The Little Peeps Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works of Early Readers. The Little Peeps Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer Reviews International Book Awards.
The following titles will compete for the FIRST IN CATEGORY Positions Book Awards Packages for the 2017 Little Peeps Book Awards.
Congratulations to all those who made the SHORT LIST!
Good Luck to All!
Penelope Lagos – I Miss My Best Friend
Kizzie Jones – A Tall Tale About a Dachshund and a Pelican: How a Friendship Came to Be
Brian Estes – Flying Pigs & Dinosaurs & Things You’ve Never Seen Before
Sylva Fae – Rainbow Monsters
Heather Pallotta – Wishes and Kisses
Peggy Sullivan – Lessons from a Cat: The Moon and Star and Midnight and Moonlight
Deanna Edens – The Almost Cool Kids Club
Wanda Carter Roush – Angel on Assignment
Shana Hollowell – Little Mouse’s Sweet Treat
Stacie Sullivan Simon – I Am Me & You Are You
The 2017 Little Peeps Short Listers will compete for the Little Peeps First-In-Category Positions. First Place Category Award winners will automatically be entered into the Gertrude Warner GRAND PRIZE AWARD competition. The CBR Grand Prize Genre Winners will compete for the CBR Overall Grand Prize for Best Book.
All Short Listers will receive high visibility along with special badges to wear during the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions at Info@ChantiReviews.com.
The Little Peeps Grand Prize Winner and the First Place Category Position award winners along with all Short Listers in attendance will be announced at theApril 21st, 2018 Chanticleer Book Awards Annual Awards Gala,which takes place at the Chanticleer Authors Conference that will be held in Bellingham, Wash.
To compete in the 2018 Little Peeps Book Awards or for more information, pleaseclick here.
Chanticleer Book Reviews & Media, L.L.C. retains the right to not declare “default winners.” Winning works are decided upon merit only. Please visit our Contest Details page for more information about our writing contest guidelines.
CBR’s rigorous writing competition standards are why literary agencies seek out our winning manuscripts and self-published novels. Our high standards are also why our reviews are trusted among booksellers and book distributors.
Please do not hesitate to contact Info@ChantiReviews.comwithany questions, concerns, or suggestions about CBR writing competitions. Your input and suggestions are important to us.
Thank you for your interest in Chanticleer Book Reviews International Writing Competitions and Book Awards.
The GOETHE Writing Competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Historical Fiction post-1750s. The GOETHE Book Awards is a division of Chanticleer International Novel Writing Competitions.
More than $30,000.00 dollars worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to Chanticleer Book Reviews 2017 writing competition winners at the Chanticleer Authors Conference April 21st, 2018!
This is the Official announcement of the Authors and Titles of Works that have been SHORT-LISTED for the GOETHE 2017 Book Awards. These titles will now compete for the First In Category positions.
The GOETHE Awards FIRST IN CATEGORYsub-genres are Regency, 1700s/1800s, Turn of the 19th Century, 20th Century, World Wars and Other Wars, World/International History (non-western culture historical fiction pre-1750s), USA History, and 1830s – 1900s, Victorian Era.
Caren Umbarger – The Passion of Marta
Blaine Beveridge – A Bit of Candy in Hard Times
Peter Curtis – The Dragontail Buttonhole
Michelle Rene – Hour Glass
Paul A. Barra – Murder in there Charleston Cathedral
Ron Singerton – A Cherry Blossom in Winter
J.R. Collins – The Boy Who Danced With Rabbits
Joe Vitovec – Full Circle: A Refugee’s Tale
Robert G. Makin – Dirt McGirtt
Elizabeth Crowens – A Pocketful of Lodestones, Book Two in the Time Traveler Professor series
Sean P. Mahoney – Fenian’s Trace
Michelle Cox – A Ring of Truth
Peter Greene – Paladin’s War
Michael Aloysius O’Reilly – Desertion
Jack Mayer – Before the Court of Heaven
Jessica Dainty – The Shape of the Atmosphere
Lucinda Brant – Deadly Peril: A Georgian Historical Mystery
Helen Walsh Folsom – Kells, The Risin’ of the Rebellion
Suzette Hollingsworth – Sherlock Holmes and the Chocolate Menace
L.L. Holt – Invictus
Kalen Vaughan Johnson – Robbing the Pillars
Nick K. Adams – Away at War: A Civil War Story of the Family Left Behind
Good Luck to all of the 2017 GOETHE Short-Listers as they compete for the First Place Category positions.
