Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Book Discovery

Beauty and the Bridesmaid by Lisa Souza – Chick-lit

Beauty takes a different a form in Lisa Souza’s page-turning debut novel, Beauty and the Bridesmaid.

Dorothy (Dot) Lindell tags herself as a “relationship black hole.” An overweight software geek with a loser love life whose only wish is to not die a virgin.

At her cousin’s wedding, displayed in a tightly molded purple-ish taffeta gown, Dot feels she wins the award for the ugliest bridesmaid. To add injury to insult, Dot has lost hope of an amorous hookup since her escort, Kennedy J Kennedy is gay – and the life of the party. But when he offers to trade his image consulting services for her software know-how, Dot checks the box for a complete image overhaul.

What she doesn’t realize is that her extensive overhaul is bigger, financially and physically and emotionally, than she could ever have imagined. If facial acid applications through a dermatologist aren’t enough, Dot’s personal trainer works her to death. Although it only takes her three and a half months to lose the weight through rigorous exercise program and her spanking-new meal plan, it all pales in comparison to the painful aftermath of plastic surgery.

As a result of her hard work and her surgeon’s skill, Dot is NOT the same person, anatomically speaking, than before. Changing her moniker to her middle name, Alana (Dot) enters a new world of attraction. Among her many admirers, the first person to ask her on a date is none other than her heart-throb who didn’t know she existed – even though they worked in the same office.

As told through Dot, Souza’s first person narrative describes a young woman whose involvement as a bridesmaid is less than stellar for several reasons, hideously unflattering dresses near the top of the list. Beauty and the Bridesmaid is a fascinating story that will hit the nerve of women who have ever felt or been told that their physical appearance just isn’t enough.

Souza’s distinct cast encompasses a wide range of personalities. From the down-and-outers and geeks to the haughty, and those that are purely villainous, Souza has designed much of her figures to function as foils for the main purpose of shaping Dot’s persona. Scenes continually alternate between Dot’s work, home life, friendships, and attendance at weddings as she transforms from an unattractive heavyset woman to a slim drop-dead gorgeous diva. An appealing feature of Dot’s character is her snarky comebacks, which as comedic as they are, function as her defense mechanism. Underneath her callous demeanor is actually a very humble and compassionate side that remains consistent even though she changes outwardly.

Souza slowly but steadily builds her plot with various elements to keep the story fluid. Aside from cliffhanging chapter endings and scenes replete with copious amounts of unexpected everything, Souza eliminates monotony by sprinkling the storyline with Dot’s therapy appointments, her Barbara Cartland romance reads, and bridal excerpts from Sarah Stein and Lucy Talbot’s The Bridesmaid’s Manual.

Beauty and the Bridesmaid is a perfect read with broad audience appeal for both Chick Lit and Romance aficionados.

February 1, 2017
Contest Rankings for the Chanticleer Book Awards – The Latest 411

Genre Grand Prize Winners

Authors and writers from around the world (from more than 35 countries) submit their latest works to the Chanticleer International Writing Competitions. The winners of these novel writing contests are recognized at the annual Chanticleer Book Awards Ceremony and Banquet that takes place at the annual Chanticleer Authors Conference and 3 Day Book Fair.

We have recognized each of the 14 genres that are represented First Place category winners along with announcing the genre GRAND PRIZE Award Winners and then top the evening by announcing the Overall Grand Prize Winner for the year’s Best Book Award. At this year’s ceremony, we will also recognize a new level of award winners, the Short Listed award winners.

Books that have reached the Short List or the Semi-Finalist rounds have been read completely. These are books that we love and that we want to give extra recognition. However, only a handful will go on to achieve First Place Category Positions and only one of these will be awarded the genre’s grand prize.

The Short Listed Award Winners (aka Semi-Finalists) will compete for the 5 coveted First Place Category Position within each of the offered genre novel competitions. Conference and Banquet Attendees who have been awarded a Short List position will be recognized on stage at the awards ceremony and their books will have the opportunity to be available in the 3 Day Book Fair managed by Village Books.

Short Listed titles may use the digital badges below for website, digital, and social media promotion. “Short Listed by Chanticleer Reviews” stickers are available to Short Listers. Authors may use “Short Listed by Chanticleer Reviews on their Short Listed titles.

For more information about the Chanticleer International Book Awards, please click here.

We are grateful for our contests judges — for theirs is truly a labor of love!

As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns at KBrown@ChantiReviews.com

January 25, 2017
Lost Secrets of Master Musicians: A Window Into Genius by David Jacobson – Non-Fiction

Told with assurance and passion, a tale of one man’s lifelong journey to connect with his own musical and artistic aesthetic unwinds across decades and touches upon the techniques of some of the best known musicians of modern times. Classically trained musicians and amateurs alike will find the techniques discussed in Lost Secrets of Master Musicians thought-provoking.

In a chronological and easy-to-follow fashion, Mr. Jacobson begins by providing background for his insight into the existence of these lost secrets, describing his own introduction into musical study and detailing his experiences with various well-known mentors, eventually culminating with his study at the prestigious Curtis Institute while still a young teen.

