We’ve all been feeling the intensity of election season. No matter your politics, this has been a difficult year, and we know the toll it takes, especially for those of us who balance creativity with everything else life throws our way.
Based on feedback from our authors, we are offering a reprieve to anyone who needs it.
This is an exciting opportunity to ready work that might have missed the due date, and we’re happy to make it available!
Why Wait?
We’re already deep in the reading for everyone who already submitted. As always, the trust you show us with your work is both humbling and gratifying. We hope this extension gives everyone the space they need to submit with confidence.
The CIBAs are here to celebrate the stories you’ve worked so hard to share!
Non-Fiction and the BRAND NEW Chanticleer Cover Design Awards (CCDA) are still open too!
The Ozma Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Magic, Steampunk and Fantasy Fiction. The Ozma Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs).
Chanticleer International Book Awards discovers the best books in the Ozma Awards featuring magic, the supernatural, imaginary worlds, fantastical creatures, legendary beasts, mythical beings, or inventions of fancy that author imaginations dream up without a basis in science as we know it. Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, Dragons, Unicorns, Steampunk, Dieselpunk, Gaslight Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, or other out-of-this-world fiction. Our judges from across North America and the U.K. will put them to the test and choose the best among them.
These titles have moved forward from the 2024 OZMA Book Awards Short list to the 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 FINALISTS of the 2024 Ozma Book Awards novel competition for Fantasy Fiction!
Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works!
K.N. Salustro – A Whisper from the Edge of the World
Susannah Dawn – Search for the Armor of God
Helen Garraway – Sentinals Banished
James McKenna – An October’s Journey: Poe’s Final Gift
Roxana Arama – The Exiled Queen: A Roman Era Historical Fantasy
Jenn Lees – Of High Kings and Mages: Arlan’s Pledge Book Three
Curt Locklear – Treasure and Murder In Ireland
Shami Stovall – Time-Marked Warlock
Charles Allen – A Graveyard of Ships
Rhett C. Bruno and Jaime Castle – An Unexpected Hero
Glen Dahlgren – The Realm of Gods
Kolton Fitz-Gerald – Leon Sharp: The Scourge of Night
Kolton Fitz-Gerald – Leon Sharp: The Tides of War
Alan B. Gibson – Summer Storm (Magic at Myers Beach, Book 2)
J.A. Nielsen – The Winter Heir (Fractured Kingdoms, Book 2)
Susan Wands – High Priestess an Empress, Book Two, Arcana Oracle Series
R. M. Krogman – Liberation
James Malone – The Song of Theodore-Return to Rainbow Gardens
Ross Hightower & Deb Heim – Desulti
Erin Lark Maples – A Circle of Stars
Evette Davis – The Others
M.D. House – Crossroads of Awakening Memory
Ryan Schuette – A Seat for the Rabble
Rae St. Clair Bridgman – Fish & Sphinx
Rae St. Clair Bridgman – The Serpent’s Spell
S.G. Blaise – Proud Pada
Logan D. Irons – Oaths of Blood
Prue Batten – The Red Thread
S.G. Blaise – Meddling Mages
W.B.J. Williams – Johnny Talon and the Goddess of Love and War
T.E. MacArthur – A Place of Fog and Murder
Shami Stovall – Academy Arcanist
J.A. Nielsen – The Claiming
David Scidmore – Aylun
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.
As the conjurer of complex, imaginative worlds, Ursula Le Guin is recognized as a literary titan of science fiction and fantasy. Spinning tales that examine the intricacies of familiar societal constructs within new and fantastic worlds is a magic that allowed Le Guin to explore new ways of imagining civilizations. It seems like a daunting task to take on, but Le Guin was born into a family primed for her questions. Last week was her birthday, and it’s never too late to support someone who was such a supporter of authors everywhere!
An Early Student of Society and Writing
Le Guin was born on October 21, 1929 in Berkeley, CA to anthropologist Alfred K. Le Guin and writer Theodora K. Le Guin. Brought up in a house filled with intellectual conversations and discussions about writing was the perfect combination she needed to fortify her vast imagination and endless curiosity and prompting her consideration of high-concept questions and new and innovative alternatives for the problems she witnessed in our own society. This placed Le Guin at the top of her class of speculative science fiction writers.
