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Not necessarily! Our webmaster works strange hours. If you don’t see the deadline updated on our website for 2024, the division is still open and you can still make it. If it has changed, please reach out to info@ChantiReviews.com and we may be able to sneak you in, but the good news is…
The webmaster emerges to update the Awards date! Run!
We are accepting entries into the 2024 Chanticleer International Book Awards Program.
The winners of the 2023 CIBAs will be announced on April 20, 2024.
The winners of the 2024 CIBAs will be announced in April 2025.
As always, a big thank you to all our readers, judges, staff, and the authors who make the CIBAs possible! The Book Awards are a labor of love, and we are so grateful every day to be able to Discover Today’s Best Books!
You have until September 30th to share your Tale of the Unknown with us and enter the 2023 CIBAs!
Chanticleer International Book Awards (the CIBAs) is looking for the best books Paranormal books featuring magic, the supernatural, weird otherworldly stories, superhumans (ex. Jessica Jones, Wonder Woman), magical beings & supernatural entities (ex. Harry Potter), vampires & werewolves (ex. Twilight), angels & demons, fairies & mythological beings, and magical systems.
Let’s celebrate the past winners and visit the Hall of Fame for the Paranormal Awards!
The Devil Pulls The Strings By J.W. Zarek
The protagonist and all-around decent guy, Boone Daniels, is in a heap of hurt in JW Zarek’s new Young Adult novel, The Devil Pulls the Strings.
One would think being plagued by an evil spirit wendigo since age six would be enough inconvenience to last a lifetime, but when Boone jousts with his best bud at a Ren Faire and accidentally deals a mortal blow, the hurt he experiences suddenly lands on a sliding scale of 1 to 1 million. And Boone Daniels becomes a millionaire, so to speak.
The realms of demons and angels clash, as the possibility of romance, plunges the beings of Hell into chaos. Kaylin McFarren’s Soul Seeker follows the otherworldly set as they flee for their lives, uncover millennia-old secrets about one another, and face the possibility of love in a very dangerous world.
But first, the demon, Crighton, wreaks havoc on his human target, a man named Poe, devastating the man and his family. You could say, Crighton’s at home collecting wicked souls for his boss, Lucifer. His villain persona is put into question when he meets the angel, Ariel. At first, Crighton believes the angelic Ariel would make an excellent prize for the prince of darkness, as the demon is well aware that his master adores ruining pretty things. However, when an undeniable attraction emerges between them, they wrestle with each other, pitting strength against strength. Beware any who would do anything to tear these two apart—that would spell certain death.
Katy Novacs is haunted, both by her past and the laughing specter that reminds her of it. When her friends bring her to Niagara-on-the-Lake in the hopes of lifting her spirits, she finds that their inn has a ghost of its own who has a tale that might save her.
Katy comes to the Niagara Inn in a mire of sorrow, fear, and trauma. Though her friends try to help her move forward with her life, to fall in love and open herself up to other people again, Katy’s stay at the inn only seems to drain her further. Both she and her friends question her sanity as she becomes certain that she’s sharing a room with the spirit of a dead woman, but when Abigail eventually reveals herself, it is to tell Katy a story that she needs to hear—that of Abigail’s life.
Award-winning author, Joy Ross Davis’ latest work, The Madwoman of Preacher’s Cove, ventures beyond the paranormal into the surreal. Like Medusa on a bad hair day, the lives of characters are intertwined and twisted in a snaky snarl of conflicting human desires, terrifying inexplicable events, and the lingering afterlives of ancient, supernatural beings.
Davis gifts us with a 21st-century legend, replete with mythological themes and creatures, and snippets of folklore and superstition melded with documented vagaries of weather, obscure herpetology, and creates a mystical potion worthy of Circe. In other words, Davis gives us a thrilling read!
Rumors about suspicious deaths have put Preacher’s Cove, Alabama, a small, historic town notorious for powerful, killer storms, on the map. Hap Murray, Huntsville’s Channel 12 field reporter, with family ties to the Cove, arrives in town on assignment, armed with only limited knowledge of the town’s history of inexplicable deaths. The rumors speculate that the local pastor may be involved.
A fascinating story with well-written characters that will keep the pages turning!
Now that you’re set on your next reads, what are you waiting for? The only way to join this amazing list of Paranormal 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!
Are you a Chanticleer Author who has some good news to share? Let us know! We’re always looking for a reason to crow about Chanticleerians! Reach out with your news to info@ChantiReviews.com
You have until September 30th to share your novel with us and enter the 2023 CIBAs!