While not every classically trained musician or music educator will agree with his conclusions, Mr. Jacobson has the undeniable pedigree and real life experience to discuss the techniques of fine playing, specifically of the violin, and successful music pedagogy within his genre.

Lost Secrets of Master Musicians attempts to answer the promise of its title. Any musician who has spent time studying the twentieth century masters: Jascha Heifetz, Nathan Milstein, and David Oistrakh, Vladimir Horowitz, and Glenn Gould will find their interest piqued by the re-discovery of playing techniques that Mr. Jacobson puts forth in his insightful and revealing, and yet, what some musicians may consider controversial, treatise.

As a performer, Mr. Jacobson begs the musician and the reader to recognize what has been lost and how it can be recovered. The included photographs of proper position when playing the violin aid in the many points covering body symmetry, tone in playing, and what is referred to as “mind/body flow.”

Individual chapters are devoted to an instrument’s intrinsic value apart from the player, the role of authority in the face of the conductor or mentor, and the composer’s role in the modern repertoire. Each are examined through the lens of Mr. Jacobson’s new approach before the approach itself is compared to that of the well-known and controversial Suzuki Method, as well as Galamian instruction, a method of violin pedagogy found at both Juilliard and the Curtis Institute.

Mr. Jacobson’s unique idea, what he has termed the “bel canto instrumental technique,” eschews the idea of individual musical talent in favor of exploring – and challenging – how music itself is approached and taught from the most basic level of instruction to the pinnacle of performance.

A Curtis Institute graduate, Mr. Jacobson also holds a Master of Music Performance degree from Boston University and is the founder and director of the San Francisco Institute of Music.

January 14, 2017
BOOKSELLER CONFIDENTIAL — What Are Booksellers Seeking to Buy for Stocking Their Shelves?
While Chanticleer Reviews was exhibiting books vetted by our reviewers and writing competitions at several Independent Bookseller Association Trade Shows this September, I was able to observe (a marketing habit of mine) professional book buyers in action. Their traits were consistent with what they were seeking to fill their shelves. Also, I was able to ask the book buyers what they were looking for in particular to make their buying decisions.

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A Sea of Books

Book buyers “walk the show” rather quickly as they scan for covers that pique their interest enough to stop and inquire. Book covers had, maybe, two or three seconds to catch a book buyers attention.

They do this because this is how most readers (aka customers) shop for books in their bookstores. Most independent book stores carry approximately seven thousand books. Inventory must be refreshed constantly to keep the core clientele coming back and to attract new clients.

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Book Buyers with Sell Sheets

TOP TEN OBSERVATIONS of the Independent Booksellers Association Trade Shows (so far)
1. The book store buyers were there to discover “new finds” for their patrons—not just the New York Times bestselling books. Many said their patrons shop with them to discover new authors.
2. They want to know what the author is doing to push sales on all fronts (websites, p-o-s, social media, etc.)
3. Book buyers want to know if the author is reaching out specifically to her targeted audience.
4. Are authors promoting their books in social media platforms that are targeted for their genres?
5. Do authors supply point-of-sale promotions (shelf-talkers, shiny award stickers)?
6. Is the book an award winner? Are there shiny stickers to attract the eyes of the readers? (Yes, I am repeating the bit about shiny stickers.)
7. Does the cover list review blurbs and endorsements?
8. Stores are becoming more event oriented. Is the author willing to do an event at book stores (not just a reading)? Events add value to a title and author brand.
9. Booksellers LOVE series! They love series and the promise of works to come.
10. Booksellers can tell the quality of a printed book in a heartbeat and at thirty paces.
  - It is an unspoken tenet that Booksellers do NOT want books printed by CreateSpace/Amazon — primarily because they are not available through the usual distribution channels.
  - Booksellers do NOT want books from certain vanity presses and/or author services known to be disreputable because of terrible past experiences. Everyone in the business of book selling knows about this unspoken list of disreputable publishing houses.
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This Cover Sells Itself

The NITTY GRITTY
- Booksellers do not care if a book is traditionally published, Indie published, or small press published. They care if the book will sell itself as it sits on the shelf–will the cover reach out to the targeted audience and pique interest? Booksellers want to know what the author/publisher is doing and will do to create book buzz.
- Booksellers do want to offer independently published books that have been vetted, but unless the authors are local community members, they want the books to come through the typical distribution channels.
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Book Buyers Asking Questions about Carrying Indie Books while another book buyer is reading the back cover of one of the books in the Chanticleer Collection.

