The Somerset Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Contemporary and Literary Fiction. The Cygnus Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs).
Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring contemporary stories, literary themes, adventure, magical realism, or women and family themes. These books have advanced to the next judging rounds. We will put them to the test and choose the best among them.
These titles have moved forward from the 2024 SOMERSET Contemporary Fiction LONG LIST to the 2024 Somerset Book Awards SHORT LIST. These entries are now in competition for the 2024 Somerset Semi-Finalists. FINALISTS will be chosen from the Semi-Finalists and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference, CAC25.
We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 5th, 2025 in beautiful Bellingham, WA at the Bellingham Yacht Club sponsored by the 2025Chanticleer Authors Conference.
These titles are in the running for the SEMI-FINALISTS of the 2024 Somerset Book Awards novel competition for Contemporary and Literary Fiction!
Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works!
Conon Parks – Down and Out in Omaha
Samantha Schinder – Loud Voices
Rachel Valencourt – Twilight’s Brightest Star
Torres & Firsht – Tell Me Your Plans
Robert Steven Goldstein – Golda’s Hutch
Natalie Musgrave Dossett – Sarita
Robert Gwaltney – Sing Down the Moon
Christina Boyd – Woman in the Painting
Lisa Gruwell Spicer – Radio Smokva a Croatian American Story
Maryann Clarke – Secrets at the Aviary Inn
Wesley J. Wildman – The Winding Way Home
Leslie Wibberley – The Unraveling of Emma Hill
Leslie Kain – What Lies Buried
Melissa Connelly – What Was Lost
Abbe Rolnick – The Underpainting
Alissa Butterworth – To Die Is Different Than Supposed
Jonna Lyons Johnson – Tapping Light
Neroli Lacey – The Perfumer’s Secret
Zelly Ruskin – Not Yours to Keep
Donna Norman-Carbone – Of Lies and Honey
Julie Weary – Never, Ever, Always
D. L. Whipple – The Outcast
John W. Feist – Edged in Purple
Graydon Dee Hubbard – Network Apprentice, Behind the Scenes in Talk Television
William Robert Reeves – The In-House Politician
Judith Krummeck – The Deceived Ones
Reenita M. Hora – Vermilion Harvest – Playtime at the Bagh
Keith McWalter – Lifers
Ben Gonshor – The Book of Izzy
J. Drew – On the Surface of the Sun
Joy Ross Davis – The Goddess of Weaver Street
Dianne C. Braley – The Summer Before
Phyllis Gobbell – Prodigal
Stephanie Alexander – Mean Low Water
S.M. Stevens – Beautiful and Terrible Things
Natia Khaduri – A Soldier’s Burden
Kay Smith-Blum – Tangles
Rich Miller – It Rhymes With Truth
Anthony Horton – Unpaved
Anne Heinrich – God Bless The Child
Patricia Averbach – Dreams of Drowning
John David Graham – Running As Fast As I Can
Meredith Walters – This Animal Body
Woody Woodburn – The Butterfly Tree: An Extraordinary Saga of Seven Generations
Cheryl Grey Bostrom – Leaning on Air
Erika Shepard – Abomination Child
Leslie DeBrock – The Frog-Eyed Gospel, A Texas Exodus
Mary Behan – Finding Isobel
Linda A Lavid – Quigley Tree: A Novel
Ann Bancroft – Almost Family
Jeffrey Blount – Mr. Jimmy From Around the Way
Mary Elizabeth Gillilan – Confluence
Holly C LaBarbera – All I Know
Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.
PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!
This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, it is easier for us to tag authors when they have Liked and Followed us on Facebook.
Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.
The Somerset Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Contemporary and Literary Fiction. The Cygnus Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs).
Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring contemporary stories, literary themes, adventure, magical realism, or women and family themes. These books have advanced to the next judging rounds. We will put them to the test and choose the best among them.
These titles have moved forward in the first look rounds from all 2024 SOMERSET Contemporary Fiction entries to the 2024 Somerset Book Awards LONG LIST. These entries are now in competition for the 2024 Somerset Short List. The Short Listers will compete for the Semi-Finalists positions. FINALISTS will be chosen from the Semi-Finalists and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference, CAC25.
We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 5th, 2025 in beautiful Bellingham, WA at the Bellingham Yacht Club sponsored by the 2025Chanticleer Authors Conference.
These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2024 Somerset Book Awards novel competition for Contemporary and Literary Fiction!
Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works!
