Tag: Goethe

  • The 2025 Goethe Book Awards Short List for Late Historical Fiction

    The 2025 Goethe Book Awards Short List for Late Historical Fiction

    Johanne Wolfgang von GoetheThe Goethe Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Post-1750s Historical Fiction. The Goethe Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs).

    Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring Victorian, Georgian, Regency, International History, 20th Century, and all the possible historical topics that an author’s imagination can dream up for the Goethe Book Awards division. Our judges from across North America and the U.K. will put them to the test and choose the best among them.

    These titles have moved forward from the 2025 Goethe Late Historical Fiction Long List to the 2025 Goethe Book Awards SHORT LIST. These entries are now in competition for the 2025 Goethe Semi-Finalists. FINALISTS will be chosen from the Semi-Finalists and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference, CAC26.

    We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 18th, 2026 in beautiful Bellingham, WA sponsored by the 2026 Chanticleer Authors Conference

    These titles are in the running for the SEMI-FINALISTS of the 2025 Goethe Book Awards novel competition for Late Historical Fiction!

    • Alex Alvin – A Countess From Moscow
    • Alice Mcveigh – Marianne a Sense and Sensibility Sequel
    • Alina Rubin – A Girl with a Knife
    • Allie Cresswell – Tall Chimneys
    • Art Young – Downeyoshun
    • Barbara Southard – Unruly Human Hearts
    • BL Smith – The Unpleasantness on Orchard
    • Bonnie Suchman – What Remains Is Hope
    • Carol Nickles – Thumb Fire Desire
    • Carolyn Summer Quinn – Once Upon a Safehouse
    • Charlotte Whitney – A Tiny Piece of Blue a Novel
    • Chris Bennett – The Road To Revolution
    • Debra Lee – Pullman
    • Domnica Radulescu – My Father’s Orchards
    • Florence Chien – Hollow Whispers of the Wind
    • Jerena Tobiasen – Tsarina’s Jewels
    • Jessica Levine – Three Cousins
    • Jill G. Hall – On a Sundown Sea a Novel of Madame Tingley and the Origins of Lomaland
    • Joan Fernandez – Saving Vincent a Novel of Jo Van Gogh
    • Joanne Howard – Sleeping in the Sun
    • Katie Churchill-King – Prince of Wales Fort 1770
    • Kelly Scarborough – Butterfly Games
    • Kirsten Mickelwait – The Ashtrays Are Full and the Glasses Are Empty
    • Lew Paper – Legacy of Lies an Historical Thriller
    • Linda Cardillo – Paint the Wind
    • M. E. Torrey – Fox Creek
    • N.J. Mastro – Solitary Walker a Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft
    • Natalie Musgrave Dossett – Sarita
    • Pat Black-Gould and Steve Hardiman – All the Broken Angels
    • Radu Guiasu – The Faraway Mountains
    • Raquel Y. Levitt – The Seer
    • Richard Leslie Brock – The House of Ilya
    • Robert Kehlmann – The Rabbi’s Suitcase
    • Robert L Jones – The Unbroken Trail
    • S. Scott Anderson – The Scott Boys the Saga of the Scott Family in East Tennessee
    • Sabrina Lund – Consequence of Power Isabella’s Season
    • Suzanne Uttaro Samuels – Seeds of the Pomegranate
    • Thomas M. Wing – In Harm’s Way

    Congratulations once more to the 2024 Goethe Grand Prize Winner for Historical Fiction

    Abigail’s Song

    By Alina Rubin

    Click here to see the full list of 2024 Goethe Book Award Winners for Late Historical Fiction.

    We are now accepting submissions into the 2026 Goethe Book Awards for Post-1750s Historical Fiction!

    Please click here for more information.

    Winners will be announced at the 2025 CIBA Awards Ceremony that is sponsored by the 2026 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

    April 17 – 19, 2026! Save the Date for Registration!

    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 annual conference and discover why!

  • The 2025 Fiction Cover Design Awards (CCDAs) Short List

    The Chanticleer Cover Design Awards (The CCDAs) for Fiction recognizes artistic excellence across genre in great cover design. The CCDAs are a new Award Division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs).

    Our design is inspired by books designed by the incomparable Coraline Bickford-Smith. Her simple, beautiful, and evocative designs do so much to make the book work as a visual ambassador, capturing the essence of story and compelling potential readers to pick it up, click on it, or share it with others. A well-designed cover signals professionalism, sets expectations for your genre, and serves as a powerful marketing tool to stand out in both digital and physical spaces.

    Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring clear genres, audience, time periods, typography, and longevity across genres of Historical Fiction, Romance, Literary, Satire, Speculative Fiction, and Youth Reads.

    These titles have moved forward in the Long List of the 2025 CCDA Fiction entries to the 2025 CCDA Fiction SHORT LIST. These entries are now in competition for the 2025 CCDA Fiction Semi-Finalists. FINALISTS will be chosen from the Semi-Finalists and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference, CAC26.

    We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 18th, 2026 in beautiful Bellingham, WA sponsored by the 2026 Chanticleer Authors Conference

    These titles are in the running for the SEMI-FINALISTS of the 2025 Chanticleer Cover Design Awards novel competition for Fiction Books!

    Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works:

    • AJ Humphreys – Trip a Psychological Horror Novel
    • Andrew D.H. Moore – Children of Solo
    • Anne Polli – Mason the Magnificent
    • Catherine M Mathis – Ines the Queens of Portugal Trilogy
    • Charlie Robinson Cover by Ruth Noble – Bow Tie Sex
    • Christine Knapp – Murder on the Green
    • Debbie Black Cover by Kelly Black – Deetjen’s Closet a Quest for Magic
    • Deborah Swenson – Till My Last Day Book Two in the Desert Hills Trilogy
    • Ellis K. Popa – Dawn To Dusk
    • Erika Lynn Adams – Allie’s Adventure on the Wonder
    • George Petersen – The Summer of Haight
    • Glen Dahlgren – The Wrath of Order
    • Gregg Brandalise – The Death of Us All
    • JL Spears – Daemon Protocol
    • Julie Lomax – A Pawn’s Game
    • KD Straus – To Be True
    • Leslie Liautaud- Butterfly Pinned
    • Margaret Porter – Sequins and Starlight
    • Maria Giuseppa – R&R a Feast of Words
    • Mark A. Gibson – Roses in December
    • McKinley Aspen – Cogitatio Shadows in the Wind Book Two
    • Michael Bailey – Sweet Hunger
    • Miki Taylor – Bentley Makes a Dump Cake
    • Once Upon a Dance – A Tail of Twirls
    • Richard G Nixon – The Legend of Fingerless Will Nixon the Scottish Borderlands 1508-1509
    • Sarah V Barnes – She Who Rides Horses a Saga of the Ancient Steppe Book One
    • Sarah V. Barnes – A Clan Chief’s Daughter
    • Sean Hagerty – Cabal
    • Sue C. Dugan – Forever Ever Always
    • Susan Rogers – Warrior Pose
    • Sydney Roubian – Scarecrow Finds a Heart
    • Tamar Anolic – The Keepers
    • Theresa Janson – Reservations a Samantha Wright Crime Series
    • T.O. Paine – The Crisis
    • Travis Davis – War on the Porch

     

    PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS! 

    This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, it is easier for us to tag authors when they have Liked and Followed us on Facebook.

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

    We will also be promoting this list in our Newsletter, which you can sign up for here!

    Congratulations to our very first Fiction Cover Design Grand Prize Winner!

    Luna, Rhone & Stone Book Two

    By Strider S.R. Klusman

    Click here to see the rest of the 2024 Winners.

    We are now accepting submissions into the 2026 Chanticleer Cover Design Awards for Fiction.

    Please click here for more information.

    Winners will be announced at the 2025 CIBA Awards Ceremony that is sponsored by the 2026 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

    April 17 – 19, 2026! Save the Date for Registration!

    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 annual conference as we enter our second decade and discover why!

