Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: CIBAs

Spotlight on the 2021 MARK TWAIN Book Awards for Satire & Allegory
A cackle, a hoot, a snort

You wish the group across the room was laughing about your book.

The Deadline for the Mark Twain Book Awards is fast approaching!

It might seem odd, but Franz Kafka and his friends reportedly sat around at bars reading excerpts of The Metamorphosis with tears of laughter streaming down their faces.

Franz Kafka (1883-1924)

While he might not seem like a natural pairing with Mark Twain, Kafka certainly had a sense of humor. We may not quite understand his early 1900s thought process that would cause him to need to stop in the middle of reading “The Trial” due to laughing so hard (read more from The Guardian here), but we definitely can still appreciate a healthy dose of humor.

Fun Fact: Franz Kafka’s writing was known to deal with modernism, existentialism, Surrealism, and is considered a precursor to magical realism. Despite his fame, he never finished a single novel (unless you count The Metamorphosis as a short novel).

The Mark Twain Awards, named after the famous satirist, are still a fairly new division of The Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards. You can see a full write up on Mark Twain’s relationship with Bellingham, WA here.

Do you have a book that features Humor, Satire, or Allegory? Submit it here before the end of November to be entered into the 2021 Mark Twain Book Awards!

Let’s do a quick breakdown on the three main categories of Mark Twain books.

Satire: The Dangerous Tool

Probably one of the most difficult genres to write in, Satire can have trouble with rubbing people the wrong way. One of the most commonly known pieces of satire is “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift, made ubiquitous by English courses teaching it for decades. You can read the full essay here.

Jonathan Swift is best known as the author of Gulliver’s Travels. Above, Gulliver is restrained by the Lilliputians

The essence of it is that Swift proposes eating Irish children instead of feeding them, as it will save more money for England in the long run, and cause less suffering for the kiddos in the long run. This obvious, garish suggestion highlights the ways in which England may as well be eating the children in a way that both shames those who have acted poorly, and serves as a call to action to offer better care to the poor.

Of course, MasterClass.com has an excellent definition at the ready for us:

Satire in literature is a type of social commentary. Writers use exaggeration, irony, and other devices to poke fun of a particular leader, a social custom or tradition, or any other prevalent social figure or practice that they want to comment on and call into question.

Contemporary writers have used satire to comment on everything from capitalism (like Brett Easton Ellis’s American Psycho, which uses extreme exaggerations of consumption, concern with social status, and masculine anger and violence to skewer American capitalism) to race (Paul Beatty’s The Sellout, for example, features a young black male protagonist in Southern California who ends up before the Supreme Court for trying to reinstate slavery).

As you can see, satire is a sharp tool that must be wielded carefully to avoid cutting yourself on accident. A good rule of thumb when writing satire to always aim at those who are in power. Trying to poke fun or ridicule people who are already disadvantaged or targeted in some way will often leave a bad taste in your audience’s mouth, and that’s the fastest way to have your book closed.

Here are some classic examples of Satire:
- Matt Groening – The Simpsons, Futurama
- David Sedaris – Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day
- Chuck Palahniuk – Fight Club
- Douglas Adams – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
- Kurt Vonnegut – Slaughterhouse-Five
- Evelyn Waugh – Brideshead Revisited
“Get outta my sky!”

Now let’s talk allegory.

Allegory: Not Just for Kids!

When you want to talk around something or use a stand in to describe it you might try allegory.

What is Allegory? Not quite this…

Of course, MasterClass.com has yet another definition at the ready for us:

The word “allegory” comes from the Latin “allegoria,” meaning speaking to imply something else. An allegory is a simple story that represents a larger point about society or human nature, whose different characters may represent real-life figures. Sometimes, situations in the story may echo stories from history or modern-day life, without ever explicitly stating this connection.

Allegories are similar to metaphors in that both illustrate an idea by making a comparison to something else. However, allegories are complete stories with characters, while metaphors are brief figures of speech.

Note: We are not affiliated with MasterClass in any way, we simply believe in sharing our sources, and they do great work with genre definitions.

One popular example of allegory is Aesop’s Fables. As you may know, the fables tend to follow animals as they make decisions regarding moral dilemmas, and then face the consequences – whatever those may be. Of course, those moralistic fables directed at children always run the risk of sounding paternalistic. Here are some great examples of allegory:

Allegory examples
- Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales
- George Orwell – Animal Farm, 1984
- Frank Baum’s – The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
- Arthur Miller – The Crucible
- C.S. Lewis – The Chronicles of Narnia
Finally, we have Humor.

Humor Writing

The key to humor writing is simple: it should make you laugh! There are countless different takes on what makes something funny – just try watching someone explain humor to the android Data in Star Trek.

Data experiencing laughter for the first time as a gift from the omnipotent being Q

So rather than go on too long, we’ll share our Editorial Reviews of books that make us laugh!

Arnold Falls
By Charlie Suisman
Grand Prize Winner in Mark Twain Awards

Charlie Suisman’s debut novel is a wonderful escape to a small fictional community in upstate New York. Here a melting pot of quirky residents brings Arnold Falls to life, a town with a unique history and charming inhabitants whose lives are intimately intertwined.

Settled in 1803 by the unscrupulous Hezekiah Hesper, the town for unknown reasons was named after Benedict Arnold. Adding to the oddities, the closest waterfall is twenty miles away. The area is known for sudden bursts of crab apple-size hail pelting the landscape without any scientific explanation. Hence the incentive for “Hail Pail Day,” a neighborly tradition surrounding the distribution of galvanized bucket head-coverings.

Read more here!

My Only Sunshine
By Lou Dischler

Lou Dischler delivers an intricately woven story about one well-meaning boy who tries to make sense of the crazy he’s been born into. Get ready for one belly laugh of an adventure in My Only Sunshine.

Welcome to the Louisiana low country, home of 9-year-old Charlie Boone, a kid growing up in 1962. Charlie, a most unreliable narrator, concerns himself with giant wingless wasps and biting red velvet ants. Combine his critter-concerns with the legend of the giant slugs, the story of his mother taken up by a hurricane, and the episode of the puddle he and his brother dug that grew into a pond, then turned into a lake, and we have one wildly imaginative ride well-worth taking.

Read more here!

Elephants in my Room
By Christie Nicholls

A bitingly funny collection of life-stories from Christie Nicholls – stand-up comedian, actor, and writer – made all the more piquant by her repeated insistence that she has no short-term memory. Fortunately for us, her long-term reminiscences more than make up the deficit.

Nicholls has divided the book into four parts. In the first, “A Broad Abroad,” she recalls her experiences of traveling to far-flung places, beginning with a summer in Belém, Brazil as a child. She and her brother, for some reason nicknamed Beluga, slept in hammocks and played in a swimming pool, but much of her cherished time involved a German Shepherd named Ferdinand, from whom she learned dog talk. Raucous family bowling in Bologna, Italy, is contrasted with attendance at a staid English wedding. At a later period, Nicholls and her mother went to Sweden, where the budding comic tried her hand at stand-up in newly acquired Swedish, leading to an amusing mix-up of jargon.