Conon Parks – Down and Out in Omaha
Samantha Schinder – Loud Voices
Rachel Valencourt – Twilight’s Brightest Star
Deonna Kay – The Measure of Enough
Torres & Firsht – Tell Me Your Plans
Robert Steven Goldstein – Golda’s Hutch
Natalie Musgrave Dossett – Sarita
Robert Gwaltney – Sing Down the Moon
Ann Bancroft – Almost Family
Kat Caldwell – Bended Loyalty
Christina Boyd – Woman in the Painting
Lisa Gruwell Spicer – Radio Smokva a Croatian American Story
David B. Seaburn – Until It Was Gone
Maryann Clarke – Secrets at the Aviary Inn
Craig Allen Heath – Killing Buddhas
Wesley J. Wildman – The Winding Way Home
Leslie Wibberley – The Unraveling of Emma Hill
Leslie Kain – What Lies Buried
Melissa Connelly – What Was Lost
Abbe Rolnick – The Underpainting
Alissa Butterworth – To Die Is Different Than Supposed
Jonna Lyons Johnson – Tapping Light
Neroli Lacey – The Perfumer’s Secret
Rupert Taylor – Please Let Me Destroy You
Zelly Ruskin – Not Yours to Keep
Donna Norman-Carbone – Of Lies and Honey
Julie Weary – Never, Ever, Always
D. L. Whipple – The Outcast
John W. Feist – Edged in Purple
Graydon Dee Hubbard – Network Apprentice, Behind the Scenes in Talk Television
William Robert Reeves – The In-House Politician
Judith Krummeck – The Deceived Ones
Leilana Rae – The Meaning Between Us
Tamara Hart Heiner – Of Life, Love, and Other Noble Pursuits
Ruth F. Stevens – The Unexpected Guests
Reenita M. Hora – Vermilion Harvest – Playtime at the Bagh
Allan Ishac – The Mystic In The Mews
Keith McWalter – Lifers
Ben Gonshor – The Book of Izzy
J. Drew – On the Surface of the Sun
Joy Ross Davis – The Goddess of Weaver Street
Dianne C. Braley – The Summer Before
Phyllis Gobbell – Prodigal
Stephanie Alexander – Mean Low Water
S.M. Stevens – Beautiful and Terrible Things
Natia Khaduri – A Soldier’s Burden
Kay Smith-Blum – Tangles
Jeff Hartman – How To Win The Nobel Peace Prize
Rich Miller – It Rhymes With Truth
Anthony Horton – Unpaved
Anne Heinrich – God Bless The Child
Tamar Anolic – Like Water and Ice
Patricia Averbach – Dreams of Drowning
Antonia Gavrihel – Back to One: Take 4 Slating Magic Hour
John David Graham – Running As Fast As I Can
Meredith Walters – This Animal Body
Woody Woodburn – The Butterfly Tree: An Extraordinary Saga of Seven Generations
Cheryl Grey Bostrom – Leaning on Air
Erika Shepard – Abomination Child
Leslie DeBrock – The Frog-Eyed Gospel, A Texas Exodus
Mary Behan – Finding Isobel
Linda A Lavid – Quigley Tree: A Novel
Chris Chan – She Ruined Our Lives
Ann Bancroft – Almost Family
Jeffrey Blount – Mr. Jimmy From Around the Way
R.w. Meek – The Dream Collector: Sabrine & Sigmund Freud
Mary Elizabeth Gillilan – Confluence
Holly C LaBarbera – All I Know
Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.
PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!
This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, it is easier for us to tag authors when they have Liked and Followed us on Facebook.
Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.
The Somerset Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Contemporary and Literary Fiction. The Grand Prize Winner, Judy Keeslar Santamaria’s book, You Can’t Fool a Mermaid, will be promoted for years to come in our annual Hall of Fame article, as well as be featured on the Somerset contest page year ’round!
The best part about being a Chanticleer Int’l Book Award Winner is the love and attention you get all year ‘round!
It’s 1975, and Misty Menard unexpectedly inherits her father’s business in Lake Placid, New York. It never occurred to her that she could wind up as the CEO of a good old-fashioned manufacturing company.
After years of working for lawyers, Misty knows a few things about the law. Her favorite young attorney is making a name for himself, helping traditionally owned companies become employee owned, using a little-known, newly-passed law. When he offers to help Misty convert Adirondack Dowel into an ESOP, pro bono, Misty jumps at the chance.