First In Category announcements will be made at the Awards Ceremony. The GOETHE Grand Prize Winner and First Place Category Winners will be announced at theApril 21st, 2018 Chanticleer Writing Contests Annual Awards Gala, at the Chanticleer Authors Conference that will be held in Bellingham, Wash.
We are now accepting submissions into the 2018 Chaucer Awards and the Goethe Awards writing competitions for Historical Fiction. Pleaseclick herefor more information.
To view the GOETHE Slushpile Survivors of the first judging rounds, please click here.
The Gertrude Warner Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works of Middle-Grade Chapter Books and Readers. The Gertrude Warner Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer Reviews International Book Awards.
The following titles will compete for the FIRST IN CATEGORY Positions Book Awards Packages for the 2017 Gertrude Warner Book Awards.
Congratulations to all those who made the SHORT LIST!
Good Luck to All!
David Applegate – The Bremtu Prophecy
Lis Anna-Langston – Gobbledy
Sarah M. Morin – Eva’s Soul
Robyn Fraser – Dean/na and the Hairless Rose
Murray Richter – Lucky Rocks
Diane Moat – The Supernatural Pet Sitter
~CRK – ZCN & Friends: Adventures in I*V
T.K. Riggins – How To Set The World On Fire
Francesca Hampton – Greenstone’s Promise Voyages of the Makai Part 2
William M Hayes – The Year Santa Stubbed His Toe
Nick K. Adams – Away at War: A Civil War Story of the Family Left Behind
JD Harper – GLINT
Robert D. Calkins – Bryce Bumps His Head
Adele Frances – The House On Galloway Road
Gregory Saur – The Pond Scum Gang
Paul Aertker – Brainwashed (Crime Travelers Series)
Maria Kiely – Which Way Is Home
Bek Castro – Flowerantha
Rebekah Stelzer/R.L.Stelzer – The Queen and Knights of Nor
Clint Hollingsworth – Nature Scout Emily
Cory Groshek – Breaking Away: Book One of the Rabylon Series
A Pharmacist on a Yak – The Strange Case of Mr. Beets
Alan Sproles – Billy Bedivere in the Quest for the Dragon Queen
The 2017 Gertrude Warner Short Listers will compete for the Gertrude Warner First-In-Category Positions. First Place Category Award winners will automatically be entered into the Gertrude Warner GRAND PRIZE AWARD competition. The CBR Grand Prize Genre Winners will compete for the CBR Overall Grand Prize for Best Book.
All Short Listers will receive high visibility along with special badges to wear during the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions at Info@ChantiReviews.com.
Congratulations to the Short Listers in this fiercely competitive contest!
The Gertrude Warner Grand Prize Winner and the First Place Category Position award winners along with all Short Listers in attendance will be announced at theApril 21st, 2018 Chanticleer Book Awards Annual Awards Gala,which takes place at the Chanticleer Authors Conference that will be held in Bellingham, Wash.
To compete in the 2018 Gertrude Warner Book Awards or for more information, pleaseclick here.
Chanticleer Book Reviews & Media, L.L.C. retains the right to not declare “default winners.” Winning works are decided upon merit only. Please visit our Contest Details page for more information about our writing contest guidelines.
CBR’s rigorous writing competition standards are why literary agencies seek out our winning manuscripts and self-published novels. Our high standards are also why our reviews are trusted among booksellers and book distributors.
Please do not hesitate to contact Info@ChantiReviews.comwithany questions, concerns, or suggestions about CBR writing competitions. Your input and suggestions are important to us.
Thank you for your interest in Chanticleer Book Reviews International Writing Competitions and Book Awards.
But here’s what I think, time passes quickly when we’re happy and productive or involved in something meaningful. Joy makes us buoyant and time, therefore, becomes lighter and easier to move.
When we’re faced with something terrible or unpleasant, the opposite happens. We are weighed down by depressed thoughts or depressing situations. We feel every moment because the pain it causes is real and we cannot do anything else but live in it. Time slows because our focus is on the moment.