     

  • The 2025 Goethe Long List for Late Historical Fiction

    The 2025 Goethe Long List for Late Historical Fiction

    Johanne Wolfgang von GoetheThe Goethe Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Post-1750s Historical Fiction. The Goethe Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs).

    Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring Victorian, Georgian, Regency, International History, 20th Century, and all the possible historical topics that an author’s imagination can dream up for the Goethe Book Awards division. Our judges from across North America and the U.K. will put them to the test and choose the best among them.

    These titles have moved forward in the first look rounds from all 2025 Goethe Late Historical Fiction entries to the 2025 Goethe Book Awards LONG LIST. These entries are now in competition for the 2025 Goethe Short List. The Short Listers will compete for the Semi-Finalists positions. FINALISTS will be chosen from the Semi-Finalists and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference, CAC26.

    We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 18th, 2026 in beautiful Bellingham, WA sponsored by the 2026 Chanticleer Authors Conference

    These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2025 Goethe Book Awards novel competition for Late Historical Fiction!

    • Alex Alvin – A Countess From Moscow
    • Alice Mcveigh – Marianne: A Sense and Sensibility Sequel
    • Alina Rubin – A Girl with a Knife
    • Allie Cresswell – Tall Chimneys
    • Apple An – Daughter of Blue City: A Novel of Coming-Of-Age Through Revolutionary China
    • Art Young – Downeyoshun
    • Barbara Southard – Unruly Human Hearts
    • BL Smith – The Unpleasantness on Orchard
    • Bonnie Suchman – What Remains Is Hope
    • Carol Nickles – Thumb Fire Desire
    • Carolyn Summer Quinn – Once Upon a Safehouse
    • Charlotte Whitney – A Tiny Piece of Blue: A Novel
    • Chris Bennett – The Road to Revolution
    • Debra Lee – Pullman
    • Domnica Radulescu – My Father’s Orchards
    • Douglas A. Gosselin – Doctrine of Shadows
    • Elise Keitz Harlow – When Bone Melts
    • Florence Chien – Hollow Whispers of the Wind
    • Gary Gabel – The Constitution Kids
    • Jerena Tobiasen – Tsarina’s Jewels
    • Jessica Levine – Three Cousins
    • Jill G. Hall – On a Sundown Sea: A Novel of Madame Tingley and the Origins of Lomaland
    • Joan Fernandez – Saving Vincent: A Novel of Jo Van Gogh
    • Joanne Howard – Sleeping in the Sun
    • Kathleen Williams Renk – No Coward Soul Have I
    • Katie Churchill-King – Prince of Wales Fort 1770
    • Kelly Scarborough – Butterfly Games
    • Kirsten Mickelwait – The Ashtrays Are Full and the Glasses Are Empty
    • Lew Paper – Legacy of Lies: An Historical Thriller
    • Linda Cardillo – Paint the Wind
    • M. E. Torrey – Fox Creek
    • N.J. Mastro – Solitary Walker: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft
    • Natalie Musgrave Dossett – Sarita
    • Pat Black-Gould and Steve Hardiman – All the Broken Angels
    • Radu Guiasu – The Faraway Mountains
    • Raquel Y. Levitt – The Seer
    • Richard Leslie Brock – The House of Ilya
    • Robert Kehlmann – The Rabbi’s Suitcase
    • Robert L Jones – The Unbroken Trail
    • S. Scott Anderson – The Scott Boys: The Saga of the Scott Family in East Tennessee
    • Sabrina Lund – Consequence of Power: Isabella’s Season
    • Shawn Hays and Stephen Hays – What Light Was
    • Suzanne Uttaro Samuels – Seeds of the Pomegranate
    • Thomas M. Wing – In Harm’s Way

    Congratulations once more to the 2024 Goethe Grand Prize Winner for Historical Fiction

    Abigail’s Song

    By Alina Rubin

    Click here to see the full list of 2024 Goethe Book Award Winners for Late Historical Fiction.

    We are now accepting submissions into the 2026 Goethe Book Awards for Post-1750s Historical Fiction!

    Please click here for more information.

    Winners will be announced at the 2025 CIBA Awards Ceremony that is sponsored by the 2026 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

    April 17 – 19, 2026! Save the Date for Registration!

    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 annual conference and discover why!

     

  • The 2025 Fiction Cover Design Awards (CCDAs) Long List

    The Chanticleer Cover Design Awards (The CCDAs) for Fiction recognizes artistic excellence across genre in great cover design. The CCDAs are a new Award Division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs).

    Our design is inspired by books designed by the incomparable Coraline Bickford-Smith. Her simple, beautiful, and evocative designs do so much to make the book work as a visual ambassador, capturing the essence of story and compelling potential readers to pick it up, click on it, or share it with others. A well-designed cover signals professionalism, sets expectations for your genre, and serves as a powerful marketing tool to stand out in both digital and physical spaces.

    Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring clear genres, audience, time periods, typography, and longevity across genres of Historical Fiction, Romance, Literary, Satire, Speculative Fiction, and Youth Reads.

    These titles have moved forward in the first look rounds from all 2025 CCDA Fiction entries to the 2025 CCDA Fiction LONG LIST. These entries are now in competition for the 2025 CCDA Fiction Short List. The Short Listers will compete for the Semi-Finalists positions. FINALISTS will be chosen from the Semi-Finalists and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference, CAC26.

    We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 18th, 2026 in beautiful Bellingham, WA sponsored by the 2026 Chanticleer Authors Conference

    These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2025 Chanticleer Cover Design Awards novel competition for Fiction Books!

    Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works:

    • AJ Humphreys – Trip a Psychological Horror Novel
    • Andrew D.H. Moore – Children of Solo
    • Anne Polli – Mason the Magnificent
    • McKinley Aspen – Cogitatio Shadows in the Wind Book Two
    • Catherine M Mathis – Ines the Queens of Portugal Trilogy
    • Charlie Robinson Cover by Ruth Noble – Bow Tie Sex
    • Christine Knapp – Murder on the Green
    • Debbie Black Cover by Kelly Black – Deetjen’s Closet a Quest for Magic
    • Deborah Swenson – Till My Last Day Book Two in the Desert Hills Trilogy
    • Ellis K. Popa – Dawn To Dusk
    • Erika Lynn Adams – Allie’s Adventure on the Wonder
    • Gary Gabel – The Constitution Kids
    • George Petersen – The Summer of Haight
    • Glen Dahlgren – The Wrath of Order
    • Gregg Brandalise – The Death of Us All
    • JL Spears – Daemon Protocol
    • Julie Lomax – A Pawn’s Game
    • KD Straus – To Be True
    • Leslie Liautaud- Butterfly Pinned
    • Margaret Porter – Sequins and Starlight
    • Maria Giuseppa – R&R a Feast of Words
    • Mark A. Gibson – Roses in December
    • Michael Bailey – Sweet Hunger
    • Michele Sayre – Darke Realms One Tough Temporary She Alpha Arcana 2
    • Miki Taylor – Bentley Makes a Dump Cake
    • Once Upon a Dance – A Tail of Twirls
    • Richard G Nixon – The Legend of Fingerless Will Nixon the Scottish Borderlands 1508-1509
    • Sarah V Barnes – She Who Rides Horses a Saga of the Ancient Steppe Book One
    • Sarah V. Barnes – A Clan Chief’s Daughter
    • Sean Hagerty – Cabal
    • Sue C. Dugan – Cat-Atonic
    • Sue C. Dugan – Forever Ever Always
    • Susan Rogers – Warrior Pose
    • Sydney Roubian – Scarecrow Finds a Heart
    • Tamar Anolic – The Keepers
    • Theresa Janson – Reservations a Samantha Wright Crime Series
    • T.O. Paine – The Crisis
    • Travis Davis – War on the Porch

    PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS! 

    This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, it is easier for us to tag authors when they have Liked and Followed us on Facebook.

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

    We will also be promoting this list in our Newsletter, which you can sign up for here!

    Congratulations to our very first Fiction Cover Design Grand Prize Winner!