However, they do care about:
- Covers — covers must be compelling, perfect, targeted, and sell the book by itself while sitting on a shelf. The cover must convey: Genre, Sub-genre, time period, mood (humorous, scary, romantic, light reading, intense, etc.), age appropriateness, targeted audience, tone, and the TITLE! The cover must convey ALL of this information in seconds.
- Professional Reviews (Editorial Reviews)
- Professional Editing
- Professional Formatting, Typography, and Graphic Design and Layout
- Availablility through traditional distribution channels (Baker Taylor, Ingram Spark, etc.)
- Conventional credit terms that are available through the distributor.
- Are the books returnable to the distributor?
- A minimum of 40 percent discount off retail price
- Ease and reliability of re-ordering from a stable supplier/distributor/publisher in to restock a bestselling book quickly
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Simon & Schuster Book Covers

What Independent Booksellers do care about is meeting their sales goals so that they can continue as a going-concern (staying open and in business). To do this, they must keep their clientele coming back by offering unique books and great “discoveries,” hosting events, and providing excellent service.

GOOD NEWS!

At each show, I met NEW INDIE bookstore owners who have just opened their stores in the past six months or were opening in November for the upcoming holiday season. All the bookstore owners told me that they were bringing in approximately $75,000 to $100,000 (in wholesale dollars) of books to initially stock their shelves.

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Book Buyers Inquiring about Author Events

Independent Booksellers do care about the quality of the books (content, cover, editing, formatting, and design) that they stock because the books reflect the quality of the bookstore.

AND, one more time, booksellers care the most about the cover (front, back, spine, dust jacket) which sells the book by attracting the targeted audience, acting as a point-of-sale promotion, and getting the book in the reader’s hands.

NEVER underestimate the power of the cover–especially for first time authors. The cover of the first book will sell it, and then is the content that will sell the second book.

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Denver MPIBA Show – Book Buyers Cruising the Show

Kiffer’s TOP OBSERVATIONS
- Either the cover attracted the bookseller to pick it up and check it out, OR the book did not exist — books with less than stellar covers seemed as if they were invisible or just did not exist.
- The cover must convey the genre, sub-genre, tone, mood, and be compelling to its targeted market in a glance.
- There must not be any question from the cover as to whether or not the book is a mystery, sci-fi, thriller, romance, etc. If there is any question as to its targeted readership—it is a pass to the book buyer.
In Closing

I am proud to say that the booksellers were impressed that the Chanticleer Reviews team members staffing the booth knew so much about the books that we were exhibiting and the authors. They found the author sheets given to them to take back to their offices very professional for Indie authors. They also were pleased to know that the titles were available in our printed and online catalogs, and that each and every book we were representing was vetted by us—Chanticleer Reviews—either with a top Chanticleer review that they could read and/or that the books were award winners in the Chanticleer International Writing Competitions.

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Kiffer Brown Hand-selling the Chanticleer Reviews Collection

Only books that received a four or five star Chanticleer Review and/or have been awarded a First in Category Award in the Chanticleer Reviews Writing Competitions are eligible for exhibition at the Chanticleer Reviews trade show booths for Booksellers and Librarians. If your book has received a coveted four or five star review from Chanticleer or was Short-Listed in the Chanticleer International Book Awards, it will be eligible to participate in Chanticleer’s exclusive trade show representation service.

Here is a comment from the owner of Village Books (one of the top five independent bookstores in the U.S.), Paul Hanson:

“Kiffer, your Bookseller Confidential article is SPOT ON. Thank you for spreading good and accurate information!” Best, Paul Hanson, Village Books

Thank you, Paul!

Another Note from Kiffer Brown: a tip of the hat to one of my favorite authors: Anthony Bourdain and his best-selling book, Kitchen Confidential.

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October 20, 2016
September Spotlight: Fall leaves shed to make way for new beginnings, and a new contest from Chanticleer!

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September winds blow away leaves to make way for the new, but at Chanticleer the new and the old walk hand in hand, as we call for submissions to the brand new Little Peeps Awards for Early Readers and the long running Clue Awards for Suspense/Thriller/Mysteries.

Young Adult has been one of our most popular competitions since Chanticleer began. The number of entries was getting larger and larger, and we were stretching the limits of “YA” more and more. Finally, it became clear we needed to divide the contest. We decided to make 2 contests: the Gertrude Warner Awards for Middle Grade Books, which we introduced earlier this year, and the Little Peeps Awards for Children’s Books.

So bring us your chapter books, story books, picture books, activity books, and educational books for children. We are excited to see all of your entries!

The Clue Awards have, on the other hand, have had a long history of winners.

The Clue Awards for Thriller/Suspense Fiction, History of Winners:

2015

Blood Relations by Lonna Enox won the Clue Award category for “Mystery” and then went on to take home the 2015 Clue Grand Prize.
“Not many books leave me with the urge to immediately re-read them, but Blood Relations most certainly did. The subtlety of the details and clues written throughout the mystery surfaced only after I finished reading. It is an amazing talent for an author to leave you wanting to re-read her novel. And this well-written and entertaining book made me do so.”

Lonna Enox is a former high school and college English instructor. She grew up on a ranch in New Mexico, where she learned to love critters, reading, and “wide open” spaces. She is a wife, mom, and grandmother, as well as the proud owner of 4 rescue pets–3 cats and a dog. Aside from an early stint as a newspaper reporter, she also spent 10 years as a freelance magazine writer. She is happiest exploring a wildlife refuge, cuddling little ones and critters, or snuggled up reading a good mystery.

