Tag: CIBAs Book Awards

  • The 2024 M&M Hall of Fame for Cozy and Not-so-Cozy Mysteries!

    Curl up with a Cozy Mystery Today!

    Agatha Christie in front of the TARDIS, as played by Fenella Woolgar in the Dr Who episode The Unicorn and The Wasp.
    Agatha Christie in front of the TARDIS, as played by Fenella Woolgar in the Dr Who episode The Unicorn and The Wasp.

    Fall is the best time to enter the M&M Book Awards

    You have until September 30th to share your Novel with us and enter the 2024 CIBAs!

    Cozy Mystery Fiction Award

    This Division is dedicated to one of the most Well-known Mystery authors, Dame Agatha Christie. Poirot, Miss Marple, Tommy and Tuppence, and so much more.

    WWI Nurse, Writer, Playwright (and record holder of longest running Stage Play, The Mousetrap which opened in 1952), and Archaeologist, the latter of which contributed greatly to her novels.

    When she wasn’t busy writing, She spent quite a good amount of her life working on excavations in Egypt and Iraq with her 2nd Husband, archaeologist Max Mallowan.

    Agatha Christie (middle) with Max Mallowan and Leonard Woolley at the ruins of Ur in 1931

    But enough about Christie. The Hall of Fame features the Grand Prize Winners of the Mystery and Mayhem Award who we are proud to have in the Chanticleer Family!

    A Haunting at Linley: A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel
    By Michelle Cox

    In this seventh book of the series, Clive and Henrietta return to England to find Castle Linley in financial ruin. When Clive’s cousin, Wallace, invites an estate agent in to assess the home’s value, the agent is later found poisoned, throwing all of the Castle’s guests into suspicion. Clive and Henrietta are soon drawn into an investigation, which is slowed by an incompetent local inspector and several unexplained phenomena—the cause of which many, especially the frail Lady Linley, believe to be the workings of the ghost of a hanged maid.

    Meanwhile, Gunther and Elsie have begun life on a farm in Omaha. Circumstances are difficult, but they are content—until Oldrich Exely appears, proposing an option Elsie finds difficult to ignore. Melody Merriweather, still masquerading as a nun to aid Elsie’s escape, likewise finds it difficult to ignore a letter with tragic news from home, while Julia, on the other hand, receives a very different sort of letter from Glenn Forbes.

    Back in England, Clive is called away to London on suspicious business, leaving Henrietta to carry on with the investigation alone. When she is mysteriously locked in the study one night, however, things take on a more deadly, supernatural feel, leaving her to fear that Lady Linley’s “ghost” might just be real after all…

    Order it today!

    A Spying Eye Cover

    A Spying Eye: A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel
    By Michelle Cox

    Brooding Château du Freudeneck, just outside Strasbourg, France has villains in the drawing rooms, stolen art hidden in the cellars, and bats in the belfry – all the best elements for a 19th-century Gothic mystery.

    However, in Michelle Cox’s novel, A Spying Eye it’s the 20th century. The Great War is passed, but the next war already looms on the horizon. The people of Strasbourg feel the growing conflict sharply, at the heart of Alsace-Lorraine, a fertile region that has been contested between France and Germany since time immemorial.

    Which means those bats are in the unfortunate head of the elderly Baron Von Harmon, the current lord and master (as much as he’s still able to be, at least) of the Chateau, while the stolen art is pursued by both the villainous Nazis and the only slightly-less villainous agents of Britain’s MI5.

    Read More Here

    Ophelia's Room Cover

    Ophelia’s Room
    By Michael Scott Garvin

    Ophelia’s Room by Michael Scott Garvin begins with a bang – and a child’s whimper.

    A frantic, distraught father pounds on a bolted chapel door in a small country hospital…. A tiny, two-day-old infant cries in peril….  A deranged grandfather sees demons in every shadowy corner.

    The opening scene read like something out of a young parent’s nightmare. Will their child be healthy? Will they grow up to be successful? Will the child be safe in their grandparents’ arms?  Questions that any new mother and father ask themselves. In Garvin’s Ophelia’s Room, the answers are terrifying.

    Read More Here

    The Discovery Book Cover Image

    The Discovery
    By Patrick M. Garry

    Patrick M. Garry’s The Discovery encompasses a narrative that traverses a family legal case jigsaw puzzle toward a discovery of self by exploring the ghost of ancient regrets, basic human desires, and questions of faith.

    Frank Horgan, a former lawyer at one of Minneapolis’ largest firms, now practices small-case litigation in the little community of Basswood Hills. Frank, a victim of his own follies, has one more chance to restore his career to its former glory. But not before a huge legal matter comes knocking on his door at his father’s diner. This case kicks off the legal drama, bringing in several main and secondary characters to play their parts in the ultimate discovery of buried contentedness and eventually a scandal that breaks into the national newspaper.

    Meanwhile, Frank comes upon the case of the most prominent McCorkle family in Basswood Hills.

    Read More Here

    Dharma, A Rekha Rao Mystery
    By Vee Kumari

    A complex murder mystery always requires a little spice. In Dharma, A Rekha Rao Mystery, that extra seasoning is provided by the casting of an Indian American woman as the amateur sleuth, despite her realistic fears for her personal safety.

    Professor Rekha Rao is no Bollywood Mighty Girl. She’s a whip-smart American-born 32-year-old college instructor who must deal with her own PTSD after the murder of her father and her unstoppable passion for releasing the man wrongly convicted of her father’s slaying. That obsession is the reason Rekha was dismissed from her old teaching position. The scene is set for deep, personal involvement in the murder of a colleague, a fellow professor who is killed. And a rare, centuries-old statue excavated from an archeological dig in India is the murder weapon.

    Read More Here

    A Promise Given
    By Michelle Cox

    With a much-anticipated wedding is in the works, but family complications and entanglements threaten the celebration, when is love A Promise Given, and when is it a compromise taken?

    Amidst tribulations of friends and family, the smart and beautiful Henrietta, and the intense Inspector Clive Howard say, “I do.” Now the loving couple will learn how to be Mr. and Mrs. Howard on their honeymoon in England with his relatives at Castle Linley, where intrigue and mystery await their arrival.

    Read More Here


    Now that you’re set on your next reads, what are you waiting for? The only way to join this amazing list of Hearten Winners is to Enter Today!

    The Chanticleer Int'l Book Awards Overall Grand Prize sticker for the CIBAs

    Those who submit and advance will have the chance to win the Overall Grand Prize of the CIBAs and $1000!

    You know you want it…

    Are you a Chanticleer Author who has some good news to share? Let us know! We’re always looking for a reason to crow about Chanticleerians! Reach out with your news to info@ChantiReviews.com

  • The 2024 Chaucer Hall of Fame for Early Historical Fiction

    Looking for a sense of History?

    Trinity college library, Dublin

    Look no further! The Chaucer Awards are here to bring stories from anytime before 1750.

    You have until September 30th to submit your story and enter the 2024 CIBAs!

