animals, and the ways in which people ignore clear signs of abuse as something that isn’t their problem or maybe even deserved. The novel Somerset writes is a critique of the time in which he lives, but is it women’s fiction?
Almost there…
Probably not by today’s standard.
Women’s fiction is difficult to define. Generally, we think Amy Sue Nathan did a good job in this article here, but our take is a little more personal. First, we do think that for a book to be considered in the genre of women’s fiction, it obviously has to focus on women. The next point is that the plot progresses alongside the narrator’s self, whether that be self-discovery, self-preservation, or even perhaps self-destruction (though storylines with a negative outcome can be difficult to fit into this genre).
Since Somerset’s telling of Liza’s story focuses on the ways in which she is denied agency rather than the ways in which she can focus on the self
The struggle with whether or not a book is women’s fiction resolves around the fact that the protagonist must be the one who, as Nathan says, “saves herself.”
The driving force of women’s fiction is the motivation of the main character to get herself from point A to point B to point C, learning and changing and growing and making mistakes along the way. What makes a women’s fiction main character tick is the methods by which she learns and changes and grows and makes mistakes. – Amy Sue Nathan
Even a little growth
Since the focus of women’s fiction is often growth, unhappy endings don’t always necessarily fit. Of course, endings that aren’t unhappy won’t automatically be happy, and women’s fiction often ends up with a complex ending that leaves the reader thoughtful and reflective on their own growth as they read along with the main character.
Of course a book that is considered women’s fiction can have many other themes, and could even fit into other Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBAs) beyond the Somerset Awards. You can see the different genres in the books below:
HARD CIDER by Barbara Stark-Nemon
Women’s Literature, Literary, Women’s Fiction
Grand Prize Winner in Somerset Awards (2018)
Abbie Rose Stone is a woman determined to follow her newly discovered dream of producing her own craft hard apple cider while navigating the ups and downs of family life with her grown sons and husband.
Abbie Rose knows how to deal with adversity, and dives headfirst into this new chapter of her life with energy and passion. She describes her early adulthood years of infertility struggles and the hardscrabble way she built her young family through invasive medical procedures, a surrogate attempt, and adoption barriers.
FROM LIBERTY to MAGNOLIA: In SEARCH of the AMERICAN DREAMby Janice Ellis, Ph.D.
Black History, Discrimination & Racism, Memoir, Non-Fiction
Grand Prize Winner in Journey Awards (2019)
As a black woman on a cotton farm in Mississippi in the 1960s, Janice Ellis could have resigned herself to a life full of status quo: never speaking up for herself, never speaking out against injustice or racism. Instead, she never let unsettling times define her or hold her back, even as a witness to some of the ugliest racial violence this country has seen. In her candid and thought-provoking memoir, From Liberty to Magnolia: In Search of the American Dream, Ellis vividly depicts her life in the South during the height of the Civil Rights and Women’s Rights movements.
Through fluid and skillful writing, Ellis recounts the battles she encountered due to her skin color or due to her gender: an abusive husband, discouragement to further her education, sexual and racial discrimination in the workplace, a lack of support from friends and family when she runs for election. Despite these mounting obstacles, she goes on to earn her Ph.D., lands leadership roles and furthers her career, and even runs for mayor in a major US city. Her faith in God and her unwavering belief that the American Dream should be accessible and attainable to everyone are what lead her.
WE DID WHAT WE COULD by Nancy H. Wynen
Historical Fiction, WWII Women’s Fiction, Literary Fiction
Nancy Wynen’s We Did What We Could is a well-conceived, smart, character-driven novel set across a grand European landscape. Here a formidable trio of young women groomed for mere social status demonstrates their strength, endurance, and courage as they move beyond the walls of academia to experience careers. The three must also deal with relationships, family expectations, and life issues amidst the often devastating and upending climate of war.
Lady Archer is a widow from the Great War. As Assistant Head Mistress at St. Martin’s School, she feels girls should receive solid educations and prepare for real professions. With her high level of social ties, Archer looks for “future perfect leaders” within each new graduating class, possessing ideal traits of intelligence and creativity. In May of 1936, Archer sets her sights on three such proteges whose memorable antics foretell their potential for more significant life accomplishments.
The SHAPE of the ATMOSPHEREby Jessica Dainty
Literary, Psychology, Women’s Fiction
Jessica Dainty’s, The Shape of the Atmosphere is remarkable for its startling realism, its gritty young heroine, and its hopeful conclusion.
When Gertie’s father and sister are killed in an accident on Gertie’s sixteenth birthday in 1957, she is left with one cherished memory: viewing the heavens with her father on the night of the world-changing Sputnik flight.
