Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: CBR writing competition

THE EX LOTTERY by Kim Sanders – a clever twist on the modern day fairy tale

When art teacher Tory Adams trades in her heartache for a lottery ticket romantic sparks fly in this humorous tale of misunderstandings, half-truths and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Elementary school art teacher Tory Adams grew up believing in the power of love. But after three disastrous relationships, Tory realizes that the “love-at-first-sight” tales spun by her grandmother exist in a time and place of memory, far from the reality of Tory’s world. Or do they?

On a whim Tory buys a lottery ticket, basing the numbers on the dates she was unceremoniously dumped, and when her numbers come up gold, men start crawling out of the cyberspace woodwork. With an overnight tally of 23 marriage proposals, Tory needs an out.

Her best friend, Emma, prods Tory into a full head-to-toe makeover, trading in her small town Southern style for a sleek, new cosmopolitan look. And the new Tory “Victoria” Adams is transformed inside as well as out. She packs her designer bags and boards a plane to Ireland, in the hopes of buying the castle where her grandparents kindled their great love.

Armed with her new attitude, a box of keepsakes and her grandmother’s Claddagh ring, Tory is determined to follow her dream and find the blue dragon of her childhood. But plans are never etched in the proverbial Blarney stone and when the world’s most eligible woman collides with the world’s most reluctant bachelor sparks do fly.

Author Kim Sanders (“Shades of Gray”– a murder mystery) delivers a fun, eclectic cast of characters in this humorous tale of misunderstandings, half-truths and miscommunications. From Tory’s two geeky exes who are out to claim their parts of the lottery pie to the super-sexy Irish rogue, Shane, whose reluctance and secrecy could lose him the woman he loves, Sanders illuminates the human condition with a gentle insight that has the reader rooting for each character regardless of their motives. And then there’s Tory’s ex, Carter, a Special Forces man of mystery, whose revelations have the power to hurl Tory back into heartache.

Set in the pastoral beauty and magic of the Emerald Isle, “The Ex Lottery” is a clever twist on the modern-day fairy tale, part rom-com, part travelogue and one hundred percent romance that demands a follow-up book. First Place in the New England Reader’s Choice Awards and Winner of the Chatelaine Award for Contemporary Romance, Kim Sanders’s “The Ex Lottery” is a must-read entertaining romp in the grass for anyone who believes in “romance and happily ever after.”

August 30, 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
The JOURNEY AWARDS for Narrative Non-fiction Book Awards 2016 Official Finalist List
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.

We are pleased to announce the JOURNEY Awards Official Finalists List for 2016,The Official Finalists Listing is comprised of works that have passed the first two rounds of judging from the entire field of entrants. These authors and their titles will now compete for the SHORT-LIST of the 2016 Journey Awards for Narrative Non-fiction.

NOTE: This list is now Complete as of January 28, 2017. Congrats and good luck everyone.

Congratulations to the JOURNEY AWARDS 2016 FINALISTS and Good Luck to them as they compete for the Short List Positions:
- Roni McFadden – The Longest Trail
- Richard Southall – Haunted Plantations of the South
- Cyndy Sheldon – Gestalt as a Way of Life
- Sean-Michael Green – The Things I Learned in College
- Monica Sucha Vickers – My Extraordinary Life
- Robin Suerig Holleran, Lindy Philip – Bracing for Impact: True Tales of Air Disasters and the People Who Survived Them
- Michael Anthony Turpin – 53 Is The New 38
- Phillip Buchanon – New Money: Staying Rich
- Sean Dwyer – The Year without Tears
- Nick K. Adams – My Dear Wife and Children: Civil War Letters from a 2nd Minnesota Volunteer
- Abbe Rolnick – Cocoon of Cancer: An Invitation to Love Deeply
- Christopher Oelerich – Merry Christmas and a Happy PTSD
- Viviana Agostini – The True Sense of Life
- Gretchen Walker – The Silver Lining: Encounters with Angels
- Christie Musso – Hope Knows Your Name
- Hazel J. Magnussen – The Moral Work of Nursing: Asking and Living with the Questions
- Destiny Allison – The Romance Diet: Body Image and the Wars We Wage on Ourselves
- L. Darlene – Another Thirty-(Seven) Days (The Aftermath)
- Scott Kiersztyn – Metamorphosis, Notes from a stay-at-home dad naturalist
- J.E. Roth – A Fine Line
- Judy Lytle – A Mile in Her Shoes
- Gwen Miller – Echoes of Silence: Letters to a Drug Addicted Mother from the Woman Who Took Her Place
- Peter Gibb – Walking Straight, Down A Crooked Path
Good luck to all the Journey Awards Finalists who made the Finalist List as they compete to be Short Listed!

