Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: CAC24

  • 2023 Winners CYGNUS Book Awards for Science Fiction

    2023 Winners CYGNUS Book Awards for Science Fiction

    The Cygnus Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Science Fiction, Steampunk, Alternative History, and Speculative Fiction. The Cygnus Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs).

    Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring space, time travel, life on other planets, parallel universes, alternate reality, and all the science, technology, major social or environmental changes of the future that author imaginations can dream up for the CYGNUS Book Awards division.

    1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners were announced at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony by Robert Phillips on Saturday, April 20th, 2024 at the Four Points by Sheraton in beautiful Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2024 Chanticleer Authors Conference. 

    This is the OFFICIAL 2023 LIST of the CYGNUS BOOK AWARDS First Place Category Winners and the CYGNUS Grand Prize Winner.

    Cygnus Science Fiction 1st Place Blue and Gold CIBA Badge

    Join us in celebrating our First Place Category Winners in the 2023 CYGNUS Book Awards, a division of the CIBAs!

    • Alexandra Almeida – Unanimity

    • N. John Williams – In the Shadow of Humanity: A Novel

    • Gareth Worthington – Dark Dweller

    • Timothy S. Johnston – The Shadow of War

    • Dylan McFadyen – Oblivion’s Cloak

    • Sarena Straus – ReInception

    The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 CYGNUS Awards for Science Fiction is:

    The Shadow of War

    By Timothy S. Johnston

    The 2023 Cygnus Grand Prize for The Shadow of War by Timothy S. Johnston

    Here is the link to the 2023 CYGNUS FINALISTS for Speculative Fiction:

    The 2023 FINALIST CYGNUS Book Awards for Science Fiction

    We want to CONGRATULATE ALL CYGNUS FINALISTS! 

    And here is a link to the CIBA’s Levels of Achievement:

    The 2023 Chanticleer Int’l Book Award Finalists for Fiction!

    PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS! 

    Attn CIBA Winners: More goodies and prizes will be coming your way along with promotion in our magazine, website, and advertisements in Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards long-tail marketing strategy. Welcome to the CIBA Hall of Fame for Award Winners!

    This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, for Facebook to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews.

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    A Note to ALL the WINNERS: You will receive an OFFICIAL EMAIL NOTIFICATION with Digital Badges and more information.

    The coveted CIBA Blue Ribbons will be mailed out starting in June. We will contact you with an email to verify and confirm your mailing address and other items. We thank you for participating in the 2023 Chanticleer International Book Awards!

    NOTE:  We will post at least two 2023 CIBA Divisions’ OFFICIAL Winners per business day starting April 24, 2024. We do a final sweep and reconciliation prior to making the Official CIBA Posts for the 2023 First Place and Grand Prize Winners. We thank  you in advance for your patience and understanding. There are many moving parts involved with the Chanticleer International Book Awards Program.

    Thank you for participating in the 2023 CIBAs! We are looking forward to reading your future entries.

  • There are a few seats available for D.D. Black’s (A.C. Fuller) Fabulous Master Class on Incorporating Mystery & Suspense Elements into any Genre

    CAC 24 Master Writing Classes

    Thursday morning, April 18th. Registration Required. Seating is Limited.

    Morning Master Class will address Advance Writing Craft with D.D. Black, Amazon Best-selling Author 

    “D.D. Black evokes comparisons to John Grisham’s finest —The Firm and The Pelican Brief— with a touch of Woodward and Bernstein’s All the President’s Men.” ROBERT DUGONI – #1 Amazon and New York Times Bestselling Author of My Sister’s Grave“

    Incorporating Mystery and Suspense Techniques Into Any Genre—Fiction OR Memoir

    Learn How to Create Tension, Pacing, and Interest in your works no matter the genre by incorporating Mystery and Suspense Elements along with elevating Scene Level Craft Elements in your writing.

    • Using examples from best-selling literary fiction, mysteries, fantasy, and even memoirs, you’ll learn professional techniques for weaving compelling mystery and suspense into your book, regardless of genre. In the class we will:
      • Discuss how to incorporate the mystery novel structure into non-mystery genres, such as literary fiction, memoir, sci-fi, and fantasy
      • Study the use of the elements of mystery in wildly different award-winning and best-selling books, such as: “The Round House” by Louise Erdrich, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” by J.K. Rowling, and “Dreams from My Father” by Barack Obama
      • Learn to ask questions both big and small to keep readers intrigued
      • Talk about how to craft clues, red herrings, plot twists, and cliffhangers for maximum intrigue

    “Mystery is a whisper, not a shout.” – Kate Atkinson, best-selling literary crime novelist whose works have been adapted to a BBC One Series

    Adam is a full-time author with more than 30 published books under two different names — A.C. Fuller and D.D. Black. Previously, he was an adjunct professor of journalism at New York University and has taught writing and book marketing at conferences and libraries all over the country and internationally. He lives with his wife, son, and three dogs in Kitsap County.