Suspenseful stories filled with mystery have long held readers captive with their intricate plotting, enigmatic clues, and the tantalizing challenge of solving a puzzle or unraveling a crime. In these tales, protagonists are not just characters; they are the enigmatic detectives, the astute investigators, and the relentless truth-seekers who navigate a labyrinth of secrets, lies, and suspense. It’s a world where protagonists, inspired by the likes of Sherlock Holmes, navigate a web of mysteries, facing danger and moral quandaries with each step. From classic mysteries to contemporary thrillers, this genre captivates readers of all ages, drawing them into a labyrinth of secrets, where the ultimate reward is the satisfaction of solving the puzzle and the exhilaration of the chase.
If you are ready to unveil your next adventure, submit to the Clue Awards!
Lets take a moment to celebrate the Hall of Fame for the Grand Prize Winners of the Clue Awards!
The Vines
By Shelley Nolden
Shelley Nolden’s debut novel, The Vines, embraces multiple genres as it chills, fascinates, and horrifies, from historical and magical realism to fantasy and horror.
Nolden has melded fanaticism, medical anomalies, and the frailties of human behavior together with a historic setting, creating a narrative Kudzu vine that grows rapidly and spares nothing in its path. This particular vine consists of two main branches that intertwine, bridging time and linking parallel realities, one past, one present.
The Gettler men of Long Island, New York have shepherded a secret medical research project for generations, with the exception of Finn, the youngest man in the family.
Detective Rudyard Bloodstone is facing the most bizarre crime spree of his career as a copper on the Victorian streets of London. Someone is using a poisonous Cape cobra as a weapon.
What begins as a simple robbery scheme turns deadly when a wealthy businessman is killed via cobra attack, the crimes go from strange to deadly. Rudyard (Ruddy) and his partner, Archie Holcomb, have few clues and no idea what would cause such a change in the criminal’s behavior.
When the criminal returns to the estate and attacks the victim’s daughter, Ruddy’s suspicions are confirmed.
Famed marine biologist and researcher Claudia Rawlings is presumed dead. When Claudia’s research vessel goes down, her daughter Riley goes on a desperate search to discover what happened, eventually turning to Dagger Eastin, co-owner of Hunters and Seekers a marine salvage business. Dagger soon realize this isn’t a simple search and reclaim mission when someone takes a shot at him during an exploratory dive with Riley.
Former Navy SEALs, Dagger, and his partners Kaleb LaSalle and Stone Garrison are the definitions of relentless, and they quickly become embroiled in the investigation that has caught the attention of some very influential people, all seeking Claudia’s important research. And while Riley learns that her mother has left behind clues to her missing research, the Hunters and Seekers pull out all the stops to help and protect her. The wild scavenger hunt sends Dagger and Riley on a trip to discover the truth, but Russian spies, big oil cronies, and psychopathic hitmen lurk around every corner.
California Son, the second installment in the Liam Sol Mystery series by Timothy Burgess, presents another action-packed mystery for protagonist Liam Sol to solve. Honorably discharged after his tour of duty in Vietnam, Liam returns to his primarily Hispanic neighborhood of Baja La Bolsa, a coastal town near LA, California, where trouble finds him.
In his role as a journalist, Liam takes interest in the daily pleas of a Hispanic mother to find her son’s murderer, pleas that the mostly white La Bolsa Police seem to ignore. After an article he writes in hopes of renewing interest in the case appears in La Bolsa Tribune, the mother is found dead in her apartment. No stranger to death or violence, Liam soon finds himself on the personal side of a hunt for the killer of not only the son but also the mother.
The Review of the most recent winner is forthcoming.
Now that you’re set on your next reads, what are you waiting for? The only way to join this amazing list of Clue 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!
Are you a Chanticleer Author who has some good news to share? Let us know! We’re always looking for a reason to crow about Chanticleerians! Reach out with your news to info@ChantiReviews.com
You have until September 30th to share your Story with us and enter the 2023 CIBAs!
Charles M. Russell painted the cowboy seen on Chanticleer’s very own Laramie contest badge. It is one of many such paintings he did that encompassed the Old American Wild West. An advocate for the Native Americans, Charles M. Russell also helped establish a reservation in Montana for the Chippewa people.
Lets take a look at the Grand Prize Winners of the Laramie Awards!
Tom Sawyer Returns By E.E. Burke Laramie Grand Prize
Tom Sawyer Returns is the second book in The New Adventures series by author E.E. Burke.
Readers join a now grown up and far more independent Becky Thatcher as she maneuvers her complicated life in Civil War era Mississippi. Tom has long since left, and Becky is engaged to Union Captain Alfred Temple, who offers her all the safety and security she needs in such uncertain times. But does she love him? Actually love him?