    Luna, Rhone & Stone Book Two

    By Strider S.R. Klusman

    Click here to see the rest of the 2024 Winners.

    We are now accepting submissions into the 2026 Chanticleer Cover Design Awards for Fiction.

    Please click here for more information.

    Winners will be announced at the 2025 CIBA Awards Ceremony that is sponsored by the 2026 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

    April 17 – 19, 2026! Save the Date for Registration!

    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 annual conference as we enter our second decade and discover why!

  • Five Days Remain! August Historical Fiction to Close!

    Our 4 Historical Fiction divisions close soon!

    From left to right we have badges for Chaucer, Goethe, Laramie, and Hemingway

    Don’t let your book miss out!

    Only 5 days left to submit your books to these prestigious CIBA Divisions and begin your journey to discovery. The deadline is 8/31/25. Now is the time to make your mark!

    The Chaucer, Goethe, Laramie and Hemingway Awards are still open!

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

    Congratulations to the 2024 Winners of the Chaucer Award for Early Historical Fiction!

    • Dean Cycon – A Quest for God and Spices
    • Liz Sevchuk Armstrong – To Remain Vigilant
    • Rozsa Gaston – Anne Boleyn at Margaret of Austria’s Court
    • C.V. Lee – Betrayal of Trust
    • Logan D. Irons – Sands of Bone
    • Jean Gill – Among Sea Wolves
    • Laura C. Rader – Hatfield 1677

    And a round of applause for the 2024 Chaucer Grand Prize Winner!

    Maid Of Honour

    Anne Boleyn at Margaret of Austria’s Court

    By Rozsa Gaston

    A Gold Ribbon dividing this section from the next

    Congratulations to the 2024 Winners of the Goethe Award for Late Historical Fiction!

    • Janis Robinson Daly – The Path Beneath Her Feet
    • Sandra Wagner-Wright – Sea Tigers & Merchants: A New American Generation
    • James Conroyd Martin – Napoleon’s Shadow Wife: A Novel of Countess Marie Walewska
    • Florence Reiss Kraut – Street Corner Dreams, A Novel
    • Leo Daughtry – Talmadge Farm
    • Jeza Belle – Blood Rouge
    • R.W. Meek – The Dream Collector, Book II “Sabrine & Vincent van Gogh”
    • Sherry V. Ostroff – The Wall at the Sugar Factory

    And a round of applause for our 2024 Goethe Grand Prize Winner!

    Abigail’s Song

    By Alina Rubin

    A Gold Ribbon dividing this section from the next

    Congratulations to the 2024 Winners of the Laramie Award for Americana Fiction!

    • David Fitz-Gerald – First Drive
    • Georgina Hogue – Cloud Cap
    • Heather Miller – Yellow Bird’s Song
    • C.M. Huddleston – Esther
    • Karen Lynne Klink – At What Cost, Silence? Book 1 of The Texian Trilogy
    • Charlie Steel – Tom Sharp: The Man and the Legend
    • Daniel Greene – Northern Shadows (Northern Wolf Series Book 5)

    And a round of applause for our 2024 Laramie Grand Prize Winner!

    Sarita

    By Natalie Musgrave Dossett

    Sarita cover by Natalie Musgrave Dossett with a majestic horse galloping

    A Gold Ribbon dividing this section from the next

    Congratulations to the 2024 Winners of the Hemingway Award for 20th and 21st Century Wartime Fiction!

    • R L Pace – Rising Son
    • Katherine Koch – The Sower of Black Field: Inspired by the True Story of an American in Nazi Germany
    • Tim Turner and Moisey Gorbaty – The Reluctant Conductor
    • Kay Smith-Blum – Tangles
    • Kathryn Gauci – Midnight in Istanbul
    • Travis Davis – One of Four: World War One Through the Eyes of an Unknown Soldier
    • Bharati Sen – My War, My Child
    • H. W. “Buzz” Bernard – When Heroes Flew

    And a round of applause for our 2024 Hemingway Grand Prize Winner!

    Of White Ashes

    By Constance Hays Matsumoto and Kent Matsumoto

    Of White Ashes cover by Constance Hays Matsumoto and Kent Matsumoto

    A Gold Ribbon dividing this section from the next

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

     

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

    Your book deserves to be discovered, celebrated, and shared with the world. Don’t miss the chance to showcase your talent and gain valuable exposure at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (April 17-19, 2026) where Winners from all 28 Book Award Divisions will be announced and honored.

    Your story deserves to be heard. Submit now and leave a lasting impression.

    Let’s celebrate exceptional storytelling together!

    Blue button that says Enter a Writing Contest

    Your book deserves to be discovered

    Don’t Delay! Enter Today!

  • The 2025 Goethe Hall of Fame for Late Historical Fiction

    The Goethe Hall of Fame

    Celebrating the Best Late Historical Fiction with the Goethe Awards!

    Goethe as the badge for the Post 1750s Historical Fiction Awards

    **Send Us Your Story by the end of August!**

    One of our many Historical Fiction Categories, Named after German Writer, Scientist and Playwright Johan Wolfgang Van Goethe (1749-1832), Considered to be one of the most Influential and Greatest Writers of the German Language.

    This Award Division covers anything after 1750, so there can be anything from The American Revolution, to the 1930s.

    For our other Historical Fiction Divisions, See the Chaucer Award for Pre-1750, Hemingway for 20th & 21st Century Wartime and Laramie for Western and Americana

    Let’s take a look at some of our Grand Prize Winners and Discover your next great read!

    Abigail’s Song
    By Alina Rubin

    Our review for the newest Grand Prize Winner is forthcoming. In the meantime, here is what some GoodReads readers have been saying:

    “Abigail’s Song is a powerful novel about Jewish/Gentile relationships set in 1800s England. The novel’s protagonist Abigail is a sixteen-year-old orphan who is taken in by a Jewish family after becoming severely ill on the streets. Abigail is skeptical of Jews at first but soon realizes that her prejudices were wrong and that she has been taken in by a family who genuinely loves and cares for her.

    The novel offers great chemistry between Abigail, David, and the rest of David’s family. Rubin has a penchant for writing sharp dialogue and an excellent eye for detail when observing Jewish customs.” -Eric

    ABIGAIL’S SONG is a tender, heart-warming novel about young Abigail, an impoverished Catholic orphan in early 19th century England. Her path to happiness and fulfillment is blocked by death, neglect, prejudice, and ignorance, but in an almost true-Dickensian turn-of-events, she is found and adopted by a devoted, talented, and close-knit Jewish family.

    Acceptance, love, music, and even romance, comes Abigail’s way, and through the course of the novel she blossoms from a needy child into a young woman who not only knows how to harness her emotional strength, but can help others do the same.” -Ana

    See more here!

    If Someday Comes
    By David Calloway

    David Calloway’s moving historical fiction, If Someday Comes: A Slave’s Story of Freedom, tells the true story of his great-grandfather George Calloway, born into slavery on January 8, 1829. in Cleveland, Tennessee.

    It is a tale of determination, perseverance, and achievement before and during the Civil War. If Someday Comes covers George’s final years in slavery; detailed accounts of the Civil War and its impacts on George and his family, both Black and White.

    It is a family saga of survival and endurance.

    The story begins in Cleveland, Tennessee, March 6th, 1857. We meet George and his family, his wife Elizabeth, their infant daughter Baby Caroline, and the stratified world of slavery in which they live. Thomas Howard Calloway (Marsa Thom), is their White owner who owns the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad, the South’s only copper mines, and the local bank. He is one of Cleveland’s prominent town leaders.

    Read More Here

    After The Rising & Before The Fall
    By Orna Ross

    After the Rising and Before the Fall Cover

     

    Award-winning Irish author Orna Ross has created a volume comprising the first two novels of The Irish Trilogy, drawing from her Irish birth and upbringing for a special grasp of the country’s history, how its wars and political strivings have affected its people directly, personally, over multiple generations.