After the funerals, Gertie wounds herself as a way of coping with her inner anguish, after which her alcohol-addicted mother commits her to an insane asylum. Such institutions were considered modern and scientifically advanced for their time, but as author Jessica Dainty frankly depicts, Gertie’s new home is a combination prison and torture chamber. The naïve but intelligent girl soon becomes acquainted with such therapies as immersion in icy cold water and electroshock (both designed to calm the inmates), as she gradually gets to know her fellow patients, the women on Ward 2.
DISOWNED – The RED-HEELED REBELSSeries Novel One by Tikiri
Women’s Adventure, Thriller/Suspense, International Crime
Spanning three continents and taking on crucial issues of child marriage and human trafficking, Disowned features a brave teen heroine struggling against international criminality with nothing but her wits and grit.
Asha, born in Tanzania, is still a child when her parents are tragically killed while on a family safari in Kenya. Within a short period of time she is transported to Goa, India, to live with relatives she has never met. Her grandmother is an angry, culture-bound crone, her aunt and cousin living, as Asha now must, under the old woman’s seemingly heartless sway.
PECCADILLO at the PALACE: An Annie Oakley Mystery by Kari Bovée
Historical Thrillers, Women’s Historical Fiction, Biographical Fiction
Grand Prize Winner in Goethe Awards (2019)
Kari Boveé’s Peccadillo at the Palace, the second book in the Annie Oakley Mystery series, is a historical, mystery thriller extraordinaire. Fans of both genres will thrill at Boveé’s complex plot that keeps us guessing from its action-packed beginning to the satisfying reveal at the end.
The book opens with the Honorable Colonel Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show to England on a voyage to perform for Queen Victoria. They are not on the high seas long, when Annie’s beloved horse, Buck, jumps overboard. Her husband and the Queen’s loyal servant, Mr. Bhakta, jump in to save the horse, or was Mr. Bhakta already dead before he reached the water? Thus, begins the mystery of who killed Mr. Bhakta, leaving all to wonder, is the Queen safe?
We appreciate you spending time with us in celebration of International Women’s Day!
Looking to join the Chanticleer family?
Register for VCAC 21 here! Registration will include access to video recordings of the conference. April 21- 25, 2021. Multichannel Marketing for Authors and Intermediate and Advanced Writing Craft
See all our Chanticleer International Book Awards here.
Chanticleer’s own online community offering a private place to discuss craft and marketing with authors, in addition to receiving steep discounts on many Chanticleer services. Read more here.
We invite you, Dear Chanticleerians, as authors, writers, and publishers, to join us in celebrating the
10th annual World Radio Day on February 13, 2021.
World Radio Day is celebrated across the planet!
UNESCO proclaimed that February 13, 2011 will be known as World Radio Day. The United Nations General Assembly adopted this year as an International Day as we celebrate 110 years of radio.
With the advent of voice-driven technologies in the publishing of content, radio is pivotal for authors to connect with readers either by podcasts, audiobooks, call-in live shows, and to extend marketing reach.
Accessible anywhere and anytime, radio reaches a broad audience. It presents itself as an arena where all voices can be expressed, represented, and heard – hence why radio is still the most consumed medium worldwide today.
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
According to UNESCO, radio is a powerful medium for celebrating humanity and constitutes a platform for democratic discourse.
One of the most widely consumed medium at the global level, radio has the ability to reach out to the widest audience, in the process having the ability to shape a society’s experience of diversity and providing a platform for everyone to be represented and heard.
This year’s theme is New World, New Radio – an ode to the resilience of radio.
Radio continuously adapts and innovates as technologies and needs change.
When the world changes, radio connects.
The 3 themes of World Radio Day 2021:
EVOLUTION. The world changes, radio evolves.
This sub-theme refers to the resilience of the radio, to its sustainability ;
INNOVATION. The world changes, radio adapts and innovate.
Radio has had to adapt to new technologies to remain the go-to medium of mobility, accessible everywhere and to everyone;
CONNECTION. The world changes, radio connects.
This sub-theme highlights radio’s services to our society—natural disasters, socio-economic crises, epidemics, etc.
Radio gives people from all walks of life an unprecedented opportunity to tell their stories to a global audience.
What could be more relevant today than staying connected by sharing stories while we self-isolate and social distance?
Come connect with Senior Hindenburg Trainers and storytellers worldwide virtually on our next free hands-on audio record, editing, and publishing training and webinars.