Read more here!

Blazing Bullets in Deadwood
By Jacquie Rogers

Honey Beaulieu is going to get her man–no matter how many tries it takes. Determined to capture the elusive Boyce McNitt, Honey is off to Deadwood Gulch despite the warnings that the dangerous road is plagued by thieves and natives. But before she can pursue the $500 bounty, she needs to take care of issues at home, including finding a shop for a pregnant seamstress, sixteen-year-old Emma, a home for eight-year-old Myles Cavanaugh, his two younger sisters, and their pregnant mother. Between her do-gooding, denying her blossoming feelings for Deputy US Marshal Sam Lancaster, and a run-in with a herd of escaped pigs determined to destroy Fry Pan Gulch, Honey barely has time to get out of town before she gets trapped by winter. Once on the road, she comes face-to-face with Sean Chaney, the Badger Claw Kid, a bounty worth $400, and is intent on capturing him, as well. With a little otherworldly, albeit not entirely helpful, advice from her ghost guide Roscoe, Honey will have to take down two dangerous fugitives. But, when she runs into a fireball-throwing ghost bent on revenge, her real adventure begins.

Kiffer loves the undercurrent of a Shakespearean slant to Jacquie Rogers’ works. Sublime.

Read more here!

Ruth 66
By Elizabeth Barlo

When a banged-up old bus pulls into his family’s driveway, Charlie has no idea that the rattling junker would be his ride to freedom. For years he’d been suffering under the thumb of a cold-hearted mother and a vindictive twin sister, while his father languished behind bars for tax fraud. The only family member with whom the young man held a loving bond was his grandfather, Opa Bill. Since Bill’s recent death, Charlie has been holding it together by listening to the music he and his grandfather loved. That musical thread weaves its way throughout the story as a sort of narrative jukebox.

Now Charlie’s respectable Oma Ruth has careened back into his life in a shocking new incarnation: a freewheeling hippie in kaftan and beads, unafraid to swap barbed words with her appalled daughter, nor to insist that Charlie accompany her on her road trip. He’s dead-set against it – he’d just found his dream job at a record store – and is disgusted when his mother dumps him on her mother without hesitation.

Read more here!

Have a laugh out loud story? Submit before the end of Novemberfor the 2021 CIBAs!

See the 2020 Mark Twain Book 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.

Also 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!

Featuring Cathy Ace and Robert Dugoni!

Writer’s Toolbox

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

Writers Toolbox Helpful Links:

Kafka’s Jovial Side Revealed from The Guardian

The MARK TWAIN Book Awards for Satire and Allegorical Fiction

A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift

What Is Satire? by MasterClass

What Is Allegory? by MasterClass

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 14, 2021
Spotlight on the 2021 HEMINGWAY Book Awards for 20th C. Wartime Fiction
Chanticleer’s new Division for 20th Century Wartime Fiction: The Hemingway Awards

The US fought five wars during the 1900s: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War.

Many of us have deep connections to these wars built into our family trees and history of military service. It’s no surprise that there are so many stories that delve into wartime fiction that we needed to create a new category for it this last year.

Why Hemingway?

Young Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway was one of the defining voices of his generation, especially in relation to The Great War where so many had to reconcile their lives as they were with the horrors of war they had experienced.

“When you go to war as a boy you have a great illusion of immortality. Other people get killed; not you… Then when you are badly wounded the first time you lose that illusion and you know it can happen to you.” (read more here)

While it’s well-known that Hemingway served in WWI and was honored for his bravery by the Italian government as an American Red Cross worker, it is less known that when Hemingway returned to post-war Europe he became a respected war correspondent. His grandson, Seán Hemingway describes the author’s reporting as “written in a new style of reporting that told the public about every facet of the war, especially, and most important, its effects on the common man, woman, and child.”

For those of you who know little about one of the most prolific war writers on the 20^th century, he’s well worth a read, and shockingly modern in his thought. He was an early anti-fascist, being one of the first to decry Benito Mussolini.

For all that Hemingway can dazzle and impress, there is another view of him.

The Other Side of the Coin

Despite his excellent writing, Hemingway is reputed to be a terrible person. An article from American Magazine, he’s described as follows:

He was selfish and egomaniacal, a faithless husband and a treacherous friend. He drank too much, he brawled and bragged too much, he was a thankless son and, at times, a negligent father. He was also a great writer.

Hemingway’s writing is reported to be the thing that he held above all else. More than his wives or the children he had, his writing and author platform always came first.

Beyond that, his criticism of other works is scalding and harsh, beyond what anyone would reasonably consider helpful. This flies in direct contrast to a quote from LitHub where Hemingway opens up about the experience of being a new author, trying to break into the literary world:

“The rejection slip is very hard to take on an empty stomach,” Hemingway later told a friend. “There were times when I’d sit at that old wooden table and read one of those cold slips that had been attached to a story I had loved and worked on very hard and believed in, and I couldn’t help crying.”

We all know that he was published, many times:
- The Torrents of Spring (1926)
- The Sun Also Rises (1926)
- A Farewell to Arms (1929)
- Death in the Afternoon (1932)
- Green Hills of Africa (1935)
- To Have and Have Not (1937)
- For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940)
- Across the River and into the Trees (1950)
- The Old Man and the Sea (1952)
- A Moveable Feast (1964)
Now we’d like to dive into some of the best books we’ve reviewed at Chanticleer with a focus on Wartime Fiction in the 20th Century.

The QUISLING FACTOR
By J. L. Oakley
Grand Prize Winner in Hemingway Awards

During World War II “quisling” became a byword for a particular type of traitor, one who not only betrays their own country but also actively collaborates with the invaders. The origin of the term was taken from an actual person, a Norwegian named Vidkun Quisling, who didn’t merely cooperate with the Nazis but actually headed a collaborationist regime in his own country.

The Quisling Factor takes place in the immediate post-war period, as the Nuremberg Trials are gearing up in Germany. Norway is conducting its own post-war legal purge of collaborators at all levels of government.

Keep Reading Here!

HEART of the FEW
By Jon Duncan
First Place Winner in Hemingway Awards

It is said that all is fair in love and war. In this wartime historical romance, young love is put to the ultimate test, and the love of family is strained to the breaking point. During World War II, the occupants of a ravaged England understand that all can be lost in a moment’s hesitation or in a hasty decision. Here, love is under attack by enemies seen and unseen. It’s the uncommon courage of many and the Heart of the Few that can hope to turn the fate of England during these dark days.

Passion drives both sides in this wartime mystery/thriller about people who are determined to make a difference in the outcome of World War II. Like all powerful forces, passion has two sides. It’s a wondrous and beautiful emotion when applied to good purpose, but it becomes horrific and deadly when twisted and corrupt. The question author Jon Duncan asks amidst all the turmoil, treachery, death and desolation of war is: can love find a way?

Keep Reading Here!