Today, (I started writing this on the first flight of the fall trade show season) Kiffer and I are heading to New Orleans for the Southern Independent Booksellers Tradeshow (SIBA). We’re leaving a couple of days before the exhibit portion of the show begins. We’re crossing time-zones. Neither of us has been to NOLA and I have a list of things and places to see and experience. Little did I know, that we would be spending most of our time in the convention center. NOLA sights and sounds will have to wait for another time.
It is important that we arrive ahead of the exhibit time because TWO of Chanticleer’s authors’ works have been selected for the prestigious SIBA events and everything must be PERFECT:
Bernard Mansheim, M.D.’s Somerset award-winning novel, A Doctor A Day was selected for the prestigious Moveable Feast event at SIBA
Gregory Erich Phillips’ Chanticleer Overall Grand Prize novel titled Love of Finished Years was selected for the prestigious First 180 Days event for books that will be published in January 2018.
Those of you who do a lot of traveling know that your bag cannot weigh more than 50lbs or you pay a hefty price. We had 3 fifty-pound bags plus personal luggage to lug around between the two of us. Our bags easily weigh more than the allotted fifty pounds each. However, eventually, we discover that a $20 tip to the Skycap helps to “lighten” the load.
Bossy, Bertha, Betty, & Biff
And those of you who read books know that they tend to be heavy. We’re representing 25 Chanticleer Authors and because books look better with a partner, I’ve packed two of each title. You might think that’s fifty books, but you’d be wrong. Most of our authors have two or three titles coming with us. Do the math.
I drop Kiffer off at the departure deck at SeaTac with the bags and park my van in the garage. When I catch up to her, she’s at the Alaska counter unpacking the bags… One of the bags is overweight and shuffling of its contents is required. By the time we reconfigure, the agent has closed the counter and we have to move to the next aisle to check in.
This is how our tradeshow adventure begins.
We are learning things about ourselves and each other – things we didn’t know before. Kiffer has started calling the luggage by name: Betty, Bertha, Bossy, Birdie, and Biscuit. I cannot drink McDonald’s coffee. I tried. I can’t. Kiffer thinks I’m a bit of a coffee diva. I guess I am. Kiffer has graciously upgraded our seats to premier economy class – which means more leg room for both of us tall gals and free drinks. She knows how to travel and I’m grateful. After everyone is clicked in and flight safety drill is given, we’re in the air. It will be six hours before we land. Six hours.
This is the first tradeshow of the season. There will be three more plus auxiliary shows.
Sharon Anderson, Editor in Chief of Reviews; Gregory Phillips, a Chanticleer Grand Prize Winner; Josh Floyd of Ingram.
NOLA is sultry. It’s a city that beckons the visitor to ease on in and sit for awhile. It hits the high notes of the most compelling song and doesn’t judge anyone for anything. The police ride horses whose backs are as tall as my minivan back home. It’s a different world. I love the vibe and the beignets – the coffee and the company.
Beignets from Cafe du Monde, NOLA
In N’Orleans, all you have to do is pause for a second and someone will be around to chat you up on how your day is going and if you like the city they call home. It’s very Southern and for me, a Northwest native, it’s lovely. To Kiffer, well, being from the South, I can tell she’s feeling her roots as we venture from one restaurant to another looking for the perfect hush-puppy.
Hush-puppies
We’re off to Portland, OR next for the Pacific Northwest Independent Booksellers Tradeshow where two Chanticleer authors’ books were selected for the BUZZ BOOKs event. This time it was Kaylin McFarren of Portland for her Chatelaine award-winning romantic suspense Threads series and Seattle’s own Gregory Phillips, Love of Finished Years was selected – again!
From there, we hop a plane in Portland to head to Chicago for the Heartland Fall Forum. These are bigger shows than SIBA and I’ve increased my load of authors I’m representing. More luggage is required. We borrow Andy’s orange suitcase and name it Biff. Once again, Kiffer is the proud mother hen when the Laramie Grand Prize winner, Sara Dahmen’s Widow 1881 (renamed from Doctor Kinney’s Housekeeper) was selected for Heartland’s prestigious Moveable Feast Event!
Sharon hand selling to a PNBA book buyer!
After the Heartland trade show, we will split up and Kiffer will take our authors’ books to San Francisco for the show there and I will travel up to Surrey for the SiWC for the weekend. For me, it feels odd not being a part of the last trade show, but Chanticleer has been at the Surrey conference for five years running – it’s no time to stop now.
