The mysterious, mystical Victoria Woodhull, a free-thinking woman well ahead of her time, is the narrator in this fictional treatment of her intriguing, at times incredible adventures.
Woodhull was the first woman to run for president of the United States, at a time when, with the full support of the law, most American men did not even regard their mothers, wives and daughters as citizens.
Born to a rag-tag band of “healers” whose medicines included dope and alcohol, and whose methods included blackmail and theft, Victoria was married off at the age of fifteen to a so-called doctor who beat her almost as badly as had her parents, and regularly consorted with prostitutes.
She and her sister Tennessee, or Tennie, went from their father’s business in spiritualist scamming (though both women would later claim genuine psychic powers), to promoting supernatural healing in the brothels of New York City, to getting into the parlors and pockets of such Wall Street magnates as Cornelius Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt at one point had Victoria telling him what stocks to buy and sell, profiting mightily from her seemingly prescient advice, and Tennie acting as his mistress. Woodhull’s second husband, Col. James Blood, treated her far better than her first, and together they forged her rise to radical suffragette prominence.
She touted the rights of women to vote and also to step outside the bounds of marriage as freely as men. In 1872 she mounted her famous run for the presidency, named former slave Frederick Douglass as her veep, fell afoul of the powerful preaching Beecher clan, and saw one of her most disturbing personal prophecies come true.
Award-winning author Nicole velina has created Madame Presidentess following her earlier examination of another controversial female leader, Queen Guinevere. Victoria Woodhull’s life is a goldmine of material for any author; Evelina’s fascination with the psychic-turned-politician does not waver as she weaves together the stranger-than-fiction history of her heroine with threads of imaginative speculation.
The extent of her research is obvious throughout, but never burdens the plot. She details this process in her Author’s Notes, and offers a short bibliography. Evelina has done an admirable juggling act, presenting Woodhull as highly intelligent and strong-minded but also capable of self-examination and self-blame.
Madame Presidentess successfully brings a lesser-known early radical feminist vividly to life, revealing her meteoric move from rags to riches, from subservience and humiliation to personal power and admirable achievement. A highly entertaining and informative read.
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The JOURNEY Awards writing competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Narrative Non-fiction. The Journey Awards is a division of the Chanticleer Book Awards & International Writing Competitions.
The Journey Short Listers will then compete for 5 First Place Category positions that will be announced and awarded on April 1, 2017 at the 
Our Guest Post today is written by Diane Sillan Isaacs. Diane brings more than two decades of experience in film and television industries as an executive film producer, president of production for Don Johnson Productions at Universal and Paramount pictures, president of development and production for Green Moon Productions where she produced films for Antonio Banderas and Emma Thompson.
Books by the Bay is an exciting opportunity for attendees to sell their books during the CAC weekend, but to also to gain exposure to a nationally recognized bookseller.
Registration for the 
First up,we have picks from Lacey Longpré. Lacey began as an intern for Chanticleer several years ago while attending Western Washington University. She has since become a valuable asset to the team as a proofreader, helping to organize our annual conference, staff reviewer, administrative assistant, social media pixie, and community relations.
Fragments of Your Soul by E.S. Erbsland
Broken Places by Rachel Thompson
Whoa! That’s right. It is just that the big guys don’t pay us in cash or Paypal. They pay us in-kind with advertising, promotional considerations, press releases, having Chanticleer Reviews name appear on covers of thousands and thousands of books, helping us build relationships with the all important book distributors, and helping us (Chanticleer Reviews) to earn prestige among the traditional publishing houses. How much would we have to pay for this type of priceless promotion? I can’t even think about the number of zeros that would follow the dollar sign. Conversely, how much would we have to charge authors and smaller publishers who do not have staff and contractors to run the p/r machine to match the type of compensation that the big guys offer with each ARC that we receive from them in the mail or from Net Galley?
As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions at KBrown@ChantiReviews.com
I was asked by Orna Ross of Alliance of Independent Authors to share what I consider to be the “Seven Must-Haves for Independent Authors” at UPublishU event that was held at the Book Expo of America 2016 held in Chicago. Of course, I agreed!
The Great Symmetry by James Wells before cover
Notice that the reader can immediately tell that this is a steampunk young adult novel that takes place in London, with a young adult female protagonist and a cat. All of this information is conveyed by the cover design.
Cozy mystery readers who like a humorous edge to their stories can tell immediately that this book may be of interest to them.
No mistaking that this is a children’s book about sea adventures and pirates!
You are probably starting to get the concept….of just how much information a cover is able to convey. Help readers discover your books by using your book’s cover real estate as effectively as possible. Make every little detail work for you. Imagine that your cover is a commercial for your book and make each everyone on those three seconds that you have to hook the potential reader into picking up your book instead of someone else’s or to click on your digital cover instead of someone else’s.
Top Ten Takeaways from 2016 Book Expo of America – Chicago