The ACK-ACK GIRL (Love and War #1)
By Chris Karlsen

Chris Karlsen’s new work, The Ack-Ack Girl, is the first in her World War II series, Love and War, and serves up plenty of story on both sides of that equation in its portrayal of Ava Armstrong, the “Ack-Ack” girl of the title. And what a story it is!

Bombs are dropping on London in the heat and fire of the infamous Blitz. Shells are falling, as are the buildings that surround them, while fires spring up in the wake of the bombs that never seem to end. But when they finally stop, Ava and her friends are determined to get their loved ones somewhere safe and to find a way to serve up some revenge on the Germans.

Keep Reading Here!

WHERE EAGLES NEVER FLEW
By Helena P. Schrader
First Place Winner in Hemingway Awards

The Royal Air Force struggles for control of the British sky, facing down the daunting numbers of Luftwaffe aircraft across the English Channel. At the forefront of these battles, the Royal Air Force’s young pilots fight to survive under mounting pressure and deadly German Messerschmitts.

Where Eagles Never Flew follows the Battle of Britain as squadrons of the RAF must make do with undertrained pilots and little sleep if they want any chance at repelling the Luftwaffe bombing raids that become more and more frequent as the battle rages on. Operations rooms plot and direct the paths of aircraft, with members of the WAAF—Women’s Auxiliary Air Force—fielding waves of communications to and from the skies. Robert “Robin” Priestman flies on the front lines, dedicated to the fight despite weeks of unending tension and the great challenge of keeping his squadron awake and alive despite sortie after sortie.

Keep Reading Here!

LOVE OF FINISHED YEARS
By Gregory Erich Phillips

An immigrant’s journey, a forbidden love, a war to end all wars collide on the pages of a beautifully written historical fiction, Love of Finished Years by Gregory Erich Phillips.

At twelve years of age, Elsa Schuller carries no expectations when she reaches Ellis Island in 1905. In fact, she has no idea why her father insists on leaving Germany for this supposed Land of Opportunity. Riddled with nothing less than challenges and hardship working in the sweatshops in lower Manhattan, Elsa’s only ray of hope is learning how to read and write English.

Keep Reading Here!

Have you written a 20th Century Wartime Fiction Novel? Submit before the end of November for the 2021 CIBAs!

See the 2020 Hemingway Awards 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.
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.

Writers Recommended Helpful Links:

Hemingway on War and Its Aftermath

Ernest Hemingway was a brilliant writer and a terrible person

How Hemingway’s Bad Behavior Inspired a Generation

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 5, 2021
ALL HALLOW’S READ: The Tradition of Giving a Spooky Book for Halloween and Why Do We Read Them
ALL HALLOW’S READ!

Beware! Beware! Tis the season of the great All Hallow’s Read!

What if, instead of giving sugary sweets and candy to each other for Halloween, we gave each other a scary book? That’s what All Hallow’s Read is all about!

A Blank Page! The Writer’s Greatest Fear!

That was an idea Neil Gaiman came up with in 2010 to try and change the focus of Halloween a little bit more scary and a little less cavity-inducing.

Good Omens

Neil Gaiman is a wonderfully prolific author of the weird, spooky, and plain fun. Probably best known for his works, Stardust, Good Omens, and American Gods, all of which have been converted to the screen, Gaiman’s most frightening work is perhaps in his short story collections like Fragile Things and Trigger Warning. He also is the author of the Sandman Series, which was the inspiration for the TV show Lucifer.

For the first All Hallow’s Read, Gamain released an audio short story called “Click Clack the Rattle Bag” which you can listen to in the video below. IF YOU DARE…

Of course, when we heard of this, we couldn’t help but think of Jolabokaflod, the Icelandic tradition of the Yule Flood where books are given for Christmas that we celebrate every winter.

On the theme of spookiness, why do we like to be scared?

The Toys are inside the house!

There are many reasons for this, but it seems to come down to a few key things:
1. A quick fright can release dopamine, which feels good
2. Being scared with a group can be a bonding experience
3. Frightening media can be a way to critique the status quo
Now, one of the key elements to all the fear-inducing possibilities out there – books, movies, haunted corn mazes, and more – is that we know, on some level, that we are actually safe in these situations. That safety net is key in being able to enjoy fear.

That Feel Good Feeling

Honestly, we don’t know much about the exact science behind fear feeling good, so we’ll simply refer to this excerpt from a Psychology Today article:

When we get scared, we experience a rush of adrenaline and a release of endorphins and dopamine. The biochemical rush can result in a pleasure-filled, opioid-like sense of euphoria. Coupled with this, when we are reminded of our safety (i.e., the safety net), the experience of fear subsides, and we are left with a gratifying sense of relief and subsequent well-being.

Group Fright

Eek!

This one may seem counterintuitive but think about it: When you go to a haunted corn maze with a group, part of the joy is getting to overcome the challenges and hardships together.

There’s also the habit of taking a date to the movies. While it’s true your sweetie might clasp your arm for support and protection, that feeling of heightened intensity, coupled with safety and relief, can definitely help both people feel close.

Critiquing the Status Quo

“We need to talk about your behavior”

Thinking of ghosts and haunting, so often brings up the ideas of someone who has been wronged. Eve Tuck and C. Ree going into this beautifully in their piece “A Glossary of Haunting,” but for those who aren’t looking to get into intense academic discourse today, there’s a quicker version of this from USC News:

Stories of ghosts are prevalent in most societies and often carry cultural implications. In the United States, they feature prominently in connection with slavery and the mistreatment of native tribes, like the trope of the American Indian burial ground as an explanation for supernatural events.

Samhain – The History of Halloween

Origins of Halloween date back to the ancient (for about 2,000 years) Celts’ festival of Samhain (pronounced SAH-win). The Samhain pagan religious festival was observed on October 31st until for about 3 days to six days—mid-point between Fall equinox and Winter Solstice. Anyone committing a crime or used their weapons during the festival faced a death sentence. Mischief and mayhem that did occur (tricks) were blamed on fairies, imps, and other worldly beings.

It was believed that during this time that the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead blurred. The festival marked the beginning of the coming winter and the end of the harvest season. In the 7th century A.D., the Catholic Church tried to blend the ancient Celtic rites with All Saints Day. Again, in 1000 A.D., the church tried again to supplant the ancient festival with All Souls Day on November 2nd. But, ancient rites are hard to extinguish. Sources: History.com

Ancient Samhain — Keep those fires lit!

Now that we have a little primer on why we like being scared, let’s get into some book recommendations!

PLAGUE
By C.C. Humphreys

Captain William Coke lives as a thief with a conscience, in C.C. Humphrey’s historical thriller, Plague. Never loading his pistol with anything more than powder, he carefully selects his victims from the wealthy and the pompous. But he soon walks into crimes far more horrific than robbery.

Captain Coke and Dickon, a rescued street urchin, never expected to find their marks slaughtered on the road to London. Coke has never seen a killing like this, not even on the battlefield fighting to restore his king to the throne in the English Civil War. Pitman, a thief-taker, is likewise shocked by the brutality of the murders supposedly committed by the highwayman he has come to see as a gentleman bandit. Now, Pitman will stop at nothing to find Coke, who has become known as the Monstrous Cock after the notorious murder.

