Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Chanticleer Authors Conference

The 2020 Finalists for the Clue Book Awards for Thriller and Suspense Novels CIBAs
The CLUE Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Suspense and Thriller Fiction. The Clue Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The #CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is seeking the best books featuring suspense, thrilling adventure, detective work, private eye, police procedural, and crime-solving, we will put them to the test to discover the best! (For lighter-hearted Mystery and Classic Cozy Mysteries please check out our Mystery & Mayhem Awards, and for High Stakes Suspense Novels please check out our Global Thriller Awards).

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from the 2020 SHORTLIST to the SEMI-FINALIST POSITION and have now progressed to the 2020 FINALISTS.

The 2020 Finalists for the Clue Book Awards
- - Chuck Morgan – Crime Denied, A Buck Taylor Novel
  - Toni Bird Jones – The Measure of Ella
  - Grahame Shannon – Bay of Devils
  - Kari Bovee – Folly at the Fair
  - Dana J. Summers – Downhill Fast
  - Rafael Amadeus Hines – Bishop’s Law
  - Ken Farmer – Three Creeks
  - J. L. Oakley – The Quisling Factor
  - Martin Roy Hill – The Fourth Rising
  - Chris Karlsen – A Venomous Love
  - Christopher Leibig – Almost Damned
  - J.J. Clarke – Dared to Run
  - Megan Allen – The Meat Hunter
  - Michelle Cox – A Child Lost
  - Valerie J. Brooks – Revenge in 3 Parts
  - Corey Lynn Fayman – Ballast Point Breakdown
  - Kevin G. Chapman – Lethal Voyage (Mike Stoneman Thriller)
  - Shanessa Gluhm – Enemies of Doves
  - Suanne Schafer – Hunting the Devil
  - John DeDakis – Fake
  - Theo Czuk – Hastings Street: Boulevard of Blues
  Which of these works will move forward in the judging rounds for the 2020 CLUE Book Awards? Stay tuned!
These titles are in the running for the First Place Winners of the 2020 Clue Book Awards for Thriller and Suspense Novels.

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 23 CIBA divisions Finalists. We will announce the 1st Place Category Winners and Grand Prize Division Winners the CIBAs Ceremonies on June 5th, 2021 virtually (Free) and LIVE at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash.

Register today!

We are now accepting submissions into the 2021 Clue Book Awards for Thrillers and Mysteries. The deadline for submissions is September 30, 2021. The 2021 winners will be announced in April 2022.

Please click here for more information.

Don’t Delay! Enter Today!

As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions at Info@ChantiReviews.com.
May 5, 2021
The 2020 Finalists for the DANTE ROSSETTI Book Awards for Young Adult Fiction CIBAs
The Dante Rossetti Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in Young Adult Fiction. The Dante Rossetti Book Awards is a genre division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (#CIBAs).

Named in honor of the British poet & painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti who founded the Pre-Ralphaelite Brotherhood in 1848.

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring stories of all shapes and sizes written to an audience between the ages of about twelve to eighteen (imaginary or real). Science Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopian, Mystery, Paranormal, Historical, Romance, Literary, we will put them to the test to discover the best. (For Middle Grade Fiction see our Gertrude Warner Awards, and for Children’s Literature see our Little Peeps Awards.)

These titles are in the running for the First Place Category Winners of the 2020 Dante Rossetti Book Awards for Young Adult Fiction.
- Michelle Rene – The Canyon Cathedral: The Witches of Tanglewood, Book Two
- Strider S. R. Klusman – Within Reach
- B. L. Smith – The Fall of the Axe
- Liana Gardner – Speak No Evil
- Sara Hosey – Iphigenia Murphy
- Susanne Dunlap – The Paris Affair
- Susan Wingate – How the Deer Moon Hungers
- Felicia Farber – Ice Queen
- Dallas Woodburn – The Best Week That Never Happened
- Kelly Vincent – Finding Frances
- Chynna Laird – Just Shut Up and Drive
- L.L. Eadie – Yearning for the Unattainable
- Jodi Lea Stewart – Blackberry Road
- Denis Olasehinde Akinmolasire – The Mission to End Slavery
- Tory Gates – Searching for Roy Buchanan
- Brooke Skipstone – Someone To Kiss My Scars
- Ivy Cayden – Everything All At Once (Book 1, Chorduroys and Too Many Boys™)
Good Luck to All as your works compete for the FINALIST rounds of the CIBAs!