    The Chaucer Awards for Historical Novels

    Named for Geoffrey Chaucer, author of the Canterbury Tales (and Name giver of a certain rooster named Chanticleer), This Division was our first Historical Fiction category.

    Not much belonging to the author in question still survives. Although in 2023, a document in the British National Archive was determined to be written in his own hand. The document dates from Chaucer’s 12-year stint as the controller of the London Wool Quay, and is a note asking King Richard II for time off of work. Read more about that in this article from the Guardian

    The note, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, spelled Geffray Chaucer in the text, rediscovered in the British National Archives

    The Most famous thing associated with him though, has to be Poets Corner of Westminster Abbey. The corner dedicates memorials to some of the best of British writers. Poets corner is centered around the Tomb of Geoffrey Chaucer himself, which was erected in 1559, as his actual burial is known to be somewhere in the area, but is unmarked. Writers such as Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and more are buried or have memorials surrounding Chaucer’s.

    Poets Corner in Westminster Abbey

    In this years Chaucer Award posts, we are also highlighting some of the often overlooked female writers of the past. This time, Christine De Pisan. Writing in the early 1400s, she was rather prolific in her work. Poetry, Novels, Biographies and more, including the only French-language work about Joan of Arc written in her lifetime. Christine is the first known women to actually make a living on her own writing.

    Christine De Pisan from Harley MS 4431, held in the British Library.

    The fact she was able to support herself and her children off of her writing in this era is remarkable. Her most well known work, The Book of the City of Ladies and its sequel The Treasure of the City of Ladies, written in about 1405, collecting biblical, mythological and historical female figures together, and using them as the ‘building blocks’ for a theoretical idealized city as a commentary on the world she lived in. Her book argues that women actually had a valued place and meaning in society and should be educated the same as men were. Her biography of Joan of Arc in 1429, is her last known piece of writing, as she disappears from written history after that.

    And with that, Lets Take a look back in more recent history at the Grand Prize Winners of the Chaucer Award!

    The Merchant From Sepharad
    By James Hutson-Wiley

    Joshua Ibn Elazar, the eager son of a Jewish merchant, travels to al-Andalus (the Iberian Peninsula under Muslim rule) to prove himself in his father’s business. But he finds an unwelcoming, degrading society waiting for him, and begins a journey of misfortune and anger in James Hutson-Wiley’s historical fiction novel, The Merchant from Sepharad.

    Shortly after arriving in the city of Lishbunah, al-Andalus, Joshua is tricked out of the gold for his living expenses. Worse yet, he learns that Jews in Lishbunah suffer under oppressive laws, holding far less status than Muslim citizens. He can only find help in Lishbuna’s Jewish community, meeting Rabbi Hiyya al-Daudi and his son Yaish, who house and feed him.

    They tell him that his father’s colleague, Essua, who was to help Joshua manage a shipment of flax and sugar, has been arrested. Though Essua is eventually released, Joshua fails to secure storage for his goods, as the makhzan (warehouse) he rented is given to a Muslim merchant instead. In his fury at the city’s prejudice, he sets fire to the makhzan, and is forced to flee.

    Read More Here!

    Daughter of Hades Cover

    Daughter of Hades
    By Mack Little

    Mack Little’s historical fiction novel Daughter of Hades explores the lives of slaves during the age of pirates.

    Little’s research shines in her thoughtful presentation of the Caribbean islands, the escaped slaves who found freedom amongst them, the lives of buccaneers and maroons, and their daring and dangerous exploits.

    On the first page, Little introduces us to Geraldine, or “Dinny”, running for her life from her owner, Owen Craig, who has just raped her.

    Dinny’s father had arranged for her to be removed from the plantation before Craig molested her, but he’d miscalculated Craig’s lust. Dinny is rescued by her twin brother, Jimmie, and Leixiang, and taken to the Hades, a pirate ship captained by the buccaneer Duff.

    Read More Here

    Too Soon the Night Cover

    Too Soon The Night
    By James Conroyd Martin

    Too Soon the Night by James Conroyd Martin shows the thrilling heights to which Empress Theodora rose and the crushing depths to which she fell, in the latter half of her life. This story picks up from Fortune’s Child, the first volume of this epic duology.

    This half of Theodora’s incredible journey opens at its close – as she succumbs to the cancer that drove her to dictate the record of her life. She left the task of recording her meteoric rise from actress to empress in the hands of the scribe and historian Stephen, even though she imprisoned him for several years out of fear that he would reveal her greatest secrets.

    Read More Here

    Cover of Bird in a Snare by N.L. Holmes

    Bird in a Snare
    By N.L. Holmes

    Politics is a deadly game in the days of Kings and their competing 14th-century B.C. Egyptian factions. Official diplomat, Lord Hani, is on a royal assignment when he discovers even the king’s motives are suspect. Hani begins to fear for the welfare of his family and himself, as he gets a sinking feeling that the hunter has become the hunted. He’s the live bait, the Bird In A Snare.

    Can Lord Hani find out who is responsible for the mysterious assassinations and the shifting armies’ alliances before becoming the one they target next?

    Read More Here

    Fortunes Child
    By James Conroyd Martin
    2019 Overall Grand Prize Winner

    James Conroyd Martin brings to life one woman we should all know better in his multi-award-winning, epic novel, Fortune’s Child: A Novel of Empress Theodora.

    Like Cleopatra, Empress Theodora was a legend in her own time. And also, like Queen Cleopatra before her, Empress Theodora’s life and accomplishments were distorted and maligned by the male historians of her own time. Even after death, men who couldn’t bear or couldn’t believe that a woman, particularly a woman of the lower classes as Theodora was, could possibly have accomplished the things she did or wield the power she had.

    Fortune’s Child, the first book of a projected duology, Theodora, near death, determines to leave behind an accurate chronicle of her life and work. She’s desperate to get a step ahead of the official biography already being written by a man who hates her, everything she came from, and everything she stands for.

    Read More Here

    The Serpent and The Eagle
    By Edward Rickford

    In The Serpent and the Eagle, Edward Rickford details Hernan Cortes’ 1519 expedition to explore and secure the interior of Mexico for colonization, fleshing out known facts with the human factor—it is, to the typical depiction of Cortes’ exploration of the Yucatán peninsula, what a chorus is to a solo or a tulip to a bulb. Primarily narrated by individuals who were actual members, or may have been members, of this expedition, Rickford has crafted a fascinating tale of intrigue, love, lust, greed—essentially all seven of the deadly sins—within two diametrically opposed political and cultural systems.

    Read More Here


    Now that you’re set on your next reads, what are you waiting for? The only way to join this amazing list of Chaucer Winners is to submit today!

    The Chanticleer Int'l Book Awards Overall Grand Prize sticker for the CIBAs

    Those who submit and advance will have the chance to win the Overall Grand Prize of the CIBAs and $1000!

    Are you a Chanticleer Author who has some good news to share? Let us know! We’re always looking for a reason to crow about Chanticleerians! Reach out with your news to info@ChantiReviews.com

  • The 2024 Hearten Book Awards Hall of Fame for Uplifting and Inspiring Non-Fiction

    Take a deep breathe and smile

    A book covered in flower petals with the pages formed into a heart

    The Hearten Awards are here to bring you joy, and maybe a few tears with some of these excellent books

    **Your Story is Worth Sharing**

    You have until September 30th to share your uplifting memoir with us and enter the 2024 CIBAs!