Read more…if you dare!

PULSE and PREJUDICE: The Confessions of Mr. Darcy, Vampire
By Colette L. Saucier
First Place Winner in Chatelaine Awards

As a wealthy member of the landed gentry, Fitzwilliam Darcy has obligations in Colette Saucier’s mashup, Pulse and Prejudice: The Confessions of Mr. Darcy, Vampire.

Darcy must secure a suitable match for his younger sister, maintain his cool facade of indifference, and live as quietly as possible. He refuses to consider marriage for himself due to his unusual “affliction.” Forced to live a shell of his former existence for the past six years, Darcy relies on his valet, Rivens, for his every need. He shuns most company because Darcy is a vampire. So, when his close friend, Charles Bingley, insists that Darcy accompany him to a country ball, Darcy is loath to accept. When Bingley meets and is immediately captivated with Jane Bennet, Darcy suspects the Bennets are fortune seekers, interested only in finding wealthy matches for the five Bennet daughters, including the fiery Elizabeth, Jane’s sister.

Read more…if you dare!

OPHELIA’S ROOM
By Michael Scott Garvin

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…if you dare!

JUST DIE
By E. Alan Fleischauer
First Place in Paranormal Awards

E. Alan Fleischauer’s lead character holds the power of life and death in his fingertips in the new crime thriller, Just Die.

How would you react to holding the fate of the living in your bare hand? Recovering from his own near-death experience, retired financial advisor Jake Silver attempts to understand his new powers after a stint in the hospital. When he points his bare finger and utters well-worn words, the object of his attention instantly dies.

Read more…if you dare!

The Adventure of the Murdered Midwife
By Liese Sherwood-Fabre
First Place Winner in M&M Awards

The game is afoot! It’s years before Sherlock Holmes’ ponderings from 221B Baker Street. Sherlock is a teenager when challenged to solve his first case, The Adventure of the Murdered Midwife by Liese Sherwood-Fabre.

The stakes are among the highest. Sherlock’s beloved mother is the accused killer when he and his infamous brother Mycroft are summoned home from their boarding schools. The family reunites to a single purpose. They must prove Violette Holmes’s innocence. They soon discover that proving her innocence will not be enough to restore her standing in the court of public opinion. They can only clear her name by also finding the actual killer. That investigation involves a dangerous pursuit that requires detailed observation, logic, and action. Young Sherlock Holmes will also need to watch his back.

Read more…if you dare!

THE DEVIL PULLS the STRINGS
By JW Zarek

The protagonist and all-around decent guy, Boone Daniels, is in a heap of hurt in JW Zarek’s new Young Adult novel, The Devil Pulls the Strings.

One would think being plagued by an evil spirit wendigo since age six would be enough inconvenience to last a lifetime, but when Boone jousts with his best bud at a Ren Faire and accidentally deals a mortal blow, the hurt he experiences suddenly lands on a sliding scale of 1 to 1 million. And Boone Daniels becomes a millionaire, so to speak.

Read more…if you dare!

WRITING IS MURDER: An Emlyn Goode Mystery
By Susan Lynn Solomon
First Place in M&M Awards

A perfect seasonal read, Susan L. Solomon’s mystery, Writing is Murder: An Emlyn Goode Mystery delivers a witty, intuitive red-headed writer who has many connections in her community, a handsome police detective-maybe-lover, a mouthy cat who keeps her grounded, and a Wiccan BFF whom she can trust with her most profound concerns. And, of course, magical abilities inherited from her ancestor, Salem’s legendary accused witch Sarah Goode, adds layers of mystique.

When Roger Frey interrupts Emlyn Goode battling her recalcitrant muse, she can’t be upset. Roger, aka Police Detective Roger Frey, her next-door neighbor and sometimes sleep-over boyfriend, stumbles on the hunt for coffee, a good-morning kiss, and a sympathetic ear, in that order. He’s bored at work and wants to complain.

Read more…if you dare!

Have a spooky story that will thrill and chill your readers? Click here for our Full List of Book Awards 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 Writer’s article.

Helpful Writer Links:

Neil Gaiman, “Click Clack the Rattle Bag”

JOLABOKAFLOD – an Icelandic Tradition

5 Reasons We Enjoy Being Scared

A Glossary of Haunting by Eve Tuck and C. Ree

Why do we like to be scared?

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
October 29, 2021
JUST DIE by E. Alan Fleischauer – International Mystery & Crime, Occult Horror, Thriller & Suspense

E. Alan Fleischauer’s lead character holds the power of life and death in his fingertips in the new crime thriller, Just Die.

How would you react to holding the fate of the living in your bare hand? Recovering from his own near-death experience, retired financial advisor Jake Silver attempts to understand his new powers after a stint in the hospital. When he points his bare finger and utters well-worn words, the object of his attention instantly dies.

With great power comes great responsibility. Now that Jake has this power, how will he decide to use it? And what repercussions come with his decision?

Happy to be home after a stroke, Jake celebrates a second chance at life with his fiancée Beth. He’s also made a new friend from the hospital. This man, Omar, turns out to be an idolized NFL Super Bowl winner, and he joins in Jake’s celebration.

Despite Jake’s gratitude for being home, life’s annoyances can still rub him the wrong way. When he flashes a familiar gesture at any living thing, it dies. It dawns on him that he’s the cause of the deadly results. When a particular bike rider crosses a path near Jake’s home, he suffers this ultimate, lethal punishment. An overreaction? Keep reading to find out more.

The biker’s death brings on a police investigation, exploring motive, means, and opportunity.

Witnesses come forward with motives of their own. Both Jake and his beloved Beth are questioned as witnesses – and then as suspects. How can Jake answer the cops? Concerns grow over whether this stress will force an end to the couple’s engagement, bring them closer together than ever, or put one or both behind bars.

Omar shares a provocative idea with Jake.

After seeing firsthand his friend’s extreme power, Omar shares a story with him. An all-too-familiar tale of justice denied – and the impact upon Omar’s family moves Jake. He sees that it’s within his new power to deliver justice by a covert plan to kill a freed criminal. Will Jake intentionally take on the role of judge and jury to execute what he thinks is the rightful outcome?

In the meantime, the police investigation heats up.

Jake’s power may no longer be a secret. Someone wants this power used for the benefit of the nation and tells an influential official. Now Jake faces more potential danger and critical decisions as the government has designs on his powers. Where will Jake turn? His retired life, gratefully saved in the hospital, has been interrupted by the thriller life of a hired gun.

An action-packed paranormal thriller, Just Die challenges readers with questions about the quality of life, shades of morality, and personal loyalty.

E. Alan Fleischauer masterfully creates relatable characters, including the human frailties shouldered by an NFL star. No one is immune from the limits of being human when tackling bigger-than-life issues. Fleischauer handily delivers a paranormal thriller destined to garner the attention it so rightly deserves. How will it all end? Who will survive the threats and the investigations, and who will just die? Readers, get ready for one thrill ride of a novel. This one will keep you up at night! Just Die won 1st Place in the 2020 CIBAs for Paranormal Fiction.