We will announce the First Place and Grand Prize Winners of the 2020 CIBA divisions on June 5th, 2021.
The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 23 CIBA divisions Finalists. We will announce the 1st Place Category Winners and Grand Prize Division Winners the CIBAs Ceremonies June 5th, 2021 virtually (Free) and LIVE at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash.

Register today!

We are now accepting entries into the 2021 Dante Rossetti Book Awards for YA Fiction. Deadline is June 30, 2021.

As always, please contact us at Chanticleer@ChantiReviews.com with any questions, concerns, or suggestions!

Don’t Delay! Enter Today!

As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions at Info@ChantiReviews.com.
April 28, 2021
The 2020 Finalists Paranormal Book Awards for Supernatural Fiction CIBAs
The PARANORMAL Book Awards recognize emerging talent and outstanding works in the genre of Paranormal and Supernatural Fiction. The Paranormal Book Awards is a genre division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The #CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards (the CIBAs) is looking for the best books featuring magic, the supernatural, weird otherworldly stories, superhumans (ex. Jessica Jones, Wonder Woman), magical beings & supernatural entities (ex. Harry Potter), vampires & werewolves (ex. Twilight), angels & demons, fairies & mythological beings, magical systems and elements. They will be put to the test and the best will be declared winners of the prestigious CIBAs.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from the 2020 SHORT LIST to the SEMI-FINALIST POSITION and have now progressed to the 2020 FINALISTS.

The Finalists for the Paranormal Book Awards, a division of the 2020 CIBAs
- Christopher Leibig – Almost Damned
- E. Alan Fleischauer – Just Die
- Lydia Staggs – Azrael
- Brooke Skipstone – Someone To Kiss My Scars
- James Kirst – Magic Once Removed
- Meg Evans – Enthrallment
- Blaise Ramsay – Blood Law
- Kaylin McFarren – Soul Seeker
- Joy Ross Davis – The Magnificent Celestine
- Stephanie Alexander – Charleston Green
- David Thompson – ‘Possum Stew
- Franklin Posner – Boston Betty
- R.B. Woodstone – Chains of Time
- Ryan Young – The Shepherd’s Burden
- Neil Chase – Iron Dogs
- Carissa Andrews – Secret Legacy
- T. K. Thorne – House of Rose
Good Luck to All!

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 23 CIBA divisions Finalists. We will announce the 1st Place Category Winners and Grand Prize Division Winners the CIBAs Ceremonies June 5th, 2021 virtually (Free) and LIVE at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash.

Register today!

We are now accepting submissions into the 2021 Paranormal Book Awards.

Don’t delay! Enter Today!

As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions at Info@ChantiReviews.com
April 28, 2021
The 2020 Finalists for the OZMA Book Awards for Fantasy Fiction CIBAs
The OZMA Book Awards recognize emerging talent and outstanding works in the genre of Fantasy Fiction. The OZMA Book Awards is a genre division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The #CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards discovers the best books featuring magic, the supernatural, imaginary worlds, fantastical creatures, legendary beasts, mythical beings, or inventions of fancy that author imaginations dream up without a basis in science as we know it. Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, Dragons, Unicorns, Steampunk, Dieselpunk, Gaslight Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, or other out-of-this-world fiction, will be put to the test and the best selected as winners of the prestigious CIBAs.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from the 2020 SHORTLIST to the SEMI-FINALIST POSITION and have now progressed to the 2020 FINALISTS.