More than $30,000 dollars in cash and prizes are awarded to Chanticleer International Blue Ribbon Awards Winners annually.

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 Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala, Bellingham, Wash.

The First In Category award winners will receive an book award package including a complimentary book review, digital book award badges, shelf talkers, book stickers, and more.

We are now accepting entries into the 2017 JOURNEY Awards. The deadline is January 31st, 2017. Click here for more information or to enter.

More than $30,000 worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to the 2016 Chanticleer Novel Writing Competition winners! Check out out fifteen genres to enter your works into to compete on an international level and distinguish your books from the two million new titles hitting the market this year.

Who will take home the $1,000 purse this coming April at the Chanticleer Awards Gala and Banquet?
July 13, 2016
Will Your Books Have PRIME Shelf Space in one of the TOP Indie Bookstores in America?

Publisher’s Weekly recognized Village Books of Bellingham and Lynden, Wash. as one of the top five independently owned bookstores in North America for 2016. (Publisher’s Weekly, Jan. 26, 2016)

“…the 2016 PW Awards reflect the growth and vitality of independent bookstores,” said PW senior v-p and publisher Cevin Bryerman. “They are coming off a strong holiday season, and several just opened, or are about to open, second or third locations.”

Every year at the Chanticleer Author Conference, we pack a ton of value into the weekend for our authors: from valuable knowledge in workshops and sessions, to a thrilling Awards Gala, to the 3-day Books by the Bay book fair that is managed by Village Books, a national leading independent bookstore.

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.

But wait! That’s not all! Village Books sweetens the pot by offering to the Books by the Bay participating authors of the top 5 bestselling titles of the book fair to continue to carry their title at Village Books after the event. Village Books will also feature the books in their bookstores at Books by the Bay Bestsellers and feature the books on the VB website and in VB’s social media.

But it doesn’t end there. After the weekend Village Books, our hardworking bookseller, tallies the numbers and comes up with the Top Five Bestselling Titles of Books by the Bay.

Congratulations to Sharon Anderson, Nicole Evelina, James Wells, Donna Barker and Grant Harper Reid for rising to the top! These titles get the added benefit of remaining for sale and on display in Village Books. They were also featured in the highly circulated Chuckanut Reader.

Registration for the Chanticleer Author Conference in 2017 (CAC17) is already open and we have some jaw dropping early bird rates if you register before September 8th. It’s a full weekend of learning, packed with networking, gourmet meals and fun, a full weekend of book sales, and many many residual benefits. We are already receiving registrations! Seating is limited, so don’t miss out!

June 29, 2016
The Official List of the Chanticleer 2015 Grand Prize Winners of the Blue Ribbon Writing Competitions

We are excited and honored to have announced the 2015 grand prize award winners at the third annual Chanticleer Authors Conference’s Awards Banquet held on Saturday, April. 30th, 2016 at the Hotel Bellwether by beautiful Bellingham Bay, Wash.

We want to thank all of those who entered and participated in the fiercely competitive 2015 Chanticleer International Writing Competitions.

Our next Awards Banquet will be held on April 1st, 2017, for the 2016 winners. Enter your book or manuscript in a contest today!