October 27, 2021
An October Spotlight on the 2021 Paranormal Awards

What’s that creepy sound? The clawing at your door…could it be…the Paranormal Awards? It is!

It’s not just the Dead…it’s the Deadline of the 2021 Paranormal Book Awards

Submit your spooky, unnatural, and supernatural fiction by the end of the month to be considered for the 2021 Paranormal CIBAs.

What makes something Paranormal?

At Chanticleer we are looking to discover the best books that feature Paranormal Romance, Urban/Edgy, Magical Beings & Creatures, Supernatural Powers, and Adventure/Mystery/Thriller books! The overlap with Fantasy and Science Fiction is palpable, but we know Paranormal when we see it. Paranormal often delves into the weird, bizarre, and spooky. There’s often a modern touch, similar to urban fantasy where the world looks similar to our world, just with ghosts, vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures.

The Vampire Bill Compton in “True Blood” based on the Sookie Stackhouse Series

Now, some will draw a line between Supernatural Fiction and Paranormal Fiction, saying that Supernatural Fiction is always beyond the realm of science into transcendental subjects like the soul and God. While Paranormal Fiction is also beyond the realm of science, it lives on the lines of possibility, no matter how remote, that one day we might understand something of that strange and magical nature. While knowing this distinction exists, we won’t send a vampire after you if they feel confusing.

Common examples of accepted Paranormal Fiction are Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files, Zoraida Córdova’s The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina, or Marissa Meyer’s Cinder.

And of course, we have reviews of Paranormal reads that can thrill, chill, and fulfill you! Check them out!

SOUL SEEKER
By Kaylin McFarren
Grand Prize Winner in Paranormal Awards

The realms of demons and angels clash, as the possibility of romance, plunges the beings of Hell into chaos. Kaylin McFarren’s Soul Seeker follows the otherworldly set as they flee for their lives, uncover millennia-old secrets about one another, and face the possibility of love in a very dangerous world.

But first, the demon, Crighton, wreaks havoc on his human target, a man named Poe, devastating the man and his family. You could say, Crighton’s at home collecting wicked souls for his boss, Lucifer. His villain persona is put into question when he meets the angel, Ariel. At first, Crighton believes the angelic Ariel would make an excellent prize for the prince of darkness, as the demon is well aware that his master adores ruining pretty things. However, when an undeniable attraction emerges between them, they wrestle with each other, pitting strength against strength. Beware any who would do anything to tear these two apart—that would spell certain death.

Read more…if you dare!

NOWEVER
By Kristina Bak

When 17-year-old high school student, Stevie Wales, suddenly blossoms, she and her best friend, the ever-popular Winter, have some adjusting to do. Sometimes, however, adjusting to new information between friends isn’t possible.

In their case, Stevie winds up alienated from Winter and the group in her Puget Sound Island community. She decides to become what she believes they all see – the weird girl. As her oddity status rises, so does her anger. When she takes a job at an equine therapy ranch, tending the horses used in the program, she discovers her unusual ability to take away pain in both animals and humans.

Read more…if you dare!

The DEVIL PULLS the STRINGS
By J. W. Zarek

The protagonist and all-around decent guy, Boone Daniels, is in a heap of hurt in JW Zarek’s new Young Adult novel, The Devil Pulls the Strings.

One would think being plagued by an evil spirit wendigo since age six would be enough inconvenience to last a lifetime, but when Boone jousts with his best bud at a Ren Faire and accidentally deals a mortal blow, the hurt he experiences suddenly lands on a sliding scale of 1 to 1 million. And Boone Daniels becomes a millionaire, so to speak.

No ordinary guy, Boone makes a living as a handyman and swashbuckling knight at Renaissance Faires around Missouri. He’s also uniquely gifted with a form of eidetic memory coupled with synesthesia. What’s that? Simply put, synesthesia allows people to see colors and taste things when they hear music – and an eidetic memory allows folks to memorize whatever they’ve seen or heard one time. But that’s not all. Boone can time-travel, make friends with almost any feline or shapeshifter, and convince a certain immortal he’s worth more as an ally than a snack. No kidding, Baba Yaya loves human meat.

Read more…if you dare!

WRITING IS MURDER: An Emlyn Goode Mystery
by Susan Lynn Solomon
First Place Winner in M&M Awards

A perfect seasonal read, Susan L. Solomon’s mystery, Writing is Murder: An Emlyn Goode Mystery delivers a witty, intuitive red-headed writer who has many connections in her community, a handsome police detective-maybe-lover, a mouthy cat who keeps her grounded, and a Wiccan BFF whom she can trust with her most profound concerns. And, of course, magical abilities inherited from her ancestor, Salem’s legendary accused witch Sarah Goode, adds layers of mystique.

When Roger Frey interrupts Emlyn Goode battling her recalcitrant muse, she can’t be upset. Roger, aka Police Detective Roger Frey, her next-door neighbor and sometimes sleep-over boyfriend, stumbles on the hunt for coffee, a good-morning kiss, and a sympathetic ear, in that order. He’s bored at work and wants to complain.

Read more…if you dare!

The MADWOMAN of PREACHER’S COVE
By Joy Ross Davis
Grand Prize Winner in Paranormal Awards

Award-winning author, Joy Ross Davis’ latest work, The Madwoman of Preacher’s Cove, ventures beyond the paranormal into the surreal. Like Medusa on a bad hair day, the lives of characters are intertwined and twisted in a snaky snarl of conflicting human desires, terrifying inexplicable events, and the lingering afterlives of ancient, supernatural beings.

Davis gifts us with a 21st-century legend, replete with mythological themes and creatures, and snippets of folklore and superstition melded with documented vagaries of weather, obscure herpetology, and creates a mystical potion worthy of Circe. In other words, Davis gives us a thrilling read!

Read more…if you dare!

Have a great Paranormal story? Submit before the end of October for the 2021 CIBAs!

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.

Also 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!

October 25, 2021
The 2021 DANTE ROSSETTI Book Awards for Young Adult Fiction – CIBAs Long List
The Dante Rossetti Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in Young Adult Fiction. The Dante Rossetti Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

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

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring stories of all shapes and sizes written to an audience between the ages of about twelve to eighteen (imaginary or real). Science Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopian, Mystery, Paranormal, Historical, Romance, Literary, we will put them to the test and choose the best Young Adult Books among them for the winners of the Dante Rossetti Book Awards for Young Adult Fiction. Looking for middle grade contests? Check out our Gertrude Warner Awards.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from all 2021 Dante Rossetti Young Adult Fiction entries to the 2021 Dante Rossetti Book Awards LONG LIST. Entries below are now in competition for 2021 Dante Rossetti 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 Dante Rossetti Book Awards novel competition for Young Adult Fiction!

Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2021 CIBAs.
- P.H.C. Marchesi – Florissant
- K.C. Sprayberry – Sins of the Parents
- Angela Yeh – A Phoenix Rises
- Shadow Bleak – Riot Shield
- B.L. Smith – The Last Golden Light
- M.J. Evans – The Sand Pounder: Love and Drama on Horseback in WWII
- Michael Tunison – The Shadow Kingdom
- Dan Rice – Dragons Walk Among Us
- Blue Spruell – TARO: Legendary Boy Hero of Japan
- Sean March – Little Wade and Watchtower: Abigail and the Great Gang Trap
- E.A. Allen – Percy St. John and the Chronicle of Secrets
- J.W. Zarek – The Devil Pulls the Strings
- Glen Dahlgren – The Game of War: The Trials of Dantess, Warrior Priest
- Mark Wakely – A Friend Like Filby
- Rick Duffy – The Sigil Masters
- Strider K – Stone (former title: You Rock my Life)
- Eileen Charbonneau – Death at Little Mound
- Jon Robinson – Sunshine and the Full Moon
- J W Nelson – Pentagon Pirate Gang: The Secret of the Orchard
- Rektok Ross – Ski Weekend
- Nancy Thorne – The Somewhere I See You Again
- Dennis D. Skirvin – The Treasure of Nonsense Woods
- Susan Faw – Bone Dragon
- Kourtney Spadoni – In The Underwood
- Rebecca Danzenbaker – The Color of My Soul
- John Thomas Everett – Aesop’s Fox
- L. A. Thompson – Isle of Dragons
- Shay Siegel – Fractured
- Thomas Corrigan – The Good Life
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.

Click here to see the 2020 Dante Rossetti Book Award Winners for Young Adult Fiction.

We are now accepting submissions into the 2022 Dante Rossetti Book Awards for Young Adult Fiction. The 2022 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2023.

Please click here for more information.

For our other Youth Reader Fiction Awards, please see the following:
- The Gertrude Warner Awards for Middle Grade Fiction
- The Little Peeps Awards for Children’s Literature
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 Authors: Cathy Ace and Robert Dugoni along with A+ list film producer Scott Steindorff.
October 25, 2021
The 2021 LITTLE PEEPS Book Awards for Early Readers & Picture Books – CIBAs Long List
The Little Peeps Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in Early Readers. The Little Peeps Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring stories of all shapes and sizes written to an audience for Early Readers. Story books, Beginning Chapter Books, Picture Books, Activity Books, and Educational Books. These books have advanced to the Long List for the 2021 CIBAs. (For Young Adult Fiction see our Dante Rossetti Awards, for Middle Grade Readers see our Gertrude Warner Awards.)

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from all 2021 Little Peeps Early Readers entries to the 2021 Little Peeps Book Awards LONG LIST. Entries below are now in competition for 2021 Little Peeps 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–whether virtual, hybrid, or in-person.

These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2021 Little Peeps Book Awards novel competition for Early Readers!

Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2021 CIBAs.
- M. Lisa Rinaca – Matt Needs A Werewolf
- Avril van der Merwe – I Don’t Want To Be a Hyena
- Linda Harkey – The Remarkable Story of Willie the Crow
- Once Upon a Dance – Belluna’s Big Adventure in the Sky: A Dance-It-Out Creative Movement Story for Young Movers
- M. Lisa Rinaca – Just James
- Susan Faw – Poppy Ogopogo
- Stephanie Matolyak & Deborah Bailey – A Farm Animals’ Christmas-No Ordinary Farm
- Brenda Faatz & Peter Trimarco – Now What?
- Ellie Smith – Tex the Explorer Journey Through Our Solar System
- Steven Haggard – There’s an Elephant in My Room!
- Rita M Boehm – Bluebirds in the Garden
- Zaynab Al-Yassiri – LunchBox Wisdom
- Cindy A. Bell – I Love You, Fiorella, Flaws and All!
- Dana Brackob – Molly: A Love Story
- Carmela Dutra – A Lua
- David Horn – Eudora Space Kid: The Great Engine Room Takeover
- Rebecca Dwight Bruff – Stars of Wonder
- E. Alan Fleischauer – Charlie Lou Goes to the Rodeo
- Lauren Stockly – Mindful Monsters Therapeutic Workbook
- Lauren Stockly – Be Mindful of Monsters
- Cynthia Kern OBrien – I Don’t Want to go to Preschool, the Fairy Queen calls
- JL Morin & Stephan Theo – Tuck-a-tuck Dragon
- Denise Ditto – Tooth Fairy Day Celebration
- Kevin Brougher – Grandpa Kevin’s…Jack and the Bean Stalk
- Brooks Olbrys – Blue Ocean Bob Discovers His Purpose
- Katy McQuaid – Everybody Loves Grace: An Amazing True Story of How Grace Brings Love to Everyone She Meets
- Deborah Serani – Sometimes When I’m Mad
- Vicky Wu – Patty Panda Gets a Potty!
- Peggy Sullivan – Shadow Walkers, The Secret Lives of the Shy Sisters
- Vincent Kelly – All People are Beautiful
- Kyle Poehls – From Nicholas To Christmas
- Michael Ferrone – Frankenbots: Sunken City of Scraps
- Wanda Carter Roush – You Got This – A Tale of Courage
- Karen B. Kurtz – Sophia’s Gift
- Amy Leaf – Harry and the Pelican
- Andrea Vaughan – Victoria and the Big, Brave Breath
- Megan Herr – Lucas Takes His Food Allergies to Daycare
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.

Click here to see the 2020 Little Peeps Book Award Winners for Early Readers Fiction.

We are now accepting submissions into the 2022 Little Peeps Book Awards for Children’s Literature. The 2022 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2023.

Please click here for more information.

For our other Youth Reader Fiction Awards, please see the following:
- The Gertrude Warner Awards for Middle Grade Fiction
- The Dante Rossetti Awards for Young Adult Fiction
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 Authors: Cathy Ace and Robert Dugoni along with A+ list film producer Scott Steindorff.
October 25, 2021
WRITING IS MURDER: An Emlyn Goode Mystery by Susan Lynn Solomon – Cozy Mystery, Paranormal Mystery Series, Women Sleuth

A perfect seasonal read, Susan L. Solomon’s mystery, Writing is Murder: An Emlyn Goode Mystery delivers a witty, intuitive red-headed writer who has many connections in her community, a handsome police detective-maybe-lover, a mouthy cat who keeps her grounded, and a Wiccan BFF whom she can trust with her most profound concerns. And, of course, magical abilities inherited from her ancestor, Salem’s legendary accused witch Sarah Goode, adds layers of mystique.

When Roger Frey interrupts Emlyn Goode battling her recalcitrant muse, she can’t be upset. Roger, aka Police Detective Roger Frey, her next-door neighbor and sometimes sleep-over boyfriend, stumbles on the hunt for coffee, a good-morning kiss, and a sympathetic ear, in that order. He’s bored at work and wants to complain.

She’s heard it all before. But soon, she sees something remarkable.