A Thoughtful Writer
Le Guin began her publishing journey in 1959 with a collection of eleven short stories, called Orsinian Tales. It was her first step into an imaginary world, writing about the fictional country of Orsinia and examining the right of the individual—sometimes alone, but often in conjunction with others—to his or her own thoughts and emotions, without society, or convention, or the State imposing restrictions. It was an auspicious start to her professional writing career, and established her as an author who was unafraid to explore the depths of philosophical and sociological themes.
Other notable works furthered that journey. The Left Hand of Darkness (1969) explored gender and sexuality through the lens of an alien culture, winning both the Hugo and Nebula awards. The Dispossessed (1974) is a thought-provoking exploration of anarchism and capitalism, and the beloved fantasy series, A Wizard of Earthsea (1968), examined coming-of-age themes and the nature of power.
Themes that Continue to Demand Exploration
The themes of identity, culture, and human nature are still issues that we mere humans grapple to understand. Through Le Guin’s richly developed worlds and complex characters, we come to understand perspectives we may not have thought about previously. Her speculative fiction provides a platform to critique our own societal norms and explore alternative ways of living.
Le Guin’s Legacy: A Monolith of Science Fiction and Societal Commentary
Upon Ursula Le Guin passing on January 22, 2028, she had established herself as a significant influence in both science fiction and feminist literature and inspired countless writers and thinkers to consider new societies. Her work has garnered numerous accolades, including the National Book Award, the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards, and she has left a profound literary legacy known for their depth and relevance in contemporary discussions on the important issues faced by civilizations.
Happy 95th birthday, Ursula Le Guin!
Born October 21, 1929 Berkeley, Calif. She entered the next dimension on January 22, 2018, Portland, Oregon.
Interested in exploring new worlds through today’s science fiction authors? We encourage you to dig into stories written by Chanticleer’s authors .
Unanimity By Alexandra Almeida
First Place winner of CIBA Cygnus award
Alexandra Almeida probes the philosophical and ethical depths of wealth, technology, pop culture, and religion in a world ravaged by global warming through her sci-fi adventure,Unanimity: Spiral Worlds #1.
Readers will delight in the gradual reveal of both the technology within the story and the dramatic history between many of those involved with the creation and evolution of that technology.
Tom, a screenwriter, works with Harry, the genius inventor of the world’s most popular AI (artificial intelligence) app, to create a simulation that will nudge people toward acting morally.
The Last Lumenian By S.G. Blaise Cygnus Grand Prize Winner
Nineteen-year-old Lilla could have an idyllic life, but inThe Last Lumenianby S.G. Blaise, she comes face to face with a rebellion and their just cause.
Lilla’s father leads the Pax Septum Coalition, a nineteen-planet confederation. As a princess in her own right, she should be enjoying the status and wealth that comes from living on Uhna, the richest planet in the coalition due to the diamond mines found by her pirate ancestors centuries ago. She most definitely shouldn’t be worried about the rebellion brewing right under her father’s nose. However, when Lilla meets rebels in a refugee camp, she thinks she has found her destiny, a true purpose.
“Terms of Service” are those cryptic notes that accompany computer devices and applications, spelling out their rules. The novel,Terms of Service,by Craig W. Stanfill, turns those notices into the foundation of a dystopian horror story where Artificial Intelligence (AI) controls virtually every aspect of human behavior.
Kim works for a giant AI corporation. It’s her task to train AI systems to interface with human beings, even as those systems make life difficult for the average person. AIs are not alive, not sentient, but they provide the precise terms of service under which every person in major metropolitan areas must live.
Ruthy Ballard’s latest middle-grade novel,Elvia and the Gift of Passion,takes us to another planet in a distant galaxy. But the journey begins grounded on Earth.
Elvia lives a dull-as-dishwater life with her boring parents, Sally and Earl Hill. She dreams of living in Tanzania (or on Mars) after a DNA test reveals she is 99.1% Zulu, with a dash of Irish to explain her red hair.
When her mother wins a safari in a work raffle, Elvia’s dreams start to materialize. As the stubborn and dissatisfied daughter of two overprotective parents, Elvia does what any child in her situation would do; she ditches them. In the meantime, her parents try to fit in some relaxation and see the sights without their daughter.
This trip becomes far stranger than Elvia could have imagined.
