Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: CIBAs

Spotlight on the 2021 Hearten Book Awards for Uplifting and Inspiring Non-Fiction
Hearten – “To Make More Cheerful or Confident”

Life is full of ups and downs, but you know that it’s those things that inspire and uplift us, that hearten us so we can make it through each day and onto the next. This doesn’t mean every day is easy, but it does follow the idea that every cloud has a silver lining.

You can do it! Submit to the Hearten Awards before the end of November!

The Hearten Awards came into existence thanks to the Journey Awards. In addition to burgeoning submissions of narrative Non-Fiction and Memoirs, our six Non-Fiction Awards have been exploding in popularity. The competition has never been steeper, and the time to submit has never been better. You can see the full list of Non-Fiction Awards here.

We saw the Hearten Awards as a necessary addition due to the high number of stories we receive that inspire us to live a life full of love and joy as best we can. These stories are heartwarming, empowering, and help show us a world where we are our best selves.

Tenets of Uplifting Fiction

While this fiction often has religious undertones, that isn’t alway the case, and even when there is religious inspiration at work in the text, it doesn’t proselytize or distract from the narrative at hand. The work is still meant to engage and delight readers with or without a faith background.

Handholding is a-okay in Heartwarming Non-Fiction

What the work does not include is violence, profanity, or explicit sexual content. Despite this, the emotional impact and journey taken in most inspirational texts can often lead the reader to tears, so don’t take that light-heartedness lightly. Also, don’t count out romance! Inspirational fiction has it all!

Tastes Like Chicken

Part of the inspiration for this Awards Division was the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Other popular examples are Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, You are a Badass by Jen Sincero, or The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. Interested in reading more about the ins and outs of inspirational fiction? Check out this article from DIYMFA.

If you love writing inspirational fiction or are interested in learning to write more of it, reading it is a great way to learn more. Here are heartwarming books that we’ve read and would recommend!

A YEAR of LIVING KINDLY
By Donna Cameron
First Place Winner in I&I Awards

Donna Cameron’s guide, A Year of Living Kindly: Choices That Will Change Your Life and the World Around You, invites readers to live more richly, thoroughly, and fruitfully.

Perhaps the best way to enjoy Cameron’s guide to kindness is to drink it in slowly, for a year, as its structure suggests. Savoring one of its 52 meditations – thoughtful, introspective, resonate, and wide-ranging discussions – each week. She turns to a new topic grouping with the advent of each new month, traversing the four parts, the “seasons,” as the year progresses.

Keep reading here

WALTZING A TWO-STEP
By Dan Juday

Dan Juday’s memoir Waltzing A Two-Step is a humble and compassionate look at his formative years.

Born a few years after the second world war, Dan experiences a peaceful and happy childhood in rural Indiana, moving frequently before the family settles on a rural area of land named Springwood in Clinton County, Indiana. The Juday family were devout Catholics and enrolled Dan and his siblings in Catholic schools until the family moved to Springwood. Public school became the only option for the siblings. There Dan does his best to fit in but his status as a minority Catholic in a mostly Protestant community in the 1950s brings its own challenges.

Keep reading here

THE BREAST IS HISTORY
By Bronwyn Hope

A realistic, up-close look at life as a cancer patient and survivor. The Breast Is History is a strong tool of hope and humor in the darkest days of any woman’s life.

In September 2011, Bronwyn Hope received her initial diagnosis of breast cancer; by March 2013 she had had both breasts removed, had gone through numerous chemo and radiation treatments, taken thousands of pills, and come out of it with a gritty, positive philosophy.

Keep reading here

ODYSSEY of LOVE
By Linda Jämsén

Odyssey of Love: A Memoir of Seeking and Finding by Linda Jämsén is an utterly charming Eastern European take on Eat – Pray – Love.

This odyssey begins with its 40-something author exchanging her job and dead-end relationship in Boston for two years in Budapest. The goal? To explore new career opportunities, live an adventurous life as an American expat in Europe, and, possibly, hopefully, find her soulmate.

Keep reading here

Have a book that Inspires and Uplifts? Submit by the end of November for the 2021 CIBAs!

See the 2020 Hearten Award Winners Here!

Looking to submit to our other Non-Fiction Divisions? See them all here!

When you’re ready, did you know that Chanticleer offers editorial services? We do and have been doing so since 2011.

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, with more information available here.
- And we do editorial consultations for $75. Learn more here.
- If you’re confident in your book, consider submitting it for a Editorial Book Review here or to one of our Chanticleer International Awards here.
And remember! Our 10th Anniversary Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC22) will be April 7-10, 2022, where our 2021 CIBA winners will be announced. Space is limited and seats are already filling up, so sign up today! CAC22 and the CIBA Ceremonies will be hosted at the Hotel Bellwether in Beautiful Bellingham, Wash. Sign up and see the latest updates here!

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Beyond Janette Oke: A Look at Inspirational Fiction

The traditional publishing tool that indie authors can use to propel their writing careers to new levels? The Seven Must-Haves for Authors – Unlocking the Secrets of Successful Publishing Series by Kiffer Brown
November 30, 2021
Spotlight on the 2021 Mind and Spirit Book Awards for Enlightenment and Well-Being Non-Fiction
Spiritual guidance is often difficult to talk about

No matter who you are, there’s probably some baggage in your life tied into your personal development in terms of your mind and spirit than we’d like to admit.

Have you had a spiritual journey or advice for people in their own quest for well-being?

The 2021 Mind and Spirit Awards are open through November!
Submit today!

As Self-Help books become more and more popular with books about enlightenment and well-being have made mindfulness a household term. Publisher’s Weekly puts it nicely:

“Mindfulness” is everywhere in publishing — and in American society. Its roots are in Buddhist religious practice around meditative attention — focusing on fully inhabiting the present moment without attachment to external experiences or inner emotions and thoughts. But it is also grounded in modern scientific research into the mind-body connection. Thus “mindfulness” has become fertile ground for books across multiple categories, including health, spirituality, popular science, and self-help.

Of course, there’s some overlap between the Mind & Spirit Book Awards and the I&I Book Awards. You are always welcome to submit to both, but the question of spirituality is really what drives home the difference between the two divisions.

No matter what kind of spiritual book you are writing, experience is often key

Offering support, care, and advice to people in a book is huge undertaking that should be treated seriously. In writing, be sure to be mindful of the practices you borrow from and where they lead. In teaching, the strongest instructors know how to admit they don’t know something while inexperienced teachers will often try to conceal their lack of knowledge. When people read a Mind & Spirit book, they are offering the author vulnerability, and it can help for the author to be vulnerable in return.

Publishers Weekly also offers a word of caution:

The term mindfulness can be “very fraught,” agreed Lil Copan, senior acquisitions editor at Broadleaf Books, particularly if it has been “diluted in its origin” in Buddhism. Christian authors often want to avoid acknowledging the Buddhist roots of mindfulness as a practice, connecting it instead with Christian contemplative practices they trace to the early church, or merely using “mindfulness” as a substitute for words like “presence” or, in the Quaker context, “quietude.” Still, Copan said that even amid concern about using the term, mindfulness is “such a good word. It does so much work that I can’t think of another word in which you aren’t saying 30 words or long sentences to get at what most people think of as mindfulness.”

