The SOMERSET Book Awards recognize emerging talent and outstanding works in the genre of Literary, Contemporary, and Satire Fiction. The Somerset Book Awards is a genre division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).
Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring contemporary stories, literary themes, adventure, satire, humor, magic realism or women and family themes. These books have advanced to the next judging rounds. The best will advance. Which titles will be declared as winners of the prestigious Somerset Book Awards?
Editor’s Note: Some works have been moved to the new 2020 Mark Twain Book Awards for Satirical and Allegorical 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 Somerset Book Awards that should have their own division in which to compete. The Mark Twain Book Awards recognize outstanding Satire, Humor, Political Ideology, Parody, Allegory/Fable works.
So without further ado, please join us in cheering on the following authors whose works have advanced to the premier FINALIST Level of Achievement in the Somerset Book Awards for Literary, Contemporary, and of the I & I Book Awards for Instructional and Insightful Non-Fiction.
Congratulations to the Somerset Book Awards Finalists!
Beth Burgmeyer –The Broken Road
Judith Kirscht –End of the Race
R. Barber Anderson –The Sunken Forest, Where the Forest Came out of the Earth
Domenick Venezia –Liberator Legacy Book 1
Donna LeClair –The Proprietor of the Theatre of Life
Bob Holt –Firebird
Dd Jaseron –Wheelboys
Santiago Xaman –After Olympus
Sara Stamey –Pause
Patricia Averbach –Resurrecting Rain
Maggie St. Claire –Martha
Lisa Reddick –The Same River
Nick Mancuso –Fever
Jeanne McWilliams Blasberg –The Nine
Claire Fullerton –Little Tea
Linda Bledsoe –Through the Needle’s Eye
Carl Roberts–The Trial of Connor Padget
Patrick Finegan –Cooperative Lives
Mike Murphey –Section Road
Jamie Zerndt –Jerkwater
Prue Batten –Passage
Joanne Jaytanie –Salvaging Truth, Hunters & Seekers, Book 1
Congratulations to all! Good Luck to all as your works compete for the First Place Category positions.
Do you have an early historical fiction manuscript or recently released novel? Submit your work to the CIBA 2019 CHAUCER Awards by
June 30, 2020, and see how your work stacks up against others.
We know you want to – because we never tire of promoting our authors’ achievements!
As in Chaucer’s words in the Nun’s Priest Tale of the Canterbury Tales,
“For crowing there was not his equal in all the land.”
We titled the Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBAs) division for Pre-1750s Historical Fiction the Chaucer Awards, after the English poet and author of the Canterbury Tales, because #CHAUCER.
But seriously, did you know that The Canterbury Tales is considered one of the greatest works in the English language? In fact, it was among the first non-secular books written in Middle English to be printed. So, yeah, #Chaucer
A woodcut from William Caxton’s second edition 0f the Canterbury Tales printed in 1483
Some interesting tidbits about Geoffrey Chaucer
born c. 1342/43 probably in London. He died on October 25, 1400
his father was an important London vintner
His family’s finances were derived from wine and leather
Chaucer spoke Middle English and was fluent in French, Latin, and Italian
He guided diplomatic missions across the continent of Europe for ten years where he discovered the works of Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio whose The Decameron had a profound influence on Chaucer’s later works
He married well as his wife received an annuity from the queen consort of Edward III
His remains are interred in the Westminster Abbey
As our deadline draws near, don’t miss this opportunity to earn the distinction your historical fiction deserves! Enter today!
Welcome to the CHAUCER BOOK AWARDS HALL OF FAME
Click on the links below to read the Chanticleer Review of the award-winning work!
Regency: Traitor’s Gate by David Chacko & Alexander Kulcsar
Women’s Fiction/WWII: Wait for Me by Janet K. Shawgo
Medieval/Dark Ages:Divine Vengeanceby David Koons
Women’s Fiction/World History: Daughters of India by Kavita Jade
What are you waiting for? Before long the CHAUCER Book Award deadline will be history.
