Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Contests

The 2nd Blogpost of 2022 | Author Websites, Your Connection to the World and to Your Readers — Chanticleer Business of Writing Tools and Tips
Every Author Needs an Effective Website, But What Should You Do to Manage Yours?

Now is the time to freshen your website or seriously consider creating one dedicated to your author brand.

The internet is confusing enough without having to look at the back end of a webpage that’s supposed to draw others in. For many authors, their website will be the first thing online readers will come across, and it should represent the best parts of you and your work.

AUTHOR BRAND – Your website your reflects your author brand

Like a Resume, the Author Website should highlight what’s special about you

If your book receives a positive review or award, crow about it on your website. You can see Nancy Thorne doing that on her site here for her book Victorian Town, which won a First Place blue ribbon in the Dante Rossetti Awards. Having that digital badge can be the difference between someone purchasing your book and passing on it.

Where else will people find information about you?

Aside from your author website, most readers will find out about you from bookstores, social media, through your publisher, or through Reviews and Awards as described above.

The only place you fully control is your Author Website

The Bones (wireframe) of Your Website

These are the key subjects your author website should touch on for readers:
- Your AUTHOR BRANDING – this will be a blogpost to itself – please see links at the end of this article,
- What do you write – Fantasy? Historical Fiction? Non-Fiction? Children’s Books?
  - Do you have an elevator pitch for each of your works? If so, this is where you put it. Then drill down with more info.
- What information or services you provide?
  - Are you available to present?
  - Are you available for Book Clubs? (You do have a Book Club page—right?)
  - Do you promote/support any causes? Humane Society? Autism? Wildlife? Lover of Libraries? Board Games?
  - Schedule of where people can meet you? Author Events, Wine Tastings/Lavender Days, Comic-Cons?
- Products (books) to sell –
  - Can they be purchased directly from your website?
  - Can they be purchased from your fav Indie bookseller? Amazon? Barnes and Noble? Bookchain?
  - Kudos given your works
  - Digital badges, links to awards and accolades
- Access to your Blog – it should be easily available AND with at least once a week posts.
  - Blogposts do not have to be long – a short paragraph will do to keep it fresh and earning “browser love” i.e. ranking on search engines
  - An outdated blog suggests that you are not interested in what you are doing (writing/written).
- BIO – why readers should READ your books rather than another author’s works in the same genre
  - Please have easily downloadable photos, short and snappy bio with an invitation to contact you (see below) if a more in-depth one is needed, and graphics of your book covers available for those who want to promote you and your work. For example – you are going to do a book signing at your local bookseller – they will want to be able to create posters, social media posts, mailings, etc. and will need this basic info easily and readily available.
  - Also, have links or a listing to where you have presented, been interviewed, and/or published, accolades and awards
- Contact info – Social Media Links, a secure way of contacting you, and a place to subscribe to your newsletter .
  - Social media links – especially LinkedIn and Twitter
  - Subscribe to your newsletter (yes, you read that correctly)
  - Secure way of contacting you while allowing for your privacy
See our deep dive into social media here!

However you go about making your website, the first thing to check is that it’s presented cleanly. Simple is going to be better than an over complicated landing page with too many buttons to look at. There should be a natural progression to your website to help visitors navigate it with ease.

Also, it’s worth mentioning that Chanticleerian Rochelle Parry does a deep dive into this subject here here.

1. Communicating What you Write

Readers should automatically know what genre you write in when they look at your website. Ideally this is done with design and by saying it directly. Consider what images are important to the work you do and how you describe the genre of your work. Both should be front and center. Again, the design doesn’t need to be over the top or fancy, but rather focused on communicating directly to the reader to let them know if they’ve landed in the right space. For example, these are the first big buttons anyone who comes to ChantiReviews.com sees:

Obviously we consider our Newsletter, Awards, and Reviews to be fairly important. Ask yourself what the main purpose of your website is—selling books? Selling copyediting services? Providing reviews? Whatever that is, it needs to be the main focus.