When Emlyn goes to her writers group, she experiences an out-of-body experience that takes her back in time. She travels across to the Crystal Beach amusement park, across the lake in Canada, where modern-day condominiums grow. There, she glimpses two couples, one unfamiliar to her, the other, her parents. Before she can process what she sees, one of Em’s writing cohorts jerks her away from the action, asking her a question.

The group takes a break, and Emlyn has a curious talk with Daniel Bennett, the newest writer in the group. Daniel shares with her a copy of an old document he found in his deceased grandfather’s possessions. She catches only a glimpse of it before Daniel gets spooked and puts it away – but she won’t forget.

The mystery sparks to life.

A few days later, on Halloween night, Em joins her writing cohorts for a ghost hunt. Their good fun turns to horror when they discover Daniel’s murdered body in an empty, historic home. Emlyn, to her dismay, might be implicated.

Susan Solomon skillfully uses a prologue to set Writing is Murder’s theme and mood. She introduces the reader to “perhaps one of the most haunted areas in the country,” relates the legend of an ancient Tuscarora curse and seemingly related murders, and includes accurate descriptions of historical places and events in western New York State. All this pulls the reader into the story and keeps them there.

As the story progresses, Emlyn realizes that the past and present must somehow converge before solving the murder. Thanks to Emlyn’s unique gifts, along with her friend Rebecca Nurse’s witchy knowledge and advice, she might do just that.

Writing is Murder: An Emlyn Goode Mystery will entertain readers who love their mysteries with a bit of paranormal in the mix. The plot twists and turns to satisfy even the most ardent sleuths. In addition, the burgeoning romance coupled with sometimes glib banter, and the notion that potions and spells may really work, highlight the characters’ charm.

Susan Lynn Solomon’s Writing is Murder: An Emlyn Goode Mystery won 1st Place in the 2019 CIBA Mystery & Mayhem Book Awards for Cozy and Not So Cozy reads.

October 25, 2021
An October Spotlight on the 2021 Ozma Awards
Writing to Dorothy: the importance of Fantasy and the Ozma Awards

As anyone who follows Chanticleer knows, the Ozma Awards for Fantasy Fiction are named after Princess Ozma of Oz, one of Dorothy Gale’s companions in Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz series.

L. Frank Baum, Author of The Wizard of Oz series

What you may not know is the dedication at the front of that book that reads:

To all the boys and girls who read my stories
– and especially to the Dorothys –
this book is lovingly dedicated.

As Chanticleer looks for the best Fantasy Fiction featuring magic, the supernatural, imaginary worlds, fantastical creatures, legendary beasts, mythical beings, or inventions of fancy, there’s something beautiful hidden in that dedication. When authors write fantasy, they’re diving into a world beyond science, beyond the realm of understanding.

These are the best parts of escapism in literature. While the worlds may be similar and the struggles and allegories run parallel to our world, the separation of a whole new world of fantastic magic takes us from the mundane into a realm beyond our own.

As always, Masterclass.com has an excellent definition at the ready for us:

Fantasy is a genre of literature that features magical and supernatural elements that do not exist in the real world. Although some writers juxtapose a real-world setting with fantastical elements, many create entirely imaginary universes with their own physical laws and logic and populations of imaginary races and creatures. Speculative in nature, fantasy is not tied to reality or scientific fact.

With all that in mind, think back to the dedication in Ozma of Oz. Who is the Dorothy you write for? That reader who needs to escape from the dreary grays of their world into a reflection of reality that shines beyond all belief. When we bring the reader into this world, we create something truly special and unique, and sharing that brings the magic to life.

To put all this into perspective, L. Frank Baum published the first OZ work in 1900.

Note from Kiffer: If you are writing fantasy, it will be well worth reading Baum’s first three books—if you haven’t already. Learn from the best!

Baum’s OZ series helped to pave the way for fantasy epics such as:
- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis published 1950.
- Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien was published July 29, 1954. His The Hobbit was published in 1937.
- The Witcher novel series by Andrzej Sapkowski. Published 1986
- The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. Published 9 July 1995
- Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. First book published June 26, 1997
- Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer. First book published 2005.
Ozma of Oz: A Record of Her Adventures with Dorothy Gale of Kansas, Billina the Yellow Hen, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger; Besides Other Good People Too Numerous to Mention Faithfully Recorded Herein, published on July 30, 1907, was the official third book of L. Frank Baum’s Oz series. It was the first in which Baum was clearly intending a series of Oz books. [Peter Glassman, “Afterword,” p 271 L. Frank Baum, Ozma of Oz, ISBN 0-688-06632-1]

Princess Ozma and her Royal Court of Oz are the rulers of the Land of Oz. She does not appear in the first book in the Oz series, but makes a grand entrance in the second of the series, The Marvelous Land of Oz. She is kind, wise, and brave. She was a long lost princess who was hidden away for her own safety when the Wizard of Oz took the throne (the man behind the curtain).

Also, notice that Dorothy is holding Billena, the speaking hen, on the cover. Billena plays an instrumental role in Dorothy’s Hero’s Journey in OZMA of OZ.

Did you know that L. Frank Baum wrote and published 40 Oz books in the series?

If you have a Fantasy book that you know deserves the recognition of a prestigious Chanticleer Int’l Book Award, submit it here by the end of October to be entered into the 2021 CIBAs.

You can see the 2020 Ozma CIBA winners here, and you better believe we have some extra Fantasy reviews to Recommend to you!

Before we dive in, if you haven’t checked out our Ten Question Interview with Elana A. Mugdan, now’s the time to fix that! She’s a marvelous fantasy author and dragon expert.

Elana A. Mugdan cosplaying as one of her characters

Without further ado, let’s see some fantasy books, starting with Mugdan!

Dragon Speaker (Book 1 in the Shadow War Saga)
By Elana A. Mugdan
Ozma Grand Prize Winner

A young girl is charged with rescuing a dragon and, ultimately, saves her world in this wide-reaching fantasy conception of love, war, danger, and magic. Massive amounts of magic!

Keriya is a simple girl of no great pedigree who lives in Aeria where everyone except her wields some form of magic. At age 14, she knows she will not be selected to prove herself worthy of a greater destiny in the annual Ceremony of Choice. But she has to try. Even though the consequences of failure will be a life of slavery, she yearns for the opportunity. She approaches the selection committee and begs – no, demands – a chance.

Continue reading here!

The Sightless City
By Noah Lemelson
Ozma First Place Winner

The city of Huile burns with trouble in Noah Lemelson’s dieselpunk novel The Sightless City.

Four years ago, the United Confederacy of the Citizens Resurgence defeated the Principate in a devastating war. Marcel Talwar lost his leg to that conflict but became a national hero for saving Huile. Now he’s settled down to work as a private detective. However, the schematics to a strange device throw his temporary calm into disarray.

Continue Reading here!

Isle of Dragons
By L.A. Thompson

Jade of House Sol has the chance to save her father from the Isle of Dragons, but land, sea, and the guards of her homeland stand between them. Will, her new friends, prove loyal and capable enough to see her journey through, and what will they find on the elusive island?