2014

The Red Ribbon by Rachel B. Ledge won the Clue Award category for “Historical Thriller” and then went on to take home the 2014 Clue Grand Prize.
“The Red Ribbon proves a satisfying romp for fans of historical fiction, with its glittering ballrooms, bloody frays, mysterious subplots, mistaken identities, and voices from the grave.”

Award winning author Rachel Ledge grew up in Idaho, Texas, Utah and California attending 14 schools by the time she graduated high school. She never could quite settle down in one place and now lives in Singapore and Sydney, Australia, with her husband. She can be found sitting up late at night reading anything with a compelling story line.

2013

The Raggedy Man by Clyde Curley won the Clue Award category for “Classic Detective” and then went on to take home the 2013 Clue Grand Prize.
“Mr. Curley has written an engrossing debut novel that immerses the reader in the lives of the characters and the city they inhabit. His story world is one that you don’t want to leave behind. His characters are fully-realized, living and breathing human beings struggling to make their way through days complicated by the best and worst of the human condition, and his writing is exquisite in its detail.”

Clyde Curley earned a B.A. and a California Teaching Credential at San Francisco State College (followed later by an M.A.T. from Portland State University) and went on to a 31-year career teaching high school in Oregon. He chaired the English Department at Milwaukee High School and taught Special Ed. Language Arts to ninth-graders and Honors Survey of English Literature to twelfth-graders. An avid folk musician, he resides with his wife, Susan, in Bellingham, Washington.

2012

Saving Hope by Liese Sherwood -Fabre won the first CLUE Award for Mystery/Thrillers.

“Sherwood-Fabre creates a cliffhanging thriller not only with literary skill and authenticity regarding life, crime, and medicine in Russia (Sherwood-Fabre lived there as an adult), but also with great emotion and story telling ability. Deception, underworld crime, the FSB (formerly the KGB), a mother’s love, and a ticking clock to save the world from a deadly virus makes for a great page-turner.”

In Moscow in 1998, Liese Sherwood-Fabre came across a New Yorker article about Iran recruiting unemployed bio-weapon scientists. That story, along with her own experiences and observations during her five years in Russia inspired her novel Saving Hope—now available through Musa Publishing. Dr. Sherwood-Fabre had joined her husband four years earlier in Moscow after he moved there to assist in the privatization of Soviet businesses and industries. “Those were heady days,”Dr. Sherwood-Fabre recalls. “The country experienced a huge influx of foreign assistance and interest from Western companies in expanding into that region.”

The Little Peeps Awards have yet to make history, but we are excited to see what authors and illustrators will submit.

Your book could earn a place in our hall of fame for 2016 Best Books.

All you have to do is to enter your manuscript or published novel in either of these terrific contests!

The September 30th deadline for submissions, for both writing contests, is going to be here before you know it. Don’t miss this opportunity to earn distinction for your novel. Enter our contests today!

All category winners have the opportunity to attend our spring Award Gala ceremony that takes place during the 2017 Chanticleer Authors Conference where they will be whisked up on stage to receive their ribbon in a magical evening including dinner, networking opportunities, and celebrations–not to mention free reviews, and the chance to win the grand prizes and cash![/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container backgroundcolor=”” backgroundimage=”” backgroundrepeat=”no-repeat” backgroundposition=”left top” backgroundattachment=”scroll” video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” bordersize=”0px” bordercolor=”” borderstyle=”” paddingtop=”20px” paddingbottom=”20px” paddingleft=”0px” paddingright=”0px” menu_anchor=”” equal_height_columns=”no” hundred_percent=”no” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”single solid” sep_color=”transparent” class=”” id=””]What are the Little Peeps and Clue Awards?[/fusion_title][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”3_5″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]Our Little Peeps Awards are the Chanticleer Reviews search for the best Children’s books of 2016!

Chanticleer Book Reviews is looking for the best books featuring stories of all shapes and sizes written to an audience of Early Readers. Story books, Chapter Books, Picture Books, Activity Books & Educational Books we will put them to the test and choose the best Children’s Books among them.

Our CLUE Awards are the Chanticleer Reviews search for the best Thriller/Suspense Fiction books of 2016!

Chanticleer Book Reviews is looking for the best books featuring suspense, thrilling adventure, detective work, private eye, police procedural, and crime solving, we will put them to the test and choose the best among them. (For light-hearted Mystery and Suspense entries see ourMystery & Mayhem Awards)[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”2_5″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_size=”1px” border_color=”#606060″ border_style=”solid” padding=”10px” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]

Our Chanticleer Review Writing Contests feature more than $30,000.00 worth of cash and prizes each year!