To celebrate WORLD RADIO DAY, our favorite and world’s best radio editing software for audiobooks and podcasts, Hindenburg Systems, is having a ONCE-A-YEAR SALE for ONE DAY ONLY!
Cultural Survival distributes rights-based radio content to more than 1,650 community radio stations across 69 countries and 130+ Indigenous languages.
“There are 476.6 million Indigenous people, belonging to 5,000 different groups, in 90 countries, speaking 4,000 languages.
Cultural Survival works toward a future that respects and honors Indigenous Peoples’ inherent rights and dynamic cultures, deeply and richly interwoven in lands, languages, spiritual traditions, and artistic expression, rooted in self-determination and self-governance. – Cultural Survival.org
We invite you to check out the Cultural Survival website to learn more about its vital mission.
MEANWHILE, check out the 40% off on all of their products for ONE DAY ONLY.
As a subscriber, you know that it rare that we ever promote products and services on our marketing blog, but this is a Once a Year event and we know that many Chanticleerians are using Hindenburg Systems to create audiobooks and podcasts on a budget.
Also, we want to pass on these savings and access to the Hindenburg webinars on to you because we know how important it is for authors to have their works in as many content forms as possible.
And why do we celebrate the Lunar New Year here at Chanticleer?
We do this because we are headquartered in Bellingham, Wash. just south of Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. Richmond is known for its Asian influences. Richmond is home to the International Buddhist Temple, a Golden Village with eateries and shops, a huge market, and many other connections. We are close enough to the city so that we can see the Lunar New Year fireworks and lighted lanterns floating in the still dark winter months’ sky. In pre-covid times, we would head north to the International Border to enjoy the annual festivities. We look forward to doing so again in 2022.
Lion Dance in Richmond, B.C. Canada (pre-Covid)Fireworks in Richmond for Lunar New Year (pre-Covid)Asian Market during Lunar New Year in Richmond, B.C., Canada (pre-Covid)
And now for Fun and Inspirational Horoscopes Just for Writers and Publishers for 2021 –
the Lunar New Year of the Metal OX by 殿堂级 Diàntáng Jí (Chanticleer’s cousin)
The following horoscopes for the Animal Zodiac are in below in the traditional order.
If your sign is a Rat (Along with being amiable and creative, Rats are known for their intelligence, adaptability, quick-wit, charm, artistry, gregariousness.)
Great things will start to manifest in the early part of the Year of the OX and then reveal a wonderful second half of the year for people born under the sign of the Rat. They are naturally talented at writing and editing. Rats are inquisitive and have busy minds that are always on the go.
2021 predictions are that you should interact and socialize more for lasting friendships, mentorships, and collaborations. These are not meant as romantic love but as long lasting life-time friendships.
Positive energy in your writing career will be coming your way in the Year of the Ox. Step out of your comfort zone to take advantage of the opportunities coming your way. At all times, be ready to take risks in your writing so that your works can reach their full potential. Rats are natural at writing, but if they join a team or collaborate they may feel stifled. Rats pay fine attention to detail and tend to write intricate plots. Their characters have a lot depth.
For a healthy life, Rats must remember to eat breakfast, do moderate exercise and remain cheerful.
If your sign is an Ox (Oxen are known to be leaders and loyal friends. They gain recognition through their hard work. They are also known for their reliability, thoroughness, strength, reason-ability, steadiness, and determination.) Bright, inspiring, patient, and hardworking are the OX’s attributes.
People born under the sign of the Year of the OX have traits of strength, reliability, fairness, and inspire confidence in others. While some may consider them strong-willed and stubborn, they are often thought to be calm, patient, and trustworthy.
2021 is the year to hone your writing craft and reinvigorate your book promotion strategy. Establish a budget for time and money for editing and marketing. Keep in mind nothing replaces your own elbow grease and hard work on your part.
Try to exercise more and move your body more while seated at your writing desk. Take care of yourself as well as you take care of others.
This will be the year when the chances for meeting a writing mentor improve. The mentor will help you to learn how to focus and make things happen. The mentor will point out opportunities that you may would not be able to see on your own. Exceptional opportunities will be coming your way, be prepared to employ them!
If your sign is a Tiger (Tigers are courageous and active people who love a good challenge and adventure in life. Tigers are passionate and have courage. They are known for their enthusiasm, courage, ambition, leadership, confidence, charisma. )
Writing is just not a way to earn money. It is your passion. However, is you have too many works-in-progress, you may have a hard time focusing to complete any othe them. It is important to select your projects and focus on them during the OX year because you will be rewarded for your discipline and perseverance. Exert patience and calmness with your chosen projects. Do not become frustrated. You are extremely creative, you have a lot of imagination, take notes and write down any new ideas. But try and finish your work-in-progress this year even if you are experiencing a lot of change and excitement that could veer you off course. Slow and steady will help you meet your goals even if you want to pounce and run with new ideas. Your efforts will show in book sales later.