Kiffer refueling with coffee and Sharon proudly showing off Chanticleer’s Best Books Collection at the Heartland Fall Forum, Lombard, Illinois
Before leaving, my mother asked me why was I going away for such a long time. I had to smile, as long time means so many different things to so many people. It depends on what you’re doing, right? Spending a week in jail would be rough. Attending tradeshows? I know it will be over before I have had a chance to settle in.
My mother’s question is valid, though. What do I hope to gain from being away from my family for most of September and October? First of all, I expect this time away will work to sharpen my professionalism and further my career in the book industry world. I expect to meet new people, build stronger connections and learn with a little more certainty that I am capable and ready for this new and exciting adventure. It is exciting to meet the some of the top executives in the publishing industry and mingle with the “Big 5” publishers. There is always a lot to learn and many networking opportunities.
Equally as well, I hope to increase the visibility of my (Chanticleer’s) authors’ work, widen their footprint, as it were, in the retail world of book-selling. I hope, through our efforts, they gain even more notoriety and, more importantly, benefit from more bookstores placing more orders for their work. I hope their books fly off those bookstore shelves because I’m not taking just anyone to these shows. I’m taking Chanticleer Award winners and those very special people who have earned the very highest scores from our professional reviewers. I’m taking the top books and the booksellers are pleased that we have vetted the books that we are exhibiting. We even had a Disney exec who was interested in Chanticleer’s YA and children’s book selections stop by the Heartland booth—she was looking for new content for Disney. She took away sell sheets and information—we will definitely stay in contact!
Book buyers would be crazy not to snatch these books up! And we did connect many indie booksellers and book distributors with Chanticleer Reviews’ best books!
We Discover Today’s Best Books!
Endnote: I started this article on the plane to New Orleans and I was right, the Fall trade show season is over before it began! Time does have a knack for passing quickly when you’re having fun and are passionate about what you do!
Next up are the 2018 American Librarian Association trade shows and the Comic Cons—just around the corner…
Life is meant for living – outrageously in Jessica Stone’s latest novel, The Last Outrageous Woman.
Eighty-six-year-old Mattie’s life is dwindling away at Florida’s Restful Palms Retirement facility but she has a plan—an outrageous plan. And it just might work. Taking advantage of a crisis situation, Mattie tricks a staff member into signing a release paper that will be their ticket out.
Each woman has a secret longing to be fulfilled. For Mattie, it’s a sea voyage as described to her by a long-lost lover; food-obsessed Dolores wants to honor her Irish heritage by kissing the Blarney Stone; quiet, easily dominated Edna has a dream of riding a camel—in Egypt; Rose never got to say goodbye, her way, to her deceased brother buried somewhere in Wisconsin; and Helen remembers how her two sons, both killed in military service, loved Australia, leaving her with the desire to go there and pet a kangaroo.
To accomplish their mad scheme, the women who will become known to the world as “the grannies” enlist the help of Edna’s young bohemian niece Katie, who will make connections for them—not just on flights, but with people in all the places they touch down. Sneaking out of Restful Palms with passports and very little luggage (they share necessities and take only one change of clothing each) the grannies head first for Wisconsin.
By the time they reach Ireland they have become a phenomenon on Facebook, and once their trek takes them to Australia, they have hundreds of thousands of “friends” who watch their exploits and cheer them on via YouTube. They become so admired by global social media fans that a dance is invented in their name, hoisting them to overnight Facebook fame—even though none of them quite understand what Facebook is, or even exactly how to use a cell phone.
But not all their adventures are fun. The grannies are hunted by a pair of greedy sisters trying to make sure their aging mother does not waste “their” inheritance and are swindled by con men who see them as easy marks. Their ramblings wind down in Cairo, but the reader senses that for Mattie, the “last outrageous woman,” the trip will never really end.
Each woman finds what she seeks, but in ways very different than anticipated, in this rollicking tale of spirit and spunk. One of them enjoys true love for the first time; one will get long-sought revenge; one will find herself while getting lost; one will let the experience of reunion with her departed loved ones carry her away; and Mattie will discover that the sea can have a far different look and meaning than she had expected.