2. About Page

This is where you’ll want a professional head shot and a little bit about you and your story. You can ease up on the advertising here, and talk more about why you’re passionate about the subjects you write about.

We’re all about giving this rooster some love here.

An author page that puts the author front and center is Janice S Ellis, PhD’s website here. You get a good sense of who Dr. Ellis is and the reason that she is a reliable authority for her books. A different route is to be a website that primarily highlights your book, like Avanti Centrae’s website here. You can see the difference in focus, especially since Dr. Ellis’s work tends to have a wider range of subjects, while Centrae’s focuses exclusively on VanOps novels and thriller series.

3. Books

Your books will undoubtedly be an important part of your author website. If you’ve won any awards, such as from our Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBAs), you should include your digital badge to help the book stand out to those who visit your site. Likewise, if you’ve received a good Editorial Book Review from us, you’ll want to make a note of that and link to the review.

The goal is to show readers that your book stands out, and that it’s well connected enough to receive widespread recognition.

One of the biggest things we see with author websites is they forget to list those awards. Your website is a storefront among millions of digital storefronts, and something needs to be there to make your product stand out beyond what other authors have.

4. Contact

The Contact page is where you have a chance to let your audience reach out to you. It’s a great spot for people to request your presence at their book club, writing group, author’s conference, or upcoming Awards Ceremonies.

For example, the Chanticleer Authors Conference is coming up June 23-26, 2022 at the Hotel Bellwether in Beautiful Bellingham, WA. It’s a great place to make connections and expand your network to learn more skills to be a successful author!

Your Contact page is also an excellent place to gather information for your Newsletter. Your Newsletter lets you speak directly to your audience, cutting through the algorithms of social media and the whims of the internet to land directly in their inbox. Make sure you share information that’s fun and to the point of what might interest an audience.

5. Interact

If you have a blog and people interact with it, take a little bit of time to respond to them. Likewise, if you have emails from you contact page or responses from your Newsletter, you can take the time to let people know you heard them and respond in a positive way.

Your interactions may not be this cute

This is part of the business side of being a writer, so set up some dedicated time each week to deal with it rather than letting it bother you a little bit every day. Schedules can be the best way to avoid the death of a thousand cuts.

One of the big ways we promote interaction is through The Roost. The Roost is our personally curated social media site that allows authors to network and ask each other questions, while at the same time taking advantage of some extraordinary discounts. Learn more about The Roost here.

6. Avoid Sales Resistance

Sales Resistance is when the design of your website prevents readers from following you or buying your products. This is a huge personal pet peeve of Kiffer herself. To avoid this double check all your buttons and links, and even consider setting up multiple buttons for one product that your visitor can click on to buy your work. It can help here to have a friend explore your website and test it out. A second pair of eyes (or more) can’t hurt!

Hand in hand with that, share your brand! Promote your new book, promote new merchandise, and remind people of the services you offer If you have a new book? Advertise it! Win a new Award or receive a good review? Advertise it! Make sure it’s clear how to contact you, and that your SEO is up to date. What’s SEO you ask?

7. SEO and Publishing Alphabet Soup (How you and your works are found in the Internet of Things)

Possibly the most confusing element to the world wide web is the idea of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Tags and Keywords are the first start to this. Rather than go with the first idea that comes to mind, so a little bit of searching. The word “raffle” has nearly 90 million searches on Google while “giveaway” has 335 million. Generally, you’ll want to focus on the one that’s more common. The exception to this rule is what makes you shine should be a keyword more unique to you. You can read more about SEO here.

SEO is all about driving traffic back to your website, and you can do this by referencing your website frequently and generously. Have it ready when people ask where to find you on podcasts or guest blogs, and double check to make sure that information is posted to send their audience back to you.

8. Social Media

Links to your social media help so much, because that’s a good way to stay in your reader’s mind throughout the day. You can link individually to your Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and anything else, but what happens when you need to link to multiple sites (including your author website) from a space like Instagram?