    Enter by September 30, 2024

    Uplifting and heartwarming work is a vanishingly rare thing these days, and we love having an Awards Division that can inspire readers and writers alike. The Hearten Awards seeks true stories about adventures, life events, unique experiences, travel, personal journeys, global enlightenment, and more.

    Join us in celebrating the Hall of Fame for Grand Prize Winners of the Hearten Awards

    Running Away from the Circus Cover

    Running Away From the Circus
    By Nove Meyers

    Debut author Nove Meyers breathes life into the big tent of human aspirations and desperations, from his birth into a raucous circus atmosphere to his diligent study for Catholic priesthood.

    Running Away from the Circus is a vibrant chronicle that opens with a vignette of his grandmother, clad in sequins and flying on a trapeze. She spun like a top to enthusiastic applause under the circus tent, until the fateful day when she included her young child in the act, dropping her thirty feet to the sawdust-covered floor below. But this did not prevent Nove Meyers from being born and having a story to tell.

    The boyhood described was as wild as the circus acts. He was encouraged to smoke cigarettes like his father and watched in astonishment as his mother burned up paper money, possibly to protect his uncle, a counterfeiter. Yet despite his unusual upbringing as one of the family’s third generation of circus owners, Meyers was taken regularly to Catholic church services. There, he discovered God, an entity as mysterious as the traveling circus and carnie crowds he was raised among.

    Read more here!

    Inner Trek Cover

    INNER TREK – a reluctant pilgrim to the Himalayas
    By Mohan Ranga Rao

    A disinclined traveler journeys into the heartland of the revered Mount Kalash Parikarma in Tibet. Inner Trek by Mohan Ranga Rao follows a voyage that culminates in self-discovery and spiritual enlightenment.

    Mohan Ranga Rao, a retired Indian businessman, finds himself between a rock and a hard place when a ruthless Bangalore mob boss threatens him to sell his land at a throwaway price. The situation escalates when he discovers that his trusted lawyer has joined forces with the enemy. He can only turn to his wife for solace.

    With nothing for him to do about his land, Rao vows to trek around Mount Kailash, a holy Tibetan Mountain. This travel memoir traces his and his wife’s journey to the deified Himalayas, the land of Lord Shiva. Rao shares intimate details of his experience, including the spiritual transformation that he went through during his challenging high-altitude trek.

    Read more here!

    DAWGS Cover

    DAWGS: A True Story of Lost Animals and the Kids Who Rescued Them
    by Diane Trull & Meredith Wargo

    We love our dogs. We love our cats. But what do we do when people no longer want them, use them for cruel purposes, or release them into the streets with no thought for what will happen to them? Diane Trull’s memoir with Meredith Wargo, DAWGS, shines a light on these questions.

    Trull begins the story as a fourth-grade teacher in Dalhart, Texas. One of her young students asks about an article in a local paper showing photos of adorable dogs at a shelter who were up for adoption, wondering what happened to those who weren’t adopted.

    Instead of dodging the question, and with great trepidation, she answered it with the truth: those who weren’t adopted would be put to sleep. Her tiny students were understandably shocked. Then one of them said, “I don’t want any of those dogs to die. Isn’t there something we can do to save them?”

    Read more here!

    Love Life & Lucille Cover

    Love, Life, and Lucille
    By Judy Gaman

    Award-winning author, motivational speaker, and podcast host Judy Gaman befriends a fun-loving and feisty centenarian in her CIBA Grand Prize-winning novel, Love, Life, and Lucille.

    The list of titles and accolades Judy Gaman has accrued begin to pale when she encounters Lucille Fleming for the very first time. The whole reason for the meet-up with the centenarian was specifically to get her opinions on “aging gracefully,” the featured topic of a new book Judy planned to write. What was scheduled as an hour-long interview turned into an absolutely delightful, near three-hour visit. Lucille turned the tables and began asking questions about Judy’s life with compelling earnestness—something Judy rarely experienced. She was unprepared yet exhilarated.

    Judy couldn’t stop thinking about this “dressed to the nines” woman with an ear-to-ear smile and a sturdy, affectionate hug. Her contact with this larger-than-life woman was so infectious, Judy made up an excuse—so that she could see her again. During that second meeting, the two became fast friends as they set Fridays aside as their day to get together. Before their next planned meeting, Judy learned that Lucille had gone into cardiac arrest. She was dead for three minutes before she came back full of vim and vigor as if nothing had happened. Five months later, Lucille was more than ready for TV interviews. With that, Judy made plans to write a second book about Lucille and their relationship.

    Read more here!


    Now that you’re set on your next reads, what are you waiting for? The only way to join this amazing list of Hearten Winners is to enter today!

    The Chanticleer Int'l Book Awards Overall Grand Prize sticker for the CIBAs

    Those who submit and advance will have the chance to win the Overall Grand Prize of the CIBAs and $1000!

    The Blue and Gold Best Book Awards for the CIBAs
    You know you want it…

    Are you a Chanticleer Author who has some good news to share? Let us know! We’re always looking for a reason to crow about Chanticleerians! Reach out with your news to info@ChantiReviews.com

     

  • SIX days left to enter the Clue and M&M Book Awards!

    Eight Divisions close at the end of September!

    Don’t let your book miss out!

    Only 6 days left to submit your books to these prestigious CIBA Divisions and embark on an extraordinary journey to success. With over $30,000 in prizes awarded annually, now is the time to make your mark!

    The Clue Award for Thriller and Suspense Fiction and The Mystery and Mayhem Awards for Cozy and Not-so-Cozy Mysteries are still open!

    Best Book Grand Prize for the Chanticleer Int'l Book AwardsCongratulations to the Winners of the 2023 M&M Awards for Cozy and Not-so-cozy Mystery!

    Cozy Mystery Fiction Award

    • Liese Sherwood-Fabre – The Adventure of the Purloined Portrait
    • Gail Grant Park – We Are Shadows: An Irish Ghost Story
    • Rebecca Olmstead – Dreams and Illusions
    • Elizabeth Crowens – Hounds of the Hollywood Baskervilles
    • Patrick E. Craig – The Quilt That Knew
    • E. W. Finke – Coyote’s Wail
    • Lyn Squire – Immortalised to Death

    And a huge round of applause for the 2023 Mystery & Mayhem Awards Grand Prize Winner:

    A Haunting at Linley

    A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel

    by Michelle Cox 

    A Gold Ribbon dividing this section from the next

    Congratulations to the Winners of the 2023 Clue Awards for Thriller and Suspense!