Told by best-selling author (Doggy on Deck) Jessica H. Stone, The Last Outrageous Woman transports the reader along with the grannies, to exotic locales that Stone herself has explored. Both a skilled and imaginative writer, the author surely knows that her own exploits, borrowed for this amusing, fast-paced yarn, would give her the well-earned title of “outrageous woman.”
She also deserves extra kudos for showing that older folks are still fully human—capable of dancing, loving and celebrating life—while not side-stepping some of the undeniable pitfalls of aging—aches, fears, and memory loss.
Five run-away grannies prove that dreams are worth pursuing, life is worth celebrating, and you’re never too old for true love in Jessica H. Stone’s engagingly fun and poignant tale of women pursuing their hopes and dreams in spite of society’s so-called best intentions.
Seven Chicago teens spend one eventful week on a chaperoned field trip to Mexico. Traveling with the intention of cultural immersion, they instead learn love, forgiveness, and some serious life lessons.
St. Francis High School Spanish Club members Brianna and her BFF Dana, along with five other friends are on a field trip that they won’t soon forget. It’s the summer before their senior year, and adulthood—with all of its attendant major decisions—looms. Flying into Mexico City accompanied by teachers Mrs. Fritz and Miss Yancy, they meet Miguel the guide, who ushers them through La Ciudad’s myriad monuments, cathedrals, and markets, as well as Teotihuacán, Guanajuato, and Guadalajara. It’s quite the whirlwind trip, with Miguel’s impassioned recounting of history adding meaning and depth for students and readers alike. Indeed, the rich imagery of the hi about astorical landmarks blossom on the page, and the descriptions of the people, the food, and the art should fire the imaginations of teen readers and instill in them a desire to travel to Mexico City and beyond.
That said, The Spanish Club is not a travel essay, but a young adult drama, stocked with classic teen yearnings, choices, vanities, and pranks. Author Burnette does a marvelous job of imbuing the narrative with colorful angst: “At once, every blemish on Brianna’s body itched and squirmed for Enrique’s attention, and she stiffened under the weight of all her imperfections.” Her characters embody every emotional high and low – especially protagonist Brianna Garrett.
Brianna is inseparable from her BFF, Dana Tate, until she discovers, with equal parts shock and delight, that heartthrob Enrique has shared her distant admiration since freshman year. A rift grows between the girls, and not only because of Enrique. Dana is jealous of Brianna’s growing friendship with dance team leader Stacia.
But boys and BFFs aren’t the only things commanding Brianna’s attention.
Before the trip, Brianna needed to acquire her passport. What she soon discovered forces a rift between the parents she always counted on for the truth. Brianna was adopted. And her parents never once disclosed the information. Now in Mexico, she rages against them and shuns their long-distance calls. But what brings eventual forgiveness is not her identity but her friend Dana.
Throughout the story, the World Cup serves as a foreboding backdrop, with the alarming zeal of local news reports of fan-related tragedies. This culminates in a frightening confrontation that departs from the story’s general lightheartedness to make a sobering point, but also, brings Brianna and Dana back together, making The Spanish Club a very good summer read for Y/A audiences.
A suspenseful and often overlooked chapter in history, the siege of Vienna in the late 17th century is the subject of James Conroyd Martin’s masterful novel, The Boy Who Wanted Wings.
Although Poland’s involvement in the protection of the city from the invading Turks is the mainstay of the book, Martin widens the breadth of his study to underscore the multinational effort undertaken to halt the spread of Islam, providing meticulously researched details about the allied forces of the Saxons, Franconians, and Bavarians uniting to halt the siege of the Ottomans and Crimean Tatars*. Although this is a work of fiction, to the author’s credit, the wealth of historical information provided is beyond impressive. Most helpful is the glossary of Polish cultural and military terms of the time at the outset of the book.
The reader navigates this chapter in Europe’s past with Aleksy Gazdecki, a boy on the verge of manhood whose personal past and present circumstances present no end of identity issues. A Tatar by birth, he was orphaned as an infant and raised by a Polish peasant family, tenants of Lord Halicki. Aleksy’s swarthy complexion and dark, almond-shaped eyes cause him to stand out amongst the Poles and ultimately be treated with suspicion. He longs to join the Winged Hussars, the elite branch of the Polish military whose legendary skills with seventeen-foot-long lances are announced by a uniform that includes “wings.” Although he trains with a former soldier, currently a stablemaster, Aleksy knows how futile his dream is since only men of noble birth can become Winged Hussars.