No need to fear Social Media!

At the recent Chanticleer Authors Conference, VCAC21, Chelsea Bennett of LuLu and Alexa Bigwarfe talked about different ways to put up multiple links using Linktree and Shopify.

The big difference between the two is that Linktree is just for sharing links, whereas Shopify also doubles as a storefront, much like Squarespace, but it’s an all in one paid tool. If navigating multiple platforms is a challenge for you, Shopify may be worth the expense.

8. Newsletter

Your Newsletter is one of the best ways to connect with readers. Unlike social media, which is always filtered through automatic algorithms, people have signed up for and chosen to receive your newsletter. You don’t have to pay extra for it, just send it out to regularly tell your readers that you’re thinking of them, and to let them know how best to support you!

Newsletters can seem overwhelming, but you can break them down into a few simple steps. Here are a few possible choices:
- Recent Publications
- Status of Current Works in Progress
- What You’re Reading
- Writing Thoughts
- Links to your Social Media
You know yourself best, so choose what works best. The other big question with a Newsletter is how often to send one out. Luckily, the answer is you can send it out as little as twice a year. While there should always be a way for your readers to support you in the letter, it’s important that the main thrust of it is in connecting with them.

Your newsletter is a chance to give your books a big hug

What is the Author Website, in the end?

Your website is the hub of your part of the community of writers you’ve joined. It’s like a small inn where you invite readers in and can provide resources and support to your fellow authors. Be kind and excellent to each other.

Thank you for joining us and please stay tuned for the next Chanticleer’s Business of Writing Tools and Tips Article!

Save the Dates! June 23 – 26, 2022! Register Today!

Seating is Limited. The esteemed 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.

Join us for our 10th annual conference and discover why!

Thank you for joining us!

Writer’s Toolbox

Thank you for reading this Chanticleer The Business of Writing article.

Writer Toolbox Helpful Links:

Making Social Media Easier for Authors

Five Things Every Author’s Web Site Needs

AIOSEO – More than Alphabet Soup – Getting the MOST TRAFFIC out of your Website

The traditional publishing tool that indie authors can use to propel their writing careers to new levels? Read The Seven Must-Haves for Authors – Unlocking the Secrets of Successful Publishing Series by Kiffer Brown
January 17, 2022
Understanding Story Structure — A Chanticleer Toolbox Primer Article by David Beaumier
Start with the Heart

Henry Cavill stealing our hearts as Sherlock in the movie Enola Holmes. He definitely stole Kiffer’s.

When we look at writing craft, it can help to start general and then move on to specifics. Start with questions to help orient yourself toward how you will edit the work:
- What do you see as the genre?
- What is the climax?
- How do you imagine the story’s structure?
- What is the heart of the story?
The heart of the story can be more generally understood as theme, but it really boils down to where does the blood flow in the veins of the writing. I make sure that is always in my mind when editing for an author, and I recommend it for any writer who is working on a piece.

Write down the heart of your story somewhere you can always look at it—on a sticky note near your writing area, at the bottom of the document you’re working in, anywhere you can see it. Having the heart of the piece as an easy reference point lets us keep an eye on the destination as we write or edit toward the end.

The Evolving Nature of Structure

Get ready for book recommendations! In terms of structure, David recommends Jane Alison’s Meander, Spiral, Explode, which sets the bar for how we can reimagine the shape of our books. Most stories won’t tell their author what their structure is supposed to look like until they are nearly finished.

Most of the time when we think of the structure of a story, we think of the Aristotelian spear. But story structure can look like anything! A spiral, a flower, a canoe, an inverted spear. Of course, there’s nothing wrong if your story structure does fall into this classic description, but keep in mind that doesn’t mean we close ourselves off to all other structures.