    Thriller Suspense Fiction Award

    • Daniel V. Meier Jr. – Guidance to Death
    • Frederick Douglass Reynolds – Saint Bloodbath
    • Michelle Cox – A Haunting at Linley
    • Jode Millman – The Empty Kayak
    • Raymond Paul Johnson – The Raven Society: Conspiracy Ignited
    • Margaret Mizushima – Standing Dead: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery

    And a huge round of applause for the 2023 Clue Awards Grand Prize Winner:

    The Other Murder

    By Kevin G. Chapman

    A Gold Ribbon dividing this section from the next

    The CIBAs offer more than just recognition — they provide a ladder to success with a range of achievement tiers and expert long tail marketing strategies. From the highly anticipated Long List to the prestigious Overall Grand Prize Winner, the CIBA lists energize both authors and readers, maximizing your digital footprint and expanding your fan base.

    The tiers of achievement for the CIBAs (Chanticleer Int'l Book Awards)

    We are always eager to support the Best Books through the CIBAs. Join the ranks of celebrated authors who have already taken this critical step in their publishing.

    Your book deserves to be discovered, celebrated, and shared with the world. Don’t miss the chance to showcase your talent and gain valuable exposure at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (April 3-6, 2025) where Winners from all 25 Book Award Divisions will be announced and honored.

    In a world hungry for good books, your story deserves to be heard. Submit now and leave a lasting impression.

    Let’s celebrate exceptional storytelling together!

    Blue button that says Enter a Writing Contest

    Your book deserves to be discovered

    Don’t Delay! Enter Today!

    The Clue Awards, and The M&M Awards

  • 8 days left to submit three Historical Book Awards in the CIBAs!

    Eight Divisions close in September!

    Eight excellent divisions close at the end of September!

    Don’t let your book miss out!

    Only 8 days left to submit your books to these prestigious CIBA Divisions and embark on an extraordinary journey to success. With over $30,000 in prizes awarded annually, now is the time to make your mark!

    The Chaucer Awards for Early Historical Fiction, The Goethe Awards for Late Historical Fiction, and the Laramie Awards for Western and Americana Fiction are still open!

    Best Book Grand Prize for the Chanticleer Int'l Book AwardsCongratulations to the Winners of the 2023 Chaucer Award for Historical Fiction!

    The Chaucer Awards for Historical Novels

    • Gina Buonaguro – The Virgins of Venice
    • Griffin Brady – The Hussar’s Duty
    • Robert S Phillips – Elodia’s Knife
    • Rozsa Gaston – Margaret of Austria
    • Rebecca Kightlinger – The Lady of the Cliffs: The Bury Down Chronicles, Book Two
    • C.V. Lee – Token of Betrayal 

    And a huge round of applause for the 2023 Chaucer Grand Prize Winner:

    The Merchant from Sepharad by James Hutson-Wiley

    A Gold Ribbon dividing this section from the next

    Congratulations to the Winners of the 2023 Goethe Awards!

    Post 1750s Historical Fiction Award

    • Lisa Voelker – The Spoon
    • Robert W Smith – A Long Way from Clare
    • Mitzi Zilka – Water Fire Steam
    • Susanne Dunlap – The Adored One
    • Linda Ulleseit – The River Remembers
    • Nicole Evelina – Catherine’s Mercy
    • William Maz – Bucharest Legacy: The Rise of the Oligarchs

    And a huge round of applause for the 2023 Goethe Awards Grand Prize Winner:

    If Someday Comes by David Calloway

    If Someday Comes Cover

    A Gold Ribbon dividing this section from the next

    Congratulations to the 2023 Winners of the Laramie Awards!

    Western Pioneeer Civil War Fiction Award

    • Barbara Salvatore – The Trail to Niobrara
    • T.K. Conklin – Promise of Spring
    • Elizabeth Woolsey – The Travels of Dr. Rebecca Harper A Matter of Time
    • Daniel Greene – Northern Dawn (Northern Wolf Series Book 4)
    • K.S. Jones – Tastefully Texas

    And a huge round of applause for the 2023 Laramie Grand Prize Winner:

    The Last Man: A Novel of the 1927 Santa Claus Bank Robbery by Thomas Goodman

    A Gold Ribbon dividing this section from the next

    The CIBAs offer more than just recognition — they provide a ladder to success with a range of achievement tiers and expert long tail marketing strategies. From the highly anticipated Long List to the prestigious Overall Grand Prize Winner, the CIBA lists energize both authors and readers, maximizing your digital footprint and expanding your fan base.

    The tiers of achievement for the CIBAs (Chanticleer Int'l Book Awards)

    We are always eager to support the Best Books through the CIBAs. Join the ranks of celebrated authors who have already taken this critical step in their publishing.

    Your book deserves to be discovered, celebrated, and shared with the world. Don’t miss the chance to showcase your talent and gain valuable exposure at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (April 3-6, 2025) where Winners from all 25 Book Award Divisions will be announced and honored.

    In a world hungry for good books, your story deserves to be heard. Submit now and leave a lasting impression.

    Let’s celebrate exceptional storytelling together!

    Don’t Delay! Enter Today!

    The Chaucer Awards, The Laramie Awards, and The Goethe Awards

    Your book deserves to be discovered

  • The 2024 M&M Mystery and Mayhem Awards Spotlight for Cozy & Not-so-Cozy Fiction

    Got a Marketing Mystery for your Cozy Mystery?

    Cozy Mystery Fiction Award

    Solve it by entering the M&M Book Awards!

    The Mystery and Mayhem Awards is inspired by the works of Agatha Christie, one of the most influential crime writers in history, and along with Arthur Conan Doyle, led to the prevalence of the British Crime genre, in both TV and Books. M&M focuses on Cozy Mysteries, where the violence is often pushed aside, and the Amateur Sleuth reigns supreme. Why have Police and Detectives solve a mystery when meddling old ladies like Miss Marple can do it better.

    In contrast to this we have the Clue Awards. Clue is the more violent, gritty, thriller and suspense type mysteries.

    The Categories for the M&M Awards are:

    • Amateur Sleuth
    • Romantic Mystery
    • Historical Mystery
    • Classic/ British Cozy
    • Mystery Caper/ Adventure
    • Animal Mystery
    • Small Town Cozy Mystery
    • Blended Genre
    You know you want it…

    Enter Today!

    We are delighted to celebrate the 2023 Winners of the Mystery & Mayhem Awards who have already started to make their mark on the genre!

    • Liese Sherwood-Fabre – The Adventure of the Purloined Portrait
    • Gail Grant Park – We Are Shadows: An Irish Ghost Story
    • Rebecca Olmstead – Dreams and Illusions
    • Elizabeth Crowens – Hounds of the Hollywood Baskervilles
    • Patrick E. Craig – The Quilt That Knew
    • E. W. Finke – Coyote’s Wail
    • Lyn Squire – Immortalised to Death

    The Grand Prize Winner for the 2023 Mystery & Mayhem Awards is:

    A Haunting at Linley

    A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel

    By Michelle Cox

    Blue and gold badge recognizing A Haunting at Linley by Michelle Cox for winning the 2023 Mystery & Mayhem Grand Prize


    And now it is our pleasure to highlight some of the best Cozy and Not-so-Cozy Mystery Books we’ve had the pleasure of reading this summer!