It makes sense that such a thoughtful genre would require serious thought before jumping in, but luckily, at Chanticleer, we work with serious authors who approach their writing with care.

As always, reading in a genre helps writing in that genre. Check out our recommendations below!

GUIDED to WISDOM: The JOURNEY to EMOTIONAL HEALING
By Susan D’Agostino

Susan D’Agostino has wisdom to share, garnered from a lengthy battle with cancer and the medical establishment. This is her intimate story.

“In 2002 I found a lump in my breast, maybe the size of a pea.” Like anyone faced with a possible dire diagnosis, D’Agostino was scared and confused. Her encounters with medical people left her feeling like a statistic, and when she got the dreaded prognosis after a painful biopsy, it was accompanied by the standard recommended next steps: months of chemo and radiation treatment. Fearing the treatment almost as much as the cancer, she sought alternative healing methods.

Continue Reading…

SACRED LIFE: Healing from the Virus in Consciousness
By Bedri Cag Cetin

In his biographical work, Sacred Life: Healing from the Virus in Consciousness, Bedri Cag Cetin, Ph.D. explains his version of “The Golden Key,” a phrase he uses to formulate an “Inner Guide” which seeks above all else “…peace, happiness and harmony for all involved.”

Cetin uses his advanced education, world travels, failed and then healed personal relationships, business dealings, and training under spiritual leaders to formulate his thoughts. According to Cetin, decisions based on or that cause fear, chaos, or blame reflect Ego-driven actions in one’s journey toward inner peace; whereas using one’s Inner Guide to make decisions will result in peace and harmony.

Continue Reading…

The YOU BEYOND YOU
By Ramzi Najjar

In The YOU beyond you – The knowledge of the willing, Ramzi Najjar addresses his audience with the contemplative calm of a mystic guru and the fervor of an old-time evangelist, in a how-to guide to good health, happiness, and inner peace as a personal philosophic treatise addressing the physical and spiritual quality of life in the 21^st century.

In the Preface, Najjar quickly captures readers’ attention with the question, “In a chaotic world, and a life of prevalent restlessness, how can we make sense of the non-sensical?”

Continue Reading…

THE DRUIDS
By Ilene Birkwood

The Druids are not just a fictional group of magic wielders in funny hats, but a people of ancient Celtic cultures that prosper to this day. If you are looking for a short, accessible guide to the history and way of life of the Druid people, Ilene Birkwood offers an easy to understand introduction to Druidry in The Druids: An Informal Read. Druidry is not a religion like some may think, but a way of life through peace and preservation of nature.

Druids have seen a surge in numbers in recent years as a result of people around the globe feeling dissatisfied in a world continually damaged by pollution, greed, and war. These people wish to promote a more peaceful and simpler way of life. Birkwood’s guide touches on different areas of the culture throughout the long history of the druids, such as their education system, various sacred sites, history of persecution, and, yes, their roles as witches. Birkwood even shows us how Druidry is practiced today.

Continue Reading…

COCOON of CANCER: an INVITATION to LOVE DEEPLY
By Abbe Rolnick & Jim Wiggins

When author Abbe Rolnick’s husband Jim Wiggins slipped off a ladder in 2013, he was told he had osteopenia and would need to rest his back. He and Abbe went to Africa, but the pain persisted, in fact, got worse. Finally, the author “…got the call, the one every person dreads.” Jim had cancer, a rare, aggressive form called Multiple Myeloma. The plasma in his bone marrow had increased, taking over the normal cells, causing anemia and acidity that began to eat away at his spine. Life for Abbe and Jim would never be the same. What followed was a total disruption: for Jim it involved chemo, radiation, stem cell implants, pain, weight loss, and even height loss; for Abbe, an exploration of basic fears, and, of course, the deepest terror of loss of a loved one.

Rolnick’s book is told for the most part in a series of emails among friends and family. Since she is a fiction writer (River of Angels, Color of Lies) she was able to express her feelings to others, especially to Jim, in a manner both poignant and poetic. She recounts the couple’s simple acceptance, the moments of despair, and the daily activities and routines they shared despite the discouraging limitations of Jim’s medical necessities. Whenever possible, the couple cuddled at night, exchanged kisses, watched funny, upbeat fare on television. The memoir is remarkable for these moments, balanced by the necessary, at times dreadful and dire medical information that impinged on their lives every day for a year. The couple had to live away from home, ask family for help, including cells donated by a brother, and rely on the kindness and expertise of strangers. As Rolnick puts it, “Cancer explodes with ramifications.” Jim’s round-robin emails form an especially touching piece of the narrative as he attempts to apply logic, masculine bravado and a mild sense of humor to the horrors he is experiencing.

Continue Reading…

Have a great book for the Mind and Spirit Awards? Submit by the end of November for the 2021 CIBAs!

See the 2020 Mind and Spirit Book Award Winners Here!

Looking to submit to our other Non-Fiction Divisions? See them all here!

When you’re ready, did you know that Chanticleer offers editorial services? We do and have been doing so since 2011.

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, with more information available here.
- And we do editorial consultations for $75. Learn more here.
- If you’re confident in your book, consider submitting it for a Editorial Book Review here or to one of our Chanticleer International Awards here.
And remember! Our 10th Anniversary Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC22) will be April 7-10, 2022, where our 2021 CIBA winners will be announced. Space is limited and seats are already filling up, so sign up today! CAC22 and the CIBA Ceremonies will be hosted at the Hotel Bellwether in Beautiful Bellingham, Wash. Sign up and see the latest updates here!

Writer’s Toolbox

Thank you for reading this Chanticleer Spotlight Article.

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‘Mindfulness’ Is Having a Publishing Moment from Publishers Weekly

2019 Spotlight on I&I Awards

The traditional publishing tool that indie authors can use to propel their writing careers to new levels? The Seven Must-Haves for Authors – Unlocking the Secrets of Successful Publishing Series by Kiffer Brown
November 30, 2021
Spotlight on the 2021 I&I Book Awards for Instructional & Insightful Non-Fiction
“You should be a teacher!” “You do that so well!”
“I love how much you know about that!”

If you hear things like this often, there’s a good chance you should be submitting to our I&I Book Awards! The I&I Awards look at the best Instructional & Insightful work featuring How-To, Guidance, and Self-Help.

You can be the best at How To Succeed with your Self-Help book by submitting to the I&I Awards before the end of November!

You can see all six of our Non-Fiction Divisions here. While these days, the How-To and Self-Help genres are ubiquitous, what do we really know about their origins?

A Closer Look at Instructional Literature

Ani’s Heart is weighed against a feather before Anubis in The Egyptian Book of the Dead

The first recorded genre that could be described as self-help was called “Sebayt” an Egyptian style of reading that translates as “teaching.” You can even think as far back as The Egyptian Book of the Dead which is an instructional guide for Ani as he begins the journey through the afterlife.