~$1000 Overall Grand Prize Winner
~$2800 in Genre Grand Prizes
~$28,980 in reviews, prizes, and promotional opportunities awarded to Category Winners

[/fusion_text][fusion_button link=”/services#!/Little-Peeps-Fiction-Writing-Contests-Chanticleer-Book-Reviews/p/58078150/category=5193080″ color=”darkgray” size=”” type=”” shape=”” target=”_blank” title=”” gradient_colors=”|” gradient_hover_colors=”|” accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” bevel_color=”” border_width=”1px” shadow=”” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” modal=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”1″ alignment=”center” class=”” id=””]Enter Little Peeps![/fusion_button][fusion_button link=”/services#!/Mystery-Thriller-Suspense-Writing-Contest/p/21521209/category=5193080″ color=”darkgray” size=”” type=”” shape=”” target=”_blank” title=”” gradient_colors=”|” gradient_hover_colors=”|” accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” bevel_color=”” border_width=”1px” shadow=”” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” modal=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”1″ alignment=”center” class=”” id=””]Enter CLUE Awards![/fusion_button][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

September 23, 2016
New Issue of Chanticleer Reviews Magazine — FALL 2016

We are excited to present the latest issue of the Chanticleer Reviews e-magazine!

This issue features an exclusive interview with Kathy L. Murphy, the Queen of the Pulpwood Queens Book Club. Find out more about her 650 book club chapters in this article, written by Sean Dwyer, on page 7.

What is your WRITER Horoscope? Check out page 38 to see what the stars have in line for your writing life.

As a special treat for the cold Autumn days ahead, we have included a heartwarming short story by Sean Dwyer, The Mystery of the Little Match Girl.

And, we are always excited to spotlight our Chanticleer Award Winners.

The majority of the magazine is dedicated to our reviews, including some great new book discoveries from Historical Fiction to Children’s Books to Westerns to Cozy Mysteries and chilling Thrillers. Not to mention some reviews of Chic-lit, Science Fiction, and Self-Improvement. And, with Halloween right around the corner, we had to include reviews of top Paranormal reads!

We want to thank award-winning author and artist, Nancy Canyon, for allowing us to feature her artwork on the cover, “Pink Adler.”

Hint: You can always find saving discount codes in every issue!

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Click “Follow Publisher: chantireviews“!

Enjoy this latest issue of Chanticleer Reviews magazine and be sure to subscribe, by finding the “Follow Publisher: chantireviews” just below the bottom left corner of the magazine. We also appreciate “hearts” and shares!

Special Offer: Those who subscribe now will receive a free paid one year subscription when we take the magazine from an e-zine to a print magazine.

We hope you enjoy reading this new issue of the Chanticleer Reviews Magazine. Don’t delay! Subscribe today!

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September 15, 2016
WRITING as an OLYMPIC SPORT by Sharon E. Anderson– award-winning author

Back when I didn’t know any better, I thought that if an author had talent, she would never, ever have to revise her work. Her words would flow onto the page, pristine and poignant, ready to be read by her adoring fans.

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Bebe Daniels giving it all in the name of creative endeavor.

I imagined she wore a cream-colored silk robe – although it could have been pink, yellow or light blue because my successful author was gleaned from a 1920’s black and white movie – cigarette attached to one of those long holder-thingies, she would slink across her high-rise Manhattan apartment and wait for her man-friend to pour her a glass of champagne and fix her up a plate of caviar on little toast rounds whilst reading her reviews in The New York Times. Anything less would be, well, amateur.

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Of course the reviews are absolutely glowing — as am I.

Like everything else in life, I’ve learned a few things: I don’t live on the East coast, caviar from the grocery shelf doesn’t taste the same as the kind in the can served at expensive restaurants, nothing comes easy–even if you’re talented, and that smoking is bad for you.

As an author, I may be able to write quickly, but revisions are where the story comes to life – like an athlete practicing a sport. She may not run a stellar hurdle race the first time out of the gate. She may, in fact, fall over the first hurdle and every subsequent hurdle thereafter as she endeavors to complete the race. It isn’t easy. Hurdles are hard and to someone like me, dangerous. But every day she’s back at the track working on her timing, her form, the craft of her sport.

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Authors have their own hurdles to jump.

It’s the same thing authors do. We work hard at our craft and sometimes it feels as if we have fallen. The important thing is to get up and continue learning, producing, developing our craft. Our prize isn’t an Olympic Gold medal, though. Our prize is a great book with awesome reviews (and maybe an award or two).
Many thanks to Sharon E. Anderson to allow Chanticleer to publish her timely blog-post that reminds all of us authors the importance of being persistent and to continually push ourselves to hone and develop our writing craft.

Sharon is the award-winning author of several short stories, screen plays, and books. She says,

“Most of my work has to do with the darker side of life. I’m somehow drawn to the anti-hero, the villain, the underdog. But I’m not your typical horror writer, either. In nearly all of my stories you will find hope, redemption, and humor, because if you can’t laugh, you’re already in hell.”

Sharon is also the president of the Skagit Valley Writers League, human servant to Tig the Cat, mother and wife, and a great all-around gal!