    IF TWO ARE DEAD: A Garnick & Paschal Mystery
    By Jeanne Matthews

    If Two Are Dead Cover

    An enigmatic raven-haired beauty mysteriously murdered and cast into a stranger’s grave, left for scurrilous resurrection men to uncover in the dark of night! In Jeanne Matthews’s historical mystery If Two Are Dead, Detectives Quinn Paschal and Gabriel Garnick take up this case of vicious murder and ignite a mire of secrets and resentment at the pinnacle of 1867 Chicago society.

    After catching the body-snatchers in the act of stealing a freshly buried corpse to sell for medical research, Quinn and Garnick realize the body found in Emmett Buck’s grave is by no means that of a young man, but that of a woman, whose bloody head and clean clothes point to a complex mystery. With only her appearance and some identifying jewelry, Quinn insists they can and will catch the killer of ‘Marietta A.V.’ Enlisting the help of an unscrupulous journalist, they locate her husband, a wealthy and influential doctor.

    The woman’s husband, Dr. Horace E. Vinings, offers them an incredible reward if they can find Marietta’s killer. But Quinn and Garnick suspect he might not like the answer he receives.

    Read more here!

    PARALLEL SECRETS
    By ML Barrs

    Parallel Secrets Cover

    In the small Missouri town of Walkers Corner, it seems everyone has a dark secret. In Parallel Secrets by ML Barrs, a TV journalist comes to town to do a magazine piece on a missing girl and begins uncovering many of those hidden stories.

    Motivated by feelings of guilt for not following up on a previous unsolved case, Vicky Robeson’s joins the search for the missing child. She’s tenacious in her investigation. As a TV station journalist currently between jobs, she has well-honed investigative skills, specifically in her ability to wheedle stories from even the most reluctant people. She’s familiar with Walkers Corner; and  as a reporter for a St. Louis TV station, she covered the case of a never-identified mystery girl. She believes the two cases are connected. The similarities that link these cases to her own experiences as a child make her unable to let this new story go.

    Safe to say, her investigating is not welcomed by most of the locals in this close-knit town.

    Read more here!

    THE GHOST In The GARDEN
    By Alisse Lee Goldenberg

    The Ghost in the Garden Cover

    In Alisse Goldberg’s engaging young adult mystery, The Ghost in the Garden, a curious 11-year-old must face the challenges of moving to a new city, losing old friends, making new ones, and encountering historic specters in her new home.

    Sophie Madison seems none too happy about her recent move from the bustling city of Calgary, Ablerta to the smaller, quieter landscape of Stratford, Ontario. But upon arrival with her parents, she begins noticing the charm of the place, appearing like a step back in time. Their new house in particular catches her interest, with its tall turret topped by stained glass window panes where Sophie’s bedroom will be. In addition, the wild beauty of the backyard garden draws her in.

    Soon, a mysterious blonde-headed girl named Tabitha appears in the garden.

    Read more here!

    THINGS UNSEEN
    By David T. Isaak

    Things Unseen Cover

    After the murder of his sister, Dr. Walker Claybourne journeys to the Yucca Valley to wrap up Claire’s affairs– including the investigation, in David T. Isaak’s mystery novel, Things Unseen.

    As a geology professor at the University of California in San Diego, a leading authority on volcanic landforms of the Southwest, Walker lives a life as solid and routine as the very rocks he studies. He has his tenure, his condo, and his quiet existence. On sabbatical to write a textbook, Walker plans on staying in Claire’s rented house just long enough to pack her things. However, he isn’t there long before guilt sets in as he realizes how little he knew his only sister.

    With his parents both dead and his only other sibling teaching at Cambridge, Walker realizes how very alone he is, and he decides to investigate Claire’s murder.

    Read more here!


    Thank you to these authors for sharing these wonderful mysteries with us!

    The tiers of achievement for the CIBAs

    We hope to see your work in the 2024 M&M Awards!

    This is the journey from beginning to end for the CIBAs Levels of Achievement is so worthwhile! Every list you make means more promotion for you and your work as each list is posted right here on our website, on our social media, and also out in our newsletter!

    Your book deserves to be discovered

  • The 2024 Hearten Award Spotlight for Uplifting & Inspiring Non-Fiction

    Tell Us Your Story!

    The Hearten Awards are here for your Uplifting and Inspiring Non-Fiction!

    The Hearten Awards is one of our 6 Non-Fiction Divisions. Specifically, it covers Uplifting and Inspiring Memoirs. If you have written a book about yours, or someone else’s life story that can inspire others, Submit it to us!

    The Categories for the Hearten Awards are:

    • Humorous
    • Motivational
    • Advice/Inspiration
    • Family and Chosen Family
    • Self Discovery/Coming of Age

    We are happy to Celebrate the 2023 Hearten Award Winners!

    • Lisa Niver – Brave-ish, One Breakup, Six Continents and Feeling Fearless After Fifty
    • Lally Pia – The Fortune Teller’s Prophecy: A Memoir of an Unlikely Doctor
    • Tony Jeton Selimi – A Path to Excellence
    • Trudy Wells-Meyer – Some Things Are Simply Meant to Be
    • Aurita Maldonado – The Zen of Dancing in the Rain: Becoming One with the Storm

    The Grand Prize Winner of The 2023 Hearten Award is:

    Running Away From the Circus

    by Nove Meyers

    Running Away from the Circus Cover

    blue and gold badge recognizing Running Away From the Circus by Nove Meyers for winning the 2023 Hearten Grand Prize

    Submit today to join this list of winners!

    The Hearten Awards are open until the end of September! We’ll leave you with some of our favorite uplifting reads that have come through lately!

    A Gold Ribbon dividing this section from the next

    DIAMOND: The Memoir of a Lost Daughter of Japan
    By Etsuko Diamond Miyagi

    Diamond Cover

    In a world ravaged by conflict and loss, Etsuko Diamond Miyagi’s memoir, Diamond: The Memoir of a Lost Daughter of Japan is a shining testament to the beauty of love and the human spirit’s ability to overcome adversity.

    Etsuko enjoys a peaceful childhood on the Philippine island of Mindanao, where her father owns an abacá plantation. But they are not safe when guerilla forces destroy her village murdering everyone and leaving her as the sole survivor. This deeply personal narrative of grief chronicles Etsuko’s harrowing journey to find solace and joy after the death of her parents.

    At first, passed from house to house, Etsuko is forced to work as a domestic servant until a kind family takes her in. However, her safety and survival is once again in danger when she’s forced to leave her adopted family and take a position at Chief Doming Apostol’s estate in Magpet. It is there Etsuko receives the name ‘Diamond.’

    Read more here!

    A PATH To EXCELLENCE
    By Tony Jeton Selimi

    Hearten First Place Winner

    On the belief that life isn’t just the random cards one is dealt, A Path to Excellence by Tony Jeton Selimi offers a blueprint—the octagon of excellence—to succeed personally, professionally, and spiritually.

    Transcending the pitfalls and spontaneous stumbling blocks along the path of life can open the door to self-actualization and progression. As someone who experienced bullying, sexual abuse, early disability, and homelessness, Selimi sets on to become a beacon of light to the hopeless and marginalized.