But do they work?

Aristotle believed that reading had healing capabilities. While self-help book buyers may not be cured of whatever ails them, feeling better is not to be entirely discounted. People hate their jobs, fail at love, fear getting old, worry about their weight; self-help books address and try to assuage these problems. Life hurts, and the promise that self-help books make is a relief of that hurt. (read more from Publishing Perspectives here)

The genre was popularized in modern days by the well known work How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

Did you know? An updated version of Carnegie’s book is being release 5/17/22. It’s available for preorder now!

Carnegie never made it as a fiction writer, and his initial idea to give lectures based on what would become his bestselling work was laughed at by universities. However, he certainly can be said to have succeeded as a writer as people continue to live by his suggestions to this day.

Why Write an Instructional How-To or Self-Help?

LitHub has an excellent article about this, and here’s one of the more relevant parts of it.

The self-improvement industry has been analyzed in a variety of academic disciplines, but its literary import has not received the attention it demands. The omission is even more glaring in light of the fact that self-help guides are among the most lucrative book genres of the past 30 years, with approximately 150 new self-help titles published every week.

The competition for book sales is sky high!

Like the entire publishing industry since the Kindle came out in 2007, the Self-Help industry is blowing up! With Chanticleer’s goal of Discovering Today’s Best Books, we aim to shine a light on the best How-To books, becoming a link in the circle that helps those books find their way into the hands of readers everywhere! We do this through our Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards and through Editorial Book Reviews.

I remember when working at Village Books the book that was sold back the most was Marie Kondo’s The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. It always came in with at least three other bags full of books from the same household. It seemed to be working! – David

Marie Kondo is an incredible success story with her lifestyle changes and instructions on organization. She did so well that she had her own Netflix series!

Kondo recommends keeping 30 books max in your house. We can’t quite bring ourselves to do that at Chanticleer.

Instructional & Insightful Books That Have Done Well at Chanticleer

Read on to see what we recommend from books that fit into the I&I Division.

TEN THINGS EVERY CHILD WITH AUTISM WISHES YOU KNEW
By Ellen Notbohm
Grand Prize Winner in I&I Awards

Renowned author and mother of a son with autism, Ellen Notbohm here writes from both a personal and a studied viewpoint.

Not so long ago, autism was considered incurable, hopeless, a sort of dead-end diagnosis. But with time and attention to real people on the spectrum, we know now that children with autism can become positive, productive adults. The author’s son, Bryce, decided early on to “be happy” despite his differentness. For parents initially facing the diagnosis, there will undoubtedly be challenges, often on a daily, hourly basis, but Notbohm’s diligent exploration assures us that “autism is not awful.”

Continue Reading

The SUBURBAN MICRO-FARM
By Amy Stross
First Place Winner in I&I Awards

Author, educator, and urban farmer Amy Stross offers a comprehensive look at how to repurpose a small yard in the city for basic sustenance and so much more.

Award-winning writer Stross has composed a thoroughly practical guide to everything a reader would need to know to do what she did: transform a yard into a farm. Acknowledging that the ground surrounding a town dwelling is hardly what one thinks of when one thinks farmland, Stross draws from her personal experience to show precisely how the transformation can take shape. Her colorfully illustrated manual gives the basics for managing an ample garden space, or micro-farm, almost down to the minute (in fact, seven minutes twice a day).

Continue Reading

The SATISFIED WORKBOOK
By Dr. Rhona Epstein, PsyD, CAC

Dr. Rhona Epstein, PsyD, CAC is the leading expert on Food Addiction Recovery.

She is a therapist who has recovered from the problems she now focuses on, seeking to help those who suffer from food addiction to recognize their problem and solve it with spiritual guidance.

Epstein has based this manual around the 12 Steps, a program originally geared to alcoholism and based on Christian principles, but gradually secularized to facilitate outreach to a broader group. The 12 Steps take the addict, of whatever sort, through a series of deepening inner questions and resolutions. Initially, the addict must admit he or she has an addiction – in this case, to food and overeating, resulting in bingeing and other disorders such as bulimia. From that point, there will be a diligent search for relief, aided by faith in God’s care, and concluding with the possibility of helping others with the same problems.

Continue Reading

OVERCOMING The IMPOSTOR
By Kris Kelso

Author and entrepreneur Kris Kelso made a discovery about himself that he shares with others in his book, Overcoming The Impostor: Silence Your Inner Critique and Lead with Confidence.

The author was surprised in a first meeting at a new job to be referred to as an “expert.” It raised doubts in his mind about whether he had earned such a title, but it also forced him to do things he’d never done before and succeed in the process. But the voices in his head persisted, even as he went from accomplishment to accomplishment. His shadow, The Impostor, told him he didn’t know how to do a certain thing; moreover, he was making it up. The Impostor relentlessly mocked him, saying that just been lucky, he wasn’t a “real” businessman at all. When he learned about “Impostor Syndrome” – “a psychological pattern in which people doubt their accomplishments” – he realized that we all have an “Inner Impostor” that needs to be recognized, dealt with, and banished.

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SAVORING the OLDE WAYS SERIES
By Carole Bumpus
First Place Winner in I&I Awards

The retired family therapist turned travel writer and culinary memoirist, Carole Bumpus shares the delicious first book in her new series, Savoring the Olde Ways: Searching for Family and Traditions at the French Table.

In this first book, Carole takes readers on an intimate food tour of the Champagne, Alsace, Lorraine, and Paris regions of France. After being introduced by a mutual friend, Carole builds a special friendship with Josiane and her mother. Wanting to understand what brings and keeps European families glued together through generations of happiness and hardship, Bumpus begins by interviewing Josiane’s mother. Hearing about traditions passed down and the challenges of cooking during the war, the plan for a culinary tour of France is born among the women. Unfortunately, after travel delays out of their control, Josiane’s mother passes away before they can make the trip. Determined to make a dream trip a reality, Carole and Josiane set off to start a journey of a lifetime in honor of the woman who inspired it all.

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EXPLORE EUROPE on FOOT
By Cassandra Overby
Grand Prize Winner in I&I Awards

Due to COVID-19 sweeping across continents, travel restrictions are at an all-time high. With the general population being placed on lockdown, the need for social distancing, and hunkering down moving towards an indefinite timeframe, some much-needed armchair travel adventures couldn’t come at a better time.

Here in Cassandra Overby’s encyclopedic guide Explore Europe On Foot, readers are taken through a step-by-step process of dreaming, planning, and hopefully soon experiencing memorable, slow travel ventures of a lifetime. Whether it’s choosing a route and destination, deciding what to pack, finding appropriate accommodations and food options, or dealing with inevitable challenges, Overby supplies a world of information in this informative foot (and bike) travelers’ guide.

Continue Reading

Have a How-To or Self Help Instructional Book? Submit by the end of November for the 2021 CIBAs!

See the 2020 I&I Book Award Winners Here!