Aristotelian Spear story structure

Alison takes the idea of seeing the structure literally, recommending that writers draw out the shape of the story. To do this, she recommends visualizing summary like this “__” a scene like this “–” and a still spot (interiority or a moment where the narrator pauses and explains events) as “·”. This is the example of the structure she sees when blocking out a section of Vikram Chandra’s “Shakti”

__ __ __ __ — — — · —

You can see the pattern beginning to form, four moments of summary, followed by three scenes, a still spot, and then finishing with a scene. What do your own stories look like?

Again, usually this structure becomes visible as the story reaches completion, allowing the author to see the images and metaphors that really shape it.

Narration in Four Parts

The next section here owes much to David Mura’s Book A Stranger’s Journey. At the start of his chapter “Four Questions Concerning the Narrator” Mura simply asks:
1. Who is the narrator?
2. Whom is the narrator telling her story to?
3. Where is the narrator telling the story?
4. Why is the narrator telling the story?
These simple questions open up most stories in wonderful ways that surprise and delight their authors. It changes the idea of the narrator just being the main character in their present (if so, is the narration in present first person, and does the reader only get information the main character knows?). Or perhaps the narrator is you, the author; remember you are a living, breathing, ever changing being, while your narrator becomes fixed in time the moment you put down your pen and stop the editing process. Understanding this allows the writer to slow down and understand the perspective of narration in their story.

From Avengers: Infinity War

Let’s look at a short story attributed to Ernest Hemingway to better understand these questions of narrator. The story is as follows:

For sale: baby shoes, never worn
- Who is the narrator? We could say a newspaper or even the person who wrote the advertisement, possibly the parent of this child. We could also say that Hemingway is telling the story since he was asked to write a six word story.
- Who is the narrator speaking to? Anyone who might want to buy baby shoes. If Hemingway is the narrator, then it’s also with the secondary desire to make the reader sad since the tragedy implied by baby shoes that have never been worn weighs heavily on us.
- Where is the narrator telling the story? In the newspaper? A sign in a window?
- Why is the narrator telling the story? Hard question. Maybe honestly just to sell the baby shoes. Maybe to find closure and remove the last reminders of their loss. Maybe in the hopes that someone will reach out.
In examining the narrator and understanding the relationship the narrator has with the reader, we create work with richer tone, voice, and a better understanding of what information needs to be shared.

All in Good Measure

The next book recommendation is Renni Browne and Dave King’s Self-Editing for Fiction Writers. While many of their chapters are excellent, their fourth one, “Proportion” stands out among many craft books as a unique topic. The quickest way to say this is to simply ask the writer to say what they mean to say, and then move on without spending too much time repeating the point. Often, this repetition breaks the sense of proportion needed for the story, leaving the weakest repeat to carry the weight of the scene in which it appears.

An example of this would be if the sunset was described as two Polaroids being jammed together to make the sky and land, and then describing again how the rocky cliffs were at odds with the soft clouds of sunset. Remember, choose which one seems stronger and cut the weaker one.

Most craft books touch on this as the idea of trusting the reader. Write the best story you can imagine writing, and then, after showing it to readers, you’ll understand if the way you wrote it made sense or not. Taking too much time to belabor your point will make it seem overwrought and overwritten to the point that the reader might lose interest (something I always fear when writing about proportion).

All Together

So, the key parts of craft I’m looking at here are: Heart, Structure, Narration, and Proportion. Of course, there are the traditional ones that we hear about everywhere:
- Dialogue
- Character
- Plot
- Voice
- Beat
- The ever present struggle between show and tell.
Of course it’s important to have a good grasp of the basics, you can’t have the four elements above without them! But understanding how you’ll put it all together in the end is what makes a work really sing.

When we finish our first draft our work suddenly transforms into a behemoth that’s impossible to approach. We’ll give you some great advice here, though if you’re at the point where you’ve done all this the next step is to find some extra eyes for your work. For an unbiased evaluation that will help you better understand what works and what needs to be improved in your book, check out our Manuscript Overviews editorial service here. Remember Kiffer’s advice to have a manuscript assessment prior to beginning line editing or copy editing. A manuscript overview/evaluation will save you time, money, and will improve your work-in-progress.