    Within each soul lies a bud of genius waiting to blossom. This book focuses on purpose, vision, and persistence to clear the way to that fullest potential. Affirming challenges as immutable truths of life, Selimi employs Buddhist teaching and personal anecdotes to encourage a head-on confrontation with one’s struggles and promotes a feeling of gratitude. As a blend of philosophical wisdom and practical experience, the initial chapters help readers acknowledge their current life situation, perceiving challenges as epochs of potential.

    Read more here!

    DAWGS
    By Diane Trull & Meredith Wargo
    Hearten Grand Prize Winner

    DAWGS Cover

    We love our dogs. We love our cats. But what do we do when people no longer want them, use them for cruel purposes, or release them into the streets with no thought for what will happen to them? Diane Trull’s memoir with Meredith Wargo, DAWGS, shines a light on these questions.

    Trull begins the story as a fourth-grade teacher in Dalhart, Texas. One of her young students asks about an article in a local paper showing photos of adorable dogs at a shelter who were up for adoption, wondering what happened to those who weren’t adopted.

    Instead of dodging the question, and with great trepidation, she answered it with the truth: those who weren’t adopted would be put to sleep. Her tiny students were understandably shocked. Then one of them said, “I don’t want any of those dogs to die. Isn’t there something we can do to save them?”

    Read more here!

    LOVE, LIFE and LUCILLE
    By Judy Gaman
    Hearten First Place Winner

    Love Life & Lucille Cover

    Award-winning author, motivational speaker, and podcast host Judy Gaman befriends a fun-loving and feisty centenarian in her CIBA Grand Prize-winning novel, Love, Life, and Lucille.

    The list of titles and accolades Judy Gaman has accrued begin to pale when she encounters Lucille Fleming for the very first time. The whole reason for the meet-up with the centenarian was specifically to get her opinions on “aging gracefully,” the featured topic of a new book Judy planned to write. What was scheduled as an hour-long interview turned into an absolutely delightful, near three-hour visit. Lucille turned the tables and began asking questions about Judy’s life with compelling earnestness—something Judy rarely experienced. She was unprepared yet exhilarated.

    Judy couldn’t stop thinking about this “dressed to the nines” woman with an ear-to-ear smile and a sturdy, affectionate hug. Her contact with this larger-than-life woman was so infectious, Judy made up an excuse—so that she could see her again. During that second meeting, the two became fast friends as they set Fridays aside as their day to get together. Before their next planned meeting, Judy learned that Lucille had gone into cardiac arrest. She was dead for three minutes before she came back full of vim and vigor as if nothing had happened. Five months later, Lucille was more than ready for TV interviews. With that, Judy made plans to write a second book about Lucille and their relationship.

    Read more here!


    Thank you for cheering on these Uplifting and Inspiring Non-Fiction Books!

    The tiers of achievement for the CIBAs

    We hope to see your work in the 2024 Hearten Awards!

    This is the journey from beginning to end for the CIBAs Levels of Achievement is so worthwhile! Every list you make means more promotion for you and your work as each list is posted right here on our website, on our social media, and also out in our newsletter!

    Your book deserves to be discovered.

  • Awards Divisions for Romance, Middle Grade, and Shorts close soon! Discover the Secret to your Book’s Success!

    These Three Awards Close this weekend!

    The Chatelaine, Shorts, and Gertrude Warner Awards Badges

    You have time, but only until Saturday August 30, 2024!

    Don’t let your book miss out!

    The Chatelaine Award for Romance Fiction

    “What’s a Chatelaine?” A Chatelaine is a small belted chain used to hold on to useful objects. The image we used for the Awards is a painting of Jane Morris, drawn by Dante Rossetti with whom she had a passionate love affair. Her life was the inspiration of Pygmalion which became My Fair Lady.

    The categories for the Chatelaine Awards are

    • Contemporary Romance
    • Historical Romance
    • Adventure & Suspense
    • Romantic Steamy/Sensual (Not Erotic)
    • Inspirational/Restorative/Clean

    The Shorts Award for Short Stories, Collections and Novellas

    A typewriter that says a dramatic short story
    The Shorts Awards accepts Fiction and Non-Fiction!

    The Shorts Awards are fairly self-explanatory. Individual works are $45 and collections are $99. We do accept collections and anthologies, and you can even sneak poetry into the mix! Some incredible creative work has come through the Shorts Awards, and we’re delighted to have it as the fastest growing new Book Award Division!

    The Gertrude Warner Award for Middle Grade Fiction

    Named for the Author of The Boxcar Children Series. While Gertrude Warner wrote the original 19 books, books in the series are still being written, 100 years after the first (the first book was published in 1924), with over 200 Boxcar children books now published by other writers. Warner (1890-1979) was a Sunday School teacher until 1918, when the male teachers in her community of Putnam, Connecticut were being called to serve in WW1. She continued to be a grade school teacher until 1950. She started writing the Boxcar Children while home sick, and many of the aspects of her books have inspiration in her life.

    The Categories of The Gertrude Warner Awards are:

    • Contemporary Middle Grade
    • Sci-Fi, Fantasy, & Paranormal Middle Grade
    • Mystery Middle Grade
    • Historical Middle Grade
    • Adventure Middle Grade
    • Graphic Novels for Middle Grade
    • First-Third Grade Readers

    Long time submitters to the Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards know that there’s the official date, and then the date where the change over happens. Until the year has been updated to 2025, your work will still be considered for the 2024 Awards. Reach out to info@ChantiReviews.com with any questions!

    Only days remain to submit your books to these prestigious CIBA Divisions and embark on an extraordinary journey to success. With over $30,000 in prizes awarded annually, now is the time to make your mark!

    The Chatelaine Awards for Romantic Fiction, the Shorts Awards, and the Gertrude Warner Awards for Middle Grade Fiction are still open! Will your book make the cut?

    Best Book Grand Prize for the Chanticleer Int'l Book Awards

    The CIBAs offer more than just recognition — they provide a ladder to success with a range of achievement tiers and expert long tail marketing strategies. From the highly anticipated Long List to the prestigious Overall Grand Prize Winner, the CIBA lists energize both authors and readers, maximizing your digital footprint and expanding your fan base.

    The tiers of achievement for the CIBAs (Chanticleer Int'l Book Awards)

    Let’s dive into the Tiers of Achievement!

    The Long List

    At the Long List looks to celebrate work that has some sort of gem that pulled it forward and speaks to our first readers. There is no limit for us on how many people can make a Long List, though that’s no guarantee of making it through!

    The Short List

    The Short List offers all the benefits of the Long List: Promotion on our high traffic website, featured social media posts, and in our wide-reaching newsletter. Additionally, authors are now eligible for the first of our digital badges!

    The Semi-Finalists

    The Semi-finals repeats all the benefits of before, bringing the number of times your book has been promoted up to three times in three different places across the web! We do this to maximize your digital footprint and honor our commitment to long-tail digital marketing for our incredible authors!