Becky soon discovers that her heart may have other plans.
Trouble The Water By Rebecca Dwight Bruff
Overall Grand Prize Winner
Robert Smalls’ life should have been one for the history books.
Smalls was born a slave in Beaufort, South Carolina, in 1839. When the first shots of the Civil War were fired upon Fort Sumter, Smalls was an experienced helmsman aboard a small cargo ship plying the coastal waters of South Carolina and the neighboring states. Once the war broke out, he found himself working to support a cause that kept him, his wife, and their children locked in chattel slavery.
But in a daring escapade that fell somewhere between a raid and a rescue, Smalls planned, with the help of his fellow crew members (also slaves) aboard the CSS Planter, to abscond with the ship, its cargo of munitions taken from Fort Sumter, and bring their families. The plan was to sail the ship as though its white officers were still on board, pretending to be carrying out their orders—at least until the ship was out of the reach of Fort Sumter’s guns.
Seven Aprils By Eileen Charbonneau
Laramie Grand Prize
Disguised gender identities, warfare, and thwarted romance all play a role in this many-layered novel, Seven Aprils, by award-winning fiction author Eileen Charbonneau.
When Tess Barton, a hardscrabble farm girl, saves the life of a man attacked by a panther, she and he little realize how fated this encounter will prove. Ryder Cole, the man she saved, moves on, pursuing a medical career just as the United States seems destined for war. Intrepid Tess will move on, too, when she learns that her widower father sells her in matrimony to an old, brutish shopkeeper. A wise crone cuts Tess’s hair and garbs her in men’s attire. Reborn as Tom Boyde, who will soon, strangely, meet up with Ryder and become one of his “men,” conscripted into Lincoln’s armies. Tess/Tom shows promise as a medical assistant with some undeniable cooking skills, and together with two other conscripts, they make the team in the Union’s army hospital units.
Blood Moon A Captives Tale By Ruth Hull Chatlien
Laramie Grand Prize
Ruth Hull Chatlien’s historical novel Blood Moon: A Captive’s Tale shines a light on two worlds trying to coexist in the 1860s Minnesota, that of Westward Expansion and white settlers, and that of the complex network of Sioux tribes dealing with starvation and disease. We follow her protagonist, Mrs. Sarah Wakefield, as she is thrust unwillingly into the midst of the Indian Wars.
Based loosely on the life of real captive, Sarah Wakefield, Chatlien explores both sides of this conflict, through the eyes of our terrified hero, who does what she must to save her life and the lives of her two small children. The first-person narrative in present tense places us in the thick of Wakefield’s narrow escapes, and the presence of the constant threats to her and her children.
Reviews for the 2022 Laramie Awards are to come, but you can see the full list of winners here!
Now that you’re set on your next reads, what are you waiting for? The only way to join this amazing list of Laramie 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!
Are you a Chanticleer Author who has some good news to share? Let us know! We’re always looking for a reason to crow about Chanticleerians! Reach out with your news to info@ChantiReviews.com
The Chatelaine Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in Romantic Fiction. The Chatelaine Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).
Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best new books featuring romantic themes and adventures of the heart, historical love affairs, perhaps a little steamy romance, and stories that appeal especially to fans of affairs of the heart to compete in the Chatelaine Book Awards (the CIBAs). We will put them to the test and choose the best among them.
These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from all 2023 Chatelaine Romantic Fiction entries to the 2023 Chatelaine Book Awards LONG LIST. Entries below are now in competition for the 2023 Chatelaine Short List. The Short Listers will compete for the Semi-Finalist positions. Finalists will be chosen from the Semi-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 in Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2024 Chanticleer Authors Conference.
These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2023 Chatelaine Book Awards novel competition for Romantic Fiction!
Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2023 CIBAs.