The CIBAs – Discovering Today’s Best Books and Authors

If you’ve read through this and think “I’ve done all this, and I’m ready for the next step!” Congratulations! We would recommend putting some positive attention on your book at this point. You can enter it in a Chanticleer International Book Award Contest here or submit it for a professional Editorial Review here. And remember, it never hurts to do both.

Looking for more story structure? You can find many articles here from a search of our site.

Chanticleer Editorial Services – when you are ready

Did you know that Chanticleer offers editorial services? We do and have been doing so since 2011.

Tools of the Editing Trade

Our professional editors are top-notch and are experts in the Chicago Manual of Style. They have and are working for the top publishing houses (TOR, McMillian, Thomas Mercer, Penguin Random House, Simon Schuster, etc.).

If you would like more information, we invite you to email Kiffer or Sharon at KBrown@ChantiReviews.com or SAnderson@ChantiReviews.com for more information, testimonials, and fees.

We work with a small number of exclusive clients who want to collaborate with our team of top-editors on an on-going basis. Contact us today!

Chanticleer Editorial Services also offers writing craft sessions and masterclasses. Sign up to find out where, when, and how sessions being held.

A great way to get started is with our manuscript evaluation service. Here are some handy links about this tried and true service: https://www.chantireviews.com/manuscript-reviews/

And we do editorial consultations. for $75. https://www.chantireviews.com/services/Editorial-Services-p85337185

Writer’s Toolbox

Thank you for reading this Chanticleer Writer’s Toolbox article.

The traditional publishing tool that indie authors can use to propel their writing careers to new levels? https://www.chantireviews.com/2016/05/15/the-seven-must-haves-for-authors-unlocking-the-secrets-of-successful-publishing-series-by-kiffer-brown/
March 15, 2021
PARANORMAL Book Awards for Supernatural Fiction – 2019 CIBA Winners
Congratulations to the First Place Category Winners and the Grand Prize Winner of the PARANORMAL Book Awards for SUPERNATURAL Fiction, a division of the 2019 CIBAs

The Search for the Best Supernatural Fiction

Chanticleer International Book Awards celebrates the best books featuring magic, the supernatural , weird otherworldly stories, super humans , magical beings & supernatural entities, vampires & werewolves, angels & demons, fairies & mythological beings, magical systems and elements. We love them all.

The 2019 PARANORMAL BOOK Awards First Place Category Winners and the PARANORMAL Grand Prize winner were announced at the Virtual Chanticleer Authors Conference that was broadcast via ZOOM webinar the week of Sept 8 -13, 2020 from the Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash.

Chris Leibig, author of ALMOST MORTAL, (a Paranormal Grand Prize Winner), announced the PARANORMAL Award Winners.

This is the OFFICIAL 2019 LIST of the PARANORMAL BOOK AWARDS First Place Category Winners and the PARANORMAL Grand Prize Winner.

Congratulations to all!
- Ryan J. Lyons – Drums and Dragons
- Linda Watkins – The Tao of the Viper
- Kaylin McFarren – High Flying
- Susan Lynn Solomon – Abigail’s Window
- Palmer Pickering – Moon Deeds
- Jack Cullen – Runes of Steel
- Joy Ross Davis – The Witch of Blacklion
- D. J. Adamson – At The Edge of No Return
The Paranormal Book Awards 2019 Grand Prize Winner is:

Abigail’s Window by Susan Lynn Solomon

This is the badge for the Grand Prize Winner of the 2018 Paranormal Book Awards, The Madwoman of Preacher’s Cove by Joy Ross Davis

We are accepting submissions into the 2020 PARANORMAL Book Awards until October 31, 2020.

The 2020 Paranormal Book Awards winners will be announced at CAC 21 on April 17, 2021.

Don’t delay! Enter today!