The employees are stunned, the management team becomes hostile, and the Board of Directors is concerned. Misfortune quickly follows the business transformation. A big customer files for bankruptcy. A catastrophic ice jam floods the business. Stagflation freezes the economy. A mysterious shrouded foe plots revenge. Misty’s family faces a crisis. The Trustee is convinced something fishy is going on, the appraiser keeps lowering the company’s value, and the banker demands additional capital infusions. Misty thought she had left her smoking addiction and alcoholism in the past, but when a worker’s finger is severed in an industrial accident, Misty relapses.
Disasters threaten to doom the troubled company. After surviving two world wars and the Great Depression, it breaks Misty’s heart to think that she has destroyed her father’s company. All she wants is to cement her father’s legacy and take care of the people who built the iconic local business. Can a quirky CEO and her loyal band of dedicated employee owners save an heirloom company from foreclosure, repossession, and bankruptcy?
From Chanticleer:
If It’s The Last Thing I Do by David Fitz-Gerald tells the story of Misty Menard, a 69-year-old woman who in 1975 returns to her upstate New York hometown to attend the funeral of her beloved father. She is dumbfounded to find she has inherited his business, making wooden dowels and buttons.
A receptionist for most of her adult life, with no business experience, she is at best ill-suited to the job. Personal problems hang over her as well, as a divorcee determined to keep sober and cigarette-free while in weekly therapy. But to keep her father’s memory alive, she is determined to keep the business afloat while she decides what to do with it in the long term. The last thing she imagined she would be doing on the cusp of 70 was running a business.
She turns the business into an employee-owned enterprise, an ESOP (employee stock ownership plan.) This gives her employees a shot at owning part or all of the business. The skill with which If It’s the Last Thing I Do integrates ESOP into its story, making it digestible, is among its many pleasures.
Thirteen-year-old Evan Hanson is always the last in her family to know what’s going on—at least, that’s how it feels. Her father, Gene, who’s been meaner since he began serving in Vietnam, isn’t around much, and she likes it better that way. But then her brother, Adam, gets drafted and her anti-war mother, Endura, takes him across the border to Canada, leaving Evan alone with Gene and her younger, special needs brother, Teddy.
When he realizes Endura isn’t returning, Gene takes Evan and Teddy to Eat and Get Gas, his mother’s café and gas station in Hoquiam, Washington. There, as well as her no-nonsense but loving grandma, Evan encounters Aunt Vivian, a teasing but caring know-it-all; Uncle Frankie, injured in Vietnam and suffering from PTSD; Paco, the draft dodger Frankie is hiding; Hal and Hubert, the strange but gentle next-door neighbors who play the piano like virtuosos and help out when they’re needed; and Louanne, Frankie’s reserved, sensitive sister. She is drawn in particular to Louanne, who was disfigured by a car accident that killed the rest of her and Frankie’s family.
At Eat and Get Gas, Evan finds a new freedom, and she starts to carve out a place for herself by helping in the café and sorting mail for Uncle Frankie, who runs a postal route in addition to running the gas station. She eventually, too, learns some of the family secrets she’s been kept in the dark about—and comes to understand that her mother isn’t coming back any time soon.
It started the day she heard Daddy slur, “She ain’t mine. You had the nerve to name her Dawn. Look at her! You shudda named her Midnight!” Then Daddy left… for good. And the loving music that had filled Dawn’s life went silent.
That was the day that a “Midnight” Duckling appeared in the mirror, took up residence in her chest, and controlled her ability to breathe. That was the day she learned to recognize “leaving time” . . . her superpower.
Couched in speculation, Jus Breathe is the tale of a young Black woman’s struggle to defy her inner “Duckling” and embrace her true self. Set in New York City during the turbulent sixties, it’s an improbable love story with precarious impulses, secret pasts, and inner demons.
Dawn, a survivor, flees her stepfather’s violent home. While struggling to go to college, she perfects sofa-surfing and hones her ability to leave situations in an instant. But in the mist of the chaotic uprising that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, serendipity spins Dawn into Danny’s world.
Toxically in love, no longer a “leaver,” Dawn realizes that in order to survive, she must break free of Danny’s dominance. But that Duckling, who’s allied with Danny, threatens to squeeze the life-breath from her if she dares to leave . . . that ugly, midnight-black Duckling, she has to kill.
From Chanticleer:
A young woman strives to survive without a home, even as she must fight herself and her instincts, in Jus Breathe by B. Lynn Carter.