The Curse of the Seven Seventies

Cassandra Blake is having a very bad day. Her fiancé dumps her for a silicone debutante and convinces her to store his boxes of precious research. If that wasn’t bad enough, she’s just moved into a cottage stocked only with tinned sardines packed in oil, canned peaches, and 30- year-old Scotch.

Heartbroken, hungry, and a little bit drunk, Cassandra soon realizes that just when she thinks things can’t get any worse, sometimes they can get very strange…like finding a skeleton in the basement of her newly inherited cottage.

But when that skeleton suddenly becomes a hot, romantic, and business savvy vampire named Varo…well, things can get a little better. That is…until his infamous older brother shows up, and their centuries old sibling rivalry threatens her chance at true love.

Can their love survive her conniving ex-fiancé, Varo’s vengeful brother, and the Curse of the Seven 70s?

Edgy, modern, and one humorous vampire tale — an entertaining and fun read. Chanticleer Reviews [/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

August 28, 2016
NAZI WEREWOOFS by Karl Larew — a zany and fun vampire spoof for adults

In Karl Larew’s second humorous and highly entertaining vampire spoof, the battle continues in which the Good Vampires seek to protect their own (and all good people) against the greedy aspirations of the power-seeking Bad Vampires.

The Good Vampires, Lance Blodgett and sidekick Nigel, along with their normal human and gorgeously sexy girlfriends Carol and Becky, are called to action again. The book has refreshingly laugh-out-loud humor with a smidge of the burlesque for the middle-age and over set who appreciate the irreverent early James Bond flicks, the original Wild Wild West and Star Trek series as opposed to the angst of the Twilight’s vampire and werewolf stories. All in all, a hoot of (or should I say a “woof”) of a read to be enjoyed with your favorite cocktail.

(If you’ve read Larew’s Bad Vampires, you already know of course that Good Vampires, while human in most respects, have a metabolic need for a periodic sip of human blood. [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][Carol has become Lance’s quite willing donor, as well as very human lover.] Bad Vampires, on the other hand, are common and uncommon criminals in every respect, not only hungering for money and power, but also cruelly biting and killing innocent humans to gorge on their blood.)

This second tale, an especially furry one, begins exactly where the first left off, with Lance and Carol snug in bed…that is, until they are abruptly interrupted by a pounding on their door. Lance finds a disheveled and distraught Becky, crying that she has been attacked and bitten by a Bad Vampire in Central Park. Lance and Carol get the tall, beautiful Nigerian to the Good Vampire Dr. Griswold. Seeing fleas on Becky, Dr. Griswold tells the three that he has just been informed by Arleigh Granville, head of the New York Association of Good Vampires, that a Bad Vampire in Germany has concocted a drug to turn people into werewolves (good hosts to fleas), who then infect their victims with ‘werewolfism’. Becky must be such a victim—a diagnosis immediately confirmed when she appears to be transforming into a werewolf. Becky, however, turns out looking more like a Labrador retriever and is soon recognized as a ‘werewoof’, wagging her tail. Fortunately, the good doctor Griswold has an antidote, injections of which return Becky to normal—thank goodness!

When Mr. Granville learns what has happened, he explains to the foursome that a Bad Vampire in Bavaria, Baron Wolfgang von Verdammte, is behind the werewolf plot. He appoints the four as Good Vampire secret agents, and they are soon on their way to Europe, tasked with squelching the werewolf plot and its aim of a Bad Vampire takeover of the world!

Starting in Paris, the action moves on to Germany, with Carol ending up at the Baron’s castle in Bavaria (perhaps Mad King Ludwig’s Summer Palace). One incredible (believe it!) adventure follows another for the secret agents, with more human-werewolf or werewoof transformations, double agent and mole (not that little rodent) infiltrations of both the Good and Bad Vampire contingents (until neither side is sure who’s which!), a one-upmanship struggle over a coffin purportedly containing the remains of the Baron’s mentor, no other than Adolph Hitler (no kidding!), wild goose and car chases, one-sided shootouts (guess who always wins), and pussy galore (with even the werewoofs wanting their share). Be it known, however, that no matter how hard the Baron, aka Wolfie, craves Carol, both as his “little ginger snap” and as “the most Aryan uterus conceivable” (for his planned Fourth Reich), this sexy secret agent is one skillful evader whose heart belongs to Lance.

If you’re not willing to join in this cock-eyed parody between the Vampires and cheer the Good Vamps on to victory, go find some other book (something by Mary Shelley, perhaps?). But if you’d like to laugh yourself to sleep, Larew’s zany tales—both Nazi Werewoofs and Bad Vampires—will offer you a fun and entertaining diversion. Then you can ponder how this retired college history professor came to write these amusingly unconventional tales.

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August 22, 2016
The M&Ms, Chanticleer’s Mystery & Mayhem Novel Contest & Book Awards Official Finalist List for 2016
The Mystery & Mayhem Writing Competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Cozy Mysteries and Classic Mysteries. The M&M Awards is a division of Chanticleer International Novel Writing Competitions.

More than $30,000.00 dollars worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to Chanticleer Book Reviews 2016 writing competition winners!