A Note to ALL the WINNERS: The coveted CIBA Blue Ribbons will be mailed out starting in October. We will contact you with an email to verify your mailing address and other items. We thank you for your patience and understanding.

If you have any questions, please email info@ChantiReviews.com == we will try our best to reply in 3 or 4 business days.
September 18, 2020
Announcing the FINALISTS for the 2019 Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards
As many of you know, we announce the coveted First Place Category Winners and Division Grand Prize Winners of the Chanticleer International Book Awards on the Saturday evening of the annual Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC). CAC hosts the CIBA banquet and ceremony at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether, located on Bellingham Bay, Washington state. Attendees hail from around the globe and across North America.

CAC20 was scheduled to happen the weekend of April 17-19, 2020 with the Master Classes scheduled for Thursday, April 16.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, CAC20 has been rescheduled to September 4 – 6, 2020 with Master Classes to be held on Thursday, September 3. The CIBA Banquet and Ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, September 5, 2020.

Alas, now with the highest spikes in new COVID-19 confirmed cases, we have decided to go VIRTUAL with ZOOM

NEW DATES: Tuesday, Sept. 8th daily through Sunday, Sept. 13th, 2020.

This post was updated on July 14, 2020. Kiffer Brown

We rescheduled the conference on March 11, 2020 and notified registered attendees by email. We then announced the postponement on the Chanticleer website, social media, and with a direct email blast.

If you have ever attended a CIBA banquet and ceremony, then you know already just what a special evening of celebration it is. Many of you are looking forward to this evening and want to experience the anticipation that the gala affair brings to the Chanticleer Writing Community.

CIBA Grand Prize Winners

We have received many emails and messages requesting that we wait to announce the CIBA winners until the planned September gala evening on scheduled for Saturday, Sept. . We have also received a few emails requesting that we announce the winners closer to the originally scheduled event. DATES HAVE BEEN CHANGED as of July 9, 2020. The conference and ceremonies will be held VIRTUALLY due to the recent high spike levels in the new confirmed cases of the coronavirus. New DATES are: Tuesday, Sept. 8th daily through Sunday, Sept. 13th, 2020.

This is what we decided to do:

All CIBA Semi-Finalists are recognized at CAC and at the CIBA banquet and awards ceremony. This year we have added to their recognition by promoting the Semi-Finalists in the Spring Issue of the Chanticleer Reviews magazine that will feature international bestselling thriller author Robert Dugoni and Dr. Janice S. Ellis, Journey Grand Prize Winner and Civil Rights Journalist. (Available for purchase in print and digital on Wed. April 20th) – visit this page on the website for more info if you have not already subscribed.) We will also recognize any 2019 Semi-Finalists in attendance at CAC20 in September at the CIBA banquet and ceremony.

Read the New Information Below about the 2019 and 2020 CIBAs!

The 2019 CIBAs received an unprecedented number of entries making this book awards program even more competitive. More entries along with more competitive works makes the final rounds of judging even more demanding. The judges have requested a new level of achievement to be added to the rounds to acknowledge the entries that they deemed should receive a high level of recognition.

New Information: We decided that this was the time to incorporate the new level – The FINALISTS – as requested by the CIBA judges. This new level will be incorporated into the 2019 CIBAs Levels of Achievement. (See the info-graphic below.)

The 2019 CIBA Finalists for each division will be announced over the next few weeks. The CIBA First Place Category Winners, Division Grand Prize Winners, and Overall Grand Prize Winner will be determined from the CIBA Finalists and announced from n September 5, 2020 at the CIBA Banquet and Ceremony scheduled for Sept. 5, 2020 during CAC20. DATES HAVE BEEN CHANGED as of July 9, 2020. The conference and ceremonies will be held VIRTUALLY due to the recent high spike levels in the new confirmed cases of the coronavirus. New DATES are: Tuesday, Sept. 8th daily through Sunday, Sept. 13th, 2020.