“It’s more like I walked away,” I said, fractured memories of the day I left surging into my mind. “My mother married herself a husband. It’s like the tale of the evil stepfather, I guess.” The words were spilling out. “On the first day that we moved in with him, he almost broke my jaw. So I left. She had to let me; you know – the survival thing. She knew. We both knew.”
In New York City during the tempestuous 1960s, Dawn flees an abusive family situation after her father leaves the family and her mother remarries. Determined to stay in education, she couch-surfs with friends and explores her contacts through school. Dawn manages to live and even graduate. With the help of sympathetic teachers and a social worker who believes in her, she goes to college. Dawn finds friends and boyfriends and makes her own way toward adulthood.
And then her life goes awry again, though this time, she has a harder time choosing whether to run.
Adam Craig still has nightmares about the last summer he spent on the shores of northern Wisconsin’s Black Bear Lake.
The Chicago stock trader thinks he has it under control – until fallout from an explosive August in 1983 threatens his marriage. So Adam returns to remember that month-long family reunion, where he was busy wrestling with developing adolescence, a parent’s failing health, and watching his cousin Dannie’s desperate cries for help. At 14, Adam’s fear and anger were constantly threatening to pull him under while the current running through his family flowed, inevitably, toward tragedy.
It was too much to bear back then. But will reliving those painful memories hurt or help Adam as his adult life teeters on the edge of collapse?
An ambitious podcaster and her reclusive interviewee embark on a life-altering journey to uncover long-lost truths in this immersive story about love, travel, and family secrets.
Forty years ago, aspiring writer Ann Fawkes left the United States for a Mediterranean adventure that opened her heart to travel and love. After a chance encounter propelled her into the publishing world, she released her first novel, an instant bestseller―and the last book she ever wrote.
Now, Ann lives a reclusive life in the San Juan Islands, hiding from the public and its probing questions. But when podcaster Maggie Whitaker convinces Ann to sit for an interview, Ann agrees on one condition: Maggie must keep her story off the record.
Determined to change Ann’s mind before she loses her job, Maggie agrees. But as she learns about Ann’s life―particularly the love affair that inspired her novel and the decisions she made in its wake―Maggie realizes Ann’s story intersects with her own in shocking, life-changing ways.
A sweeping, heart-wrenching novel that spans decades and continents, Halfway to You explores the distances we create between ourselves and the ones we love most and what it takes to finally bridge them.
When Lynn and her husband set out for a weekend retreat to repair their rocky marriage, icy roads lead to a fatal collision that ends Lynn’s life. Stranded between the physical world and the afterlife, Lynn experiences the grief of her loved ones as they process her death.
Lynn’s life-long friends are tortured by not only loss but also unspoken wounds in their friendship. With clever influences from above, Lynn coaxes them to reunite at a beachside cottage on the one-year anniversary of her death. Determined to prompt their healing so they can help her family move on, Lynn reminds them of a sacred promise, hoping it will lead to truths they can’t face on their own. Will it be enough to remind them of the power of their bond?
As Lynn struggles to repair the relationships she left behind, she soon realizes the greatest challenge will be letting them go.
Julia Navarro, a plucky newspaper call center manager, juggles like a pro—not tennis balls but quirky employees, cranky customers, and a sleazy boss. Pregnant and short on time to complete her “get ready for baby checklist,” Julia rushes to fill a job vacancy by hiring Carmen Cooper, a shy, inexperienced college student.
When Julia finds out Carmen never made it to work, she and a newsroom pal go undercover to find out why. Their shocking discovery leads them to cook up a half-baked plan to save Carmen from a Hollywood legend turned hermit, a man she calls “Papa.”
Will the gamble pay off or pave a path of twists, turns, and tragedy?
Only 10 days left to submit your books to these prestigious CIBA Divisions and embark on an extraordinary journey to success. With over $30,000 in prizes awarded annually, now is the time to make your mark!
Congratulations to the Winners of the 2023 Humor & Satire Awards for Allegorical Fiction!
Eileen O’Finlan – All the Furs and Feathers
Allyson Rice – The Key to Circus-Mom Highway
Marco Ocram – The Awful Truth About The Herbert Quarry Affair
Lou Dischler – The Rising
Steven Mayfield – The Penny Mansions
Tom Strelich – Water Memory
And a huge round of applause for the 2023 Humor & Satire Awards Grand Prize Winner:
Quantum Consequence
by Mike Murphey
Congratulations to the Winners of the 2023 Somerset Awards for Contemporary and Literary Fiction!