The M&M Book Awards FIRST IN CATEGORY sub-genres are: Amateur Sleuth, Romance, Animals, Cooking/Knitting/Hobbies, Blended Genre, Medical/Lab, Travel, Humorous, Historical, Classic British, Y/A, and Senior Sleuth.

The following titles will compete for the SHORT LIST rounds. The works that make it on the SHORT LIST will then compete for FIRST IN CATEGORY Positions and Book Awards Packages.

NOTE: This is the Official List of the M&M 2016 Finalists.

The Finalists Authors and Titles of Works of the M&M 2016 Novel Writing Contest are:

A Girl Like You by Michelle Cox

Secret Life of Anna Blanc by Jennifer Kincheloe

The Prosecution of Mr. Darcy’s Cousin by Regina Jeffries

Murder by the Spoonful by Vicki Vass

The Magic of Murder by Susan Lynn Solomon

Banished Threads b Kaylin McFarren

Member from Devon by Bruce Graham

Skyrizer # 7 by Phillip Buchanon

The Scarlet Wench by M. K. Graff

Major Crimes by Michele Lynn Seigfried

Death Runs on Time by A. B. Michaels

A Scone to Die For (Oxford Tearoom Mysteries)  by H. Y. Hanna

Killer Transaction by Catherine Bruns

Twelve for Twelve by Dawn Rasmussen

Secrets Revealed by Kate Vale

Bells on Her Toes by Diana J. Febry

Secrets, Lies, and Champagne Highs  by Jeanette Hubbard

Under English Heaven  by Alice K. Boatwright

The Body Next Door by Gay Yellen

Death Unscripted by M.K. Graff

The Erotica Book Club for Nice Ladies by Connie Spittler

Hot Scheming Mess by Lucy Carol

Engaged in Danger: A Jamie Quinn Mystery by Barbara Venkataraman

Sherlock Holmes and the Dance of the Tiger by Suzette Hollingsworth

Deadly Dye and a Soy Chai by Traci Andrighetti

Smart, but Dead by Nancy G. West

Deathbed of Roses by Alannah Foley

Homes and Watkins   by R. J. Lewis

The M&M Finalists will compete to be on the SHORT LIST and those works will then compete for the M&M First In Category Positions, which consists of Seven Judging Rounds. First Place Category Award winners will automatically be entered into the M&M GRAND PRIZE AWARD competition, which has a cash prize purse of $200. The CBR Grand Prize Genre Winners will compete for the CBR Overall Grand Prize for Best Book and its $1,000 purse.
All First In Category Award Winners will receive high visibility along with special badges to wear during the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala.

First In Category winners will compete for the M&M Awards Grand Prize Award for the $200 purse and the M&M Grand Prize Ribbon and badges.
- TEN genre Grand Prize winning titles will compete for the $1,000 purse for CBR Best Book and Overall Grand Prize.
- A coveted Chanticleer Book Review valued at $345 dollars U.S. CBR reviews will be published in the Chanticleer Reviews magazine in chronological order as to posting.
- A CBR Blue Ribbon to use in promotion at book signings and book festivals
- Digital book award stickers for on-line promotion
- Adhesive book stickers
- Shelf-talkers and other promotional items
- Promotion in print and on-line media
- Review of book distributed to on-line sites and printed media publications
- Review, cover art, and author synopsis listed in CBR’s newsletter
- Default First in Category winners will not be declared. Contests are based on merit and writing craft in all of the Chanticleer Writing Competitions.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions at Info@ChantiReviews.com.

Congratulations to the Finalists in this fiercely competitive contest!
Good Luck to all of the M&M Finalists as they compete.

Short List announcements will be made in our social media postings as the results come in. The 2016 First In Category Winners will be recognized at the 2017 Chanticleer Annual Awards Gala and Banquet.

The M&M Grand Prize Winner will be announced at the April 1st, 2017 Chanticleer Writing Contests Annual Awards Gala, which takes place on the last evening of the Chanticleer Authors Conference that will be held in Bellingham, Wash.

We are now accepting submissions into the 2017 M&M Awards writing competition. The deadline for submissions is March 31st, 2017. Please click here for more information.
August 18, 2016
Using Public Relations to Get Your Book Extra Recognition by Sara Dahmen, award winning author

“The End” is the first step

There’s that moment when you write the words “The End” that every writer achieves. It feels good, right? Then comes the next thought that edges almost immediately into our consciousness: “Now what?” It’s an eating type of thought that chews away at our sense of accomplishment with finishing a writing project. “The End” is actually the very first step of a much longer process that truly results in our eventual success.

For all writers, both traditionally represented and those who choose to self-publish, there is an expectation and need to market ourselves, our books, and build our author platforms. We are given overarching tools that require us to build, from nothing, a following – on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and beyond. For many of us, those tools feel like another place we need to shout into the abyss and hope that a group of people starts to take notice. For me, some days I feel like I tweet for no one but myself – it’s yet one more place that I’m trying to garner a reaction in an already crowded atmosphere, much like pitching a big-time agent.