Travel and going for walks will enhance your imagination. Keep your eyes on the prize.
If your sign is a Rabbit ( Trustworthiness, empathy, modesty, diplomacy, sincerity, sociability are what Rabbits are known for along with being friendly and possessing great common sense. Rabbits are diplomatic and calm people).
2021 is the year that you should take time to enjoy the little joys of writing and being creative. Maintaining a calming writing environment and consistent schedule but be adaptive when needed especially when it comes to family or room mates. In the Year of the Metal OX, you will need to pay attention to details and put in extra time to achieve your writing goals. You have the opportunity to use your imagination and to express your thoughts in the publishing environment.
This will be the year to not be shy about your books. Do not be afraid of self-promotion. And remember everything doesn’t have to be perfect to proceed! Don’t make money your goal, but instead pursue your passion. Write about what is interesting to you.
Be sure to make eating healthy and keeping fit are high priorities this year.
If your sign is a Dragon (They are known to be passionate and quick-witted along with having the following traits: Luckiness, flexibility, eccentricity, imagination, artistry, spirituality, charisma. )
Your projects will take a little more effort than what you normally exert, but they will work out. Experiencing this will make you realize that you have more inner strength than what you give yourself credit for. Try to surround yourself with authors who you admire—if not at a live conference, then perhaps by ZOOM or virtual conferences. Their positive influence and mentoring will inspire and educate you.
The Year of the OX will be lucky for you if you are disciplined, organized, and scheduled. This is time to invest time in planning and scheduling. If you do this, the Year of the OX will be a good year for you to promote your books and author brand, but keep to your budget.
Be sure to take some breaks during your work days and learn to relax—something that doesn’t come naturally for dragons. They tend to be on or off. This year, more frequent breaks will serve you better than one long vacation.
If your sign is a Snake (The wise and almost mystical Snake is philosophical, organized, intelligent, intuitive, elegant, attentive, and decisive.)
The Year of the OX is supposed to be amazing for Snakes. Your lucky stars are shining on you. Investing time and money into your author career and brand should pay off. This is the time to put your writing life in order. If you have a backlist, this is the time to promote them. Perhaps, consider new covers and a refresh on their selling platforms. Now is the time to start writing that new work that has been on the back burner.
This is the year to make new plans and follow up on them. Your calmness and being grounded sometimes hides that you are very alert and observant. You definitely have “novelist’s eyes.” Don’t let your perfectionist tendencies prevent you from experimenting and learning new skills in social media and in storytelling.
Your best writing time of the day is in the mid-morning until noon. 2021 is the year to try to make new connections, join a writing community, or taking classes even if they are online.
If your sign is a Horse (Independent and high-spirited, the Horse is adaptable, loyal, courageous, ambitious, intelligent, adventurous, strong.)
The Year of the Metal OX is a fortuitous year for Horses. Remain steady and strong in your domains. This is not the year to try out a new genre, but to work on your writing weaknesses. Take special courses or find a mentor. You can overcome any challenges that come your way with study and discipline. This might be hard for you because your emotions are forever changing and happiness is what motivates you. But you have quick reflexes and can adjust your attitude for the job at hand.
You like to change your routing on a daily basis. Nothing is more painful for you than to do the same thing day after day. You like to improvise, envision, and you like to change your writing environments—one day you write at a café, the next day you take your laptop with you to the park, the next day you stay in your office.
Doing research and fieldwork for your next work-in-progress or current one will help you overcome any writer’s block. You can learn from everyone!
And do try to help other writers who are just beginning their journey. Doing so will grant you more insight into writing craft.
If your sign is a Goat (The artistic and compassionate Goat is tasteful, crafty, warm, elegant, charming, intuitive, sensitive, calm.)
Goats are able to persevere through any difficulty. This is their most notable trait. They are strong and resilient, though their gentleness might be misleading.
They have high tolerance and motivation. Quiet observers, Goats consider all aspects of anything before deciding. They never act brashly and are able to complete tasks successfully.
As writers, you pay attention to the details and put your whole heart into your story craft. You never lack creative inspiration. However, this can mean that sometimes you find it hard to focus and can become easily distracted. This is the year to reduce clutter and organize.