    Her two books take on a span of time rooted in the early 1920s and delve deeply into the interlocking fate of the extended family and ancestry of Jo Devereux. Jo, the book’s central narrator, leaves Ireland in her twenties, only returning in her forties in 1995 when she learns that her mother is near death.

    The journey back will draw her into the family’s complex relationships, and reacquaint her with Rory, her former, and perhaps only, true love.

    Read More Here

    The Aloha Spirit
    By Linda Ulleseit

    Cover of The Aloha Spirit by Linda Ulleseit

    In Linda Ulleseit’s novel The Aloha Spirit, we meet the plucky heroine, Dolores, as her father leaves her.

    “Dolores’s father deemed her useless when she was seven. Neither he nor her older brother, Pablo, ever said that, but every detail of their leaving told her so. Papa had tried to explain the Hawaiian custom of hānai to her. All she understood was the giving away, leaving her to live with a family not her own.”

    Her story starts in 1922; the place, multi-ethnic, multilingual Hawaii. Papa, a sugar cane cutter from Spain who worked in Hawaii, decides to take his son Pablo with him to seek his fortune in California. His wife died five years earlier. He leaves 7-year-old Dolores with a large family on Oahu in an arrangement called hānai, an informal adoption. Dolores doesn’t know the family well. She feels abandoned, with no idea when or if her father will send for her or return.

    Read More Here

    Peccadillo At The Palace: An Annie Oakley Mystery
    By Kari Bovee

    Kari Bovée’s Peccadillo at the Palace, the second book in the Annie Oakley Mystery series, is a historical, mystery thriller extraordinaire. Fans of both genres will thrill at Bovée’s complex plot that keeps us guessing from its action-packed beginning to the satisfying reveal at the end.

    The book opens with the Honorable Colonel Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show to England on a voyage to perform for Queen Victoria. They are not on the high seas long, when Annie’s beloved horse, Buck, jumps overboard. Her husband and the Queen’s loyal servant, Mr. Bhakta, jump in to save the horse, or was Mr. Bhakta already dead before he reached the water? Thus, begins the mystery of who killed Mr. Bhakta, leaving all to wonder, is the Queen safe?

    Someone wanted the Queen’s man dead, and he is, but was it a matter of racism, intrigue, or an accident? Annie’s search for clues points her in several directions, but is it the doctor, or the woman dressed in rags with the posh accent, or the crass American businessman and his floozy wife? All have motive.  Even Annie’s husband has motive with his Irish background and ties to the Fenians and the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

    Read More Here


    Thank you for celebrating our Goethe Hall of Fame Winners with us!

    Remember to add your next reads to your StoryGraph or Goodreads account! Now that you’re set on your next five reads, what are you waiting for? The only way to join this amazing list of Goethe Winners is **Send Us Your Story by the end of August!**

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

    Are you a Chanticleer Author who has some good news to share? Let us know! We’re always looking for a reason to crow about Chanticleerians!

    Reach out with your news to info@ChantiReviews.com

    The Best Books Grand Prize Book Award Badge
    You know you want it…

    If you have a great Post 1750 Historical Fiction Story, submit it to us before the end of August to enter the 2025 CIBAs!

  • The 2024 Goethe First Place Roundup for Late Historical Fiction

    Post 1750s Historical Fiction AwardThe Goethe Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Late Historical (Post 1750s) Fiction. The Grand Prize Winner, Alina Rubin’s book, Abigail’s Song will be promoted for years to come in our annual Hall of Fame article, as well as be featured on the Goethe contest page year ’round!

    The best part about being a Chanticleer Int’l Book Award Winner is the love and attention you get all year ‘round!

    The 2024 Goethe Winners were announced at the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference in April, and you can see the official winners post here!

    Join us in celebrating the 2024 First Place Goethe Winners!

    A Gold Ribbon dividing this section from the next

    Janis Robinson Daly – The Path Beneath Her Feet

    Steeped in rich historical detail, Dr. Eliza Edwards, the ingénue student in The Unlocked Path, becomes the mature mentor, steadfast in her calling to effect social change by addressing women’s health issues and guiding others to realize their dreams. In 1936, as the Depression ravages careers, Eliza re-defines her abilities, traveling to Georgia and Tennessee as she reclaims her purpose and rediscovers her ambitions. Returning to Boston, she endures heartbreak with the eruption of World War II, bringing chaos to the world and sending her sons into battle. Will her unyielding pursuit to limit suffering and save lives sustain her amid the tumultuous landscapes of 1930s and 1940s America?

    Find it Locally and on Amazon!

    Sandra Wagner – Wright- Sea Tigers and Merchants

    Sea Tigers & Merchants

    Also a 2024 Series Award Winner!

    In 1790 the United States has a new Constitution. George Washington presides as the first elected president. Abroad, France and Britain are at war. And by 1795 seafaring Americans are accosted on the high seas by French privateers and British naval ships.

    Tensions rise as American merchants continue to trade. Among them, Hasket Derby and Captain George Crowninshield acquire wealth and build maritime empires while their sons and other adventurous young men take risks on the high seas and in the exotic ports at Isle de France, India, and China dodging accidents, disease, British warships and French privateers. A rich cargo, the turn of a card, or an unlucky storm can make or break a young man’s career. But men like Nath Silsbee fight for the chance to make their fortune and become part of America’s promise.

    Women are equally determined and adventurous. Orphaned Lizzie Rowell takes a job at Ship Tavern, and meets the dashing Captain George Crowninshield Jr., a man far above her station in life. Torn between duty and desire, Geordie must choose between his family’s expectations and his growing affection for a mere tavern maid.

    In this historical page-turner, family bonds are tested and romantic dreams challenged against the backdrop of ambition and adventure on the high seas. Immerse yourself in the captivating world of trade and intrigue in the new United States of America.

    From Chanticleer:

    Sandra Wagner-Wright’s audible version of Sea Tigers & Merchants: A New American Generation, Salem Stories Book 2 continues the sagas of two prominent families that dominate the shipping industry of young Salem. Narrator Christa Lewis fully embodies the unique characters of this swashbuckling historical adventure.

    Wagner-Wright takes us back to 1790. In recently independent America, the next generation of the Crowninshield and Derby families try to continue building their fortunes on the treacherous high seas. Threats of pirates, storms, and ever-changing economies drives their fates, their successes, and their failures. Wagner-Wright’s skillful pen brings to life each young person, female and male, as they variously seek out or shun a chance at love on shore.

    Captain George Crowninshield and Haskett Derby duke it out for power and control of the Eastern Seaboard, with their families caught up in the contest.

    Wagner-Wright shows how these merchants brave great risk through maritime exploits in France, the Netherlands, the West Indies, Africa, and Asia. During their adventures on the sea, these captains fight relentlessly for the vessels—which become as famous as those captains themselves.

    Read More Here!

    Find it Locally and on Amazon!

    James Conroyd Martin – Napoleon’s Shadow Wife: A Novel of Countess Marie Walewska

    Embark on a voyage through unconditional love, power, and betrayal!

    How could an emperor like Napoleon Bonaparte be so captivated by the twenty-year-old Polish Countess Marie Walewska—admittedly a rare beauty but of minor nobility—that their affair would last through both his marriages? And if it wasn’t romance that first drew Marie to Napoleon, what was it?

    At just eight years old, Marie finds her life forever changed by the death of her father, killed in battle against the Russians. This tragedy sparks a deep, lifelong patriotism in her as Poland is fragmented and divided among Russia, Prussia, and Austria.

    A fan of Napoleon since her school days, Marie eagerly seizes the opportunity to meet him when he passes through the former Poland, his intention to secure military support for his campaign to conquer Russia. She seeks only to express Poland’s gratitude and hope he would restore the nation’s independence. She never imagined a romantic entanglement. But Napoleon, taken with her patriotism, youth, and beauty, soon sets his sights on her—and begins a campaign to win her heart.

    Though Marie resists, powerful forces pressure her—just as they had in her marriage—to give in to the emperor’s desires.