Stone: Rhone and Stone Series, Book One Strider S.R. Klusman
Award-winning author, Strider S. R. Klusman’sStone: Rhone and Stone Series, Book Oneis set in the high desert outside of the dusty town ofSkragmoore.
With all the trappings of a western, he draws us into the Badlands and takes us on a merry and hair rising journey through lake strewn caves and the dusty little town ofSkragmoore. This YA adventure will have readers riveted in place to find out what happens next.
Rhone has survived alone in the wilderness since his mother’s death, but he has learned to thrive and spends more and more time out of doors under the open sky than at home in his old, dilapidated house. So, when he hears a voice, and no one else is there, he is confused to say the least. Where is the voice coming from and why won’t it shut up?
Thank you for joining us in celebrating the science fiction visionary, Ursula Le Guin!
Do you have a book that deserves to be discovered? You can always submit your book for an Editorial Review with Chanticleer!Chanticleer Editorial Review Packages are optimized to maximize your digital footprint. Reviews are one of the most powerful tools available to authors to help sell and market their books. Find out what all the buzz is about here.
Is your book an Award Winner?
Submitting to Book Awards is a great way to get your book discovered! Anytime you advance in the Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards, your name and book are promoted right here on our website, through our newsletter, and across social media. One of the best ways to engage in long tail marketing!
You have until October 31st to enter the 2024 CIBAs before this message will self-destruct!
We’re here to celebrate the past Grand Prize Winners that showed us just how high stakes the suspense can be!
Jake Fortina and the Roman Conspiracy By Ralph R. “Rick” Steinke
Talk about a ripped-from-the headlines thriller in Jake Fortina and the Roman Conspiracy!
In this multinational geopolitical thriller by Ralph R. “Rick” Steinke, a power-crazed Russian oligarch wants to usurp the current Russian dictator to take his place as the head of the government. He forms his own paramilitary force to steal priceless paintings from a Vatican church with plans to resell them for billions to fund his campaign. But why stop there? He also explodes illicit small-scale atomic weapons to further destabilize the Russian leader and cast himself as the country’s new czar.
Meanwhile, a crazed U.S. right wing military adjutant buys loads of AK-47s from the Italian mafia to arm U.S. paramilitary groups intent on enforcing their own far-right views in America.
Two professors uncover a conspiracy to sterilize liberal Americans with specially-manufactured electric cars, in Charlie Robinson’s thriller, Hybrid Hysteria.
Dr. Theresa Lauzon, endowed assistant professor at SUNY-Canton’s Department of Automotive Engineering, comes to Charlie “CC” Cavanaugh, university Chaplain and physics PhD, with two troubling revelations.
First, while testing an electric car donated by the Gauss Hybrid Electric Automobile Company (GHEA), she’d discovered troubling spikes in its battery’s electromagnetic field. She connects these spikes to a rash of infertility and miscarriages along the Pacific coast, where GHEA cars have boomed in popularity.
Second, Theresa is pregnant, and the father is GHEA’s technician-on-loan to SUNY-Canton, Jay Fish. And though Fish recently disappeared from campus, Theresa has much more complicated problems.
The Chameleon: A Jake Palmer Novel by Ron McManus takes on one of the most terrifying issues in the modern world: nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorists.
Amidst the ongoing conflict between India and Pakistan, the world’s superpowers recognize that both nations possess large nuclear arsenals, which intelligent, well-armed fanatics threaten to steal for their own nefarious purposes. If these weapons went off, they could easily lead to World War III. To prevent this, the U.S. eagerly takes on the role of supervising the security of these weapons in both countries.
In this terrorism thriller, India and Pakistan clash over the disputed Kashmir region. Pakistan’s leaders decide to secretly deploy a variety of nuclear weapons to the front, sending them along backroads in unmarked trucks. But in a carefully planned attack, terrorists kidnap one of these vehicles containing three nuclear weapons, before substituting a precise duplicate truck to take its place. The theft is not discovered until the decoy truck reaches its destination.
Bill Hefflin is a man apart—apart from life, apart from his homeland, apart from love
At the start of the 1989 uprising in Romania, CIA analyst Bill Hefflin—a disillusioned Romanian expat—arrives in Bucharest at the insistence of his KGB asset, code-named Boris. As Hefflin becomes embroiled in an uprising that turns into a brutal revolution, nothing is as it seems, including the search for his childhood love, which has taken on mythical proportions.