Each CIBA Division will have its own digital badge and badges for print! Links to badges will be available in the FINALISTS official notification email. An example of the badge is below for the CYGNUS Book Awards division.

New Information: The New Deadline Dates for Submissions into the 2020 CIBA Divisions have been changed to give the judges more time to work through the entries and allow more time for tabulation. We hope that this will give the 2020 CIBA participants more time to consider attending the awards banquet and ceremony. (CAC21 is scheduled for April 16-18, 2021)

New Information: New CIBA Divisions have been added!
- New Division for Fiction: The Mark Twain Book Awards for Satire and Allegory Fiction.
- New BOOK AWARDS for FICTION BOOK SERIES: As requested, the CIBAs now included the Fiction Series Book Awards.
- And Three New Non-Fiction Divisions have been added for the 2020 CIBAs. Be sure to visit the web page with the new divisions.
We are accepting entries into the 2020 CIBAs! Don’t Delay! Enter Today!

So without further ado, we are honored to announce the next round in the 2019 Chanticleer International Book Awards – The CIBA FINALISTS!

Below is an info-graphic of the CIBAs Levels of Achievement

There are 17 divisions in the 2019 CIBAs. We will announce each division’s FINALISTS during the next few weeks starting this weekend – April 18, 2020.

Be sure to stay tuned for the 2019 FINALISTS Announcements!

A note from Kiffer and Sharon

It seems to us that everyone is and has been overwhelmed with the general scrambling around to try to batten down the hatches for the storm named COVID-19 while trying to make sense of what is happening on different fronts, taking care of loved ones, along with trying to procure supplies for self-isolation. Many of us are working remotely, some of us have to home school children, and if you are like me you find yourself cooking and cleaning up more than e-v-e-r. Sheltering-in-place takes a lot of energy and focus, wouldn’t you agree?

We thank you for patience and understanding during these unprecedented times. It is much appreciated by Sharon and me and the entire Chanticleer Team of Editors, Reviewers, CIBA Judges, Contributors, Graphic Designers, Student Interns, Admin Assistants, and Andy – the wizard who heads up all of the “under the hood technology.”

We encourage you to stay in contact with each other and with us during this stint of practicing physical distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Let us know how you are doing, what is going on where you live, how are you progressing on your writing projects.

I invite each of you to join us at The Roost – a private online Chanticleer Community for writers and authors and publishing professionals.

We are active on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can find us by using our social media handle @ChantiReviews

Minimize physical contact! Maximize social connecting!

Here are our contact emails:

General information:  Chanticleer@ChantiReviews.com

Editorial:  BookEditor@ChantiReviews.com

Reviews: Sanderson@ChantiReviews.com

Me:  KBrown@ChantiReviews.com

Take care, be safe.

Keep writing and creating magic!

Kiffer and Sharon & Entire Team Chanticleer
April 18, 2020
Nellie Bly Book Awards for Journalistic Non-Fiction
The Nellie Bly Book Awards is a new division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards for Non-Fiction Works. The Nellie Bly Book Awards recognizes journalistic works and investigative pieces.

Nellie Bly is the the pseudonym of Elizabeth Cochran. She was born May 5, 1864 at the end of the American Civil War and the beginning of the cross-country railway systems. She died January 27, 1922. She was an American journalist who was known for her ingenuity and concern for others. She was instrumental in the Suffragist Movement in the U.S.A. reporting on the events and the vagaries that women suffered in their struggle for the right to vote.

Women were finally granted the right to vote after decades of protest, civil disobedience, marches, lectures, and lobbying on August 18, 1920—only one hundred years ago. And Bly was there to report on it and interview prominent individuals who lead the movement such as Susan B. Anthony and others.

Nellie Bly began her career by responding to a newspaper article titled ” What Girls Are Good For” (apparently not much from the article). The editor was impressed by her angry rebuttal that he gave her her first job at a newspaper.