David Fitz-Gerald – If It’s the Last Thing I Do
J.A. Wright – Eat and Get Gas
B. Lynn Carter – Jus Breathe
Leslie Liautaud – Black Bear Lake
James Gish, Jr. – When Blackbirds Dream
Jennifer Gold – Halfway to You
Donna Norman-Carbone – All That is Sacred
Nova Garcia – Not That Kind of Call Girl
And a huge round of applause for the 2023 Somerset Awards Grand Prize Winner:
You Can’t Fool A Mermaid
By Judy Keeslar Santamaria
The CIBAs offer more than just recognition — they provide a ladder to success with a range of achievement tiers and expert long tail marketing strategies. From the highly anticipated Long List to the prestigious Overall Grand Prize Winner, the CIBA lists energize both authors and readers, maximizing your digital footprint and expanding your fan base.
We are always eager to support the Best Books through the CIBAs. Join the ranks of celebrated authors who have already taken this critical step in their publishing.
Your book deserves to be discovered, celebrated, and shared with the world. Don’t miss the chance to showcase your talent and gain valuable exposure at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (April 3-6, 2025) where Winners from all 25 Book Award Divisions will be announced and honored.
In a world hungry for good books, your story deserves to be heard. Submit now and leave a lasting impression.
The Somerset Awards is our Division for Mainstream, Contemporary and Literary Fiction. Named for author and playwright W. Somerset Maugham.
William Somerset Maugham (pronounced MAWm), born January 25 1875 and died December 16, 1965, was one of the most popular and highly paid authors of the 1930s. During the WWI he served in the ambulance corps and then was recruited into the British Secret Service. He traveled widely, most notably to India, Southeast Asia, and Russia before the 1917 revolution, which influenced his writing. He was a contemporary of Hemingway, E. E. Cummings, William Faulkner, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, and Evelyn Waugh.
Maugham is known for his writing’s diversity that consists of plays, short stories, and distinctive novel genres that have been adapted to film. He is well known for The Razor’s Edge, Of Human Bondage, The Moon and Sixpence, Cakes and Ale, The Magician, Rain, The Painted Veil, and his first work: Liza of Lambeth. He has twenty novels to his credit, twenty-five plays, and sixteen collections of short stories.
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 SOMERSET Awards is:
You Can’t Fool A Mermaid
by Judy Keeslar Santamaria
We will celebrate those incredible Somerset Winners in due time. Right now, we’re going to focus on some of the best literary work we’ve received recently!
WHEN WALLS TALK
By Geralyn Hesslau Magrady
Toni has the chance to start her own business in the building of her family’s old bakery. But history waits within those walls. In Geralyn Hesslau Magrady’s novella, When Walls Talk, Toni and her father uncover secrets they could never have expected.
The Russo Bakery, with its 1920s architecture had been the family business since the four Russo brothers first opened its doors. Decades later, Toni and her widowed father plan a complete redesign of what their ancestors made to fulfill her dream of owning a bookstore. As the walls fall around the Russo family business, a long-hidden truth brings about profound personal changes for Toni.
Toni takes this giant leap into the unknown, unsure if she’s even prepared to own a business. But the bookstore is the key to her hope for a better future, her only path to escaping a past tragedy.
Unpaved by Anthony Horton is a pensive novel of how returning to one’s roots can reveal hints on how to move forward after a lifetime of grief.
Russell Nowak-McCreary is a man whose life has been proudly shaped by formidable women. His mother, Judith, was a prominent cardiac surgeon at the reputable St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London. His wife, Anna, thrived as a student of Judith’s and has risen to the top of Boston’s best medical campus. And Russell’s work partner Sarah Westroes joined his company, Datatel, as its CEO with a relentless drive to expand its footprint in the tech industry. His childhood was spent without a father figure, only excepting the fond memories of a single summer at his grandfather’s cabin in the Canadian wilderness.
As he returns to the remote cabin of his youth to set his mother’s affairs in order, Russell takes this time alone to finally process all that he lost.
ROSES In DECEMBER: Hamilton Place, Book 2
By Mark A. Gibson
Roses in December is the epic conclusion to Mark A. Gibson’s compelling two-part family saga, Hamilton Place. Now focusing on the family’s next generation, James Hamilton Jr.—Jimmy—follows in the footsteps of the father he never met, a Vietnam War hero who died in battle, and ultimately finds his own path in life.