    Expect to be immersed in Marie’s world, where love and loyalty collide amidst a galaxy of powerful aristocrats, politicians, and military leaders. You’ll journey from Marie’s manor house on the plains of Poland to cosmopolitan Warsaw, through grand palaces in Austria, France, and Italy—before sailing to the Island of Elba, where destiny awaits.

    Find it on Bookbub and Amazon!

    Florence Reiss Kraut – Street Corner Dreams

    A suspenseful family saga, love story, and gangster tale, wrapped into one great book club read . . .

    Just before WWI, Golda comes to America yearning for independence, but she tosses aside her dreams of freedom and marries her widowed brother-in-law after her sister dies giving birth to their son, Morty.

    In the crowded streets of Brooklyn where Jewish and Italian gangs demand protection money from local storekeepers and entice youngsters with the promise of wealth, Golda, Ben, and Morty thrive as a family. But in the Depression, Ben, faced with financial ruin, makes a dangerous, life-altering choice. Morty tries to save his father by getting help from a gangster friend but the situation only worsens. Forced to desert his family and the woman he loves in order to survive, Morty is desperate to go home. Will he ever find a safe way back? Or has his involvement with the gang sealed his fate?

    Another stunning work of historical fiction by Florence Reiss Kraut, Street Corner Dreams is an exploration of a timeless question: how much do we owe the families that have sacrificed for and shaped us—and does that debt outweigh what we owe ourselves and our own hopes and dreams for a better life?

    Find it Locally and on Amazon!

    Leo Daughtry – Talmadge Farm

    It’s 1957, and tobacco is king. Wealthy landowner Gordon Talmadge enjoys the lavish lifestyle he inherited but doesn’t like getting his hands dirty; he leaves that to the two sharecroppers – one white, one Black – who farm his tobacco but have bigger dreams for their own children. While Gordon takes no interest in the lives of his tenant farmers, a brutal attack between his son and the sharecropper children sets off a chain of events that leaves no one unscathed. Over the span of a decade, Gordon struggles to hold on to his family’s legacy as the old order makes way for a New South.

    A sweeping drama that follows three unforgettable families navigating the changing culture of North Carolina at a pivotal moment in history, readers have been raving that Talmadge Farm is one they cannot put down. Perfect for fans of Wiley Cash and Amor Towles.

    Find it Locally and on Amazon!

    Jeza Belle – Blood Rouge

    Josef Dietrick lives with his self-absorbed mother, abusive step-father, and bullying step-brother, Marteen, in 1930s Berlin, Germany. When a brutal sexual attack at the hands of Marteen’s friend, Tielo, sends Josef homeless into the streets, he is taken in by the kind-hearted Lucas and his sister Anke.

    Over time, gender-fluid Josef transforms into die blaue blume, the blue flower of Schöneberg, at one of the last underground cabarets for gay men and their entertainers, known as dolls.

    A raid on the Rote Schwein leads to the capture of both Josef and Lucas who are violently carted off to Dachau, the notorious death camp. Here Josef is forced to choose between his lover Lucas or his now-Nazi childhood assaulter, Tielo. Forced into a form of slavery, Josef hatches a desperate plan to save both Lucas and himself forever.

    Will Josef choose self-preservation or to live authentically? Can he do both?

    Warning: contains sexual assault.

    Find it Locally and on Amazon!

    R.W. Meek – Sabrine and Vincent Van Gogh, Book 2 of the Dream Collector

    Sabrine, hospitalized for five years at the infamous Salpêtrière Asylum for Women, gains her release due to the intervention of her sister Julie Forette and a young Sigmund Freud. The reunited sisters are introduced to the dazzling art milieu of 1886 Paris, and soon become close friends to the leading Impressionists. Sabrine attracts a cult following as a poetess, the enigmatic “Haiku Princess.” Seemingly cured by Freud of her Grand Hysteria, Sabrine soon enters into a tumultuous relationship with Vincent van Gogh.

    Jule and Sigmund Freud, alarmed by the eerie parallels between the emotionally volatile couple and their self-destructive impulses, begin an urgent search to discover the root causes for Sabrine and Vincent’s growing psychoses. Julie, ‘The Dream Collector’ seeks their most unforgettable dream for Freud’s interpretation and revelations occur.

    The Dream Collector is an exploration of the psychological consequences of betrayal, abandonment–and the redemptive power of art.

    Find it Locally and on Amazon!

    Sherry V. Ostroff – The Wall at the Sugar Factory

    When Shaindel Pogrebiski’s life is shattered and uprooted by the senseless looting and murder that follow the civil war in Ukraine in 1919, she needs to figure out how to survive. With only her young daughter, Shaindel must flee the turmoil. But where will she go? While the world seems indifferent to the bloodbath upending Shaindel’s homeland, who will take in the refugees fleeing for their lives?

    The era of the anti-Jewish riots, the pogroms in Ukraine from 1918-1921, has taken on new scrutiny. Some scholars suggest that this period which resulted in great atrocities against the shtetl Jews, perpetuated by their neighbors, was really the beginning of the Holocaust. The pogroms normalized the slaughter and created ready and willing executioners for the Nazis. Their goal of making Europe Judenrein became easier.

    Find it Locally and on Amazon!


    Thank you for joining us to celebrate the 2024 Goethe First Place Winners!

    Post 1750s Historical Fiction Award

    Your book can join the Tiers of Achievement, but only if you submit to the Goethe Awards!

    The tiers of achievement for the CIBAs

    Got a great Historical Fiction Story?

    The 2025 Goethe Book Awards are open through the end of August!

    Blue button that says Enter a Writing Contest
    Submit to the Goethe Awards Today!
  • The 2025 Goethe Spotlight for Late Historical Fiction

    Where History Comes Alive on the Page

    Post 1750s Historical Fiction Award

    The Goethe Awards Celebrate Late Historical Fiction Excellence

    The submissions for the 2025 Awards are underway, and Goethe closes on August 31, 2025!

    From the elegant ballrooms of the Regency era to the trenches of the Great War, from Victorian drawing rooms to the tumultuous changes of the early 20th century, the Goethe Awards celebrate the rich tapestry of late historical fiction. Named for the great German writer who understood that literature must capture the spirit of its age, these awards honor authors who bring post-1750s history to vivid, authentic life.

    Late historical fiction occupies a unique space in literature: close enough to our modern world that we can trace the roots of contemporary society, yet distant enough to feel like stepping into another universe entirely. These are the periods that shaped our current world: the rise of industrial society, the emergence of modern democracy, the birth of contemporary romance, and the social movements that defined human progress.

    The Art of Bringing Recent History to Life

    Writing compelling late historical fiction requires a delicate balance of thorough research and engaging storytelling. Authors must master not just the major historical events, but the daily details that make a world feel authentic—how people dressed, spoke, courted, worked, and dreamed. The best late historical fiction doesn’t just tell us what happened; it helps us understand how it felt to live through transformative periods of human history.

    These stories resonate with modern readers because they explore themes that remain relevant today: social class struggles, religious freedom, women’s rights, immigration, and the eternal human desires for love, family, and belonging. Whether set in Napoleonic England or Jazz Age America, these novels illuminate both how much the world has changed and how much human nature remains constant.

    The research required for excellent late historical fiction is extraordinary! Authors often spend years studying everything from period clothing to social customs, from political movements to technological innovations, ensuring that every detail serves both historical accuracy and narrative power.

    Celebrating Our 2024 Grand Prize Winner!

    We’re delighted to honor Alina Rubin, whose moving novel Abigail’s Song claimed the 2024 Goethe Grand Prize with a beautifully crafted story set in 1809 England. The novel follows orphaned Abigail Jones, who after losing her mother and being cast out on Christmas Eve, finds refuge with medical student Oli Higgins (born David Fridman), who is hiding his Jewish identity to pursue his profession. Through Oli’s devout, loving Jewish family, Abigail discovers both belonging and her musical talents.