With the bloody events unfolding at blinding speed, Hefflin realizes the revolution is manipulated by outside forces, including his own CIA and Boris—the puppeteer who seems to be pulling all the strings of Hefflin’s life.
The Bourne Identity Meets John le Carre’s The Spy Who Came In from the Cold
Something really nasty is afoot in the world as the Russians attempt to build a super quantum computer so powerful that it will be able to hack into America’s computer capabilities, bypassing even our most advanced protection and control or shut down every computer in the U.S.
As we find out about halfway through Solstice Shadows: A VanOps Thriller, the second book in Avanti Centrae’s VanOps thriller series, they’ve run a test of their capabilities by using a prototype to shut down Manila in the Philippines, a city of nearly 14 million people. The test shuts off its electrical power, lights, traffic signals and causes its citizens to tear the city apart. A fine test case for its potential impact on the USA.
All they need to complete their evil system is some rare superconductivity material that appears to have come from a meteorite that allegedly landed on Earth at roughly the same time as Moses led his people out of Egypt. The clue to its location is an ancient star map dating back to those times now in the possession of Maddy Marshall, the heroine of the VanOps’ first book. Also in her possession are slivers of the actual meteorite that she can activate with her mind, giving her the ability to meld with the ancient material and hurl deadly fireballs at an enemy.
The Moving Blade by Michael Pronko won GRAND PRIZE in the CIBA 2018 Global Thriller Awards for Lab Lit and High Stakes Thrillers!
What exactly was Bernard Mattson up to when he committed seppuku* at his Tokyo home – or, was it murder? This is just one of many questions Michael Pronko incites in readers in his latest novel, The Moving Blade.
Another set of questions: What was so important about Mattson’s collection of rare Japanese shunga—centuries-old erotic art—that someone ransacked the house for it while his family attended his funeral? Or was it all about the significant role that the elderly Mattson had in formulating, then turning against, the SOFA** agreements, and the book he intended to publish about the unfairness of the agreements to Japan today?
Now that you’re set on your next reads, what are you waiting for? The only way to join this amazing list of Global Thriller Winners is to submit today!
Those who submit and advance will have the chance to win the Overall Grand Prize of the CIBAs and $1000!
Now is your chance to touch the hearts of readers everywhere. Your Thriller story deserves to be discovered, and you can submit to the 2023 Chatelaine Awards by the end of the month. Don’t miss this chance to give your book the recognition it deserves.
And remember! Registration for the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference is open now! Space is limited and seats are already filling up. Sign up and see the latest updates here!
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?
Thriller and Horror Author Alexandrea Weis sat down for a 10-Question Interview with Chanticleer!
We had the pleasure of speaking with Alexandrea Weis recently. The author of more than a dozen books, her YA Thriller Have You Seen Me? took home the 2022 Clue Grand Prize for Thriller/Suspense. Weis is an award-winning author, screenwriter, advanced practice register nurse, and historian born and raised in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Here’s what we talked about:
Chanticleer: Thank you so much for making the time for this interview. To start, when did you realize you that you were an author?
Weis: Probably after I published my third book. It wasn’t a fluke anymore, and I had readers interested in my stories. I began to believe I could do this professionally. Being an author is really a mindset, but it doesn’t happen overnight. You put your first book on the market and doubt you can do it again. By the third book, you’re looking forward to writing your next story.
Chanticleer: I love the idea of embracing the author mindset and the way in which you slowly build up confidence. What sort of stories do you write? What genre do you write and what led you there?
Weis: Thriller/Horror. It was a progression for me to this genre, but I love the challenge of tying all the elements together and keeping the reader guessing about the outcome. It also allows me to utilize my nursing experience by incorporating forensic aspects that are so important when writing thrillers. In addition, I write about the area where I live, Southeast Louisiana, as often as I can. We have such a rich history that lends itself beautifully to this genre.
You can get a visceral sense of Weis’ genre from the books on her site.
Chanticleer: Thriller and Horror could definitely interact with nursing experience in some fascinating ways. When you’re writing how do you interact with the conventional rules of writing?
Weis: I believe that when you break the rules, you create an exciting and unpredictable story. That doesn’t mean breaking away from the expectations of specific genres—readers expect certain things—but I try to push those boundaries.