CBR– Discovering Today’s Best Books with the CBR BLUE RIBBON Writing Competitions!

The Chanticleer Grand Prize Award 2015 for Overall Best Book:

Daughter of Destiny by Nicole Evelina was awarded the Chanticleer Overall Grand Prize for the Best Book in the 2015 Chanticleer International Writing Competitions. Congratulations to author Nicole Evelina.

The Chanticleer Genre Grand Prize 2015 Winners are as follows:

The Cygnus Grand Prize for SciFi and Fantasy Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

The Great Symmetry
by James Wells

View Cygnus Category 1st Place Winners

The Journey Grand Prize Ribbon for Narrative Non-fiction 2015 was awarded to:

Rhythm for Sale
by Grant Harper Reid

View Journey Category 1st Place Winners

The M&M Grand Prize Ribbon for Mystery & Mayhem Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

There’s Something About Marty
by Wendy Delaney

View Mystery & Mayhem Category 1st Place Winners

The Dante Rossetti Grand Prize Ribbon for YA Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

The Girl and the Clockwork Cat
by Nikki McCormack

View Dante Rossetti Category 1st Place Winners

The Chaucer Grand Prize Ribbon for Historical Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

Valhalla Revealed
by Robert A Wright

View Chaucer Category 1st Place Winners

The Laramie Grand Prize Ribbon for Western, Pioneer, Civil War Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

Doctor Kinney’s Housekeeper
by Sara Dahmen

View Laramie Category 1st Place Winners

The Chatelaine Grand Prize Ribbon for Women’s Fiction and Romantic Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

Daughter of Destiny
by Nicole Evelina

View Chatelaine Category 1st Place Winners

The CLUE Grand Prize Ribbon for Mystery/Thriller/Suspense Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

Blood Relations
by Lonna Enox

View CLUE Category 1st Place Winners

The Paranormal Grand Prize Ribbon for Paranormal/Supernatural Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

The Aurora Affair
by Carolyn Haley

View Paranormal Category 1st Place Winners

The Somerset Grand Prize Ribbon for Literary, Contemporary, & Mainstream Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

The Alexandrite
by Richard Lenz

View Somerset Category 1st Place Winners

Now this is something to CROW about!

Enter Your Book or Manuscript in a contest!

Please note that the above awards are for submissions that we received in 2015. The award winners were acknowledge at the 2016 annual Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Banquet on Saturday, April 30th, 2016.

The winners of the 2016 Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Writing Competitions (works entered in 2016) will be recognized at the 2017 Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Banquet held April 1st, 2017. Reserve your spot now.

We invite you to read the Chanticleer editorial book reviews of these stellar works. The reviews will be published on our website and in the Chanticleer Reviews online magazine. If they are not currently posted, they will be posted as they are reviewed! Congratulations, again, to these award winning authors!

For more information about the Chanticleer International Writing Competitions, please visit our Writing Contests pages.

We are currently accepting 2016 and 2017 contest entries: CBR International Blue Ribbon Writing Competitions.

We would like to thank our sponsors who make the Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Writing Competitions and the Chanticleer Authors Conference possible.

May 2, 2016
THE CLOUD SEEDERS by James Zerndt, a dystopian-future novel

Environmental dangers, such as recent droughts on the West Coast, motivate many writers to explore futures where significant resources are scarce. Imagine a world where water is a rare, precious gem that people are trying to snatch up. James Zerndt builds a dystopian future in his novel The Cloud Seeders where the lack of water, and more importantly rain, has resulted in a dictatorial regime with water police, severe punishments, and near total control.

Enter Thomas, his little brother Dustin, and Thomas’ girlfriend Jerusha.

Zerndt is an expert on point-of-view and he crafts memorable characters who have unique assets and flaws. The juxtaposed positions of Thomas being a young enforcer for the water police and Jerusha being a member of a secret society that resists the regime offers a fascinating view of young love and its willingness to put up with opposing worldviews. Dustin’s surprising capabilities further round out a strong set of diverse characters. Zerndt’s three-dimensional characters remind the reader that none of us are all good or all bad – we have faults and strengths that set the foundation for who we are and who we will become.