    Rubin masterfully explores the complex social dynamics of early 19th-century England, particularly the challenges faced by religious minorities and the rigid class structures that determined life opportunities. As Abigail grows up caught between worlds, “not Christian enough for the Gentiles, but as a non-Jew, she has no hope of marrying David.” The novel examines themes of identity, belonging, and the healing power of music that resonate across centuries. In addition to ongoing promotional features, Abigail’s Song will be regularly promoted throughout the year and for the next five years in our upcoming Hall of Fame posts. Alina Rubin will also be invited to participate in a Chanticleer 10-Question Interview, and Abigail’s Song will receive a coveted Chanticleer Editorial Review.

    Categories That Span the Modern Historical Era

    The Goethe Awards welcome historical fiction across the transformative periods of recent history:

    • Regency & Georgian – The elegant world of Jane Austen and beyond, featuring social refinement and romantic complexity
    • Turn of the Century – The pivotal period when the 19th century gave way to the modern world
    • 20th Century – The dynamic decades that shaped contemporary society (excluding wartime, which belongs to Hemingway)
    • World/International History – Global perspectives on historical events and cultural movements
    • U.S. History – American stories from the colonial period through modern times
    • 1830s-1900s, Victorian Era & Edwardian – The height of empire, industrial revolution, and social transformation

    Each category represents a different window into the forces that created our modern world, from intimate personal stories to sweeping social movements.

    Explore All Historical Fiction Divisions

    The Goethe Awards are part of Chanticleer’s comprehensive celebration of historical fiction across all time periods:

    Whether your historical fiction spans ancient civilizations or recent decades, Chanticleer offers a home for every period and perspective.

    Looking at Historical Excellence

    Check out some of these outstanding late historical fiction works we’ve celebrated recently!

    Tsarina's Jewels Cover

    Tsarina’s Jewels
    By Jerena Tobiasen

    Viscount Simon Nightingale-Temple seeks a life of peace with his beloved Mary after the harrowing years of the Bolshevik Revolution. But in Tsarina’s Jewels, the second book in Jerena Tobiasen’s The Nightingale and Sparrow Chronicles, Simon is dragged back into global conflict through his very family.

    While serving in the British Embassy in Petrograd, Simon witnessed firsthand that bloody revolution and the assassination of the Tsar’s family—all but one daughter, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, the beautiful woman who became his wife.

    Maria, “Mary”, hides in plain sight among the British aristocracy, and the couple hope to settle into their lives with Simon’s parents. However, soon after his return, the highest levels of the British government force Simon into service for the newly minted MI6.  Under threat of being blamed entirely for the Romanov family’s execution, Simon has no choice but to accept.

    Little does Simon know he’ll soon be spying on his own brother.

    Read More Here

    See our Review of Book 1 Here

    Sea Tigers & Merchants

    Sea Tigers & Merchants
    By Sandra Wagner-Wright

    A Goethe and Series First Place Winner!

    Two families vie for power in mercantile 18th-century Salem. Sea Tigers and Merchants, the second book in Sandra Wagner-Wright’s Salem Stories series, returns to a world of treacherous storms, tantalizing wealth, and the demands of high society on its children.

    Elias Hasket Derby, Sr. has kept his promise to his wife Eliza—they rule Salem. Hasket’s merchant ships bring in great fortune, while Eliza holds court as the most influential woman in the city’s social spheres. And their ambitions have grown to meet their station. Hasket launches his riskiest endeavor—the Grand Turk, a ship so massive she’s nearly too heavy to be pulled out of the docks. Meanwhile Eliza, snubbed by George Washington’s stay at another family’s mansion, insists they build a house so grand it will put all others to shame.

    Such success, of course, draws the envious eye of Hasket’s competitor.

    The Crowninshield family has an uphill battle before them. The patriarch, George, Sr., is unable to employ all his own sons as captains of his small fleet—leaving them to work for their uncle Hasket. But George shares Hasket’s ambition. With the support of his wife, Hasket’s sister Mary, he builds greater ships of his own. If only he could get his eldest sons to follow his wishes, all his goals would fall into place.

    Read More Here

    See our Review of Book 1 Here

    If Someday Comes Cover

    If Someday Comes
    By David Calloway

    The 2023 Goethe Grand Prize Winner!

    David Calloway’s moving historical fiction, If Someday Comes: A Slave’s Story of Freedom, tells the true story of his great-grandfather George Calloway, born into slavery on January 8, 1829. in Cleveland, Tennessee.

    It is a tale of determination, perseverance, and achievement before and during the Civil War. If Someday Comes covers George’s final years in slavery; detailed accounts of the Civil War and its impacts on George and his family, both Black and White.

    It is a family saga of survival and endurance.

    The story begins in Cleveland, Tennessee, March 6th, 1857. We meet George and his family, his wife Elizabeth, their infant daughter Baby Caroline, and the stratified world of slavery in which they live. Thomas Howard Calloway (Marsa Thom), is their White owner who owns the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad, the South’s only copper mines, and the local bank. He is one of Cleveland’s prominent town leaders.

    Read More Here

    The Last Dahomey Warrior Cover

    The Last Dahomey Warrior
    By Dr. Amy Holda Gueye

    The Last Dahomey Warrior by Dr. Amy Holda Gueye is the gripping story of a group of fearless and feared female soldiers of the Dahomey kingdom—and the young girl who withstands grave peril to stand among them.

    At age 11, Nanissa becomes the youngest candidate ever chosen to be one of the legendary Dahomey Akodgjie, an all-female elite class of warriors who protect their king and the Kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin).

    Left in the sacred forest with no weapons or food, Nanissa must survive ten days to earn her place on the path to becoming a Dahomey warrior. She encounters dangers during her test, but by listening to the voice of her mother she not only survives but is endowed by the spirit of the Leopard, which serves her well in battles to come.

    Nanissa learns to listen to more than just the teachings of her mother. The Queen Mother, Ahosi, who trains the Akodgjie warriors also serves as mentor to the young warrior. “Observe carefully, learn quickly, listen more, speak less…If you can learn what one does not say, memorize what one never teaches, and trust your gut, the voice right here in your chest… then you will make an excellent warrior.”

    Before Nanissa faces her first battle as a young woman, the Chief of a smaller tribe comes to the Palace with word that the French are coming—prepared for battle with armor and rifles.

    Read More Here

    These works demonstrate how the best historical fiction combines meticulous research with compelling storytelling to transport readers across time.


    See the Chanticleer Difference for Yourself!

    We’re excited about all the exceptional historical fiction we receive every year for both the CIBAs and for our Editorial Reviews. The Chanticleer International Book Awards offers an incredible $30,000 in cash, prizes, and promotion across all divisions!

    The Goethe Awards recognize the extraordinary research and storytelling skill required to bring recent history to authentic life. Whether you’ve spent years researching Victorian social customs, Georgian political movements, or early 20th-century cultural changes, these awards celebrate both your historical scholarship and narrative artistry.

    Your Historical Vision Awaits Recognition

    Post 1750s Historical Fiction Award

    Great late historical fiction doesn’t just recreate the past—it helps us understand how we became who we are today. Whether your story explores the drawing rooms of Regency England, the immigrant experience in turn-of-the-century America, or the social transformations of the early 1900s, the Goethe Awards celebrate the authors who make history feel immediate and alive.

    Bring your historical vision to life—the deadline is August 31, 2025!

    You know you want it…

    Submit to the Goethe Awards today and help us celebrate the artistry of late historical fiction!

  • Two Weeks left to submit to the Chanticleer Cover Design Awards (CCDAs!)

    Two Divisions Close at the end of July

    The Cover Design Book Awards for Fiction and Non-Fiction

    Two excellent divisions close at the end of July!

    Don’t let your cover miss out!

    Only 2 weeks left to submit your books to these prestigious CIBA Divisions and embark on an extraordinary journey to success. With over $30,000 in prizes awarded annually, now is the time to make your mark!

    The Cover Design Awards are still open!

    Best Book Grand Prize for the Chanticleer Int'l Book AwardsCongratulations to the Winners of the 2024 Cover Design Award for Fiction!