During the Year of the OX, try to create a schedule, plan your goals and objectives, develop structure, and hold yourself accountable to your word counts. You may find that you are more disciplined to write in public spaces like a library or a café. Building good long-term habits will ensure your success in the Year of the Ox.
If your sign is a Monkey (Confident and innovative, the Monkey is quick-witted, charming, lucky, adaptable, bright, versatile, lively, smart.)
Monkeys view everyone as teachers and they are willing to listen to critiques of their writing and learn from their mistakes. Monkeys are never satisfied in one writing genre. They want to try every genre and then make their own combinations. They are particularly good at intricate plots with a lot of characters.
During the Year of the OX, Monkeys should take every opportunity to learn and improve not only their writing craft but advance their book promotion strategies especially on digital platforms. Use technology to help you with details and to remember your objectives and important deadlines.
Indulge in activities that will enable you to make good and full use of your gifts and talents for writing. But do not let them lead you astray. Be sure to gage when you have researched enough and it is time to put words on the paper (or screen). The Year of the Ox comes to you with numerous opportunities that you should not let pass you by. Strive for excellence and put yourself out there. Connect with other writers and collaborate on book promotions but keep a low profile and show your value with actions not just talk. When you find great connections, nurture them into long-term relationships for your author career.
If your sign is a Rooster (Roosters are progressive thinkers and doers and unafraid to be different. They are known to be honest, energetic, intelligent, flamboyant, flexible, diverse, confident. ) Roosters are protective of others. Of course, Chanticleer and his cousin Diàntáng Jí are Roosters.
The Year of the OX, 2021, will be a lucky year for Roosters.
Roosters will be blessed with happiness, opportunity, and good fortune during the Year of the Ox. Now is the time to focus on long term goals and to follow your dreams. You will hard work will be rewarded.
If any of you who have had a Chanticleer Review or Manuscript Evaluation, you well know that we (Roosters) take our work very seriously. We are straightforward and mince no words. Yes, some say we are perfectionists. But no matter how difficult a project or a work-in-progress, Roosters never give up.
Roosters enjoy helping others solve issues. They’ll study all aspects before coming to a conclusion and announcing their thoughts.
Now is an excellent time to invest in new writing projects that you have longed to try, as luck will be on your side. 2021 will also be a great year to expand your author brand and career. You have worked long and hard and now your all of your preparation meets opportunities. Enjoy the fruits of your labor. Be sure to reach out and thank all those who have helped you along the way. Now is the time to support them in their endeavors.
Be sure to set aside time in this busy year to rest and refresh. Outdoor activities are especially good for your physical and mental health in 2021. Be appreciative and grateful to all who positively impact your life and work.
If your sign is a Dog (The honest, loyal, and hardworking Dog is Loyal, sociable, courageous, diligent, steady, lively, adaptable, and smart. )
Once a Dog sets her/his mind to something, no one can change it. They are popular in social circles because they are honest and just. Their company is always welcome as they always put others before themselves.
The Year of the OX is the year that Dogs should focus on self-improvement in your writing craft. Do this by taking courses, attending conferences, and studying. If you do join a critique group, be careful of advice given by other members. Perhaps learning from mentors and teachers is the best way in 2021. This is a particularly fortuitous time to pursuit literary and writing craft interests.
2021 is a lucky year for Dogs. They will be full of energy and will be involved in many activities. You will find that you like working in teams, so perhaps you should consider “group write-ins” and volunteer and/or attend author events (even via ZOOM or video conferencing). Everything that you do this year will make next year, 2022, even better.
Don’t be shy about promoting your books and building your author brand. Seize the moment (aka the year!).
Dogs have a tendency to keep going until they are exhausted. Be sure to get the rest that you require with your busy schedule on a weekly basis. This way everything will work out.
If your sign is a Pig (Kind, friendly, and curious, the PIG is honorable, philanthropic, determined, optimistic, sincere, sociable. )
The Pig is known for having an entrepreneurial spirit and a talent for making book sales—if you use your talent and experience. Pigs have a sharp mind capable of intricate plots and page-turning pacing.
The Year of the OX will have excellent prospects for those who are born under the sign of the Pig. This year will be a great period for making long-term plans for your writing career. If you choose, this will be a good year to get out of your comfort zone and take on more writing challenges. Even though your work is good, it will go unheeded unless you promote it consistently and with flair.
Utilize 2021 to research topics that are of interest to you for your next works and series. Also, this same energy will help you to refine and improve your writing craft by taking courses, master writing classes, and learning from others. The more you focus on your writing goals, the more success you can expect. This is the year to enhance your writing skills.