Looking to submit to our other Non-Fiction Divisions? See them all here!

When you’re ready, did you know that Chanticleer offers editorial services? We do and have been doing so since 2011.

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, with more information available here.
- And we do editorial consultations for $75. Learn more here.
- If you’re confident in your book, consider submitting it for a Editorial Book Review here or to one of our Chanticleer International Awards here.
And remember! Our 10th Anniversary Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC22) will be April 7-10, 2022, where our 2021 CIBA winners will be announced. Space is limited and seats are already filling up, so sign up today! CAC22 and the CIBA Ceremonies will be hosted at the Hotel Bellwether in Beautiful Bellingham, Wash. Sign up and see the latest updates here!

Writer’s Toolbox

Thank you for reading this Chanticleer Spotlight Article.

Important Links from this Article

A Short History of Self-Help, The World’s Bestselling Genre

When Did Self-Help Books Become Literary?

2019 Spotlight on I&I Awards

The traditional publishing tool that indie authors can use to propel their writing careers to new levels? The Seven Must-Haves for Authors – Unlocking the Secrets of Successful Publishing Series by Kiffer Brown
November 29, 2021
Spotlight on the Book Series Awards | Part 1 of 4
The First in a Series of Articles on Writing a Book Series

Writing a series of books and writing a novel are similar processes, though of course the series, as you may expect, is on a much grander scale.

A series is an excellent choice for a writer because you keep your readers! It’s always easier to maintain a connection with people who have already decided to read, not only your book, but a book in the same world!

By writing a series, you offer the reader a familiar product that they already know they like from an author they already love. It is because of the power of the book series that we have begun hosting the Book Series Awards for Genre Fiction, and it’s why we offer progressive discounts on multiple book reviews.

Let’s begin by talking about different types of Book Series

Two Variations for Book Series

There are essentially two types of book series out there. One is the Finite Series, and the other is the Infinite Series.

Finite Series

These Series have a story arc that expands beyond one book, and each one relates directly to the one before or after it. Examples of this are N.K. Jemisin’s The Broken Earth Series or Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files. Series can be as short as two books or as many as twenty-three, but the main thing is that the order they come in is highly recommended to best understand the plot.

N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy is a triumphant achievement in fantasy literature according to Verge

Infinite Series

This is a group of books set in a universe, but where each book can stand alone and be read in any order. Examples are Anne McCaffery’s Dragonriders of Pern or Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. For the most part, these books will follow the same rules of the universe between volumes, just as a finite series would.

These also are called an anthologized series as I learned in a discussion about writing craft with Chanticleer Editorial Assistant Scott Taylor during our Roost book group meeting discussing Save the Cat! Writes a Novel. They happen often if someone just decides they enjoy continuing to write in an established world with established characters –David

Honorable Mention

Terry Brooks’ Shannara series is both finite and infinite! He has finite quartets and trilogies that all take place in an infinite series universe. You can read each finite mini-series in the universal infinite series in whatever order you want, and they all offer hints about the other books.

Terry Brooks, author of the Shannara Series

Did you know? Series don’t need to be italicized while writing them! Only book titles require it.

The Overlap

Obviously the key here is that both of these are series. A series will always have central themes that overlap across books, and what happens in one book will affect the world at large, even if the books can be read as stand alones. Even in an infinite series, characters will have cameos, such as the character of Death in Pratchett’s Discworld universe.

It’s recommended that in an infinite series each story has a strong, independent story to help it stand apart from the other books set in that universe, but even in a finite series, it’s important that each book avoids being too repetitive. The concern about repetition is important to keep in mind, though many successful series often rely heavily on repetition to help the reader orient themselves to a familiar landscape. For example, in The Dresden Files, almost every book follows this pattern:
1. Harry hears of a strange mystery that’s way beyond his ability to comprehend
2. Then he finds a simpler mystery, one he can manage, or so he thinks.
3. His team assembles slowly over the course of the book, Thomas the vampire, Murphy the cop, Michael the knight, and John the mobster.
4. The simple mystery turns out to be much bigger. Harry is defeated and ready to give up.
5. Suddenly Harry understands the bigger mystery by solving a key point in the smaller mystery.
6. Day is saved.
7. Hint about how the day wasn’t totally saved.
Paul Blackthorne as Harry Dresden holding Bob the Skull

Likewise, Terry Brooks often follows the character pattern of making sure there’s someone with the fabled Shannara bloodline, that person receives help from someone who is a bit of a nomad, a druid is introduced, and then we have a couple more magical characters who help out the heroes.

Further Reading?

Looking for more? Check out this article titled “Outline Your Book Series to Sell More Books and Keep Readers Buying”

Look for our next post about SERIES!

Join us soon for Part 2 in writing a Book Series!

Have a Book Series that deserves recognition? Submit now into our Book Series Awards here by the end of November!

The 2020 Series Grand Prize Winner was Mark Newhouse, author of the Devil’s Bookkeepers.

See the 2020 Series Award Winners here!

When you’re ready, did you know that Chanticleer offers editorial services? We do and have been doing so since 2011.

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, with more information available here.

And we do editorial consultations for $75. Learn more here.

If you’re confident in your book, consider submitting it for a Editorial Book Review here or to one of our Chanticleer International Awards here.

Our 10th Anniversary Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC22) will be June 23-26, 2022, where our 2021 CIBA winners will be announced. Space is limited and seats are already filling up, so sign up today! CAC22 and the CIBA Ceremonies will be hosted at the Hotel Bellwether in Beautiful Bellingham, Wash. Sign up and see the latest updates here!

Writer’s Toolbox

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

Writers Toolbox Helpful Links:

Outline Your Book Series to Sell More Books and Keep Readers Buying by Zara Altair

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/
November 29, 2021
Spotlight on the 2021 Harvey Chute Book Awards for Business & Enterprise Non-Fiction
What’s that note say on your piggy bank?

Deadlines aren’t just for taxes, sign up today for the Harvey Chute Awards today!

Do you have money on your mind and your mind on money?

The Origins of the Harvey Chute Awards

Harvey Chute (1962-2015)

The Harvey Chute Awards hold a special place in our hearts as Harvey was a presenter at Chanticleer in the past. We named the Awards after him to honor his contributions and the business savvy that he brought to all interactions.

An author in his own right, Chute wrote Stone and Slit, a cozy historical mystery set during the gold-rush in British Columbia, just across the border. What he was most well know for though were his guides in the For Dummies series.

This is generally what they look like

For those who might not know: The For Dummies books are a series published by Wiley that break down difficult tasks into approachable, friendly how-to guides. Chute worked on a series detailing how to best use the Amazon Kindle.

Kiffer and Harvey met just after he founded KBoards.com, a Kindle forum that’s well-known among readers and authors. Harvey Chute passed away in the fall of 2015, but the impression he made remains to this day.

Let’s take a closer look at KBoards, one of the many legacies left behind by Chute.