Chanticleer: We owe so much innovation to people who push boundaries. What about outside of writing? Tell us a little about your life outside of being an author.
Weis: I’m a permitted and certified wildlife rehabber with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, so when I’m not writing, I’m working with orphaned and injured wildlife. With Hurricane Francine passing through our area recently, I’ve been busy with displaced babies after the storm. You haven’t lived until you’re surrounded by hungry baby squirrels. I love working with wildlife and rescuing domestics as well.
Chanticleer: That sounds both adorable and also quite difficult. The number of hurricanes and “once in a lifetime storms” we experience these days is terrible. Sorry for the tangent. How do you come up with your ideas for a story?
Weis: I am constantly coming up with ideas. I can drive to the grocery store and have a new idea for a book series. I love working history into my stories and often find ideas when reviewing Louisiana folklore. I was raised in the French Quarter, so the history of the area has always become ingrained. We lived in an old Creole Cottage with a rich past representing the French and Spanish influences on the city. I was also raised around Cajuns and learned a great deal about tales associated with the swamps, including fanciful legends blended with historical facts. It’s a colorful place to live, and everywhere you turn, there is a terrifying account about a haunted stretch of marshland or the ghostly encounters inside a Creole cottage in the French Quarter. It is fodder for the imagination and has always inspired me to weave the magic of where I live into my books.
Chanticleer: That’s so cool! We just had a post celebrating Anne Rice’s birthday, and I know she grew up in the same area. So, moving from how you come up with your ideas, how structured would you say you are in your writing?
Weis: I usually have a pretty detailed outline, especially when working on a thriller. So many elements need to be addressed and fed into the ending; you need a well-thought-out progression of the storyline. When writing outside of that genre, such as when I’m tackling a romance or paranormal story, I’m not as strict in sticking with my outline.
Chanticleer: I love outlines as suggestions for the path rather than hard and fast. What about craft – how do you grow as an author?
Weis: Take risks. For me that was writing in genres I wasn’t comfortable with. I started romance and had reservations about moving into thrillers, but once I wrote my first one, I found the challenge addictive. I’m always looking to move into an area I’m not familiar with to learn and grow. I’ve also stretched my creative chops into writing screenplays and television shows. It’s a different form of writing, but it also teaches you to put as much into a scene while using the least words possible. It also helps hone dialogue skills.
Chanticleer: That courage to try new things is an inspiration. What new things are coming up as you continue to grow and challenge yourself?
Weis: I have two series I’m working on. The St. Benedict Series, with Lucas Astor is set around my hometown of Covington, Louisiana, along the Bogue Falaya River. It’s a thriller/horror series about a powerful family and their fall from grace. I love this series and its characters. I’m also working on The Basin Series. The first book, Cypress Hill, will be out next year. This is a spooky thriller set in the creepy Atchafalaya Basin and filled with local legends. The cast of characters are close to my heart and unforgettable.
The Bogue Falaya River
Chanticleer: Those both sound amazing! We’ll definitely keep an eye out for them. As we prepare to wrap up, I’m curious: What is the most important thing a reader can do for an author?
Weis: Let us know what you think! Either by review, email, posting on social media, or whatever a reader feels comfortable with, but please reach out. Every writer loves to hear from readers, especially if you loved the book. You so often work in a bubble, and to get words of encouragement, or even criticism, from a reader is valuable feedback. Writers always listen to what readers have to say. So don’t be shy.
Chanticleer: Writing truly happens with a community with reviews and outreach being one of the best ways for readers to participate with writers. Thank you for that advice. Finally, at the end of the day, what excites you most about writing?
Weis: There’s nothing better than finishing a book, bringing all the elements together, and realizing you’ve created a, hopefully, compelling story. It’s an incredibly satisfying experience. That’s what keeps me going.
Alexandrea Weis won the Clue 2022 Grand Prize for her YA Thriller Have You Seen Me?
Weis is a member of the International Thriller Writers (ITW) and Horror Writers Association (HWA). She lives with her husband outside of New Orleans where she is a permitted/certified wildlife rehabber with the Louisiana Wildlife & Fisheries and rescues orphaned and injured animals.
The Clue Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Suspense and Thriller Mysteries. The Clue Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs).