Pressured by a conning mother-in-law only out for monetary gain, the elder Jimmy’s widow, Becca, is pushed to marry Mack Lee, her deceased husband’s older brother who proves to be a cheating and abusive husband. Trapped in this loveless marriage, Becca hopes that attending church will remove her son from the toxic influence of her new husband and set him on the right path to a good life. But it’s the discovery of young Jimmy’s superior photographic memory that opens the door to a brighter future, and he sets a course to an outstanding medical career, coupled with military service in Afghanistan.
Gibson delivers the recent past with a great sense of immediacy, showing events that ripple into our contemporary world using pop references that are relevant in today’s world.
SPLINTERED DREAMS: The Dare to Love Series Book 1
By Diana Lynn
After decades spent in a loveless, broken marriage, Crisa wants another chance at love. In Splintered Dreams, a romance novella by Diana Lynn, she must first stumble through her own insecurities to find it.
When Crisa’s husband, Alan, dies unexpectedly she is left with a stark emptiness inside her heart. Her marriage had been a sham. Her husband’s infidelity and lies crushed her idea of love and left her with questions about who she is, what she wants, and will she ever trust someone with her heart again. Casual sexual relationships can’t fill the void. She needs true love.
Physical intimacy is only part of what Crisa desires. She yearns for the kind of love that lasts a lifetime.
These thoughtful books from Contemporary to Literary to Magical Realism are the kind of books you’ll talk about for years to come. Should yours be here?
This is the journey from beginning to end for the CIBAs Levels of Achievement is so worthwhile! Every list you make means more promotion for you and your work as each list is posted right here on our website, on our social media, and also out in our newsletter!
In Sue C. Dugan’s middle grade adventure, Mayday: Land, Sea, and Air Series Book 2, thirteen-year-old Jessie and her father, Adam, take an unexpected detour when their plane crashes on a secluded island.
On their final vacation before Adam begins chemotherapy for thyroid cancer, Jessie and her father take off in their Cessna aircraft over the boundless, azure Atlantic Ocean. Jessie’s anxiety about her father’s health is on high-alert during the trip, especially when she remembers her mother’s cancerous death.
Twenty minutes into their flight, the sky grows gloomy, and the wind picks up speed from all sides.
The storm rocks their plane, and her father hits his head, giving him a concussion and vision problems. With her father incapacitated, Jessie quickly realizes she needs to find a makeshift landing strip and get the plane safely to the ground.
The closest area she can find without working equipment is a jungle with a thick layer of dampness and an earthy smell from disturbed soil. There are no boats, umbrellas, or people around, save for one old plane. Jessie and Adam hike a short distance to a village and, curious, explore it. More than twenty people, dressed in primitive and colorful clothing, suddenly surround them.
As they look for help with gasoline, they realize they might have to spend some time on the island while they deal with mysteries that unexpectedly threaten to upend their journey back home.
Jessie meets a memorable cast of characters on her adventure, and encounters the possibility of traveling through time.
She learns that the old plane they found in the jungle—which might be the subject of years of investigation by time-travel experts—belonged to the mother of a woman named Bird. This time-travel concept is further brilliantly explored via the lens of a man whose disappearance from the real world spans six decades, despite his calculations suggesting otherwise.
The most enjoyable aspect of Mayday is experiencing the adventure from a young girl’s perspective as she becomes lost in an unfamiliar, possibly hostile place with a sick father. This story’s rough and wild plotlines will introduce children to some risk, chaos, and challenges that inspire critical thought, reasoning, and sleuthing.
Mayday: Land, Sea, and Air Series Book 2 is a pioneer in the middle grade mystery and fantasy genre.
Mayday increases in tension from start to finish, using an enthralling narrative to tug at the reader’s emotions. Get a copy and let the lovely words of Sue C. Dugan mesmerize you!
Travel Writing beckons us to leap into the unknown!
Travel writing tells us to buy that plane ticket, jump on that train, or gas up the car to chase after the dream of earning a living writing about the many incredible places you find when you step outside your front door. But all dreams require a little forethought.
The Annual Kite Festival in Rockaway Beach, OR is an exciting spectacle of high-flying kites, handled by masterful kite operators. -Dena
Here are our top tips for how to hit it out of the park with travel writing and make your journey compelling!
Getting the Story
1. Find the Story
Just like it is with all writing meant to sell, writers must stay abreast of trends to ensure their work is marketable.