Take some “me-time” to relax, and consider starting a physical exercise routine to help you stay fit and in good spirits.
Lucky Things to Do for the 2021 Year of the Ox
Lucky Colors are White/Silver and aqua blue/metal blue.
It is advised to eat tangerines and oranges, dried fruit and sweets, and assorted nuts during the two-week celebration (starting on February 12 and continuing for two weeks until February 26 for sixteen days) of the Lunar Year of the Metal Rat. Other good luck foods are dumplings, noodles, pork belly, and whole chicken, duck, and/or fish.
Only use positive words and try to think only positive thoughts during the Lunar New Year celebration
Enjoy wine and tea all the time during the Lunar New Year Celebration with Family and Friends even via ZOOM
Eat, eat, and eat some more with friends and family
Wear metal accessories during the Year of the Metal Ox. Now is the time to bring out that tiara, old jewelry, fancy bling, amulets, etc.
Think and say positive words to your friends, family, and colleagues.
Enjoy celebrating the coming of SPRING (if you live in the northern hemisphere—many Chanticleerians live in the southern hemisphere – may your winter be cozy and warm) in your own way!
We hope that you enjoyed this fun blog post that is meant as a way of thinking about new perspectives.
Chanticleer believes that we each make our own destiny by being optimistic and positive, being kind and loving, by dreaming and inspiring, being bold and doing, by appreciating and being grateful, and by expanding our awareness of the Universe.
We wish you an AWESOME New Year of Good Fortune, Good Health, and Many Book Sales and an Increased Readership!
Celebrations last up to 16 days and culminates with the Lantern Festival on February 26, 2021.
The Lunar New Year aka Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival and corresponds with the Gaelic IMOLC festival in Northern Europe that celebrates the first breaths of springtime (February 1st – the halfway point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox).
Lanterns floating on water to celebrate the New Lunar New Year – a particularly historically significant evening for women.
Some Fun Facts about the Lunar New Year aka Spring Festival
The most firecrackers in the world are set off on the first day of the Lunar New Year. They are set off the night before and the first morning to welcome the New Year. Fireworks will continue on until the end of the 16th day of celebration.
It is the longest Chinese holiday. The first five days are considered a national holiday with the majority of stores and services closed.
Until Covid, it was was the largest migration of people on an annual basis with many people returning to the rural villages of their elders.
The Lunar New Year is the holiday celebrated by the most amount of people on the planet. Celebrations take place across China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and also in most major population centers such as London, New York City, San Francisco, Sydney, Australia; Vancouver, British Columbia; and wherever there is a “Chinatown.”
There are wines made specifically for Lunar New Year and there are rules about toasting and drinking order depending on the wine and spirits being offered.
Most hair salons and barber shops are closed during the Spring Festival because cutting hair during this time is taboo.
The first full moon of the Lunar Year is cause for the Lantern Festival—a night of partying and festivities especially with friends. The first five days of the Lunar Festival are supposed to be spent with family and elders.
Lanterns’ Day is also known as Valentine’s Day in China.
The Year of the Metal OX is predicted to be the Year of Hard Work and Determination to achieve your writing goals and publishing goals. Supporting and helping colleagues in the writing and publishing community will bring energy and favor to your publishing career.
In the the Year of the OX, success will come for authors and writers, no matter what your Chinese Zodiac sign is, who really hard and consistently to promote their books and for those continually try to improve their books—even the ones that have been published. The new digital publishing world rewards those who take advantage of its fluidity.
This year is all about discipline, hard work, and continuous improvement. If you do, then you will reap the benefits.
The OX is the second sign in the 12 animal cycles of Chinese Astrology and that is why 2021 is considered a year to ground and complete many of the of new beginnings from the uncertainties and unprecedented events of 2020.
2021 predictions reveal that those who work hard and with determination in their businesses and projects will receive great rewards. Be appreciative of your writing talent and you will be rewarded.
Japanese OX Symbol
Set yourself goals and objectives. Spend time planning and scheduling your writing projects, marketing strategies, and making new connections. Then do not relent or give up until you have met your goals and objectives.
The Year of the OX is going to bring determination and resolve to your writing! You will need to follow your publishing goals with confidence and determination. Be relentless and do not get discouraged by obstacles.
This is a great year to improve your health. Practice good posture, balance, and focused breathing. Move your body as best as you can for your health whether it is walking, dancing, playing sports, or prescribed physical therapy.
Most of all, breathe fresh air as much as possible. Go for walks in nature. Make sure to drink plenty of pure water.