KBoards

KBoards.com is a lot like what you’d expect from a Reddit forum, but everything is related to Kindle and Amazon publishing. It reads like a community run FAQ for best practices. And speaking of, they have an FAQ to help use the platform right here. It’s a remarkable tool for any author willing to invest the time into making it work.

Speaking of authors trying to make it work…

Business & Finance

One of the toughest questions facing authors is how to maximize their book sales. Discounting a global pandemic, this was already hard enough to manage between digital sales and physical hand sales, not to mention author websites, social media, online presence, tours, events, and everything else! Writers are entrepreneurs, whether their books are independently or traditionally published.

If you’re not sure where to get started marketing your book, consider this article here written by Kiffer Brown and Sharon Anderson as your starting point!

Want to write better about business and finance? The best place to start is by reading what others have already written!

You can see some of our reviews of entrepreneurial literature below

RETIRE SECURELY: Insights on Money Management from an Award-Winning Financial Columnist
By Julie Jason
First Place Winner in I&I Awards

If you’re wondering what the difference is between a Roth IRA and a traditional IRA, then you’ll want to pick up Julie Jason’s Retire Securely: Insights on Money Management from an Award-Winning Financial Columnist. You will be treated to a crash course on financial terms like these and get inside information on saving and investing thanks to scores of conversations she’s had with her readers over the years.

Plenty of titles on financial planning and investing exist on bookstore shelves, but what makes Jason’s compilation different is that hers is culled from more than 1,000 columns she has written over the years for the Connecticut newspapers, Greenwich Time and the Stamford Advocate. In 2013, King Features syndicated her “Retirement Planning and Investment” column, where she explores topics like 401(k) investing, choosing a financial adviser and how to determine if sending your kid to college is a good value. Jason, who worked as a Wall Street lawyer, money manager, and investment counselor, really knows her stuff: whether it’s unraveling the complicated world of market trends or explaining estate planning, her columns are worth reading and applying to your financial life. Her column has recently moved from King Features to Andrews McMeel Syndicate [Chanticleer Reviews was notified about this change on April 3, 2020].

Continue Reading Here

PRIVATE MONEY LENDING: How to Consistently Generate a Passive Income Stream
By Gustavo J. Gomez, Ph.D.

Are you in retirement, or close to it, wondering how you’re going to make ends meet pulling from your portfolio? Well, you’re not alone if you’re staying up at night thinking about how low-interest rates are killing your investments.

In a practical and easy to read format, Gomez explains to investors the particulars of a little known, yet potentially lucrative investment technique that can handle the ups and downs of the stock market. Unlike stocks, the underlying security of private money lending is a tangible asset – brick and mortar, so there is another layer of protection for you, the investor.

But what is Private Money Lending? According to Gomez, it refers to a private individual or organization that lends money. Typically, when you’re looking for financing, you would go to a bank. With private funds, on the other hand, you’re going to an individual or organization that specializes in this type of lending. The upside of private money lending is that it’s less regulated, which means less red tape. The icing on the cake, he says, is that these investments have consistently generated 9 to 12 percent returns* – not bad considering stock market investments have averaged closer to 7 percent, and with much more fluctuations. We can’t forget the economic crash of 2008 when many stock market investments plummeted close to 40 percent.

Continue Reading Here

APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur
By Guy Kawasaki and Shawn Welch

APE is the how-to compendium for today’s self-publishers.

Authors will findAPEan indispensable resource. Guy Kawasaki passes along his publishing experience in his “no-shitake,” but affable manner. Imagine having an extremely successful uncle in the publishing biz who also has a tech-wizard pal (co-author Shawn Welch) of digital publishing magic. Fortunately for us, this dynamic duo decided to share their publishing know-how.

APE’s premise is that publishing is a parallel process “that requires simultaneous progress along multiple fronts.” Hence, self-publishers are challenged with how to: market, brand, design, promote, publish, distribute, and finance a book–all at the same time. Oh, and don’t forget the time required for actually writing the book. Indisputably, each self-publisher is an:Author, Publisher and Entrepreneur.

Continue Reading Here

WELFARE CHEESE to FINE CAVIAR
By Thomas Wideman, MBA, PMP

Thomas Wideman, the author of this dynamic self-help manual, Welfare Cheese to Fine Caviar: How to Achieve Your Dreams Despite Your Upbringing, rose from poverty and dismay to a life of security and personal achievement through techniques he shares with readers who can incorporate them into their own life plans.

Wideman came from an impoverished African American family wracked by confusion, chaos, and, at times, criminality. His mother had three sons by three fathers, and he would come to know his own father only peripherally, eventually learning that the man murdered people and subsequently died in prison. The boy grew up in tough neighborhoods and ate “welfare cheese” (a block of pre-sliced heavy American cheese that supposedly melted well). Every month, making ends meet became more and more difficult. In an early chapter of this finely woven chronology, we see him taking food from trains parked along the railroad tracks and running from the authorities. In this, as in each new chapter, he speaks of confronting severe issues and finding ways to resolve them. In the case of the theft and other childhood incidents of fighting, experiencing bullies, and battling racism, he speaks of making up his mind that “my circumstances need not be my limitation.”

Continue Reading Here

Have a book on Business and Enterprise? Submit by the end of November for the 2021 CIBAs!

See the 2020 Harvey Chute Award Winners Here!

The 2020 Harvey Chute Grand Prize Badge

Looking to submit to our other Non-Fiction Divisions? See them all here!

When you’re ready, did you know that Chanticleer offers editorial services? We do and have been doing so since 2011.

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, with more information available here.
- And we do editorial consultations for $75. Learn more here.
- If you’re confident in your book, consider submitting it for a Editorial Book Review here or to one of our Chanticleer International Awards here.
And remember! Our 10th Anniversary Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC22) will be April 7-10, 2022, where our 2021 CIBA winners will be announced. Space is limited and seats are already filling up, so sign up today! CAC22 and the CIBA Ceremonies will be hosted at the Hotel Bellwether in Beautiful Bellingham, Wash. Sign up and see the latest updates here!

Writer’s Toolbox

Thank you for reading this Chanticleer Spotlight Article.

Important Links from this Article

Obituary for Harvey Chute

KBoards.com

KBoards FAQ

12 MUST-DO’s for AUTHORS for a Successful and Productive 2020 and Beyond

The traditional publishing tool that indie authors can use to propel their writing careers to new levels? The Seven Must-Haves for Authors – Unlocking the Secrets of Successful Publishing Series by Kiffer Brown
November 29, 2021
The 2021 CLUE Book Awards for Suspense/Thrillers – CIBAs Long List 2021
The Clue Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in Suspese and Thriller Mysteries. The Clue Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

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

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from all 2021 Clue Suspense/Thriller Fiction entries to the 2021 Clue Book Awards LONG LIST. Entries below are now in competition for 2021 Clue Shortlist. The Short Listers will compete for the Semi-Finalist positions. Finalists will be selected from the Semi-Finalists. All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC22).

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 24 CIBA divisions’ Finalists.

We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, June 25th, 2022 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2022 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2021 Clue Book Awards novel competition for Thriller/Suspense Fiction!

Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2021 CIBAs.
- Tom Galvin – The Auction
- Steph Mullin and Nicole Mabry – The Family Tree
- Lynn Yvonne Moon – The Agency – Tablet of Destiny
- Alicia Dill – Beyond Sacrifice
- Tony Ollivier – The Amsterdam Deception
- J. Luke Bennecke – Waterborne
- AJ Thibault – Deadly Serious
- Jane Rosenthal – Del Rio
- Chuck Morgan – Crime Exploded, A Buck Taylor Novel
- Bryn Smith – Magnus Nights: The Helios Incident
- James A. Ross – Coldwater Revenge
- John Stafford – Call of Vengeance Series, Book 4: A Hand of Vengeance
- T.L. Bequette – Good Lookin’: A Joe Turner Mystery
- Ernesto H Lee – Flawed Beauty
- Justin M. Kiska – Now & Then
- Amy S. Peele – Match: A Medical Murder Mystery
- Leah Angstman – Falcon in the Dive
- Erik Foge – We Know Your Name
- Kevin G. Chapman – Fatal Infraction (Mike Stoneman Thriller #4)
- Rip Converse – Callie Awakens
- Jule Selbo – 10 Days, A Dee Rommel Mystery
- Emily A. Myers – The Truth About Unspeakable Things
- D. J. Adamson – Into The Storm
- Roberta Seret – Gift of Diamonds
- Susan Lynn Solomon – What’s Past is Prologue
- Rhett C Bruno – The Roach
- Mary Keliikoa – Denied
- Lyle Howard – An Eye For An Eye
- Laurie Buchanan – Indelible: A Sean McPherson Novel, Book One
- Robert Honor – Bogart’s Hat
- Valerie J. Brooks – Tainted Times 2
- Shelley Nolden – The Vines
- Chuck Morgan – Crime Conspiracy: A Buck Taylor Novel
PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the FB post. However, for FB to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews. FB rules — not ours.

Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook.

Additionally, we also post on Twitter. Chanticleer Twitter’s handle is @ChantiReviews

Or click here to go directly to Chanticleer’s Twitter feed.

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

The Grand Prize Winner for the 2020 CLUE Awards was Chris Karlsen for A Venomous Love

Click here to see the 2020 Clue Book Award Winners for Suspense/Thriller Mysteries.

We are now accepting submissions into the 2022 Clue Book Awards for Suspesnse/Thriller Fiction. The 2022 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2023.

Please click here for more information.

For lighter-hearted Mystery and Classic Cozy Mysteries please check out our Mystery & Mayhem Awards, and for High Stakes Suspense Novels please check out our Global Thriller Awards

Winners will be announced at the 2021 CIBA Awards Ceremony that is sponsored by the 2022 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

VIRTUAL and IN-Person – June 23 – 26, 2022! Register Today!

FLEXIBLE REGISTRATIONS ARE AVAILABLE for these challenging times.

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!

Featuring: International Best Selling Author Cathy Ace along with A+ list film producer Scott Steindorff.
November 17, 2021
The 2021 Global Thriller Book Awards for High Stakes Suspense – CIBAs Long List 2021
The Global Thriller Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in Supernatural Fiction. The Global Thriller Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

Chanticleer Book Reviews is looking for the best books featuring suspense, thrilling stories that put the balance of world power or that will end the world as we know it. We include with Global Thrillers the Lab Lit genre. Lab Lit is when Fiction Meets Real Science and Research or stories that are based on real science and research up to a certain “what if” point.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from all 2021 Global Thriller High Stakes Fiction entries to the 2021 Global Thriller Book Awards LONG LIST. Entries below are now in competition for 2021 Global Thriller Shortlist. The Short Listers will compete for the FINALIST positions. Finalists will be selected from the Short List. All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC22).

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 24 CIBA divisions’ Finalists.

We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, June 25th, 2022 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2022 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2021 Global Thriller Book Awards novel competition for High Stakes Fiction!

Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2021 CIBAs.
- Kristie Clark – Killing Dragons
- Kristie Clark – Dragon Clan
- Dimple Patel Desai – The Lambda Factor
- Paul Mark Tag – Retribution Times Two
- Timothy S. Johnston – Fatal Depth
- Ron McManus – The Chameleon
- Gordon Bickerstaff – Tears of Fire
- John Stafford – A Hand of Vengeance
- Andrew Kaplan – Blue Madagascar
- Roberta Seret – Treasure Seekers
- Spaulding Taylor – Last Star Standing
- Norman M. Jacobs, MD, Ms – A Divine Wind
- Randall Krzak – Mission: Angola (Xavier Sear Thriller Book 1)
- Stu Jones & Gareth Worthington – Condition Black
- Avanti Centrae – The Doomsday Medallion
- E. R. Barr – Gods In The Ruins: A Vatican Archives Thriller
- Richard Garis – Magenta is Missing
- Joe McNeil – Confronting the Enemy
- Kevin Wilde – The Rookie and the Raven
- J Lawrence Matthews – One Must Tell The Bees
- Stu Jones & Gareth Worthington – Condition Black
PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the FB post. However, for FB to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews. FB rules — not ours.

Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook.

Additionally, we also post on Twitter. Chanticleer Twitter’s handle is @ChantiReviews

Or click here to go directly to Chanticleer’s Twitter feed.

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

The Grand Prize Winner for the 2020 GLOBAL THRILLER Awards was William Maz for The Bucharest Dossier

Click here to see the 2020 Global Thriller Book Award Winners for High Stakes Fiction.

We are now accepting submissions into the 2022 Global Thriller Book Awards for High Stakes Fiction. The 2022 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2023.

Please click here for more information.

Winners will be announced at the 2021 CIBA Awards Ceremony that is sponsored by the 2022 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

VIRTUAL and IN-Person – June 23 – 26, 2022! Register Today!

FLEXIBLE REGISTRATIONS ARE AVAILABLE for these challenging times.

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!

Featuring: International Best Selling Author Cathy Ace along with A+ list film producer Scott Steindorff.
November 17, 2021
Spotlight on the 2021 Nellie Bly Book Awards for Journalistic Non-Fiction
Your Report is coming due…

You can hear the clicking of keys as you type up your next report, desperate to make tomorrow’s press.

You know what’s coming. It’s the Nellie Bly Awards deadline at the end of November, and you have a book that will stop the presses! The Nellie Bly Book Awards for Investigative, Long-form Journalism, and Biographies.

Enter Today!

Who is Nellie Bly?

The Nellie Bly Awards are named for an American investigative journalist. Born Elizabeth Jane Cochran, Bly launched her career into the spotlight by posing as a mental patient to enter the insane asylum on Blackwell’s island. Writing her exposé on the abuses being committed there cemented her role as a leading name in investigative journalism.

Illustration of Blackwell’s Asylum

Her work had an immediate effect:

Approximately one month after her articles ran in print, many of the most glaring problems she reported had improved: better living and sanitary conditions were instituted, more nourishing meals were provided, translators were hired for the foreign born who were not necessarily mentally ill but simply could not understand their keepers, and the most abusive nurses and physicians were fired and replaced (PBS.org).