Susan Bagby – Christmas Wish Upon A Star
Douglas Bachmann – Afterlife
Claira Towers – Just a Number: A Love Story
Kathryn Brown Ramsperger – A Thousand Flying Things
K.S. Jones – Once In a Bluebonnet Moon
Jeanette Watts – My Dearest Miss Fairfax
Charles M. DuPuy – Rescue Man
T.K. Conklin – Guarded Hearts
Morgan Sloan – Stableshoes
Edie Cay – A Viscount’s Vengeance
Kathleen Stone – Hey Jude
Gail Avery Halverson – A Sea of Glass
Hope Gibbs – Where the Grass Grows Blue
Betty Codd – Agatha
Laura Albu – The Undines
Alice McVeigh – Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Variation
George T. Arnold – Old Mrs. Kimble’s Mansion
Bonnie Rose Ward – Loving Beth
Catherine Tinley – A Laird for the Highland Lady
Carmela Dutra – Love Extra Credit
KB Taylor – Hattie’s Family: Through the Eyes of a Dairymaid
Suzanne Baginskie – Dangerous Revenge- Book 2 of The FBI Affairs Series
S.G. Blaise – Proud Pada
Patrick Greenwood – Sunrise in Saigon
Lynn Yvonne Moon – Fish Scales
Rose Prendeville – Mistress Mackintosh and the Shaw Wretch
Wendy Rich Stetson – Heartsong Hills
Jerry Gundersheimer – Reach: A Nexus of Life and Love
Robert Beatty – No Other Name
Yvonne Korshak – Pericles and Aspasia: A Story of Ancient Greece
Paul Buchheit – 1871: Rivers on Fire
Marie Jones – Those We Seek
Eve M. Riley – The Outcast
Carol Van Den Hende – Always Orchid
KD Sherrinford – Song for Someone
Nancy Herkness – Royal Caleva: Gabriel
Evie Alexander – Love ad Lib
Kelly Miller – A Dutiful Son
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 FB post. However, for FB to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews.
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 Gertrude Warner Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in Middle Grade Fiction. The Gertrude Warner Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).
Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring Contemporary Middle Grade, SFF & Paranormal Middle Grade, Mystery Middle Grade, Historical Middle Grade, Adventure Middle Grade, and Graphic Novels. We will put them to the test and choose the best among them. For Young Adult Fiction see ourDante Rossetti Awards hereand for Children’s Literature see ourLittle Peeps Awards here.
These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from all 2023 Gertrude Warner Middle Grade Fiction entries to the 2023 Gertrude Warner Book Awards LONG LIST. Entries below are now in competition for the 2023 Gertrude Warner Shortlist. The Short Listers will compete for the FINALIST positions. Finalists will be selected from the Short List. 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 20st, 2024 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2024Chanticleer Authors Conference.
These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2023 Gertrude Warner Book Awards novel competition for Middle Grade Fiction!
Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2023 CIBAs.
The 2023 Gertrude Warner Book Awards Long List
Tomás Pérez-Zafón – Trotter and the Twins: The Magic of Imagination
Sue C Dugan – SOS
Carrie Sword – The Gospel of the Reindeer
Gregory Saur – Drowning Hate
Jenna L. Campbell – Camp Silversand and the Lost Heart of the Lake
Gabriel Bietz – The Adventures of Arya and Krishna Betta Fish
Alex Paul – The Amarrat Invasion
Hans Ness – Rolo the Pet Earthling
Jason Colpitts – Corrine and the Secret Mountain Colony
Marsha Tufft – The Sea Turtle Spy Project: Putney Hicks Inventor Adventures? Book 4
Chris Norbury – Little Mountain, Big Trouble
V Knox – Snow Behind the Door
Zane Re-Bloom – The Magic of Moon & Herbs
Malinda Andrews – Awaken
Marsha Klopmeier Tufft – The Buoyancy Project: Putney Hicks Inventor Adventures, Book 2
Peter Serko – Hattie’s War
Andrew Dolberg and Rob Long – The Great Weather Diviner: The Untold Origin of Punxsutawney Phil
Vincent M. Miceli – The Last Triceracorn, Book One
J.T. Tenera – Erift’s Journeys: The Dark Messengers
Liese Sherwood-Fabre – Wilhelmina Quigley: Magic School Dropout
Mel Sobolewski – Second Chances Moonlight Mile Ranch
Eileen Hobbs – Under the Golden Rain Tree
Caryn Rivadeneira – Frankinschool (Book 1): Monster Match
Elizabeth R. Jensen – Fire & Wolves: A Tale of Etria
David Swindell – The Wonderful Friendship
Maxine Rose Schur – The Word Dancer
Kevin Dunn – Vicious is My Middle Name
Nikita Kapoor – Pack of the Lost – The Uninviting Forest
J.T. Tenera – Erift’s Journeys: Secrets of The Sealed Forest
Paisley Summer – The Butterfly Nebulae
Sheri Graubert – Molly Shipton, Secret Actress
Rae Marsh – Love, Maggie-Chronicles of 3rd Grade
David Nos – Kordan The Wizard
Barbara Gold – Operation Save PawPrints, an Izzy Rose Green Mystery
Ryan OBrien – Adventures Through the Magic Portal
Susan Diamond Riley – The Sea Witch’s Revenge: A Delta & Jax Mystery
Rae Knightly – EXOSTAR (The Lost Space Treasure Series, Book 1)
Alisse Lee Goldenberg & Joseph Goldenberg – Lucky At Bat
Mark Cheverton – Facing the Beast Within
Lynne Howard – Dylan Dover: Into The Vortex
L.T. Caton – Find Me In Time: Meeting Columbus
Cintia Alfonso Fior – Moraline
Rae St. Clair Bridgman – The Kingdom of Trolls
Ben Gartner – One Giant Leap
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 FB post. However, for FB to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews.