    The Finalists

    There’s a definite change in tone when we reach the Finalist stage. At this point, the competition boils down to who will be the First Place Category Winner! Finalists receive discounts for the Chanticleer Authors Conference and even on our Editorial Book Reviews. And, of course, their badge and stickers are updated for their new status, as well as receiving a fourth round of promotion.

    The First Place Winners

    One of the most coveted positions. The First Place Winners receive an even better discount on reviews, a huge discount on our membership program, and our Blue Ribbon Winners package! They’re promoted again in our annual Round Up articles celebrating winners for each division as they close, and are linked to in each list the following year.

     

    The Grand Prize Winner

    There can only be one (per division)! The Grand Prize Winners receive everything above as well as being featured on the Book Award page for the entire year, an Awarded Editorial Review, and an Author Interview to help promote their work! Then they’re featured in our annual Hall of Fame posts for the next five years. We also ask Grand Prize Winners to share any of their success stories with us for us to promote and share on our website!

    You know you want it…

    The Overall Grand Prize Winner

    Truly, only one. The Overall Grand Prize Winner receives all the promotion above as well as a $1000 cash prize and invitation to present at the following Chanticleer Authors Conference.

    After all is said and done, we give away over $30,000 in prizes to the incredible authors who submit to the CIBAs! We can’t wait to have you join them!

    Congratulations again to the 2023 Overall Grand Prize Winner

    Tim Facciola for A Vengeful Realm

    Blue and Gold Badge Recognizing A Vengeful Realm: Scales of Balance Book 1 by Tim Facciola for Winning the 2023 Overall Grand Prize Award

    We are always eager to support the Best Books through the CIBAs. Join the ranks of celebrated authors who have already taken this critical step in their publishing.

    Your book deserves to be discovered, celebrated, and shared with the world. Don’t miss the chance to showcase your talent and gain valuable exposure at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (April 3-6, 2025) where Winners from all Book Award Divisions will be announced and honored.

    In a world hungry for good books, your story deserves to be heard. Submit now and leave a lasting impression.

    Let’s celebrate exceptional storytelling together!

    The Chatelaine, Shorts, and Gertrude Warner Awards Badges

    The Chatelaine Awards, The Shorts Awards, and The Gertrude Warner Awards

    Your book deserves to be discovered

  • The 2024 Gertrude Warner Spotlight for Middle Grade Fiction

    Celebrating Middle Grade Fiction

    with the Gertrude Warner Book Awards

    for Middle-Grade Reads

    Honoring the Beloved Box-Car Children’s Series

    The original cover of the Boxcar Children by Gertrude Warner
    The original cover of the Boxcar Children by Gertrude C. Warner

    The Gertrude Warner Award for Middle Grade Fiction is named for the Author of The Boxcar Children Series. While Gertrude Warner wrote the original 19 books, books in the series are still being written, 100 years after the first (the first book was published in 1924), with over 200 Boxcar children books now published by other writers.

    The Boxcar Children from the famed series by Gertrude Warner
    Enter Here!

    Gertrude Chandler Warner (1890-1979) was a Sunday School teacher until 1918, when the male teachers in her community of Putnam, Connecticut were being called to serve in WW1. She continued to be a grade school teacher until 1950. She started writing the Boxcar Children while home sick, and many of the aspects of her books have inspiration in her life. She grew up across the street from the railroad station, and her love of nature, plant collecting and gardening led to the Second book of the Boxcar Children, Surprise Island, being about the children making a nature museum out of things they collected. A student of hers once recalled the flower and stone collecting contests she held for the students.

    Author of the beloved Boxcar Children’s series

    Her books feature the children being young sleuths, solving mysteries where ever they go, without the help of the adults around them. While her books did have many critics about how independent she portrayed the children and inspired childhood rebellion, Warner saw it as why children liked the books so much.

    Middle Grade Fiction is aimed for the ages of 6-13. We also have divisions for younger (Children’s Picture Books and Early Readers) and (14-18 years-old) Young Adult. For those, see Little Peeps and Dante Rossetti.

    The Categories of The Gertrude Warner Awards are:

    • Contemporary Middle Grade
    • Sci-Fi, Fantasy, & Paranormal Middle Grade
    • Mystery Middle Grade
    • Historical Middle Grade
    • Adventure Middle Grade
    • Graphic Novels for Middle Grade
    • First – Third Grade Readers

    Children can read and love the same genres as books for older age ranges. Adventures, Mysteries and Speculative Fiction can be for everyone!

    From the desk of Anya Mueller, Team Chanticleer

    Check out some of our favorite Middle Grade Reads we’ve recently reviewed!

    BOOK Of LEPRECHAUNS: The Lore Gatherers
    By Jonathan Uffelman
    First Place Winner in the OZMA Book Awards for Fantasy Fiction

    Book of Leprechauns Cover

    Three leprechauns, Molly, Shaun, and Dorker, have their lives turned upside down when a sinister figure returns to their peaceful village with greed and revenge on his mind. In Jonathan Uffelman’s middle-grade fantasy, Book of Leprechauns: The Lore Gatherers, they embark on a treacherous journey to recover their lost home.

    Shaun McClanahan struggles to support his daughter Molly as she fails a crucial test for young Lore Gatherers—a subculture of Leprechauns who respect the power of stories. Though he’s weighed down by his responsibilities as the protector of his village’s communal gold stash, Shaun tries to overcome his worrying nature by trusting Molly to check on the gold by herself, hopeful that she can prove her worth to the village.

    But when Molly follows her father’s magical instructions to the letter, she discovers with horror that the treasure is missing, save one ancient Roman coin.

    Read more here!

    MYSTERY FORCE: Volume One
    By Ted Neill
    Illustrated by Suzi Spooner
    Grand Prize Winner in the Gertrude Warner Awards

    Mystery Force - Volume One Cover

    Set in a world where magical talking creatures are a normal part of society, the Mystery Force series by Ted Neill is a must-read for any animal-loving kid.

    Book One, Mystery Force, Assemble!, begins with warehouses of previously unheard-of magical creatures being discovered and freed. Out of fear, these new creatures continue to hide, and a group of curious kids – Rasheed, Jonathan, and Jojo – decide to get to the bottom of the mystery!

    In book two, The Case of the Stolen Horn, Rasheed, Jonathan, and Jojo are on the case after their unicorn drama teacher, Mr. Twinkles, is attacked, with their Pegasus geometry teacher Ms. Weymont being arrested for the crime. The Mystery Force Kids are determined to clear Ms. Weymont’s name by finding the real culprit.

    Read more here!

    ELVIA And The GIFT Of PASSION: A Tale by Moons-Light Series, Book 3
    By Ruthy Ballard

    Elvia and the Gift of Passion

    Ruthy Ballard’s latest middle-grade novel, Elvia and the Gift of Passion, takes us to another planet in a distant galaxy. But the journey begins grounded on Earth.

    Elvia lives a dull-as-dishwater life with her boring parents, Sally and Earl Hill. She dreams of living in Tanzania (or on Mars) after a DNA test reveals she is 99.1% Zulu, with a dash of Irish to explain her red hair.