A prose professional, Zerndt’s pages are filled with dynamic characters and scene building craft that grips the reader from the beginning to the end. The poems between chapters, written by the two brothers’ deceased mother, are carefully crafted and also capture the reader’s attention.

The adventure the three characters go on is fraught with realistic and compelling subplots that pull you along and make you want to keep reading late into the night. The scenery has a fresh perspective that puts the reader into Orwellian territory as the devastation to the country is revealed through the storyline.

Even though this novel, which crosses the genres of science fiction, new adult, romance, and dystopian, presents a coming-of-age story, I would recommend it to either young adults with parental guidance (PG) or the 18-year-old and over audience because the coarse language, sexual content, and violence–while not gratuitous–still permeates this riveting story.

Readers will be enthralled by the novel’s climax, which is both clever and believable. The ending begs the question of what’s next.

The Cloud Seeders is a gripping dystopian-future novel that leaves us questioning just how far are we from a future of environmental chaos, and how blurred the line can be between fiction and reality.

April 8, 2016
DEADLY THYME by R.L. Nolen — a British whodunit psychological thriller

A little girl is missing, but her mother is reluctant to talk to the police detectives who can help find her, leaving a twisted psychopath free to terrorize a Cornwall village with increasingly bloody deeds.

Ten-year-old Annie Butler goes seashell gathering one Sunday morning and does not return. Her mother, Ruth, is fearful of reporting Annie missing to British law enforcement because of her own dark past. The fear of the possible fate of her missing daughter overrides any of Ruth’s own fears.

Once Ruth levels with the police, she enlists the sympathy of Inspector Jon Graham, who has come to Cornwall on an entirely different assignment—to find out if corruption is the reason why the local police chief has suddenly come into a large sum of money. The search for Annie moves agonizingly slowly for her mother.

The novel unfolds in stages, introducing Annie as a brave little soul and her mother as loving, but embattled. Ruth is convinced her own dark past has caught up with her. The locals include a steely-eyed police chief with a heart of gold and a bank account to match, and a plodding, plump but persistent cop who complains humorously about “Her Indoors” (his wife).

Several people emerge as suspects in the kidnapping of Annie, even the aforementioned plodding policeman on whose property (a rundown trailer) visiting Inspector Jon Graham is staying in while on his assignment.

Technology plays a vital role in the case, leading ultimately to an eerily recognizable shadow on a video. There are brief vignettes of the perpetrator, showing how deep into madness and sadism he has sunk; of Annie bravely trying to figure out how to send a secret message to her mother; and of Ruth herself, as she deals with her deepest dread.

This is Rebecca Nolen’s second full-length mystery novel, and she writes dialogue like an old hand. She has mastered both the nuances of British English, including some rustic dialects, and the laid back American drawl of Ruth and her fresh-off-the-plane-from-Texas mother.

The setting, a quaint West Country village in Cornwall by the swirling sea with high cliffs aplenty for falling off, is almost a character in itself. Offering a plethora of red herrings to confuse even the most diligent mystery buff, Nolen’s engrossing complex storyline throws two budding love affairs and some exceedingly ghoulish crimes into the mix into this suspenseful whodunit.

An intriguing British mystery with a slight Texas twang, Deadly Thyme is a psychological chiller with a myriad of plot twists, layered personalities, and at its center, one unusually clever, courageous little girl that will keep readers guessing to the very end.

March 23, 2016
The CLUE Awards for Suspense/Thriller Fiction 2015 First Place Category Winners
The CLUE Awards Writing Competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Suspense/Thriller Fiction. The CLUE Awards is a division of Chanticleer International Novel Writing Competitions.