Online and print travel magazines are a good place to start. Day trips are always a hot topic, and you can follow local and regional periodicals to stay up to date on what’s new in your area. A general periodical focused on travel will provide you with a wider view of interesting places to explore.
Travel associations and travel and tourism offices are a treasure chest for travel writers! Their representatives work hard to steer you in directions that are timely, interesting, and full of possibilities for a great article. Cultivating these relationships will reward you with insider information, guided press tours, and future writing opportunities.
Remember to reach out to your Circle of Influence, too! Reaching out to your traveling friends and associates to find the places they are most interested in will also give you valuable insight. Where do they want to go? How will they spend their time when they get there? What questions do they have that you can find the answers for? The answers to these questions will be a catalyst for a compelling article that reaches the right readers.
Finally, you’ll want to consider your own interests when looking for your next travel story. Think about what you enjoy when you travel, and contact those groups directly to find out what is new and exciting so you can help promote it for them. If the relationship goes well, they may come to know you as a dependable writer and eventually reach out to you with story ideas!
One of the most delicious burgers in the Pacific Northwest is found at Mock Crest Tavern in North Portland, OR. Juicy and flavorful! – Dena
2. Research
Good research will help you find an interesting angle for your article and lead you to those bits of lesser known information that will elevate your article above the others focusing on the same topic.
Gather the information given to you by the tourism associations and other groups, then do a little research on your own to find interesting details to give your story a unique spin. For example, if you are writing about the best hiking boots to wear on extreme hikes, find out who the designers are and what makes them experts in hiking footwear. By doing this you’ll be telling readers of your articles you are an authority on travel topics they are interested in.
Beautiful glass art fills Robert Adamson’s Island Art Glass Studio on Whidbey Island, WA. I visited while on a press tour for the Whidbey Island Arts Council and found the many colors mesmerizing. And watching his artists work in their glass blowing shop was a special treat! – Dena
3. Get the Inside Scoop
People love hearing from the locals, and locals love telling people about places and events they love near their home.
Adding quotes from people who are involved in events or owners of restaurants, hotels, or activities will provide depth, color, and validity to your article. Convey their enthusiasm for their events/activities and let the reader feel it through compelling writing.
Not only will you be creating a great article with quotes, readers will be given an insider’s view into the experience as they learn the basic information that will enable them to book their next big adventure! Get out your old journalism notes to get the “who, what, why, where, and when” information to fill in your article and up the value of the content, then find one or two quotes that will add interest to your article, and be sure to cite the person if required.
Tillamook, OR’s annual “Pig and Ford” races have been a fan favorite since 1923. Drivers must stop in the middle of the race to catch a pig and take him for a ride. It’s a wild and thrilling event! – Dena
4. A Personal Perspective
It’s time to put yourself into the writing!
What was your experience like? Seek out those special moments that really connected with you and tell them as if you were talking to a friend who is about to visit the same place. Use your five senses to infuse your article with compelling, sentient writing the reader can connect with and feel confident they understand what you’ve experienced. Keep in mind, you want to be honest in your writing, and keep negativity out if you want to be invited back for future writing gigs.
I ran across the street band playing at Portland, OR’s Skidmore Fountain. Their music made me think of Appalachian music from the past. – Dena
Travel writing is an exciting adventure, both on the road and on the page! Starting off right with these tips in mind will help you get the story, write an interesting article, and get noticed by the people who need good writers to get the word out to support their local tourism. Whether you travel across the world or down the block, you’ll find endless amounts of inspiration for your travel writing adventure.
Interested in travel writing? Here are just a few great authors writing about their adventures!
In Cassandra Overby’s encyclopedic guide Explore Europe On Foot, readers are taken through a step-by-step process of dreaming, planning, and hopefully soon experiencing memorable, slow travel ventures of a lifetime. Whether it’s choosing a route and destination, deciding what to pack, finding appropriate accommodations and food options, or dealing with inevitable challenges, Overby supplies a world of information in this colossal foot travelers’ bible.
Square Up: 50,000 Miles in Search of a Way Home By Lisa Dailey
Although she and her husband had planned to take their family on a ’round-the-world adventure, she didn’t expect their plans to come together on the heels of grief, after losing seven family members in five years. Square Up shows us that travel not only helps us understand and appreciate other cultures, but invites us to find compassion and wisdom, heal from our losses, and discover our capacity for forgiveness, as well as joy.
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The SOMERSET Book Awards recognize emerging talent and outstanding works in the genre of Literary and Contemporary Fiction. The Somerset Book Awards is a genre division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).
Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring contemporary stories, literary themes, adventure, magical realism, or women and family themes. These books have advanced to the final judging rounds.
1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners were announced at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony by [enter] on Saturday, April 20th, 2024 at the Four Seasons By Sheraton in Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2024 Chanticleer Authors Conference.
This is the OFFICIAL 2023 LIST of the SOMERSET BOOK AWARDS First Place Category Winners and the SOMERSET Grand Prize Winner.
Join us in celebrating the following award-winning authors and their works in the 2023 CIBAs.
Judy Keeslar Santamaria – You Can’t Fool a Mermaid
David Fitz-Gerald – If It’s the Last Thing I Do
J.A. Wright – Eat and Get Gas
B. Lynn Carter – Jus Breathe
Leslie Liautaud – Black Bear Lake
James Gish, Jr. – When Blackbirds Dream
Jennifer Gold – Halfway to You
Donna Norman-Carbone – All That is Sacred
Nova Garcia – Not That Kind of Call Girl
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 SOMERSET Awards is:
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A Note to ALL the WINNERS: The coveted CIBA Blue Ribbons will be mailed out starting inJune. We will contact you with an email to verify your mailing address and other items. You will receive an OFFICIAL EMAIL NOTIFICATION with Digital Badges and more information.
NOTE: We will post at least two 2023 CIBA Divisions’ OFFICIAL Winners per business day starting April 24, 2024. We do a final sweep and reconciliation prior to making the Official CIBA Posts for the 2023 First Place and Grand Prize Winners. We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding. There are many moving parts involved with the Chanticleer International Book Awards Program.
Thank you for participating in the 2023 CIBAs! We are looking forward to reading your future entries.
The SOMERSET Book Awards recognize emerging talent and outstanding works in the genre of Literary and Contemporary Fiction. The Somerset Book Awards is a genre division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).
Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring contemporary stories, literary themes, adventure, magical realism, or women and family themes. These books have advanced to the next judging rounds. We will put them to the test and choose the best among them.
These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from the 2023 Somerset Literary and Contemporary Fiction Semi-Finalists to the 2023 Somerset Book Awards FINALISTS.All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC24).
The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 25 CIBA divisions’ Finalists.
We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 20th, 2024 at the Four Points by Sheraton in beautiful Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2024Chanticleer Authors Conference.
These titles are the FINALISTS of the 2023 Somerset Book Awards novel competition for Literary and Contemporary Fiction!
Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2023 CIBAs.
Judy Keeslar Santamaria – You Can’t Fool a Mermaid
Leslie Tall Manning – Feral Maril and Her Little Brother Carol
Deborah Hufford – Blood to Rubies
Charlotte Beck – A Good Day To Die
Nova Garcia – Not That Kind of Call Girl
Linda Moore – Five Days in Bogota
David Fitz-Gerald – If It’s the Last Thing I Do
Jo Deniau – Hologram
J.A. Wright – Eat and Get Gas
B. Lynn Carter – Jus Breathe
Jennifer Gold – Halfway to You
Jacqueline Boulden – Her Past Can’t Wait
Anne Moose – When You Read This I’ll Be Gone
Leslie Liautaud – Black Bear Lake
Chera Thompson – Dawned on the Danube
Kevin Lavey – The Return of Jason Foxx
Dennis Must – MacLeish Sq.
Margaret Klaw – Every Other Weekend
Julia Brewer Daily – No Names to Be Given
Ann Curtin – Muldoon’s Walking
Kamille Roach – A Matchbox Full of Pearls
Linn Aspen – The Dreamtidings of a Disgruntled Starbeing: Life with a psychopathic brother
James Gish, Jr. – When Blackbirds Dream
Donna Norman-Carbone – All That is Sacred
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We are now accepting submissions into the 2024 Somerset Book Awards for Literary and Contemporary Fiction. The 2024 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2025.
Featuring authors like D.D. Black, Kim Hornsby, book doctor Christine Fairchild, and Mark Berridge, our twelfth annual conference is shaping up to be excellent! You won’t want to miss out on the best tips around the business of being an author!
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The Somerset Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Contemporary and Literary Fiction. The Cygnus Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs).
The Somerset Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Contemporary and Literary Fiction. The Cygnus Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs).
In Sue C. Dugan’s middle grade adventure, Mayday: Land, Sea, and Air Series Book 2, thirteen-year-old Jessie and her father, Adam, take an unexpected detour when their plane crashes on a secluded island.