How to Celebrate the Year of the OX as Writers – No Matter What Your Chinese Zodiac Sign Is
This is the year to focus on your relationships with book sellers whether they are independent bookstores, on-line selling platforms like Bookchain or Amazon, audiobook sites, or specialty venues.
Relationships with editors—you may feel that it will take double your efforts to move forward with your work-in-progress, but if you are diligent and persevere your efforts will be rewarded.
This is the year to focus on author collaborations and joint marketing promotions. Be open to explore new tactics and strategies.
Be prepared to spend more time on organizing and scheduling your time. If you are disciplined, you will find that this is the year when you can solve many problems and improve your writing craft.
Are You Wondering How to Determine Your Chinese Zodiac Sign?
Use the handy table below to find your birth year and Chinese Zodiac Sign
Below are the 2021 Chinese Horoscope Forecasts for Those Who Live the Writing Life – Enjoy!
Note from Kiffer Brown: Chanticleer believes that we each make our own destiny by being optimistic and positive, by being kind and loving, by dreaming and inspiring, by being bold and doing, by helping and enriching others, by appreciating and being grateful, and by expanding our awareness of the Universe. Enjoy and have fun! Happy 2021!
If your sign is an Ox (Oxen are known to be leaders and loyal friends. They gain recognition through their hard work. They are also known for their reliability, thoroughness, strength, reason-ability, steadiness, and determination.) Bright, inspiring, patient, and hardworking are the OX’s attributes.
People born under the sign of the Year of the OX have traits of strength, reliability, fairness, and inspire confidence in others. While some may consider them strong-willed and stubborn, they are often thought to be calm, patient, and trustworthy.
2021 is the year to hone your writing craft and reinvigorate your book promotion strategy. Establish a budget for time and money for editing and marketing. Keep in mind nothing replaces your own elbow grease and hard work on your part.
Try to exercise more and move your body more while seated at your writing desk. Take care of yourself as well as you take care of others.
This will be the year when the chances for meeting a writing mentor improve. The mentor will help you to learn how to focus and make things happen. The mentor will point out opportunities that you may would not be able to see on your own. Exceptional opportunities will be coming your way, be prepared to employ them!
Click Here for PART-TWO where we post the Chinese Zodiac Horoscopes for the other eleven signs plus rituals for good luck.
Each year has a different sign, meaning each person is represented by one of the 12 animals.
We hope that you enjoyed this fun blog post that is meant as a way of thinking about new perspectives.
Chanticleer believes that we each make our own destiny by being optimistic and positive, being kind and loving, by dreaming and inspiring, being bold and doing, by appreciating and being grateful, and by expanding our awareness of the Universe.
Thankfully, Zoom is an intuitive program for most people, at least if you’ve had your morning coffee. These tips will cover more advice for people who are ready to take their Zoom meetings to the next level and even start hosting meetings!
Author Events, Book Club Meetings, Book Launches, Socials – Just to Stay in Touch, Presentations, and More are just a few of the Interactive Activities that Authors and Publishers can facilitate using ZOOM!
1. Framing
Some people have discussed a rather strange problem with all these virtual conversations we have now. When talking put their face right next to the camera, filling up the entire camera and giving them an impressive head size. Then, when they see each other in person for some safe social distancing, their heads look extraordinarily tiny.
Do you remember Big Head Todd and the Monsters?
Big Head Todd and the Monsters – I’ve met him in person. He does have a big head. Nice guy! – Kiffer
To fight big-head-syndrome you can work on framing yourself. With friends, there’s of course plenty of wiggle room here, but in more professional settings, it seems that from the shoulders up is the recommendation.
A proper ratio and perspective of David!
Even better is if you move your hands up into the frame when you talk. This provides a helpful hint to watchers of who is currently talking, and it helps give us a better understanding of the body language you’re trying to convey than if your hands are hidden somewhere beneath the frame.
2. Manage Your View
If there are fewer than 10 people in your meeting, you can probably stay in “Gallery View.” However, if you often find your mind wandering during the meeting, try to set up “Speaker View,” which will have the screen focus on whoever is the last person to have spoken (though it well never focus on you). The options for these can often be found on the top right of your screen on desktop.
The Brady Bunch
Or sometimes you can have more people on the Gallery View—also know as the “Brady Bunch” view like we do when we have Happy Hours at the Roost! We try to make room for everyone.