    • Ann Phillipp – Grand Theft Death
    • C.L. Olsen – Old Crabby Turtle
    • Deborah Swenson – Till My Last Breath
    • Laura C. Rader – Hatfield 1677
    • Gail Noble-Sanderson– The Book of Rules
    • Margaret Porter – A Change of Location
    • Mark A. Gibson – A Song That Never Ends
    • Travis Davis- One of Four
    • R.W. Meek- The Dream Collector Book 1; Sabine and Sigmund Freud

     

    And a huge round of applause for the 2024 Cover Design Fiction Grand Prize Winner:

    Luna, Rhone and Stone Book 2 by Strider S.R. Klusman

    A Gold Ribbon dividing this section from the next

    Congratulations to the Winners of the 2024 Cover Design Awards for Non-Fiction!

    • Anne Gately – Sunburnt: A Memoir of Sun, Surf and Skin Cancer
    • Kasey J. Claytor– Finding The Light: Navigating Dementia with My Son
    • Kathryn Caraway – Unfollow Me
    • Linda M. Lockwood – Sky Ranch: Reared in the High Country
    • Marianna Marlowe – Portrait of a Feminist: A Memoir in Essays

    And a huge round of applause for the 2024 Cover Design Awards Non-Fiction Grand Prize Winner:

    Teaching in the Dark by Genet Simone

    Teaching in the Dark Cover

    A Gold Ribbon dividing this section from the next

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

     

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

    Your book deserves to be discovered, celebrated, and shared with the world. Don’t miss the chance to showcase your talent and gain valuable exposure at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (April 2026) where Winners from all 28 Book Award Divisions will be announced and honored.

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

    Let’s celebrate exceptional storytelling together!

    The Cover Design Book Awards for Fiction and Non-Fiction

    The Chanticleer Cover Design Awards for Fiction and Non-Fiction

    Your book deserves to be discovered

  • Cover Design Fiction First Place Roundup 2024

    The Cover Design Awards recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in every genre. The Grand Prize Winner, Strider Klusman’s book, Luna will be promoted for years to come in our annual Hall of Fame article, as well as be featured on the Cover Design contest page year ’round!

    The best part about being a Chanticleer Int’l Book Award Winner is the love and attention you get all year ‘round!

    The 2024 Clue Winners were announced at the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference in April, and you can see the official winners post here!

    Join us in celebrating the very first group of First Place Cover Design Winners!

    A Gold Ribbon dividing this section from the next

    Margaret Porter – A Change of Location

    Hannah Ballard’s most successful relationship: her career.

    Her superpower is an uncanny ability to discover perfect movie settings while avoiding the limelight herself. She’s involved in pre-production for a film based on a bestselling historical novel when a chance meeting with an aristocratic landowner leads her to Somerset and his estate in picturesque Milver Vale—the ideal backdrop for a period drama. Martin Latimer, Marquess of Milverston, believes the release of a high-profile motion picture can increase tourism and bolster the local economy. And he hopes to spend more time with its intriguing location manager.

    After Hannah suffers a professional setback, proximity and mutual passion propel the couple into an exhilarating affair. But Martin soon becomes a magnet for the scandal-hungry media, forcing Hannah into a painful and damaging decision.

    Powering through heartbreak is hard. Especially when coping with unemployment—and dealing with members of her fractured family. For their protection, she must part from the nobleman asking her to stay with him. Who makes her believe that, at long last, she actually could be falling in love.

    Find it Locally and on Amazon!

    Travis Davis – One of Four

    One of Four Cover

    A 2024 Hemingway First Place Winner!

    From New York Harbor to the battlefields of France, relive World War I through the eyes of an unknown soldier, as told through his diary. See how the 100-year-old diary brings a father and his estranged son back together by retracing his experiences fighting in the battlefields of France in 1917 – 1918 to his final resting place—the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

    His diary was found next to his lifeless body by a young French girl who witnessed his death and bravery as he tried to protect his fellow soldiers. How the unknown soldier felt and what he experienced fighting on the Western Front in World War One —his day-to-day struggles and life as a private and then as an NCO. As he led his men into combat. The pride and fear he felt and the overwhelming stress he encountered, sometimes frozen with fear from the sheer brutality of modern warfare from all sides. His bravery in combat and leadership in training and on the battlefield. How he coped as he watched his fellow soldiers, battle buddies, and friends die one after another. Some from battlefield injuries from conventional weapons and gas attacks, but also diseases from the unsanitary conditions of trench warfare and influenza. His only wish was to come out alive, a wish that would never come true.

    But return home, he did.

    From Chanticleer:

    One of Four: World War One Through the Eyes of an Unknown Soldier by Travis Davis is a compassionate and intimate portrait of the tenuous and unforgiving First World War, as shown through the eyes of an American soldier on France’s front lines. Based on real people and events in 1918 France, One of Four begins with a young French girl, Camille, who stumbles upon a diary lying next to an unknown American soldier. He was killed among his comrades in a German ambush near the banks of the Aire River, as he tried to protect his fellow soldiers. When Camille comes of age, she leaves her hometown to seek a better life in Paris. There, she is killed after joining a German resistance group. But before her death, she tucked the soldier’s diary in her Bible and hid it in a local bookstore.

    Decades later, a man by the name of Walter travels to France with his son, Alex, to whom he’d become estranged after the painful divorce from Alex’s mother. He hopes this will be a journey of healing and exploration and that their time together will revive their shaky relationship. While there, Alex purchases the Bible left by Camille many years ago. By reading the hidden diary entries of the soldier together, Alex and Walter’s relationships takes an unexpected turn.

    Read More Here

    Find it Locally and on Amazon!

    Ann Phillip – Grand Theft Death

    Patricia Schuster acquires both independence and furniture polish after inheriting her grandmother’s house and antique business. Her new life in the Northern California town of Lakeville is in jeopardy, however, when she is falsely arrested for stealing a rare 1950’s Cadillac and is blackmailed by Jimmy, a toothpick-wielding used-car salesman. When the real car thief ends up dead, she turns to her grandmother’s friends—four women in their golden years who play fast and loose with the law. But how far over the line will Patricia have to go to find a killer and clear her name?

    From Chanticleer:

    Grand Theft Death is best read when you need a break from reality. Don’t read it if your two feet are firmly placed in all things serious. In fact, don’t read it if you are even thinking of going to the serious side of life. This book is as realistic as a Saturday morning cartoon – and twice the fun.

    The characters are delightfully quirky, the situation fun and surprising, and the action as snappy as popping corn. The heroine, Patty Schuster, is kind, sincere, wry, and unique, at the same time so easygoing that she can roll with the endless punches the plot throws at her and carry on with a good heart.

    Good thing, since the plot treats Patty like a punching bag.

    She starts out in jail, falsely arrested for car theft, then gets tangled up with thieves, spies, forgers, smugglers, bad cops, good cops, sleazy hoteliers, double-crossing gangsters, nosy neighbors, felonious grannies, and divorcing parents—not to mention murder of the friend in trouble she tried to help, which led to her arrest.

    Read More Here

    Find it Locally or on Amazon!

    Laura C. Rader – Hatfield 1677

    A 2024 Chaucer First Place Winner!

    Colonist Benjamin Waite, a devoted husband, father, and skilled military scout in King Philip’s War, reluctantly obeys orders to guide a brutal attack against a camp of Algonquian Natives.

    After the catastrophic event, Benjamin is burdened with guilt and longs for peace. But the Algonquians, led by the revered sachem Ashpelon, retaliate with vengeance upon Ben’s Massachusetts town of Hatfield, capturing over a dozen colonists, including his pregnant wife Martha and their three young daughters.

    Hatfield 1677 is a tale of three interwoven yet diverging journeys of strength and survival. Benjamin is driven by love and remorse to rescue his family; Martha is forced into captivity and desperately striving to protect her children; and Ashpelon is willing to risk everything to ensure the safety and freedom of his people.

    Based on the lives of the author’s ancestors, this riveting and unforgettable novel gives voice to three vastly different experiences in North America during a time before the creation of the Declaration of Independence. Then, the land was but a wilderness and a battleground; equality was not yet perceived as self-evident; and liberty and happiness were nothing more than dangerous pursuits.