Additionally, we also post on Twitter. Chanticleer Twitter’s handle is @ChantiReviews
Orclick hereto go directly to Chanticleer’s Twitter feed.
Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 GERTRUDE WARNER Awards is:
MYSTERY FORCE, Volume 1
by Ted Neill and Suzi Spooner
The 2023 GERTRUDE WARNER Book Awards winners will be announced at CAC24 on April 20, 2024. Save the date for CAC24, scheduled April 18-21, 2024, our 12-year Conference Anniversary!
Submissions for the 2023GERTRUDE WARNER Book Awards are open until the end of August.Enter here!
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 Clue Awards for Suspense/Thriller novels has a new category!
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 our Mystery & Mayhem Awards, and for High Stakes Suspense Novels please check out our Global Thriller Awards).
Introducing the True Crime Category
The Clue Awards is delighted to welcome in a Non-Fiction black sheep into its fold with the True Crime / Investigations Category. While it would be tricky to fit this into our general Non-Fiction Awards, we took inspiration from bookstores everywhere that frequently put the True Crime section next to the rest of the excellent mysteries.
Book Riot did a great article on the differences between True Crime and Thrillers, saying
True crime aficionados liked the deep dive into the psychology of it all. Jack El-Hai, a true crime writer who recently published The Lost Brothers, wrote, “I’m only an occasional reader of murder mysteries. Many fictional works about murder are about finding out who did it, and the narrative concludes with that discovery or with catching the perpetrator. I’m more interested in why they did it and the aftermath for everyone affected by the crime.”
The readers they interviewed ranged from only wanting to read one or the other to loving both for different reasons. Do you have any of your own preferences?
Of course, this wouldn’t be a Chanticleer article if we didn’t have some excellent books for you to read!
We recently reorganized our Book Awards program at the request of our readers to keep a more even balance for reading and to lighten the load during the holiday season. As we settle into this new schedule, we’re hearing great feedback from authors regarding the best times for them to submit their work. This depends on conferences and workshops (many of which are genre specific) where they can regularly receive feedback and writing retreats that allow them to finish their manuscripts. Thank you to everyone who reaches out and makes our Awards a success every year!
You now have until the end of September to submit to the Dante Rossetti Book Awards for Young Adult Fiction.
The Dante Rossetti Awards are named for the young British painter and poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti, seen on our badge for the Rossetti Awards in a self-portrait.
La Viuda Romana by Dante Rossetti
Chanticleer chose Dante Rossetti as the namesake of our young adult fiction awards, because of Rossetti’s strong connection to works of beauty and emotions as swift as the changing seasons. Both aspects embody what it means to be young. We feel that the sentiment expressed by the Pre-Raphaelite movement exemplifies what inspires many authors to pick up their proverbial pens to express their emotions and their observations of the visceral dynamics of living.
In the spirit of Young Adult Literature, we’d like to celebrate some of our favorite YA reads by Chanticleer Authors in the last year.
PLAGUE Of FLIES: Revolt of the Spirits, 1846
By Laurel Anne Hill Ozma Grand Prize Winner Dante Rossetti First Place Winner
Sixteen-year-old Catalina Delgado’s hopes of marrying her love are troubled by strange, unnatural dangers, in Laurel Anne Hill’s novel, Plague of Flies.
Like every dutiful daughter in 1846, Catalina worries about her reputation. However, she must also gain the approval of Ángelo Ortega’s family. Unfortunately, when three strangers ride onto her family’s small ranch in Alta California, she knows that more than her dreams are at risk. Alta California has just been invaded by the men of the Bear Flag, and Catalina fears what will become of her homeland now that it has been claimed by the Yankees. The nearby ranch owned by the valiant General Vallejo has been raided, owners and their servants terrorized and held captive. Plus Bear Flaggers have murdered additional friends of Catalina’s family on a beach.
In connection with the recent killings, the three strangers are harbingers of a dire prophecy repeated to Catalina by a dying vaquero. Catalina is destined to be carried off by a spirit man riding a black Andalusian stallion. She will be tasked to do the bidding of Coyote, a trickster spirit who is trying to stop the advancement of the Bear Flaggers. Catalina grapples with her uncertainty and disbelief, but she desperately wants to save her family. When Spirit Man appears to her, she must ask herself how far she is willing to go to keep her loved ones alive.