We are pleased to announce the 2015 CLUE Awards Official First Place Category Winners. Good Luck to them as they compete for the 2015 CLUE Grand Prize Award.

Please note that Global Thrillers and Lab Lit fiction entries were moved to the newly offered Global Thrillers Awards 2016.

Congratulations to the 2015 CLUE Awards First In Category Award Winning Suspense/Thriller Fiction Novels:
- Blended Genre: Timothy S. Johnston – The Tanner Sequence
- Suspense/Thriller: K. J. Klemme – Tourist Trapped
- Mystery/Crime: Patrick M. Garry – Blind Spots
- Manuscript Mystery/Crime: Scott D. Smith – Guilty Deeds
- Espionage/Spy: Michele Daniel – The Red Circle
- Contemporary Suspense: Christine Benedict – Anonymous
- Mystery: Lonna Enox – Blood Relations
- Historical/Vintage Thriller: Michael Scheffel – St. Louis Affair: The Adventures of Herbert Falken
- Legal/Medical/Police Procedural: Laurie Stevens for The Mask of Midnight
- Courtroom Drama: Hubert Crouch for The Word
- True Crime: Zach Fortier for CurbChek Reload
- International Mystery & Crime: Marian Exall – A Dangerous Descent
More than $30,000 dollars in cash and prizes are awarded to Chanticleer International Blue Ribbon Awards Winners annually.

The CLUE First Place Category award winners will compete for the CLUE Grand Prize Award for the 2015 Suspense/Thriller Fiction Novel. Grand Prize winners, blue ribbons, and prizes will be announced and awarded on April 30, 2016 at the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala, Bellingham, Wash.

The First In Category award winning titles will receive an award package including a complimentary Chanticleer Book Review of the winning title, digital award badges, shelf talkers, book stickers, and more.

We are now accepting entries into the 2017 CLUE Awards. The deadline is September 30, 2016. Click here for more information or to enter.

Congratulations to those who made the CLUE Awards 2015 FIRST PLACE official listing.

More than $30,000 worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to the 2015 Chanticleer Novel Writing Competition winners! Ten genres to enter your novels and compete on an international level.

Who will take home the $1,000 purse this coming April at the Chanticleer Awards Gala and Banquet?
March 15, 2016
The CHATELAINE Awards for Romantic Fiction 2015 First Place Category Winners
The CHATELAINE Awards Writing Competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Romantic Fiction and Women’s Fiction. The CHATELAINE Awards is a division of Chanticleer International Novel Writing Competitions.

We are pleased to announce the 2015 CHATELAINE Awards Official First Place Category Winners. Good Luck to them as they compete for the 2015 CHATELAINE Grand Prize Award.

Congratulations to the 2015 CHATELAINE Awards First In Category Award Winning Romantic Fiction Novels:
- Legacy/Legend: Nicole Evelina – Daughter of Destiny
- Historical Romance: Susan Örnbrattt – The Particular Appeal of Gilliane Pugsley
- Regency: Julie LeMens – Once Upon a Scandal
- Women’s Fiction-Short Story Collection: Mary Ann Henry – Ladies in Low Places
- Women’s Fiction: Miriam Polli – In a Vertigo of Silence
- Adventure/Suspense: Kaylin McFarren – Banished Threads
- Mystery/Suspense: Joanne Guidoccio – A Season for Killing Blondes
- Inspirational/Restorative: Andrea Weir – A Foolish Consistency
- Young Adult/New Adult: Natasha Boyd – Deep Blue Eternity
Honorable Mentions:
- Danica Winters – Smoke and Ashes
- Belangela G. Tarazona – Hiatus
- J.L Oakley – Mist-shi-mus: A Novel of Captivity
- John Herman – The Counting of the Coup
More than $30,000 dollars in cash and prizes are awarded to Chanticleer International Blue Ribbon Awards Winners annually.