Nellie Bly – Early Life and Legacy

Before that, she began writing under the name Nellie Bly after being invited to write a regular for the Pittsburgh Dispatch. WomensHistory.org lays more of her life out here. One thing noted in several articles is that Nellie Bly chose her name from a song by Stephen Foster. You can listen to the song and see the lyrics here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOcVjq67CsA

Bly “became renowned for her investigative and undercover reporting, including posing as a sweatshop worker to expose poor working conditions faced by women” (Biography.com). In addition to her excellent reporting and support for civil rights, Bly was also a bit of an adventurer. Inspired by the book Around the World in Eighty Days, her newspaper, the New York World sent her to see if she could break the fictional record. She succeeded, making the journey in only 72 days! A record that would last until 1890.

Around the World in 72 Days by Nellie Bly

Dr. Janice Ellis on The Importance of Journalism

We’ll link to the review of her book soon, but we thought we would let Janice Ellis, PhD and Nellie Bly Grand Prize winner, talk about the importance of journalism. Here’s what she has to say:

Dr. Janice Ellis

With all of the divisive and false information being communicated, the public needs Real Advocacy Journalism today more than ever. There is a growing, if not urgent, need to understand the difference between the advocacy journalism being practiced today and Real Advocacy Journalism™. More importantly, we all need to readily recognize when one or the other is at play in trying to influence public opinion, or urge a hopeful, trusting public to take a particular action.

What is the difference between advocacy journalism as it is practiced today and Real Advocacy Journalism™? Much of the advocacy journalism occurring is partisan, biased, and often blurs the lines between truth and lies, facts and fiction, and often presents fake news as real news. The purpose and objectives of this advocacy journalism constitute propaganda to gain public support for the interest and agenda of a few, a special interest group, or a small constituency rather than for the good of the majority. The public needs Real Advocacy Journalism today to put America back on the right course.

Read more from her website here

With all that in mind, let’s dive into some of the best Journalism books reviewed by Chanticleer!

SHAPING PUBLIC OPINION: How Real Advocacy Journalism™ Should be Practiced
By Janice Ellis, Ph.D.
Grand Prize in Nellie Bly Awards

Janice S. Ellis, Ph.D., introduces the journalistic theories of Walter Lippmann in her new non-fiction work, Shaping Public Opinion: How Real Advocacy Journalism™ Should be Practiced.

Walter Lippmann, considered one of the foremost journalists in the field over the last 100 years, was a mentor in absentia of Dr. Ellis in the art of advocacy journalism. During Lippmann’s 40+ year career, his columns were syndicated in over 250 newspapers nationwide and over 25 other international news and information outlets. Lippman focused on the ethical dissemination of information, especially about communities, society, and the world. A theory, which Dr. Ellis calls Real Advocacy Journalism™.

Continue reading here…

WAKING up DYING
By Robert A. Duke

An intensely personal and compelling narrative, Waking Up Dying offers an insider’s perspective of the passage through cancer beginning with Duke’s wife’s diagnosis of stage IV glioblastoma brain cancer—typically a fatal condition.

Duke found the entire caregiving experience an agonizing, non-stop emotional rollercoaster: unbelievably frustrating, emotionally searing and increasingly chaotic.

The author’s story of his dedicated and loving role as caregiver entails four phases of this tortuous journey: the couple’s daily coping with the disease; the author’s struggle through the health care system; the emotional reality of caregiving his dying wife; and the carefully documented material put forward as a basis for reforming the care system.

Continue reading here…

THE WINTER OLYMPICS: An Insider’s Guide to the Legends, Lore, and the Games
By Ron C. Judd

Flashbacks, gruesome accounts, victories relived, analysis, and competitors’ profiles of the Winter Olympics are revealed in Ron C. Judd’s captivating compendium titled The Winter Olympics: An Insider’s Guide to the Legends, Lore, and the Games.

Judd doesn’t just report the scores, the times, the winners and the losers. He relays the human drama that unfolds during the Games—the glorious victories and, yes, the gut-wrenching agonies—the very stuff that becomes tomorrow’s lore and legends.

Ron C. Judd is like a Joseph Campbell of the Olympic Games. He writes of transcendent experiences, of impossible feats, and, he says, “of moments that are beyond description.” But describing these moments is exactly what he does. Judd deftly captures and vividly relates the escalation of emotions, the split-second moments that separate the winners from the losers after decades of day-in and day-out grueling training, the sweaty reality of the Olympics along with the heady glory and magic he has witnessed and experienced first-hand.

Continue reading here…

FIRE CALL! Sounding the Alarm to Save Our Vanishing Volunteers
By George DeVault

In his first job as a newspaper reporter, DeVault attended many emergencies – and firefighters were always on the scene. Gradually he discovered that the vast majority of America’s firefighters are volunteers, often leaving their regular jobs by prearrangement or rushing out from home in the middle of the night to respond to every conceivable crisis, from a simple kitchen fire to a multi-car crash to the cataclysmic events of 9-11-01.

With the encouragement of empathetic wife Melanie, also a reporter, De Vault joined the firefighting ranks as a volunteer in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, while fully immersed in his journalistic career with Rodale Inc. He answered every call, about 5,000 over a thirty year period, no matter what else was going on in his life – even on a day when Melanie was in the hospital dealing with her own emergency.

Continue reading here…

Have a journalistic exploration that needs to be read? Submit by the end of November for the 2021 CIBAs!

See the 2020 Nellie Bly Award Winners here!

Looking to submit to our other Non-Fiction Divisions? See them all here!

When you’re ready, did you know that Chanticleer offers editorial services? We do and have been doing so since 2011.

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, with more information available here.
- And we do editorial consultations for $75. Learn more here.
- If you’re confident in your book, consider submitting it for a Editorial Book Review here or to one of our Chanticleer International Awards here.
And remember! Our 10th Anniversary Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC22) will be April 7-10, 2022, where our 2021 CIBA winners will be announced. Space is limited and seats are already filling up, so sign up today! CAC22 and the CIBA Ceremonies will be hosted at the Hotel Bellwether in Beautiful Bellingham, Wash. Sign up and see the latest updates here!

CAC22 will feature Cathy Ace, Robert Dugoni, Scott Steindorff and more! We are excited!

Writer’s Toolbox

Thank you for reading this Chanticleer Spotlight article.