THE HIDDEN LIBRARY: Book 2 of the Isle of Dragons Series
By L.A. Thompson
Isle of Dragons: The Hidden Library by L.A. Thompson is a breathtaking race to seize the reins of destiny and find a magical library that was once the subject of stories and lore. Jade and Kaylen, once friends, oppose each other in search of this hidden library and its world-changing secrets.
Demoted and dejected, Kaylen reels from her valiant but failed attempt to bring back the final item that King Jarrod needs to fulfill a prophecy. The iconic stone remains out of reach. Kaylen is summoned for an audience with the king. A glimmer of hope for the future flickers, but the king demands an even more ambitious mission of her. He will restore her rank and honors if she finds for him the mysterious hidden library that can open a gateway between worlds. It’s a deadly challenge that will once again pit her against an old friend.
Jade summons all her strength and courage with others who stand against the king who has made her family suffer. When she and Kaylen clash, sparks will ignite as hot as a dragon’s roar.
OPERATION MOM: My Plan to Get My Mom a Life and a Man
By Reenita Malhotra Hora Chatelaine Grand Prize Winner Dante Rossetti First Place Winner
Master storyteller Reenita Malhotra Hora’s YA romance Operation Mom: My Plan to Get My Mom a Life and a Man takes us on a charming journey through the life of one teen, Ila Isham.
Hora introduces Ila and her best friend Deepali, two boy-crazy teens on a summer quest. Readers will fall in love with the smart, sassy, angst-filled, rebellious Ila. A typical teenage girl, Ila lives in Mumbai with her mom and Sakkubai, their house manager. Ila’s mother calls her obsessed, but that seems unfair. Is she obsessed just because her every waking minute is spent thinking of Ali Zafar, famous pop icon, singer, and heartthrob? Or is she obsessed with fellow classmate Dev?
No, Ila couldn’t be taken with Dev because he’s one of three young men that her best friend Deepali is juggling in her summer experiment of exploring her “feminine mystique.” This turn of phrase becomes just one of many opportunities for Hora’s humor to shine as Ila remarks, “That’s a book by Gloria Steinem . . . no Betty Friedan.” Deepali’s response? “Yaar. Don’t be so literal.” The delightful balance between Ila’s book smarts versus Deepali’s street smarts carries us through Hora’s expertly crafted story.
TARO: The Legendary Boy Hero of Japan By Blue Spruell, illustrated by Miya Outlaw Dante Rossetti Grand Prize Winner
Adventure, classic tales, fantasy, and exciting action combine in TARO: Legendary Boy Hero of Japan, a well-poised debut novel by award-winning author Blue Spruell.
In the turbulent final decades of the sixteenth century, feudal Japan reeled in mayhem as the central hereditary dictatorship collapsed, and tyrannical powers fought to control the empire. TARO: The Legendary Boy Hero of Japan is the story of how one man revolutionized a nation by taking its reigns and forging a new destiny through his depths of compassion and determination.
The story begins with Taro as a young boy. As an heir to the Takeda family, Taro enjoyed reading, much to his father’s disapproval, as he wanted him to follow in his footsteps as a skilled Samurai. Tragedy changes Taro’s presumed destiny when his parents are murdered in a fierce power struggle, leaving him an orphan. Shortly after, a witch saves him from drowning and begins Taro’s new life of adventure, introducing him to a world of mythical creatures. On this new journey, Taro discovers shocking secrets about his lineage, and with them, his ultimate purpose in medieval Japan.
FROM BRICK and DARKNESS
By J. L. Sullivan Ozma First Place Winner
Dreams become a reality for a high schooler who gets more than he bargains for when he unwittingly releases a demon in J. L. Sullivan’s urban fantasy novel, From Brick and Darkness.
Fifteen-year-old Baxter (Bax) Allen encounters a creepy homeless-looking man at his apartment complex with purple eyes. The stranger, who asks for Greg, Bax’s estranged father, hands him a ring affixed with a purple stone. The man says that the costume jewelry is valuable, although Bax has difficulty believing his claim.
At school the next day, as he shares his weird experience with his best friend, Jason, Bax accidentally rubs the ring, the stone emits a hypnotic glow, and a small monkey-like creature appears, saying, “How can it serve?” Once Bax and Jason realize that the ring summoned a genie (or Janni, as the creature says), the two plan to investigate this strange phenomenon further at Bax’s house. One thing leads to the next, and before the boys know what’s going on, Ashley, Bax’s neighbor catches a glimpse of Janni. She joins the boys and is sworn to secrecy about this enchanted creature.