Amidst the military drama is, of course, personal drama. Aleksy has a chance encounter with the beautiful Krystyna, Lord Halicki’s daughter, and the two engage in a dangerous, secretive romance, jumping the hurdles presented by her family, who are determined to see her married to a wealthy noble, as well as confronting the escalating war at hand. Krystyna’s brothers, the sweet Marek and the haughty, vengeful Roman, will cross paths with Aleksy again and again since he follows them into battle as Marek’s “retainer.”
Just as Aleksy sought to overcome the circumstances of his birth in his romantic life, he will do so also on the battlefield. Ironically, his Tatar heritage gives him the opportunity to save a life, a very important life, and the resulting events put Krystyna within his reach. Martin takes no shortcuts and keeps the reader guessing with a long list of characters and numerous plots twists all carried out with exquisite pacing.
Despite the triumph of the Poles, Martin deftly explores the addictive nature of bloodlust and the true consequences of war. Aleksy is exhausted and saddened by the killing and able to transcend nationalistic feelings. He has killed men, regardless of where they’re from or what faith they practice. It’s an apt observation from a Tatar who has lived his life amongst a people other than his own, a Tatar who has tried to be the most loyal subject of Poland.
This is a novel with staying power. Given the geopolitical situations in the world today, the author reminds us that war has a long and bloody history, and political alliances are intricately tied to this history. James Conroyd Martin’s The Boy Who Wanted Wings will make one most glad for the opportunity to spend time in the 17th century.
*Alternate spelling: Tartar
This book is also available in Softcover (ISBN-13: 978-0997894509) and Hardcover (ISBN-13: 978-0997894516)
If you like your mysteries cozy with a side of sassy romance and a dash of family squabbles, you’ll enjoy spending time with Wendy Delaney’s Sex, Lies, and Snickerdoodles featuringtruth wizard, Charmaine.
The story takes place in the small town of Port Merritt in the Pacific Northwest where Charmaine Digby is a newly appointed Probationary Special Assistant to the Chimacam County Prosecutor/Coroner. While the job title may be a bit unwieldy, Char throws herself into the role with gusto.
Her zeal doesn’t sit well for friend-with-benefits Steve Sixkiller, the town’s one-and-only detective. On the one hand, his closed-mouth approach frustrates Charmaine but on the other, sex with him is great since they occasionally share a bed and make ice cream a part of their escapades. This is not a steamy romance novel – it’s a cozy mystery.
Fortunately for Charmaine, the entire town has its ear to the ground and the nosy neighbors and colorful characters have plenty to say and are willing to share. When news hits the streets that Russell Ferrantino, a local lothario, has been found dead, tongues wag. Especially when his death may – or may not – have involved foul play.
Along with her own investigation of the supposed murder, Char soon has her hands full dealing with the surprise arrival of her (literal) drama queen mama, “Hurricane Marietta,” AKA Mary Jo Digby. Seems Marietta has attracted the attention of Charmaine’s former biology teacher. Now Char finds herself sleeping on the ‘Crippler’ at her Grams while fearing her mother may jump into yet another misguided marriage.
Clues keep piling up and the pool of suspects, expanding. Russell Ferrantino’s brothers, Andy and Nathan don’t seem overly distraught at his passing. There are plenty of Russell’s lovers, past and present, to mourn but did any of them have a bone to pick with the deceased? With Char’s persistent poking into every nook and cranny, feathers are sure to be ruffled and the clues will shake loose, too. What kind of ‘work’ was Russell doing over at Joyce Lackey’s place? And one wonders how Pete Lackey felt about having the town’s troublemaker spending so much time at his place.
Wendy Delaney’s style is fresh and frisky, leading her readers down a path to a rollicking good time. Delaney’s folksy (the series is called Working Stiffs mysteries) storytelling in Sex, Lies, and Snickerdoodles goes down like a mug of hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps and a daub of whipped cream on top or your favorite summer imbibement! Enjoy!
Three men. Two cities. And as fate would have it, not all of them will be able to find what they’re looking for.