Helpful Writer Links:

How Nellie Bly went undercover to expose abuse of the mentally ill

Nellie Bly (1864-1922)

“Nellie Bly” by STEPHEN FOSTER

Nellie Bly Biography

Public Needs Real Advocacy Journalism Today

The traditional publishing tool that indie authors can use to propel their writing careers to new levels? The Seven Must-Haves for Authors – Unlocking the Secrets of Successful Publishing Series by Kiffer Brown
November 17, 2021
The 2021 Ozma Book Awards for Fantasy Fiction – CIBAs Long List 2021
The Ozma Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in Fantasy Fiction. The Ozma Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards discovers the best books in the Ozma Awards featuring magic, the supernatural, imaginary worlds, fantastical creatures, legendary beasts, mythical beings, or inventions of fancy that author imaginations dream up without a basis in science as we know it. Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, Dragons, Unicorns, Steampunk, Dieselpunk, Gaslight Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, or other out-of-this-world fiction. These books have advanced to the Long List in the 2021 CIBAs OZMA division.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from all 2021 Ozma Fantasy Fiction entries to the 2021 Ozma Book Awards LONG LIST. Entries below are now in competition for 2021 Ozma Shortlist. The Short Listers will compete for the FINALIST positions. Finalists will be selected from the Short List. All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC22).

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 24 CIBA divisions’ Finalists.

We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, June 25th, 2022 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2022 Chanticleer Authors Conference–whether virtual, hybrid, or in-person.

These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2021 Ozma Book Awards novel competition for Fantasy Fiction!

Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2021 CIBAs.
- Joseph Riddle – The Seventh Talent
- Susannah Dawn – Battle for the Armor of God
- Jenn Lees – The Crossing. Arlan’s Pledge Book 1
- Susan Chapek – The Scarlet Mantle
- Mario Chavez – The Continuous Loop
- Kelly Brewer – Water Witch
- P.H.C. Marchesi – Florissant
- David Fitz-Gerald – Waking Up Lost
- PJ Devlin – The Chamber
- Laurel Anne Hill – Plague of Flies: Revolt of the Spirits, 1846
- James Priest – Kirins: The Seer of Serone
- Clayton Marshall Adams – The Mask
- Mary K. Savarese – The Girl in the Toile Wallpaper
- Allegra Pescatore – Where Shadows Lie
- Anton Anderson – The Seekers: Soul Ties
- KC Cowan – Asa’s Redemption
- Sean March – Little Wade and Watchtower: Abigail and the Great Gang Trap
- J.W. Zarek – The Devil Pulls the Strings
- J.P. Hostetler – Around Curiosity’s Edge: Hidden Meridians
- L. A. Thompson – Isle of Dragons
- G.L. Cramb – Druid Quest: Maegics Heir, Book 1
- Adron J. Smitley – Jinn
- Mark A. Alvarez II – Dutybound: Light Wings Epic Vol. 1
- Susan Faw – Heart of Tunise
- Taylor Fenner – Monsters & Mist
- S.J. Hartland – The Last Seer King
PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the FB post. However, for FB to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews. FB rules — not ours.

Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook.

Additionally, we also post on Twitter. Chanticleer Twitter’s handle is @ChantiReviews

Or click here to go directly to Chanticleer’s Twitter feed.

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

The Grand Prize Winner for the 2020 OZMA Awards was Christpher Russell for Rebirth: Divinity’s Twilight

Click here to see the 2020 Ozma Book Award Winners for Fantasy Fiction.

We are now accepting submissions into the 2022 Ozma Book Awards for Fantasy Fiction. The 2022 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2023.

Please click here for more information.

Winners will be announced at the 2021 CIBA Awards Ceremony that is sponsored by the 2022 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

VIRTUAL and IN-Person – June 23 – 26, 2022! Register Today!

FLEXIBLE REGISTRATIONS ARE AVAILABLE for these challenging times.

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!

Featuring: International Best Selling Author Cathy Ace along with A+ list film producer Scott Steindorff.
November 16, 2021
The 2021 Paranormal Book Awards for Supernatural Fiction – CIBAs Long List 2021
The Paranormal Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in Supernatural Fiction. The Paranormal Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards (the CIBAs) is looking for the best books Paranormal books featuring magic, the supernatural, weird otherworldly stories, superhumans (ex. Jessica Jones, Wonder Woman), magical beings & supernatural entities (ex. Harry Potter), vampires & werewolves (ex. Twilight), angels & demons, fairies & mythological beings, magical systems and elements. These books have advanced to the Long List Level of Achievement in the 2021 CIBAs.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from all 2021 Paranormal Supernatural Fiction entries to the 2021 Paranormal Book Awards LONG LIST. Entries below are now in competition for 2021 Paranormal Shortlist. The Short Listers will compete for the FINALIST positions. Finalists will be selected from the Short List. All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC22).

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 24 CIBA divisions’ Finalists.

We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, June 25th, 2022 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2022 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2021 Paranormal Book Awards novel competition for Supernatural Fiction!

Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2021 CIBAs.
- Kaylin McFarren – Annihilation
- Avanti Centrae – The Doomsday Medallion
- Robert Herold – Moonlight Becomes You
- Rebecca Kightlinger – Megge of Bury Down: The Bury Down Chronicles, Book One
- Diamond Ligues – The Bird of Hermes Shall Get its Wings
- Catori Sarmiento – But the Wicked Shall Perish
- Elizabeth Crowens – The Time Traveler Professor – Book Three: A War in Too Many Worlds
- J. W. Zarek – The Devil Pulls The Strings
- K.T. Anglehart – The Wise One
- AJ Thibault – Ghost Town
- JP McLean – Blood Mark
- J.G. Schwartz – The Curious Spell of Madam Genova
- Henry Anderson – Cape Misfortune
- Miki Mitayn – The Conscious Virus
- John Stafford – A Hand of Vengeance
- Sean March – Little Wade and Watchtower: Abigail and the Great Gang Trap
- Ryan Young – The Shepherd’s Duty
- Susan Lynn Solomon – What’s Past is Prologue
- J.D. Belcher – The Inescapable Consequence
- James G. Robertson – The Ripper
- T.K. Conklin – Outlaw’s Redemption
- D. J. Adamson – Into the Storm
- Jim Gish – Snake Prayers
- Juju – The Costly Wish
- Jonathan Floyd – Lost on the Edge of Eternity
- David Fitz-Gerald – The Curse of Conchobar
- Nola Nash – Crescent City Sin
- Nola Nash – Crescent City Moon
PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the FB post. However, for FB to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews. FB rules — not ours.

Please click here to visit our page to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE on Facebook.

Additionally, we also post on Twitter. Chanticleer Twitter’s handle is @ChantiReviews

Or click here to go directly to Chanticleer’s Twitter feed.

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

The Grand Prize Winner for the 2020 PARANORMAL Awards was Kaylin McFarren for Soul Seeker

Click here to see the 2020 Paranormal Book Award Winners for Supernatural Fiction.

We are now accepting submissions into the 2022 Paranormal Book Awards for Supernatural Fiction. The 2022 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2023.

Please click here for more information.

Winners will be announced at the 2021 CIBA Awards Ceremony that is sponsored by the 2022 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

VIRTUAL and IN-Person – June 23 – 26, 2022! Register Today!

FLEXIBLE REGISTRATIONS ARE AVAILABLE for these challenging times.

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!

Featuring: International Best Selling Author Cathy Ace along with A+ list film producer Scott Steindorff.
November 16, 2021