The CHATELAINE First Place Category award winners will compete for the CHATELAINE Grand Prize Award for the 2015 Romantic Fiction Novel. Grand Prize winners, blue ribbons, and prizes will be announced and awarded on April 30, 2016 at the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala, Bellingham, Wash.

The First In Category award winning titles will receive an award package including a complimentary Chanticleer Book Review of the winning title, digital award badges, shelf talkers, book stickers, and more.

We are now accepting entries into the 2016 CHATELAINE Awards. The deadline is November 30, 2016. Click here for more information or to enter.

Congratulations to those who made the CHATELAINE Awards 2015 FIRST PLACE official listing.

More than $30,000 worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to the 2015 Chanticleer Novel Writing Competition winners! Ten genres to enter your novels and compete on an international level.

Who will take home the $1,000 purse this coming April at the Chanticleer Awards Gala and Banquet?
March 14, 2016
The SOMERSET Awards for Literary and Contemporary Novels 2015 – Official Finalist Listing
The Somerset Awards Writing Competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genres of Literary and Contemporary Novels. The Somerset 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 2015 writing competition winners at the Chanticleer Authors Conference April 30, 2016!

The Somerset Awards FIRST IN CATEGORY sub-genres are:
- Literary
- Contemporary
- Adventure/Suspense
- Humor/Satire
- Women’s Fiction
- Magic Realism
The following titles will compete for the FIRST IN CATEGORY Positions and Awards Packages.

This is the OFFICIAL FINALIST POSTING of Authors and Titles that have made it to the Short-list of the Somerset 2015 Novel Writing Contest.
- Gail Cleare – Secrets We Keep
- ~CRK – Beyond the Further Sea
- Victoria Hughes – The Cloister Door
- Stanley Levers – Kuiperbelt Scrapyard
- Tom And Nancy Wise – Life On Base: Quantico Cave
- J.P. Kenna – Toward a Terrible Freedom
- Geoff Sokol – Will the Axe Hurt
- Patricia A. Williams – The Two Weddings of Zhao Ping
- Laurence Klinger – Billy
- Mary Avery Kabrich – Once Upon a Time a Sparrow
- Karen Fitzpatrick – After the Rain
- Kayce Stevens Hughlett – Blue: a novel
- Patrick M. Garry – Blind Spots
- Tom Glenn – The Trion Syndrome
- Rick Lenz – The Alexandrite
- Cat Lynn Boyle – Shadow Dance
- Kenneth Stokes – Return to Villa Serena
- R Schick – Little Light
- Gail Cleare – Secrets We Keep
- C.G. Fewston – A Time to Love in Tehran
- Jen Michalski – The Tide King
- James Gregory Kingston – The City Island Messenger
- Rian Everest – Tangerine Tigress
- Andreas Morgner – Kinyamaswa
- Beth Burgmeyer – The Gathering
- Judith Kirscht – Hawkins Lane
- Gary Grossman – Old Earth
- Caitlin Hicks – A Theory of Expanded Love
- N J Cooper – Beat The Rain
- Stephen Glines for Poplar Hill or Kitty Stevenson’s Two Wakes
- James Zerndt – Brailling For Wile
- Miriam Polli – In A Vertigo of Silence
- Steve Bruno – Blinded by the Light
- Jacinda DeRoy – Finding Hopewood Lane
The Somerset Finalists will compete for the Somerset Awards First In Category Positions, which consists of Four Judging Rounds. First Place Category Award winners will automatically be entered into the Somerset GRAND PRIZE AWARD competition, which has a cash prize of $200 or $500 dollars in editorial services. 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 Somerset Awards Grand Prize Award for the $200 purse and the Somerset 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 of the winning title 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 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 Somerset Finalists as they compete for the coveted First Place Category positions.

First In Category announcements will be made in our social media postings as the results come in.

The Somerset Grand Prize Winner and the First Place Category winners will be announced and recognized at the April 30th, 2016 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 2016 CLUE Awards writing competitions for Western Fiction. Please click here for more information or to enter the contests.
March 13, 2016