    To find his Pacific Northwest mystery series: ddblackauthor.com

    Click here to register for D.D. Black’s Master Writing Craft Class, CAC24, Thursday morning at 9:15 – 1 p.m., Coffee, tea, and drinks will be provided in class.

    Seating is limited. Register today.

    We are excited to have such an incredible line up at CAC24 this year!

  • Spotlight on Jayne Entwistle – Award-winning Audiobook Narrator and Actress

    JAYNE ENTWISTLE – Award-winning Audiobook Narrator and Actress

    Jayne Entwistle is an award-winning audiobook narrator known most notably for her narration of the Flavia De Luce series by Alan Bradley. She has received the Odyssey Award, Odyssey Honor Award and Voice Arts Award for narration. In addition to several Earphones Awards, AudioFile Magazine has included her narration on their list of Best Audiobooks of the Year. When not immersed in books, Jayne can be found on-screen in television programs such as: The Good Place, Grey’s Anatomy, Winning Time, and You’re the Worst. Originally from the north of England, Jayne currently lives in the PNW.

    Jayne will present:  How a Narrator Brings Your Words to Life

    Behind the mic with award-winning audiobook narrator Jayne Entwistle. What goes into recording an audiobook? From receiving the manuscript to uploading finished audio files, Jayne will outline the process of creating an audiobook and how instrumental authors can be in that process. From hours of pain-staking research to decisions about accents and character’s vocal traits to the myriad ways a line can be read, get a glimpse into how a narrator brings your words to life. Q&A will be included.

    She will also participate in panels.

    Still thinking about Registering for the Chanticleer Authors Conference?

    Register Today!

    We have a stellar line up of speakers for CAC24, with multiple options to attend.

    Find out why The 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.

     

  • Spotlight on Nicole Persun – Award Winning and Bestselling Author and Creative Writing Instructor

    NICOLE J. PERSUN – Award Winning and Bestselling Author and Creative Writing Instructor

    Nicole J. Persun is an award-winning and internationally bestselling author with a master’s degree in Creative Writing & Instruction. Nicole has written and published in multiple genres, most recently book club fiction under the pen name Jennifer Gold. Her most recent novel, Halfway to You, was an Amazon First Reads selection in March 2023. Learn more at nicolejpersun.com. Discover her recent novels at jennifergoldauthor.com.

    Still thinking about Registering for the Chanticleer Authors Conference?

    Register Today!

    We have a stellar line up of speakers for CAC24, with multiple options to attend.

    Find out why The 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.

     

  • Spotlight on Christine Fairchild- Author and Book Doctor

    CHRISTINE FAIRCHILD – Author & Book Doctor

    Christine Fairchild offers 35+ years experience as a writer, editor, and book doctor. She’s conducted celebrity interviews (XFiles, SciFiMall.com), edited for technical giants (Microsoft, Hitachi), and served as a marketing/readability specialist for consumer products (DHL, Cingular, AT&T). She now specializes in Suspense fiction and helps authors take their work, and their career, to the next level through her online workshops, classes at conferences and one-on-one book-doctoring of clients’ novels. She also writes suspense and historical fiction, so she understands the challenges authors face in their craft and the publishing industry.

    Find more of her tips & tricks at: EditorDevil.blogspot.com

    Christine will be leading sessions on:

    • Power Moves to Make Your Story UNDENIABLE
    • Look Out! He’s Behind You!  Effectively Using Suspense to Insure a Page-Turner Story
    • And more to be announced! 

    Still thinking about Registering for the Chanticleer Authors Conference?

    Register Today!

    We have a stellar line up of speakers for CAC24, with multiple options to attend.

    Find out why The 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.

     

  • Spotlight on Mark Berridge, Award Winning Author of A Fraction Stronger and Motivational Speaker

    MARK BERRIDGE – Author, Leader, and Motivational Speaker

    Mark Berridge in a superman style pose for TEDx Brisbane

    By melding his professional background with the lived experience of his personal recovery journey, Mark brings his unique insights, perspective and practical tips and strategies to every custom-curated presentation he delivers.

    Mark’s authenticity, openness, expertise and practicality profoundly impact the individuals, teams and organisations he presents to, helping them build the resilience they need to succeed in today’s challenging business environment.

    His book, A Fraction Stronger was the Grand Prize Winner for the 2022 Journey Award.

    Most recently, Mark presented at TedEx Brisbane.