Thank you to everyone who has entered the CIBAs, and a special thanks to those who keep reading alive for the Young Adults in the world! Good books for young people matter!
The winners of the Dante Rossetti Awards will be announced during the 2024 Chanticleer Authors Conference. First-place winners receive the coveted Chanticleer Blue Ribbon, and the Grand Prize laureate commands the spotlight, epitomizing the exceptional YA Fiction genre talent.
The Chaucer Book Awards recognizes the best of the best in Historical Fiction featuring the Pre-1750s Historical Fiction, including pre-history, ancient history, Classical, world history (non-western culture), Dark Ages and Medieval Europe, Renaissance, Elizabethan, Tudor, and 1600s.
Named for Geoffrey Chaucer who wrote The Canterbury Tales, The Chaucer Awards is the first Historical Fiction division created at Chanticleer, pre-dating the Goethe Awards for Late Historical Fiction and the Hemingway Awards for 20th c. Wartime Fiction. After receiving an overwhelming amount of entries into the 2016 Chaucer Book Awards, the judges requested that the CIBAs divide the historical fiction division.
The Canterbury Tales is considered one of the greatest works in the English language, and is in large part responsible for the strong Germanic influence (the top competing work of literature, Pearl, was much more heavily influence by French, but it wasn’t as popular and we don’t even have records of the author’s name). It was among the first non-secular books written in Middle English to be printed.
A woodcut from William Caxton’s second edition 0f the Canterbury Tales printed in 1483
Our favorite Rooster, Chanticleer himself comes from the Prior’s Tale, written by Chaucer!
“For crowing there was not his equal in all the land. His voice was merrier than the merry organ that plays in church, and his crowing from his resting place was more trustworthy than a clock. His comb was redder than fine coral and turreted like a castle wall, his bill was black and shone like a jet, and his legs and toes were like azure. His nails were whiter than the lily and his feathers were like burnished gold.” – Chaucer
Some interesting tidbits about Geoffrey Chaucer
Born c. 1342/43 probably in London. He died on October 25, 1400
His father was an important London vintner
His family’s finances were derived from wine and leather
Chaucer spoke Middle English and was fluent in French, Latin, and Italian
He guided diplomatic missions across the continent of Europe for ten years where he discovered the works of Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio whose The Decameron had a profound influence on Chaucer’s later works
He married well as his wife received an annuity from the queen consort of Edward III
His remains are interred in the Westminster Abbey
As our deadline draws near, don’t miss this opportunity to earn the distinction your historical fiction deserves! Enter today!
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 CHAUCER Awards is:
The Chaucer Awards, as a Division of the CIBAs, promotes authors at every step of the way. Each time a book advances we promote it
Posting it on our high traffic website
Highlighting it across our social media
Sending it directly to our audience in a newsletter blast
Beginning at the Short List we start offering digital badges and promotional stickers to all entrants. We love promoting our authors and can’t wait to see who moves up in the lists for this prestigious award!
You’ve finished your first work in progress, and written those fateful words: THE END. Then, like a good writer, you revise it, one, two, seven, eight times! You’ve spent well over a year with the work, and you’re either ready to begin querying or you’ve decided that you don’t want to deal with the gatekeepers in the publishing industry. Whichever describes you, your book is ready to see the world!
The many hats worn by authors
Or is it?
Here are some questions (but certainly not all) to ask yourself before you publish your work:
Have you asked a professional to look your work over?
Have you considered how you’re going to format the interior?
What are you going to do for cover design?
What medium do you want to publish in? Physical, ebook, audio?
What company do you want to use to publish your work?
How will you market your book?
It’s too much!
If that feels overwhelming, there’s a reasonable explanation. Publishing is a business, and a different person is often paid to help answer each of these questions in a traditional publishing environment. Self-Published Authors frequently serve as their own project manager, meaning they are the head editor, publisher, marketer, and designer for their book. Don’t be afraid to set ambitious goals, and also remember to be gentle with yourself as this process takes serious time.
We’re going to make two basic assumptions going forward: 1. You want an ISBN, and 2. You’re doing this because you have the budget to do so.
Now, let’s start with the first bullet point on the list.
Having a Professional Review Your Book
The Overview
One of the biggest issues we come across with books is that there’s no story. The writing is crisp, clean, even gorgeous, but the most that can be said for the novel is it’s well-written. The plot does not compel and the characters do not drive. In the words of Anne Lamott:
“Any plot you impose on your characters will be onomatopoetic: PLOT.”