    Find it Locally or on Amazon!

    Mark A. Gibson – A Song That Never Ends

    A Song that Never Ends Cover

    A 2023 Series Award First Place Winner!

    Home.

    For over three hundred years, that’s what the Hamilton family has called a shrinking swath of farmland in the Appalachian foothills of South Carolina.

    Home.

    That’s the failing tobacco farm where Walter and Maggie Hamilton choose to raise their three children. Walter has big plans to make the farm more profitable, but his plans are interrupted by World War II and family heartbreak. Walter returns from the war a changed man and finds Maggie, too, has changed, neither of them for the better. But at least their family is together again at…

    Home.

    More than anything, that’s where their eight-year-old son, Jimmy Hamilton, wants to be. However, after an unspeakable tragedy, he’s sent away from the only life he’s ever known to live with a kindly uncle in North Carolina.

    Home.

    That’s where Jimmy is finally going to be, unless fate has plans of its own…

    A Song that Never Endsis the first installment of the Hamilton Place series, an epic family saga extending from the Great Depression to present day. Through war and peace, love and loss, triumph and tragedy, follow the Hamilton family on their journey from a run-down farm in South Carolina, through the jungles of Vietnam, to the top of the world in New York City, and beyond the gardens of stone at Arlington.

    From Chanticleer:

    A Song That Never Ends, the first volume of a two-part series by Mark A. Gibson, opens a dramatic fictional saga of the Hamilton family from the late 1930s Depression era, to 1967 and the Vietnam conflict. Here against the backdrop of a South Carolina tobacco farm, we come to witness a family in turmoil.

    The calm and reserved Walter Hamilton and his rebellious, impulsive wife Maggie strive to build a life and raise a family. But the couple is tested by a series of misfortunes—miscarriages and stillbirths, and Walter’s enlistment during WWII leaving him with guilt-induced PTSD as he deals with the memory of fallen comrades.

    At the center of this heartfelt story is James, the middle child, who at the tender age of eight is forced from his home due to a horrific accident and sent to live with a widower uncle.

    Read More Here

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    Gail Noble-Sanderson – The Book of Rules

    A 2022 M&M First Place Winner!

    Wales, 1946. In the beautiful seaside village of Mumbles, Drew Davies, a young Welsh woman, is determined to pursue a career in a profession that has been historically denied to women. Living with her grandparents in their charming stone cottage, Drew’s quiet life changes course suddenly when murder, espionage, and a cast of scoundrels and saints enter the picture, but not even murder can stop Drew in her tracks. This is the first historical cozy mystery in Gail’s new Drew Davies Railway Mysteries series.

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    C.L. Olsen – Old Crabby Turtle

    Most bullies are hurting somewhere inside. This magical and heartwarming tale about an old giant sea turtle and a tiny little fish teaches us about BRAVERY, TRUST, FORGIVENESS, and HOPE. And to HELP others in need, no matter how different we are.

    This is the story of an old sea turtle with a rusty fish hook stuck in his foot! He is quite crabby about his unfortunate situation, and likes to terrorize the little sea creatures. One day he catches little fishy, and plans to have him for dinner until little fishy tells the old turtle that if he will trust him and let him go, he will come back with his friend Mr. Swordfish, and he can saw that old rusty fish hook off so he will feel better!

    A portion of the profits from this book are donated to the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue & Rehabilitation center.

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    R.W. Meek – The Dream Collector Book 1: Sabrine and Sigmund Freud

    The Dream Collector immerses the reader into the exciting milieu of late 19th Century Paris when art and medicine were in the throes of revolution, art turning to Impressionism, medicine turning to psychology. In 1885, Julie Forette, a self-educated woman from Marseilles, finds employment at the infamous Salpêtrière, hospital and asylum to over five thousand disabled, demented and abandoned women, a walled city ruled by the famed neurologist and arrogant director, Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot.

    Julie Forette forms a friendship with the young, visiting intern Sigmund Freud who introduces her to the altering-conscious power of cocaine. Together they pursue the hidden potential of hypnotism and dream interpretation. After Freud receives the baffling case of the star hysteric, Sabrine Weiss, he is encouraged by Julie to experiment with different modes of treatment, including “talking sessions.” Their urgent quest is to find a cure for Sabrine, Princess of the Hysterics, before Dr. Charcot resorts to the radical removal of her ovaries.

    In Paris, Julie finds a passion for the new art emerging, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, and forms friendships with the major artists of the period, including Pissarro, Monet, and Degas. Julie becomes intimately involved with the reclusive Cezanne only to be seduced by the “Peruvian Savage” Paul Gauguin. Julie is the eponymous ‘Dream Collector’ collecting the one unforgettable, soul-defining dream of the major historical figures of the period.

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    Deborah Swenson – Till My Last Breath, Book 1 of the Desert Hills Trilogy

    A 2021 Chatelaine First Place Winner!

    Emily Sweeney, MD, is a vibrant young trauma physician at a major Seattle medical center who is tragically taken from the comfort of her 21st Century life. Suddenly, dropped into the 1880s unforgiving frontier, she is determined to survive, or die all over again. Using her knowledge and skills as a physician, Emily struggles to save a stranger in the desert hills of the Arizona Territory. In the end, can she return to her previous life and leave behind the man she’s come to love?

    Caleb Young, a once-prominent Boston attorney in 1880, is haunted by his past filled with lies and deception. Hoping to outrun his demons, he willingly leaves his privileged life behind. Heading straight into unforeseen trouble, he is shot for revenge and left to die in the desert hills. Now, dependent on a beautiful woman who appears out of nowhere using her hands and heart to save him, will he finally have a reason to live.

    Two lives forged out of truth and trust, can their love survive, or will it take its last breath?

    Find it Locally and on Amazon!

    A Gold Ribbon dividing this section from the next

    And now, the first ever GRAND PRIZE WINNERS in Non-Fiction for the Chanticleer Cover Design Awards!

    Strider S.R. Klusman – Luna, Rhone and Stone Book 2

    A 2023 Dante Rossetti First Place Winner!

    For a country kid, the odd styles and new-fangled contraptions of the steam era were beyond Rhone’s comfort zone, but he was here to do a job, if he managed to graduate from the OPR Academy.

    Using his front as a nobleman’s son, Rhone and his unique partner, Stone, are sent to an easy first assignment, the little harbor town of Corgy. But he quickly discovers the mayor dislikes him and that pirates are hounding the shipping trade. With one disliking him, and he disliking them both, things weren’t starting off well. Unfortunately, it was his job to fix problems and he was glad he had Stone along to help.

    Only when he met Bella, the fiery waitress at The Common House, and Captain Black, of The Backwater Mistress, did he find his answer and an entirely uplifting experience you won’t want to miss.

    From Chanticleer:

    Luna, the second book in Strider S.R. Klusman’s YA Rhone and Stone Series, follows Rhone and his alien partner Stone as they develop a ship that can sail through the air.

    The two train to become agents for the Office of Public Recrimination, urged to join by their friend – and now boss – Aundrea. Rhone struggles through training with the help of his trusty partner, but a much more difficult test remains before them – their first assignment.

    Aundrea sends them to Corgy, a port town, without explaining their mission. But it doesn’t take long for Rhone to encounter troubles from shore and sea alike.

    He and Stone meet Mayor Dugan, who takes an instant dislike for Rhone, posing as a wealthy merchant’s son. But it’s his front, designed so by the ladies of the OPR, and commands a great deal of respect and authority from the locals, if not Bella. Sometimes it’s difficult not to forget his actual purpose for being at Corgy. As an agent of the OPR, he must solve the town’s greatest problem, a rash of pirate attacks on Corgy’s vital ocean-borne trade; if they continue, Corgy won’t survive.

    Read More Here

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    Thank you for joining us to celebrate the 2024 Cover Design First Place and Grand Prize Winners!

    Your book can join the Tiers of Achievement, but only if you submit to the Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards!

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