    We’re excited to have him back for CAC24! Mark will be presenting two sessions for us that will focus on:

    1. Success comes in many shapes and sizes. Explore his 3 tips for amplifying it.
      • Notice how / when your goals creep.
      • Reward yourself for achieving your original goals and for re-calibrating new goals
      • Embrace and celebrate all the other gains / outcomes from your action that seem ancillary to your goals.
    2. Plan well, adapt better. Why he is firm on purpose but flexible on pathway.
      • Good preparation is a valuable foundation, but we can never see all the possibilities.
      • Action (especially when embracing uncertainty) liberates possibilities.
      • Things work, things fail. Own where you are at and make plans, take action to keep going.

    Still thinking about Registering for the Chanticleer Authors Conference?

    Register Today!

    We have a stellar line up of speakers for CAC24, with multiple options to attend.

    Find out why The 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.

  • Spotlight on Susan V. Meyers – Creative Writing Program Director, Non-Fiction Writer, and Pushcart Prize Nominee

    SUSAN V. MEYERS – Creative Writing Program Director Non-Fiction Writer and Pushcart Prize Nominee

    After growing up on a carnival route, Susan V. Meyers, PhD.,  is a professor and Director of the Creative Writing Program at Seattle University.

    Having received grants from Fulbright, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and several arts residencies, she has been nominated for The Best American Series and several Pushcart Prizes. Her novel Failing the Trapeze won the Nilsen Award, and other work has appeared in Creative Nonfiction, Huffington Post, The Rumpus, Hippocampus, So to Speak, New Orleans Review, and The Minnesota Review. You can find her at susanvmeyers.com.

    Susan will present a session on Dynamic Dialogue: The Art of Subtext and Grabbing Your Reader and Not Letting Go

    Still thinking about Registering for the Chanticleer Authors Conference?

    Register Today!

    We have a stellar line up of speakers for CAC24, with multiple options to attend.

    Find out why The 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.

  • Spotlight on Lucas Southworth – Award Winning Short Story Author

    LUCAS SOUTHWORTH – Award Winning Short Story Author

     

    Lucas Southworth’s book of short stories, Everyone Here Has a Gun, won the Association of Writers and Writing Program’s Grace Paley Prize. He has published stories in magazines such as the Pushcart Prize Anthology, Conjunctions, The Iowa Review, AGNI, Copper Nickel, and many others. He has also received Grants, fellowships, and residencies from The Maryland State Arts Council, The Truman Capote Trust, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, the Jentel Artist Residency Program, Monson Arts, and Arteles Creative Center in Finland. Usually, he divides his time between Baltimore and Washington, where teaches fiction and screenwriting at Loyola University Maryland and at Seattle U.

    Lucas will have sessions on:

    • How to Design a Smashing Screenplay: The importance of planning and outlining a story before you write
    • Key Elements of Writing the Short Story

    Still thinking about Registering for the Chanticleer Authors Conference?

    Register Today!

    We have a stellar line up of speakers for CAC24, with multiple options to attend.

    Find out why The 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.

  • Spotlight on Michelle Cox – Overall Grand Prize Winner

    MICHELLE COX – 2022 OVERALL GRAND PRIZE AUTHOR

    Michelle Cox is the author of the multiple award-winning Henrietta and Inspector Howard series as well as “Novel Notes of Local Lore,” a weekly blog dedicated to Chicago’s forgotten residents.  She suspects she may have once lived in the 1930s and, having yet to discover a handy time machine lying around, has resorted to writing about the era as a way of getting herself back there.

    Her work has received multiple Mystery & Mayhem and Clue Awards from Chanticleer as well as the Overall Grand Prize Award for Best Book for her book A Spying Eye, in addition to several top-rated reviews, plus many other accolades, so she might be on to something.  Unbeknownst to most, Michelle hoards board games she doesn’t have time to play and is, not surprisingly, addicted to period dramas and big band music.  Also marmalade.

    Still thinking about Registering for the Chanticleer Authors Conference?

    Register Today!

    We have a stellar line up of speakers for CAC24, with multiple options to attend.

    Find out why The 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.

     

  • Spotlight on Reenita Malhotra Hora – Grand Prize Author, Podcaster, and Broadcast Journalist

    REENITA MALHOTRA HORA – Podcaster & Broadcast Journalist & Contributor

    Reenita Malhotra Hora is the CEO of Chapter by Episode Productions. She has years of experience growing organizations from startups to medium-sized businesses through storytelling, creative marketing and business strategy. Hora has also written seven books.

    She has contributed to Reuters, the South China Morning Post family section, the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, CNN, Asian Investor, Times of India, Business Line, Bloomberg on-air news reporter, writer, and producer, Rolling Stone, and the Economic Times.

    Still thinking about Registering for the Chanticleer Authors Conference?

    Register Today!

    We have a stellar line up of speakers for CAC24, with multiple options to attend.

    Find out why The 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.