Chanticleer International Book Awards is seeking the best books featuring suspense, thrilling adventure, detective work, private eye, police procedural, and crime-solving, we will put them to the test to discover the best! (For lighter-hearted Mystery and Classic Cozy Mysteries please check out ourMystery & Mayhem Awards, and for High Stakes Suspense Novels please check out ourGlobal Thriller Awards).
These titles have moved forward in the first look rounds from all 2024 CLUE entries to the 2024 Clue Book Awards LONG LIST. These entries are now in competition for the 2024 Clue 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 Clue Book Awards novel competition for Suspense and Thriller!
Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works!
Christopher Mele – Goodwill’s Secrets
Pamela Beason – If Only
Jeff Nania – Musky Run
John DeDakis – Enemies Domestic
George St. Georges – AI: Opening
Charlotte Stuart & Don Stuart – Midnight for Justice
Hannah D Sharpe – Between Lies and Revenge
Susan Rogers and John Roosen – Tree Pose
Meredith Forde – The Protectee
M.K. Tod – That Was Then
Cathi Stoler – Out of Time: A Nick Donahue Adventure
Tony Ollivier – The Tokyo Diversion
D.W. Layton – Otello’s Oil: A Saga of Blood and Oil
Lisa Towles – Codex
T.O. Paine – The Delusion
M.M. Cochran – The Button Collector
Peter Berk – First Line of Defense
Allison McKenzie – The Unexpected Hostage
Sandra J. Jackson – Letting Go of September
Charlotte Stuart – Raven’s Legacy
Lisa Malice – Lest She Forget
Corey Lynn Fayman – The Esmeralda Goodbye
Marie Still – My Darlings
Ralph R. “Rick” Steinke – Change of Mission: A Jake Fortina Series Novel
Jeannee Sacken – The Rule of Thirds
Steven Walker – Gunny Mac Private Detective Trouble in Chinatown
Patrick Greenwood – Shores of Okinawa
Chad Boudreaux – Homecoming Queen: A Small Town Political Thriller
Betsy Hartmann – Last Place Called Home
J T Owens – The Fisherman Returns
Ron Singerton – Ruptured
Michael Grigsby – Forecasting Error
Jeffrey Jay Levin – Deep Cover, The Unknowing Agent
Dr. Sandra Tanner – Spirited Unraveling
Saralyn Richard – Murder Outside the Box
Sean Hagerty – Jones Point
Kathryn Caraway – Unfollow Me
Nannette Potter – Pierce the Darkness
TJ Stecker – The Moth
Mike Van Horn – The Fireteam
Amy Morris-Young – Doolittle 2
Dana J. Summers – Hell’s Heart
AG Flitcher – Black Rose Cocoon
Dave Lager – Revelations
Carl Vonderau – Saving Myles
Robert Allen Stowe – The Fires of Rubicon
Chris Chan – She Ruined Our Lives
Ray Collins – The General’s Briefcase
Ray Collins – Motive for Murder
Lo Monaco – Fallen In A Dark Uneven Way
Lisa Towles – Terror Bay
Sharon Michalove – Dead in the Alley
Colleen Coyne – Bewept
Shanessa Gluhm – A River of Crows
Miriam Verbeek – The Forest
Michael Pronko – Shitamachi Scam
Wendy Bayne – Dark Entity
Steve Lazarus – Call Me Sonny
Sharon Lynn – IoT Gaslight
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 Global Thriller Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of High Stakes Thrillers. The Grand Prize Winner, Ralph R. ‘Rick’ Steinke’s book, Jake Fortina and the Roman Conspiracy, will be promoted for years to come in our annual Hall of Fame article, as well as be featured on the Global Thriller contest page year ’round!
The best part about being a Chanticleer Int’l Book Award Winner is the continued love and promotion for your book!
In the simmering summer of 2023, as the United States and China silently battle for supremacy in Quantum Computing and Artificial Intelligence, the world teeters on the brink of a technological singularity. Amidst this high-stakes arena, George Isaacson, a seemingly inconsequential social media conspiracy theorist, stumbles upon a trail of secrets. He spins a tale weaving together NASA’s clandestine findings, whispers of First Contact with extraterrestrial beings, and a shadowy global cover-up. Skepticism meets his claims, yet as the veil of deception lifts, George’s narrative reveals startling truths, thrusting him into the spotlight as an unlikely hero.