P/R – It’s not just for social media posts

I’m not saying that these marketing tools (for that is really how we are using these social media platforms) are unnecessary. It’s the only way we can reach bigger and newer audiences these days, and they’re certainly a big part of our society and should be maintained. Still, it takes more than a handful of online posts to get good press, and it’s press that can offer more to authors, and get more people in our corner both as our allies and as our readers.

When I talk about using public relations (PR) to further an author’s reach, I’m talking about far more than asking the local library to host you as a local author touting your latest book, or even asking the local newspaper to write up a story about your upcoming novel. These outreaches are, of course, a great way to start getting started, especially if you’re not used to pitching stories, and you will get a consistently loyal fan base from the people who live in your area and want to support someone who is their neighbor.

“The Scoop” is a powerful tool

But PR is a vastly powerful tool that can be used, with some constant re-phrasing and concise pinpointing, to get your book into bookstores across the country, in unique locations, and ideally in other publications.

PR means thinking a bit outside of the box. It’s not writing up a press release and sending it to 100 media outlets (though that’s always nice to do to have the information out there and available – and sometimes that garners additional stories as reporters pick up the info if it’s pertinent to their story). PR means pinpointing other writers out there who write for the mainstream or for a blog or a larger audience and giving them a unique story angle (the scoop) that no one else would have, and showing them how it would relate to their own readership.

PR means reaching out to locales that are covered in your book. Perhaps you live in California, but your book is set in the American South – call local bookstores in Mississippi or Alabama, or wherever your book is specifically set and ask for their buyer, explaining that while you are not a local writer, your book is set in their own backyard – something many local places like to tout on their shelves.

Cross Promotion

PR means hunting down local events, museum exhibits, charities, and gift stores that touch on your book’s contents. For instance, if you are writing about a historical character – let’s pick Abraham Lincoln, since he’s the most celebrated and written character in American literature – and your local museum is bringing in the traveling exhibit of his wife’s dresses. Ask the curator about putting your book in their gift shop while the exhibit is in town. Then you can cross-promote your book and their exhibit. This works even if the event/exhibit/museum isn’t even in your town. The movement to support small, individual writers, businesses and the like is huge – cash in on that current philosophy.

Engaging Others

PR is about going to as many book conferences as you can afford and networking. It’s not necessarily about immediately sitting down and talking about your book to whomever you meet. It’s about asking questions – who are you? What do you do? What’s your day job? You may meet people who are far more entrenched in the publishing and writer’s world who may not read your genre, but may become a friend who you can lean on or use as a sounding board, or who may have further connections that they can offer you, if you’re lucky.

Become an Expert

Using PR can be about hiring or volunteering yourself out as an expert. For those of you who write non-fiction, especially if it’s either biographical or about a particular topic in science, this is huge. Search for speaking opportunities that may not be about books or writing, but about your well-researched expertise. Likely you’ll be able to dovetail your book into a bio, your presentation, your meet & greet. I once went to a conference for event planners. A big-time DJ gave a great one hour presentation that was aimed at giving real-time advice to all wedding professionals, but in the end he was able to tout the book he’d written that was melded into his speech. You wouldn’t believe the line of florists, event planners and cocktail table linen buyers that were lined up to buy this man’s book in the end. His presentation was a great PR moment for him, and a huge windfall in sales.

HAR-WHO? HARO

Offer yourself to local and regional news producers and reporters as someone who is knowledgeable in a certain field. A unique resource, called HARO (an acronym for Help A Reporter Out) sends daily emails several times per day asking for experts – sometimes these reporters want writers, or specialists – and will certainly respond in a quick (deadline-approaching!) fashion about using you as a source. It’s yet another way to garner additional press, name mentions, and authenticate yourself as a writer and as someone who is professionally tied to certain subjects.

PR is more than marketing – it’s bigger, broader and has very few parameters. Your options can be as far-reaching as you’d like to be – and the worst that can happen is nothing can happen, which leaves you where you started but with more experience in marketing under your belt. If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed about making initial outreaches yourself, you could always enlist the help of a local PR guru. Some are simply independent contractors and can be paid hourly, or by placement, meaning you don’t owe them anything unless they land you a spot or an article or additional press and exposure.

Regardless of how you work to get additional recognition as an author, or whatever you do to build your platform, anything, no matter how small, is a success, starting with writing those two little words: “The End”!

Note from the Editor:

Sara Dahmen is the Chanticleer Book Review’s 2015 Grand Prize Laramie Award winner for her book, Doctor Kinney’s Housekeeper. She has a background in public relations, television and radio production where she has worked with large-scale clients such as CITGO and Mastercraft Boats. She has recently presented for the TEDx talks. Since 2006, she has run an event planning and coordinating company, with a national award for Best Charity Event in the United States and has worked on red carpet events in conjunction with Universal Studios. She currently works on her new project, American-made kitchen and cookware lines: Housekeeper Crockery and House Copper, which were inspired by Doctor Kinney’s Housekeeper.

August 13, 2016