For those reasons, we recommend having a Manuscript Overview first, whether you receive that from us or from someone else. Professionals who understand the writing industry and work with publishers are uniquely situated to give you feedback on whether or not you have a story that people will want to read and buy.
Kiffer Brown with an overview presentation
A good Manuscript Overview will examine the following:
Compelling nature of story
Dialogue
Character development
Does the scenery and setting work with the story
Backstory issues
Professionalism of editing & formatting
Continuity of storyline
Plotting and plot-hole issues
Writing craft
This stage comes before line and copyediting, as you still have plenty of work to do in bringing the work up to being the best it can be. You can read more about our suggestions surrounding Manuscript Overviews here.
Line Editing, Copy Editing, and Proof Reading
While we have all the general information about this on our Editorial Services page, those thoughts and definitions are worth repeating here. Our Editorial Coordinator can discuss with you about whether or not your work needs more development before moving onto the next stage in editing.
Line Edit
If your story still has developmental issues (dialogue, plotting, character development, etc.), your work would benefit from a Line Edit. Line Editing is a line-by-line edit to make sure that each sentence pushes the story forward and creates just the right amount of pacing and tension. Each and every word should count!
Line Edit Review is a final check that all issues and concerns have been addressed by the author and that new problems have not been created in the reworking of the manuscript.
Copy Edit
WorldKeeper Diane Garland always has excellent suggestions to track your story
We highly suggest that you have a Style Sheet Guide created that is the basis of your story-bible. A Style Sheet Guide will ensure that your characters’ names, place names, conventions (examples are: Happy Christmas instead of Merry Christmas or blond or blonde or using kilometers instead of miles), jargon, pet names, time frame, and more — the attention to detail that will set your work apart from the fray.
After reworking the manuscript and addressing the editor’s suggestions, then the work should be ready for a Copy Edit with an editor with fresh eyes.
Copyediting is a mechanical edit. It focuses on grammar, punctuation, spelling, typos, continuity errors, and timeline errors.
If a Style Sheet has been generated, then the manuscript will be edited using it to ensure consistency.
Proof Read
A proof read with a third set of fresh eyes is the final reading to catch the inevitable typos and glitches.
If a Style Sheet was generated prior to the copy edit, then it will be used in the final proofing of the work.
Proofing comes before formatting. Formatting is determined by the publishing platform.
As we get into the nitty gritty details of proof reading, that’s a good time to examine the often forgotten question of formatting.
Professional Touch
Call in the pros!
Many authors rightly find themselves wrapped up in the joys and beauty of their work. This devotion to writing is what makes them so good at what they do, and it is important to have an outside, less biased perspective to help you along. Often a key part of a story or character exists only in the author’s mind, and somehow it never found its way onto the page. Hiring extra eyes really can make the difference when it comes to your book being excellent as opposed to just another of the millions of published titles a year.
That’s all the time we have for this article. We’ve covered the importance of having professional eyes on your book. In a future article we’ll look at:
Interior Format
Cover Design
Mediums of Publishing
Self-Publishing Companies
Marketing
Stay tuned!
Thank you for joining us for this Writer’s Toolbox Article!
Our 12th Anniversary Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC24) will be April 18-21, 2024, where our 2023 CIBA winners will be announced. Space is limited and seats are already filling up, so sign up today! CAC24 and the CIBA Ceremonies will be hosted in Beautiful Bellingham, Wash. Sign up and see the latest updates here!
When you’re ready,did you know that Chanticleer offers editorial services?We do and have been doing so since 2011.
Our professional editors are top-notch and are experts in the Chicago Manual of Style. They have and are working for the top publishing houses (TOR, McMillian, Thomas Mercer, Penguin Random House, Simon Schuster, etc.).
If you would like more information, we invite you to email Kiffer or David at KBrown@ChantiReviews.com or DBeaumier@ChantiReviews.com for more information, testimonials, and fees.
We work with a small number of exclusive clients who want to collaborate with our team of top-editors on an on-going basis.Contact us today!
Chanticleer Editorial Services also offers writing craft sessions and masterclasses. Sign up to find out where, when, and how sessions being held.
A great way to get started is with our manuscript evaluation service, with more information availablehere.
And we do editorial consultations for $75. Learn morehere.
If you’re confident in your book, consider submitting it for a Editorial Book Reviewhereor to one of our Chanticleer International Awardshere.
Writer’s Toolbox
Thank you for reading this Chanticleer Writer Resolutions article.
The Chatelaine Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in Romantic Fiction. The Chatelaine Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).