‘The God Protocol’ is not just a novel; it’s a technothriller odyssey that interlaces the enigmatic lore of the Anunnaki with the cutting-edge realms of AI Sentience and Nanotechnology. It’s a story of international conspiracy and cover-ups, set in a near future where advanced technology blurs the lines between myth and reality. Prepare for a journey that escalates into an awe-inspiring finale, challenging the very fabric of existence and leaving readers gasping for air.
Algiers. Winter 1943. Conor Thorn is devastated. He’s been fired from the OSS. His wife, Emily, has been fired from MI6. They allowed their morals to bend certain truths concerning the outcome of their last mission. Forever dedicated to defeating Axis powers, these skilled operatives jump at the chance to secretly help General Eisenhower deal with a political time bomb threatening Allied harmony and to redeem their honorable standing. To recover a rumored archive holding the truth about an assassination plot, they must travel deep into perilous Axis territory.
In the crosshairs of those determined to keep the information out of Allied hands, Conor and Emily fall victim to a violent assault. Though the resulting injuries leave him severely concussed and confused, Conor refuses to stand down while his beloved ventures deeper into danger.
Can Conor and Emily piece together a political puzzle in time to keep Allied unity from fracturing?
An American aircraft carrier blows up and sinks in the Persian Gulf. Was it an accident? A terrorist attack? Does it matter?
Maybe not.
Not after decades of hostility and brinkmanship between the United States and Iran. And certainly not after a known Iranian-funded and supported terrorist organization launches an attack on an American naval facility in the middle of rescue operations.
Iran is convinced that the United States is about to embark on a full-scale war and seek nothing short of regime change. They aren’t wrong. Iran strikes first. And they have some tricks up their sleeve. But nothing ever goes to plan.
This book is a warning.
The next war may be like no other in American history.
Punjabi militants seek to distance themselves from Indian and Pakistani dominance and interference. With the dissolution of British India in 1947, families were ripped apart as the Punjabi region was split between the two countries. Limited attacks within each country caused further persecution and heartache. The militants have no idea how to achieve their desires–until the appearance of Vladimir Aleksandrovich Nikolaev, a disgraced Spetsnaz colonel. He offers the militants a means to spark a conflict between the two nuclear powers. Russian subs sold on the black market and manned by Iranian and Russian sailors will surface off the coasts of the two countries and destroy Karachi and Mumbai. Propaganda machines will levy accusations against each country, leading to escalation of hostilities, pushing the countries to the brink of nuclear war. The Bedlam organization fields their three teams to counter the violence and seek to restore calm before it’s too late. Will they be successful, or will South Asia become a smoking ruin?
Australia is a surfers’ paradise … but this nefarious surfing on the ‘net’ … will destroy the global financial system. It’s not just a rippling ‘scam’ job. Has Australia been infiltrated at levels they’ve never known?
Elaina Williams uses a Cobra Pose in her Yoga studio to boost her energy – she will need it! Elaina’s father, Edward, is in trouble. He’s disappeared.
As a solicitor and now yoga instructor, Elaina drags Ric, a man she’s fallen for, into the bursting web of techno-thrilling intrigue.
Ric Peters has just returned from a disastrous trip to Indonesia. Ric bills himself as a photojournalist. Elaina suspects he shoots more than just photographs. Ric has insight into the journey he and Elaina must take. He knows Elaina isn’t ready for what’s going to happen. There are too many moving parts for him to control.
Time is running out before The Cobra and The Wolf strike with their heist. They are extending their fangs towards Australia’s ‘golden coastline’ to bite into and destabilise financial institutions worldwide.
Thank you for joining us to celebrate the 2023 Global Thrillers First Place Winners!
You can see our Spotlight on the Global Thriller Grand Prize Winners, including Ralph R ‘Rick’ Steinke’s incredible book Jake Fortina and the Roman Conspiracy here.
Your book can join the Tiers of Achievement, but only if you submit to the Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards!
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!
This newest division of the CIBAs is already exceeding our expectations! Your Book Deserves to be Discovered!
The Ozma Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Magic, Steampunk and Fantasy Fiction. The Ozma 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 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!
Thriller and Horror 
Alexandrea Weis won the Clue 2022 Grand Prize for her YA Thriller 
The Clue Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Suspense and Thriller Mysteries. The Clue Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs).