The 2020 Finalists for the Ozma Book Awards
- Christopher Russell – Divinity’s Twilight: Rebirth
- T. Cook – Shin
- Michelle Rene – The Canyon Cathedral: The Witches of Tanglewood, Book Two
- Robert C. Feol – A Journey to Mouseling Hollow
- J. Nell Brown – Orphan Tree and the Vanishing Skeleton Key
- Gordon Preston – Zendragon
- H.J. Ramsay – Ever Alice
- Alison Levy – Gatekeeper: Book One in the Daemon Collecting Series
- Jeny Heckman – The Warrior’s Progeny
- LaVerne Thompson – Wild Child
- D.L. Jennings – Awaken the Three
- KC Cowan & Sara Cole – Everfire
- Dr. Anay Ayarovu – STAZR The World Of Z: The Dawn Of Athir
- Glenn Searfoss – Cycles of Norse Mythology: Tales of the AEsir Gods
Click here to see the 2020 OZMA Semi-Finalists.

Good Luck to all as your manuscripts and novels compete for the First Place Winner rounds of the CIBAs!

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 23 CIBA divisions Finalists. We will announce the 1st Place Category Winners and Grand Prize Division Winners the CIBAs Ceremonies June 5th, 2021 virtually (Free) and LIVE at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash.

Register today!

We are now accepting entries into the 2021 OZMA Book Awards for Fantasy Fiction, a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards. Please click here for more information and to enter.

Don’t Delay! Enter Today!

As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions at Info@ChantiReviews.com.
April 28, 2021
The 2020 Finalists for the CYGNUS Book Awards for Science Fiction CIBAs
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. Hard Science Fiction, Soft Science Fiction, Apocalyptic Fiction, Cyberpunk, Time Travel, Genetic Modification, Aliens, Super Humans, Interplanetary Travel, and Settlers on the Galactic Frontier, Dystopian, our judges from across North America and the U.K. will put them to the test and choose the best among them.

The Finalists works will compete for the First Place Winner positions. First Place Winners will be announced and recognized at the 2020 CIBA Banquet June 5th, 2021.

Congratulations to the 2020 Cygnus Book Awards FINALISTS!

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from the 2020 SHORT LIST to the SEMI-FINALIST POSITION and have now progressed to the 2020 FINALISTS.
- Mark T. Sneed – Bully Nation
- Brooke Skipstone – Some Laneys Died
- B.T. Keaton – Transference
- JL Morin – Loveoid
- Bryan K. Prosek – Paradoxical
- Timothy S. Johnston – The Savage Deeps
- Mike Meier – JoinWith.Me
- Palmer Pickering – Moon Deeds
- Ted Neill – Reaper Moon: Race War in the Post Apocalypse
- Dr. Anay Ayarovu – STAZR the World Of Z: The Dawn of Athir
- PA Vasey – Trinity’s Fall
- Rhett C. Bruno & Jaime Castle – The Luna Missile Crisis
- Russ Colson – The Arasmith Certainty Principle
- Zach Fortier – Volk: Book one of The Overseer series
- Susan Wingate – The Lesser Witness
- Dennis M. Clausen – The Accountant’s Apprentice
- Courtney Leigh Pahlke – Life Force Preserve
- Marc Corwin – The Optical Lasso
Good luck to all as your works compete on the next rounds of judging.

The next round of judging will decide which books move on to the Finalist positions for the 2020 CYGNUS Book Awards for Science Fiction novels.

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 23 CIBA divisions Finalists. We will announce the 1st Place Category Winners and Grand Prize Division Winners the CIBAs Ceremonies June 5th, 2021 virtually (Free) and LIVE at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash.

Register Today!

We are now accepting submissions into the 2021 CYGNUS Awards writing competition. The deadline for submissions is April 30th, 2021. The winners will be announced in April 2022.

Don’t wait! Click here to enter today!

Don’t Delay! Enter Today!

As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions at Info@ChantiReviews.com.
April 28, 2021
The 2020 Finalists for the GOETHE Book Awards for post-1750s Historical Fiction CIBAs
The Goethe Book Awards recognize emerging new talent in post-1750s Historical Fiction. The Goethe Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

The Goethe Book Awards competition is named for Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who was born at the dawn of the new era of enlightenment on August 28, 1749.