Bly then began writing articles exposing the working girls of Pittsburgh, the living conditions of slums, sweatshops, the immigrant experience, and more stories on the human condition in the US during the “Robber Baron” era of the late 1800s. She also traveled to Mexico in 1886-1887 where she reported on the corruption of the Mexican government and the horrible conditions of the poor. Her sharply critical articles of Mexican officials caused her expulsion from the country.

What Nellie Bly is most famous for is her expose on the deplorable conditions and the horrific treatment of patients at an insane asylum by feigning insanity and having herself committed. This 23-year-old was institutionalized for 10 days. It took quite a posse of layers from the New York World paper to have her released. Her exposé lead to vast improvements in the asylums. An added note, is that many of the “patients” were there because they were immigrants and could not understand what was being said and could not communicate.

However, we should not forget how incredibly difficult it was for Bly to find work. She had to rely on her wits and had to take chances with her very life and limb and her reputation to pursue a journalistic career. Bly is known to be a pioneer in her field and she is credited with launching what is now known as investigative journalism and undercover journalism.

So without further ado, please join us in cheering on the following authors whose works comprise the first contenders in the first Nellie Bly Book Awards for Journalistic Non-Fiction.

This new division is in response to the request from the Chanticleer International Book Awards judges to acknowledge the many outstanding works that were entered into the Instruction & Insight Book Awards and the Journey Book Awards for Narrative Non-fiction. After reviewing the comments from the judges along with their suggestions, we decided to recognize these works and create a more fitting division in the CIBAs.

The following works are now Semi-Finalists in the 2019 Nellie Bly Book Awards for investigative and journalistic non-fiction.
- T.S. Lewis – The Why of War: An Unorthodox Soldier’s Memoirs
- Susan Murphy – Toppled World
- Maya Castro – The Bubble: Everything I Learned as a Target of the Political, and Often Corrupt, World of Youth Sports
- Judy Bebelaar and Ron Cabral – And Then They Were Gone: Teenagers of Peoples Temple from High School to Jonestown
- Ted Neill – Two Years of Wonder
- Anthony Suarez – Politically Indicted: The Real Story Behind the Jersey Sting
- Laureen Pittman – The Lies That Bind: An Adoptee’s Journey Through Rejection, Redirection, DNA, and Discovery
- Chris Register – Conversations With US – Great Lakes States
- Janice S. Ellis, Ph.D. – Shaping Public Opinion: How Real Advocacy Journalism Should Be Practiced
- John Egenes – Man & Horse: The Long Ride Across America
- Patrick Hogan – Silent Spring – Deadly Autumn of the Vietnam War
- Brent Willock – The Wrongful Conviction of Oscar Pistorius: Science Transforms our Comprehension of Reeva Steenkamp’s Shocking Death
- Gordon Cross, Robert Fowler, Ted Neill – Finding St. Lo: A Memoir of War & Family
- John Hoyte – Persistence of Light
These entries are now in competition for the 2019 Nellie Bly Book Awards Finalists positions. Good Luck to all!

The coveted First Place Category Winners of the 2019 Nellie Bly Book Awards will be selected from the Finalists in the final rounds of judging. The First Place Category Winners will be announced at the Chanticleer Awards Banquet and Ceremony, which is hosted by the Chanticleer Authors Conference.

The First Place Category winners will automatically be entered into the Nellie Bly GRAND PRIZE AWARD competition. The CBR Grand Prize Division Genre Winners will compete for the CBR Overall Grand Prize for Best Book and its $1,000 purse. First Place Category and Grand Prize Awards will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Awards Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 18th, 2020, Bellingham, Washington. Hosted by the Chanticleer Authors Conference.

We are now accepting entries into the 2020 CIBAs. https://www.chantireviews.com/contests/

NOTE: We are now accepting entries into the 2020 NELLIE BLY Book Awards. The last day to submit to the 2020 Nellie Bly Book Awards in November 30, 2020.

Don’t delay. Enter today!
February 13, 2020