    When her mother wins a safari in a work raffle, Elvia’s dreams start to materialize. As the stubborn and dissatisfied daughter of two overprotective parents, Elvia does what any child in her situation would do; she ditches them. In the meantime, her parents try to fit in some relaxation and see the sights without their daughter.

    Read more here!


    Thank you to everyone who submitted to the 2024 Gertrude Warner Awards! We can’t believe that the whole adventure starts again when the Gertrude Warner Awards close on August 31st, 2024.

    The tiers of achievement for the CIBAs

    This is the journey from beginning to end for the CIBAs Levels of Achievement is so worthwhile! Every list you make means more promotion for you and your work as each list is posted right here on our website, on our social media, and also out in our newsletter! Your book deserves to be discovered.

    Submit to the Gertrude Warner Awards today!

  • The 2024 Chatelaine Hall of Fame for Romance Fiction

    Need some Love in your life?

    The Chatelaine Awards are here to bring you the best in Romance Fiction.

    **Send us your Story Today**

    It is a truth Universally acknowledged that a Reader in search of a book, must be in want of a good Romance.

    Romance Fiction Chatelaine Award

    Other Divisions may have categories for Romantic themes, but if you want purely Romance, look no further! Historical to Modern, Steamy (Not Spicy) to Clean, even throw in some adventure, We’ve got it all!

    Join us in celebrating These recent Grand Prize Winners of the Chatelaine Award!

    A Sea of Glass

    By Gail Avery Halverson

    In this rich, absorbing tale, Gail Avery Halverson continues the remarkable saga of Lady Catherine Abbott and Simon McKensie that began with the multiple award-winning novels, The Boundary Stone and The Skeptical Physick. Sweeping us from a quaint village in England to Colonial Boston and to the beautiful evils of 17th century Barbados, Gail Avery Halverson has once again written a truly compelling and unforgettable novel.

    After a heartbreaking tragedy, Catherine yearns for the safety and familiarity England, but when a free, black woman attempts to accomplish the unthinkable, Catherine is forced to decide where her future lies.

    When a daring investment in the lucrative 17th century Barbados sugar trade takes a horrifying turn, Simon must at last set his dedication for medicine and scientific discovery aside and face the true ugliness of slavery.

    Joining the multitude of courageous souls in the first waves of the Great Migration from England to America, Simon and Catherine McKensie lay witness to the forging of a new country, the first seeds of violent rebellion against the Crown, and the bitter tentacles of a slave trade just beginning to take root.

    Read it here!

    You can read the review for the first book in the series here!

    A Gold Ribbon dividing this section from the next

    Operation Mom: My Plan to Get My Mom a Life and a Man

    By Reenita Malhotra Hora

    Master storyteller Reenita Malhotra Hora’s YA romance Operation Mom: My Plan to Get My Mom a Life and a Man takes us on a charming journey through the life of one teen, Ila Isham.

    Hora introduces Ila and her best friend Deepali, two boy-crazy teens on a summer quest. Readers will fall in love with the smart, sassy, angst-filled, rebellious Ila. A typical teenage girl, Ila lives in Mumbai with her mom and Sakkubai, their house manager. Ila’s mother calls her obsessed, but that seems unfair. Is she obsessed just because her every waking minute is spent thinking of Ali Zafar, famous pop icon, singer, and heartthrob? Or is she obsessed with fellow classmate Dev?

    No, Ila couldn’t be taken with Dev because he’s one of three young men that her best friend Deepali is juggling in her summer experiment of exploring her “feminine mystique.” This turn of phrase becomes just one of many opportunities for Hora’s humor to shine as Ila remarks, “That’s a book by Gloria Steinem . . . no Betty Friedan.” Deepali’s response? “Yaar. Don’t be so literal.” The delightful balance between Ila’s book smarts versus Deepali’s street smarts carries us through Hora’s expertly crafted story.

    Read More Here

    A Gold Ribbon dividing this section from the next

    The Long Desert Road

    By Alex Sirotkin

    The Long Desert Road Cover

    Alex Sirotkin’s debut novel, The Long Desert Road, navigates the emotional arcs of life in contrast with the greater expanse of the cosmos. Here a young woman must face her addictions while the people around her try to move beyond her backlash.

    We meet Henry Spinoza, a 44-year-old quirky science writer. He ponders his life as half over, looks for the right woman, and wonders if there isn’t more to existence.

    For twenty years, Henry, a science writer, has been researching a non-fiction book on the universe that he intends to write. Henry’s feeling “bored, boring, and budget-conscious…the trifecta of gloom,” as he puts it. But in the middle of this ennui, his sister-in-law invites him to dinner, along with her divorced friend, Isabel Dalton, an attorney, and “the setup is afoot.”

    Read More Here

    A Gold Ribbon dividing this section from the next

    When The Wind Chimes

    By Mary Ting

    Cover of When the Wind Chimes by Mary Ting

    In When the Wind Chimes by international best-selling author Mary Ting, Kate Summers wants to make this Christmas extra-special for her older sister, Abby, and four-year-old nephew.

    A year ago, she’d given up Christmas with her family to spend the holiday with her boyfriend, Jayden, whom she had caught cheating on her the next day. Not only is she hoping to erase that memory, but she also has another even more important reason to make this Christmas special.  A few months after her disastrous break-up with Jayden, her brother-in-law, Steve, passed away from cancer, so Abby and Tyler will be spending their first Christmas alone.

    After taking a leave from her job as a graphic designer in LA, Kate flies to Poipu, Kauai, determined to make this an amazing holiday, but on her way to her sister’s house, she meets a mysterious man, who gives up his cab for her. Kate can’t get the handsome stranger out of her head, and when she sees him again in her sister’s art gallery–and destroys his expensive shirt with paint–she is both mortified and excited.

    Read More Here

    A Gold Ribbon dividing this section from the next

    The Skeptical Physick

    By Gail Avery Halverson

    In the second in a series by author Halverson, an aristocratic, intellectually curious young woman has fallen in love with a young physician, a commoner whose radical experimentations have jeopardized his reputation. The couple is just recovering from the professional and personal rigors of dealing with London’s plague victims when the city is overwhelmed by fire. Their services are needed now more than ever.

    Supported by mentor hospital administrator Father Hardwicke in his medical endeavors, Simon McKensie is finally on the verge of marrying the woman he adores, Catherine Abbott. Even the wealthy, protective Aunt Viola has come to terms with the fact that, though she might not approve the match on social grounds, she sees that Catherine will be happy with Simon.

    Read more here!


    Remember to add your next reads to your StoryGraph or Goodreads account! Now that you’re set on your next five reads, what are you waiting for? The only way to join this amazing list of Chatelaine Winners is to submit today! 

    The gold Chanticleer Int'l Book Awards Overall Grand Prize Sticker

    Those who submit and advance will have the chance to win the Overall Grand Prize of the CIBAs and $1000!

    Are you a Chanticleer Author who has some good news to share? Let us know! We’re always looking for a reason to crow about Chanticleerians! Here are some recent achievements from our authors:

    Reach out with your news to info@ChantiReviews.com