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring Late Period Historical Fiction. Regency, Victorian,18th Century, 19th Century, 20th Century, World and other wars, history of non-western cultures, set after the 1750s, we will put them to the test and choose the best among them.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from the 2020 SHORT LIST to the SEMI-FINALIST POSITION and have now progressed to the 2020 FINALISTS.

The 2020 Finalists for the Goethe Book Awards

Congratulations to these works that advanced to the Premier Finalists Level of the CIBA judging rounds:
- Helena P. Schrader – Where Eagles Never Flew: A Battle of Britain Novel
- Conor Bender – Jubilee
- Linda Ulleseit – The Aloha Spirit
- Eileen O’Finlan – Erin’s Children
- Jon Duncan – Heart of the Few
- Grahame Shannon – Bay of Devils
- Leslie K. Barry – Newark Minutemen
- Richard Alan Schwartz – Wind Chimes, War and Consequence A Novel of the Vietnam War Era
- Liza Nash Taylor – Etiquette for Runaways
- Kari Bovee – Folly at the Fair
- Betty Bolte – Becoming Lady Washington
- J.L.Oakley – The Quisling Factor
- Brigitte Goldstein – Babylon Laid Waste-A Journey in the Twilight of the Idols
- Nancy H. Wynen – We Did What We Could
- Gail Noble-Sanderson – The Lavender Bees of Meuse
- Michelle Cameron – Beyond the Ghetto Gates
- Kathryn Gauci – The Poseidon Network
- Dorothea Hubble Bonneau – Once in a Blood Moon
- Pamela Jonas – Beneath a Radiant Moon
- Donna Scott – The London Monster
- Jule Selbo – Breaking Barriers: A Novel Based on the Life of Laura Bassi
- Theo Czuk – Hastings Street: Boulevard of Blues
- Ben Wyckoff Shore – Terribilita
- Carmela Cattuti – Between the Cracks: one woman’s journey from Sicily to America
- Wendy Long Stanley – The Power to Deny
These titles are in the running for the First Place Winners of the 2020 Goethe Book Awards for post-1750s Historical Fiction.
Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 23 CIBA divisions Finalists. We will announce the 1st Place Category Winners and Grand Prize Division Winners the CIBAs Ceremonies June 5th, 2021 virtually (Free) and LIVE at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash.

Register today!

We are now accepting submissions into the 2021 Goethe Book Awards for post-1750s Historical Fiction. The deadline for submissions is July 30, 2021. The 2021 winners will be announced in April 2022.

Please click here for more information.

Don’t Delay! Enter Today!

As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions at Info@ChantiReviews.com.
April 26, 2021
The 2020 Finalists for the 2020 CHAUCER Book Awards for pre-1750s Historical Fiction CIBAs
The CHAUCER Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in pre-1750s Historical Fiction. The CHAUCER Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

The Chaucer Book Awards competition is named for Geoffrey Chaucer the author of the legendary Canterbury Tales. The work is considered to be one of the greatest works in the English language. It was among the first non-secular books written in Middle English to be printed in 1483.

Chanticleer International Book Awards is seeking for the best books featuring Pre-1750s Historical Fiction, including pre-history, ancient history, Classical, world history (non-western culture), Dark Ages and Medieval Europe, Renaissance, Elizabethan, Tudor, 1600s, we will put them to the test and choose the best among them.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from the 2020 SHORT LIST to the SEMI-FINALIST POSITION and have now progressed to the 2020 FINALISTS.

These titles are in the running for the Finalist positions of the 2020 CHAUCER Book Awards for pre-1750s Historical Fiction. Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.
- James Hutson-Wiley – The Travels of ibn Thomas
- Regan Walker – Summer Warrior
- N.L. Holmes – Bird in a Snare
- Thoren Syndergaard – Ripley of Valor
- Seven Jane – The Isle of Gold
- Edward Rickford – The Bend of the River: Book Two in the Tenochtitlan Trilogy
- Leah Angstman – Out Front the Following Sea
- Helena P. Schrader – The Emperor Strikes Back
- B.L. Smith – The Fall of the Axe
- Brook Allen – Antonius: Son of Rome
- Sherry V. Ostroff – Caledonia
- Amy Wolf – A Woman of the Road and Sea
- Wendy J. Dunn – Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters
- Denis Olasehinde Akinmolasire – The Mission to End Slavery
- Janet Wertman – The Path to Somerset
Which of these works will move forward in the judging rounds for the 2020 Chaucer Book Awards for pre-1750s Historical Fiction?