There’s that old platitude claiming that the truth is stranger than fiction. And sometimes it is. Sometimes it’s not even close. But what about what lies in the in-between? The undefinable midpoint wherein truth and fiction coalesce into an amorphous other. Sounds precarious, like one false ingredient spoiling the brew, a tangy, bothersome clash between bitter and sweet.
Not here. Not with Silver Kings & Sons of Bitches, a shrewd and seductive history lesson deliciously coated in literary flair and thematic design, courtesy of novelist Michael McGranahan. Using fiction as a tool to complement fact, McGranahan strikes gold (irony aside) in weaving a sweeping epic grounded by rich character development and high-stakes, enchanting from the first page to the last.
Taking place in the mid-nineteenth century on the heels of the California Gold Rush, the story centers on three lead protagonists. Chief among them is William Ralston (factual), financier and founder of the Bank of California, whose business exploits in the purpose of serving a greater love seemingly mark him for tragedy. Two things he loves most: Louisa Thorn, taken much before her time; and the peninsula that is San Francisco, a budding, bayside metropolis that Will dreams to recreate as the Paris of the West in honor of his sweet Louisa. Quick to become one of the city’s leading figures, Will seeks a bonanza, something he can use to build his empire. And he believes he’s found it in Virginia City, Nevada at the advent of Comstock Lode and the veritable oodles of silver to be had.
Only picking silver isn’t the same as picking peonies, and Will soon finds opposition in the form of Adolph Sutro (factual), a Prussian immigrant with dreams of his own. Though initially, the men bear many resemblances and share aspirations, their own prospective plans for the Comstock put them at odds with one another, and ensure that they both cannot walk away with what they want in this rat race that is the West.
Thirdly and finally, we meet Finnian “Finn” Gillespie (fictional), a down-on-his-luck Irishman whose dodgy dealings in San Francisco find him similarly seeking solace in Virginia City. The sole working-man protagonist, Finn finds himself soliciting the affections of schoolteacher Jess Ohhlson (fictional), whose regrettable sexual history in San Francisco and striking likeness to the late Louisa Thorn brings her to the attention of the already married Ralston.
Captivating and beautiful, Michael McManahan’s Silver Kings and Sons of Bitches is a lesson in power, greed, and what a man will do for love.
Grand Theft Death is best read when you need a break from reality. Don’t read it if your two feet are firmly placed in all things serious. In fact, don’t read it if you areeven thinking of going to the serious side of life. This book is as realistic as a Saturday morning cartoon – and twice the fun.
The characters are delightfully quirky, the situation fun and surprising, and the action as snappy as popping corn. The heroine, Patty Schuster, is kind, sincere, wry, and unique, at the same time so easygoing that she can roll with the endless punches the plot throws at her and carry on with a good heart.
Good thing, since the plot treats Patty like a punching bag.
She starts out in jail, falsely arrested for car theft, then gets tangled up with thieves, spies, forgers, smugglers, bad cops, good cops, sleazy hoteliers, double-crossing gangsters, nosy neighbors, felonious grannies, and divorcing parents—not to mention murder of the friend in trouble she tried to help, which led to her arrest.
Meanwhile, she’s trying to learn the antique business she inherited from her grandmother. Being a fine artist and a surfer, Patty has zero knowledge of furniture and collectibles. However, she needs income and was unhappy as a graphic artist, so she’s motivated to keep the enterprise alive despite the nuttiness going on around her.
It’s harder to keep herself alive, given trouble she gets into. Most of it revolves around the rare, valuable Cadillac she was accused of stealing, and which keeps getting re-stolen by half the cast while the other half tries to get it back or figure out what’s going on or save each other’s skin. This gives the feel of the Keystone Cops scrambling through a Doris Day comedy, with Patty as the naive “straight man.” In the middle of it all, she meets a nice fellow who adds the possibility of romance if she can get out of the mess she’s in.
Whichever way you take the humor, you’ll find the writing smooth and Patty’s voice appealing. It gives her credibility in a lunatic world. The novel is billed as a “Salty Sister” mystery—a name that makes sense by the end—and is first in Philipp’s Salty Sisters series. Readers whose funny bones are tickled by zany capers will be lining up for the next volume.
The Little Peeps Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works of Early Readers. The Little Peeps Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer Reviews International Book Awards.
The GOETHE Writing Competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Historical Fiction post-1750s. The GOETHE Book Awards is a division of Chanticleer International Novel Writing Competitions.