The next thing that will help anyone who has trouble looking away from her or his reflection is to “Hide My Self View.” Make sure to do this after you set up your framing, and remember that others can still see you! You can usually hide your self view by clicking on the three little dots in the top right of your image box, and then to show it a new button will appear in the top right of your screen to start showing your self view again. See the three little dots in the blue box below. Yeah, it is sort of like a secret code…
Remember, you never need to appear in a Zoom meeting if you don’t want to, but with these tips and tricks, you’ll be able to look professional while still staying comfortable.
The Following Tips Will Help You HOST your OWN ZOOM MEETINGS for Book Launches, Book Clubs, Author Events, and Outreach to Your Readers and Potential Readers
3. Set up a Meeting (for PC)
While these are fairly similar processes, if the instructions for a PC doesn’t work for your Mac, read the instructions here about hosting from an Apple or Mac computer (from the Zoom website).
For PCs, you’ll want to look in the top right of your screen once you log into your Zoom.us account. In the top right corner you’ll see the following three options:
The option for “Join a Meeting” of course allows you to join a meeting. You might think that “Host a Meeting” is the next natural option, but really that only allows you to host a meeting immediately instead of later. What will allow you to plan and schedule a meeting for your book release or the next meeting with your publisher is when you click on the “My Account” link.
Remember, Zoom only offers unlimited meeting times to people who pay for an official account, but anyone can have a meeting with a free account. If your 40 minute free meeting runs out of time, people can rejoin the meeting using the same link that they used to get into the meeting in the first place.
Once you click on “My Account” you will see a list of options on the left side of the screen.
As highlighted in the image above, you’ll want to click on “Meetings”
Once “Meetings” are selected, you’ll see all the meetings that you’ve set up in the past, and there will be a button on the far right that says “Schedule a Meeting”
From this screen there are a few sections to focus on.
Topic — This is the title of your meeting. It’s more important to have this labeled if you are using it for a big marketing event like a book release event. Less important for an individual meeting with somebody.
When — While technically you can join a Zoom meeting at anytime provided the host hasn’t closed the meeting, setting the time is a great way for people who try to join at the wrong time to double check when you’re actually supposed to be there.
Registration — This can be a handy way to ensure people sign up with their email and makes it so they’ll receive a reminder email for your event. This works better for more formal meetings.
Security
Passcode: We always recommend using a password. You can set your own or use the one randomly generated by Zoom.
Waiting Room: Waiting Rooms are great if you want to screen who comes into your meeting, but make sure you keep an eye on your participant’s tab. Keep reading to learn more about the participant’s tab.
Meeting Options
Allow participants to join anytime: Yes, check this box.
Mute participants upon entry: Yes, check this box.
Save! At the very bottom is the “Save” button. Always click Save once you’ve finished making a meeting so as to not lose it!
4. Always include a link to the meeting with the date and time.
Something about digital information lets information slip out of everyone’s head. Instead of sending out an email that says “See you at the next meeting, here’s the link!” If you include the date and time of each meeting you have, that will save you several replies (maybe even a feared “Reply All”) that will make your meeting run a little smoother.
5. Always include the password if there is one.
This one is simple. Like the date and time, always including this will help streamline people’s ability to join your meeting.
If you’re the host, you can find information about the Meeting ID and password by clicking on the ⓘ symbol on the top left of your screen to see this information.
6.The Waiting Room
If you decide to use a “Waiting Room” make sure you have the “Participants” tab open at all times to let people in. If you need help managing the “Participants” tab, feel free to assign a responsible party in your meeting the “Co-Host,” and they will have the power to admit people, too.
7. Post the instructions on how to join the meeting by phone.
Audio conferencing participant will need to call: (415) 762-9988 or (646) 568-7788. AND follow the verbal instructions.
Enter the meeting ID, 11 digits long followed by the # key.
You will be asked to enter your participant ID. If you do not know your participant ID, simply press the # key.
As the person logs in to the Zoom call using their phone, they will be given instructions on how to mute and unmute themselves.
8. Manage the Mute
If someone wants to make a comment every now and then, that’s fine, but if their spouse is watching the big game and yelling behind them, it may be worth it to just click that “Mute” button. No need to call attention to it, most people will think the person realized that their sound was a distraction and muted themselves. There’s no shame in being muted.
As a related note, occasionally it might be good to turn off someone’s video, but this is usually not necessary. I did attend one writer social where an author who worked an early morning shift fell asleep partway through. Not a huge issue, but probably something the host could have hidden to keep the energy level up instead of letting everyone really consider whether they, too, wanted a nap.
SOMETHING FUN for YOU to WATCH! The Official ZOOM Song (an anthem for quarantine ZOOM meetings) song to the theme of The Brady Bunch
ENJOY! And please leave your comments below (or your fav YouTube videos).
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