Good Luck to ALL!

The 2020 CIBA FINALISTS were announced at VCAC21 – April 21 – 24, 2021.

The Chaucer Book Awards 2020 First Place and Grand Prize Winner will be announced at the hybrid CIBA Ceremony that will take place on Saturday, June 5th, 2021 at the Hotel Bellwether. More details will be posted in early May.

Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 23 CIBA divisions Finalists. We will announce the 1st Place Category Winners and Grand Prize Division Winners the CIBAs Ceremonies June 5th, 2021 virtually (Free) and LIVE at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash.

Register today!

We are now accepting submissions into the 2021 CHAUCER Book Awards for pre-1750s Historical Fiction. The deadline for submissions is July 31, 2021. The 2021 winners will be announced in April 2022.

As always, please contact us at Chanticleer@ChantiReviews.com with any questions, concerns, or suggestions!
April 26, 2021
Tana Hope — Posture Expert to present at VCAC21
We are delighted to welcome Tana Hope back to the Chanticleer Authors Conference.

After a year working from home, we need the advice and guidance of Tana Hope more than ever! See her at #VCAC21

Tana’s sessions at VCAC 20 were fabulous! We invite you to listen to this international speaker and hear her tips for making micro-adjustments in your routine that will greatly improve your health and well-being. And get more oxygen to your brain the next time you have writer’s block! Hearing Tana present her sessions is priceless!

Join us for one or all of Tana’s Sessions at VCAC 21!

Tana Hope’s Conference Sessions: Note from Tana: You can miss Part 2 and still attend Part 3! However, each day I will present new information!
- 4/22, 2 p.m. Writers: Improve Your Productivity and Your Health by Correcting Posture – Part 1
- 4/23, 2 p.m. Writers: Improve Your Productivity and Your Health by Correcting Posture – Part 2
- 4/24, 2 p.m. Writers: Improve Your Productivity and Your Health by Correcting Posture – Part 3
Tana Hope is a certified Perfect Posture Instructor and a certified 3MAP practitioner (Acupuncture Meridian, Muscle, Massage, Anatomy & Physiology). Tana helps people understand the basic fundamental principles of how body functions and to learn how to operate the body in harmony and operate wisely based on the body design principals to produce maximum performance and longevity.

Tana’s knowledge base is due in part from her unique multi-culture background. Tana was born & raised in Korea, has lived in Japan and now in the U.S. Tana’s work history includes the Korean National Congress, U.S. Embassy in Seoul, Octel Communications, and U.S. Customs District office.

Tana designed and delivers The HOPE (Healthy Optimal Posture Education) Workshop to help people understand the basic fundamental principles of how body functions and to learn how to operate body in harmony and operate wisely based on the body design principals to produce the maximum performance and longevity.

Click here for more information about the 2021 Chanticleer Authors Conference and Int’l Book Awards Banquet and Ceremony.
April 20, 2021
Jessica H. Stone – VCAC21 Author and Presenter | VCAC21

Jessica H. Stone is now confirmed for VCAC21!

We are delighted to welcome long time Chanticleerian Jessica H. Stone at #VCAC21

Jessica H. Stone (Jes) is the author of The Last Outrageous Woman, a First Place Winner of the Somerset Women’s Literary Fiction Awards— Chanticleer International Reviews. Her mystery, Blood on a Blue Moon, won first place in Murder and Mayhem—Chanticleer International Reviews and Best Mystery in the Black Magnolia Publishing Awards. She is currently working on a thriller. jessicahstone.com

An avid sailor, Jessica and her Border Collie, Kip McSnip – the Famous Sailing Dog, sailed together for sixteen years. They cruised the Caribbean, navigated Puget Sound traversed Canada’s waters, sailed the Mexican coast, wandered the Sea of Cortez and crossed the Pacific Ocean. Kip celebrated his eighteenth birthday as they crossed the equator for the first time. Their experiences led to the popular book, Doggy on Deck: Life at Sea with a Salty Dog and the long-running syndicated column, Cruising with Critters.