Submit your manuscript or recently released Historical Fiction (pre-1750s) to the Chanticleer International Book Awards!
Want to be a winner next year? The deadline to submit your book for the Chaucer awards is June 30, 2020. Enter here!
Grand Prize and First Place Winners for 2019 will be announced on September 5, 2020.
Any entries received on or after June 30, 2020, will be entered into the 2021 Chaucer Book Awards. The Grand Prize and First Place for 2020 CIBA winners will be held on April 17, 2021.
As our deadline draws near, don’t miss this opportunity to earn the distinction your historical fiction deserves! Enter today!
The CHAUCER Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards – the CIBAs.
The 2020 winners will be announced at the CIBA Awards Ceremony on September 5, 2020, which will take place during the 2020 Chanticleer Authors Conference. All Semi-Finalists and First Place category winners will be recognized, the first-place winners will be whisked up on stage to receive their custom ribbon and wait to see who among them will take home the Grand Prize. It’s an exciting evening of dinner, networking, and celebrations!
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).
The 2019 CIBAs received an unprecedented number of entries making this book awards program even more competitive. More entries along with more competitive works make the final rounds of judging even more demanding. The judges have requesteda new level of achievementto be added to the rounds to acknowledge the entries that they deemed should receive a high level of recognition.
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 CIBAsLevels of Achievement. The FINALISTS were selected from the entries that advanced to the 2019 CLUE Book Awards Semi-Finalists.
Congratulations to all of the 2019 CLUE Book Awards for Suspense & Thriller Fiction FINALISTS!
J.J. Clarke – Dared to Return
L. J. Martin – The Blue Pearl
Nancy Adair – RABYA
J.P. Kenna – Joel Emmanuel
Lonna Enox – Untold Agony
Stephen F. Frost – The Alaskan Alibi
John W Feist – Blind Trust
Liese Sherwood-Fabre – The Adventure of the Murdered Midwife
Marian Exall – A Splintered Step
Joanne Jaytanie – Salvaging Truth, Hunters & Seekers, Book 1
Janet K. Shawgo – Legacy of Lies
Maureen Joyce Connolly – Little Lovely Things
Melodie Hernandez – Forgotten Rage
Chris Norbury – Straight River
Barb Warner Deane – And Then There Was You
V. & D. Povall – Jackal in the Mirror
Matt Witten – The Necklace
M. J. Simms-Maddox – Mystery in Harare
Kaylin McFarren – High Flying
Wally Duff – bada-BOOM!
D. J. Adamson – Let Her Go
These titles are in the running for the First Place positions of the 2019 CLUE Book Awards for Romantic Fiction.
Good luck to all as your works move on to the final rounds of judging.
The Finalists and the Semi-Finalistswill be recognized at the2020 Chanticleer Authors Conferenceand at the 2019 CIBA banquet and ceremony that will be held on September 5, 2020.
Congratulations to the authors whose works have advanced to the FINALISTS Level of Achievement!
The 16 divisions of the 2019 CIBAs’ Grand Prize Winners, the First Place Category Position Award Winners, and all Semi-Finalists will be announced at the postponed (due to the Covid-19 pandemic) 2020 Chanticleer International Book Awards Annual Gala, now re-scheduled for Saturday, September 5th, 2020.
Join us at theChanticleer Authors Conferenceat the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. Use our link above to register now for this exciting event!
We are now accepting submissions into the 2020 CLUE Book Awards. The deadline for submissions is August 31st, 2020. The winners will be announced in April 2021.
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 NewDeadline 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 atThe Roost– a private online Chanticleer Community for writers and authors and publishing professionals.
We are active onFacebook,Twitter, and Instagram. You can find us by using our social media handle @ChantiReviews
Minimize physical contact! Maximize social connecting!
The SOMERSET Book Awards recognize emerging talent and outstanding works in the genre of Literary, Contemporary, and Satire Fiction. The Somerset Book Awards is a genre division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).
Women’s Fiction:
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).