Carison Sol, betrayed by his fellow nobles, disappears across the sea in the dark of night. Meanwhile, Jade flees the guards chasing her, the leader whom is Kaylen, a former friend. Just as her pursuers close in, a young witch named Miria saves her and offers shelter, but Jade can’t stay still long. Though she doesn’t know much about the Isle of Dragons, Miria and her brother Dan must find their parents, and they offer to join Jade in her quest. Together, the three of them find a dragon who can take them to the magical island. Their journey is full of friends and enemies – and situations that test their mettle and their connection to one another.

Continue Reading here!

Cecelia (Book 1)
By Sandra L. Rostirolla
Dante Rossetti First Place Winner

Content and happy in a village nestled deep within the forest, eighteen-year-old Cecilia never realized a bigger world existed in Cecilia (The Cecilia Series Book 1) by Sandra L. Rostirolla.

After the Great War, Cecilia’s great ancestor led a small group of followers far away from the destruction left behind. For many years, they lived underground away from the poisonous air until it was safe to begin life above ground again. Now, generations later, Cecilia lives an idyllic life with her mother and two older brothers. One day, a group of dark riders decimates her village, killing every female and old person and taking prisoner all of the males old enough to join their ranks or serve as slaves for Vitus, a city Cecilia never knew existed.

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Soul Sacrifice (Book 3 in the Spirit Shield Saga)
By Susan Faw
Dante Rossetti First Place Winner

Evil has taken hold of Cathair and the surrounding lands, and only the Spirit Shields can save both the living and the dead. Cayden and Avery, human twins housing the spirits of the godling children of Morpheus, have been tasked with stopping their sister Helga. She is hellbent on wiping out humanity and controlling the spirits of both man and beast.

Separated by missions unique to their abilities, Avery and Cayden are frantically searching for a way to defeat Helga. Cayden, the keeper of the Well of Souls, is connected to all spirit life. He can feel the life literally draining from the land but is nearly powerless to stop it because he is Soul Fetched, his mind imprisoned by Helga. He knows he must fight her insidious commands but is weakening mentally and physically. Avery must find a way to commune with their father and beg his help in defeating Helga since only a god’s power can destroy her minion army of Charun, souls of former warriors returned to ethereal bodies. She is also fighting against the Daimon, creatures born of hatred and fire who consume the souls of men before they can return to the river of souls awaiting reincarnation.

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And just HOW DOES SHIRLEY TEMPLE fit into all this?

She had a show titled Shirley Temple’s Storybook series made for TV. She hosted and narrated the series that featured adaptations of classic fantasy fiction, fairy tales, and family fiction for children. [1958 – 1961] The Marvelous Land of Oz episode debut was on September 18, 1960.

Have a great Fantasy story? Submit before the end of October for the 2021 CIBAs!

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!

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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.

Also 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!
October 22, 2021
Chanticleer Magazine featuring USA Today Bestselling Author Ann Charles is Available in Print and E-Zine
The latest issue features Ann Charles, USA Today Best-Selling Author.

Ann shares her amazing author journey and her secrets to success! She has five, count them, five book series that are filled with mystery, humor, romance, supernatural, and the paranormal. Ann has also been awarded the CIBA Grand Prize for Paranormal Fiction.
- - Five Tips for Building Relationships with Readers
    
    How to Refuel Your Creative Tank
    
    Charting Plot Structure
    
    Writing Life
    
    Secrets for Writing Series
All this and more in Sharon E. Anderson’s great interview with Ann!

Order your print copy today!

Download your e-pub copy today! Click here for a digital copy featuring Ann Charles.

Writing Craft with Jessica Morrell, Top-Tiered Editor and one of Chanticleer’s exceptional Master Writing Class instructors, expands on the components of successful fiction.

Jessica Page Morrell

James Conroyd Martin, Chanticleer Overall Grand Prize Winning Author known for bringing historical fiction to life, 10 Question Interview.

James Conroyd Martin, Overall Chanticleer Grand Prize Winner!

Sweet Lavender Days with Gail Noble-Sanderson with her delicious lavender shortbread cookie recipe. Gail is a multi-award-winning author who weaves an epic tale of romance set against World War I and II, full of warmth, family, and the hope that love can indeed conquer all.

Award-Winning Author Gail Noble-Sanderson

What Will You Read Next? Discovery New Reads from this issue’s Chanticleer reviews of these authors’ works from Non-Fiction to Fiction and even an anthology! More than 80 Chanticleer Reviews on the following authors’ works.

Robert L. Slater, Ted Neill, G.R. Morris, Paul E. Vaughn, T. K. Riggins, JW Zarek, Joy Ross Davis, Jeny Heckman, Richard J. OBrien, Chris Karlsen, Corey Lynn Fayman, Kevin G. Chapman, Pamela Beason, Norman M. Jacobs, M.D., Marilyn Larew, Michael Pronko, Michelle Cox, Wally Duff, Ann Charles, Karen Musser Nortman, Anna Castle, James Conroyd Martin, Bruce Gardner, Blaine Beveridge, Joe Vitovec, Sandra Wagner-Wright, Andrea McKenzie Raine, Gerri Hilger, Michael L. Ross, Kari Bovee, David Fitz-Gerald, Sandra Rostirolla, L. A. Thompson, Susan Faw, Tiffany Brooks, Kay M. Bates, Robert D. Calkins, Aric Cushing, Sara Dahmen, Robert Scott Thayer, Simon Calcavecchia, L. E. Rico, Bronwen Evans, Elana Mikalsen, Claire Fullerton, Gene Helfman, Charlie Suisman, Lou Dischler, Eileen Charbonneau, Yorker Keith, Kris Kelso, Julie Jason, Lance Brewer, Franklin Ball, David Okerlund, Linda Jamsen, Cassandra Overby, Stevanne Auerbach, Bill W, Thomas Widman, Karen Keilt, Jill Anderson, Dan Juday, Ilene Birkwood, Dr. Rhona Epstein, Ramzi Najjar, K, Tanner T. Roberts, J. Nell Brown, Maya Castro, Janice S. Ellis, Ph.D, and The Red Wheelbarrow Writers.

Where can you get you copies of the Chanticleer Reviews Magazine?

You may order print and e-zine copies directly from us! Print copies receive complimentary shipping to anywhere in the United States.

OR Purchase Print Copies from these Independent Booksellers:

U.S.

Village Books of Bellingham, Wash. They can mail magazines out anywhere and they keep copies of the latest issue of Chanticleer Reviews quarterly magazine in stock on their magazine racks.

Canada & U.K.

If you live in Canada or the United Kingdom, then order your print magazine from Dragon’s Lair: www.DragonsLairArtist.com or email Susan Faw at susan@dragonslairartist.com | We ship a stack to Dragon’s Lair in Ontario, Canada. Then, they can ship them much easier, faster, and for cheap to Canadian addresses.

E-zines!

Order from Bookchain.ca

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Chanticleer Reviews magazine will make a great showpiece for the coffee table, or to take to book signings, or to have in your writer’s den, or to take to other promotional events for your books, or with you to book club meetings, and just in time for the holidays!
October 20, 2021