Jessica’s VCAC 21 Session is an interview with J.D. Barker – Writing Craft for Mystery, Suspense, & Thriller Novels – with Jessica Stone

To Register for VCAC 21, please click here.

Check out our review for her book: THE LAST OUTRAGEOUS WOMAN

Life is meant for living –outrageously in Jessica Stone’s latest novel, The Last Outrageous Woman.

Eighty-six-year-old Mattie’s life is dwindling away at Florida’s Restful Palms Retirement facility but she has a plan—an outrageous plan. And it just might work. Taking advantage of a crisis situation, Mattie tricks a staff member into signing a release paper that will be their ticket out.

Each woman has a secret longing to be fulfilled. For Mattie, it’s a sea voyage as described to her by a long-lost lover; food-obsessed Dolores wants to honor her Irish heritage by kissing the Blarney Stone; quiet, easily dominated Edna has a dream of riding a camel—in Egypt; Rose never got to say goodbye, her way, to her deceased brother buried somewhere in Wisconsin; and Helen remembers how her two sons, both killed in military service, loved Australia, leaving her with the desire to go there and pet a kangaroo.

Continue Reading Here

Click here for more information about the 2021 Chanticleer Authors Conference and Int’l Book Awards and Ceremony.

April 20, 2021
Jessica Morrell – Author and Presenter at VCAC21

The inimitable, always-in-demand, Jessica Morrell will be joining us at the Chanticleer Authors Conference

Jessica Page Morrell – Editor Extraordinaire!

We are delighted to welcome Jessica Morrell to VCAC21! One of the primary contributors to the Chanticleer writing blog, Jessica’s tips and advice are invaluable lessons that benefit all authors.

Each year we offer writing craft sessions from the best editors and authors in the publishing industry. This year we are excited to announce that we have Jessica Page Morrell as a teacher of the Master Writing Class Sessions.

Master Class: Story People: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly Jessica P. Morrell ©

It sometimes does take a village to bring a story to life. With that in mind, we’ll discuss the many roles for your story people from protagonist to minor characters, and delineate their impact on the plots and protagonist. However, we’ll also cover the outliers in fiction and the chaos, conflict, zest, and realism they add to your story world. So we’ll be covering anti-heroes, oddballs, wretches, naughty, pain-in-the-butt types, innocents, along with villains and bad and bad ass women.

We’ll touch on other topics—how to differentiate characters via voice, creating characters based on backstories and main traits, and the importance of secondary characters to make things happen. Because living, breathing characters come from readers experiencing them through a specific emotional lens supplied by viewpoint, voice, and a character’s observations.

To further expand our discussion we’ll also cover immersive, intimate viewpoint and narrative distance. Please bring your favorite imaginary folks to the workshop.

If you are not registered for VCAC21, but would like to take Jessica’s Master Writing Class, please click here.

Conference Session: Saturday, April 24, 2021 at 10:15 a.m.

Power Writing, Word by word, sentence by sentence using language to create tension, emotion, action and resonance.

Click here for more information about the VCAC 21 Schedule.

Jessica understands both sides of the editorial desk–as a highly-sought after developmental editor and author. Her work also appears in multiple anthologies and The Writer and Writer’s Digest magazines. She is known for explaining the hows and whys of what makes for excellent writing and for sharing very clear examples that examines the technical aspects of writing that emphases layering and subtext. Her books on writing craft are considered “a must have” for any serious writer’s toolkit. Read some of Jessica’s writing here.

Click here for more information about the 2021 Chanticleer Authors Conference and Int’l Book Awards Banquet and Ceremony.

April 20, 2021