Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Independence Day

  • Happy Fourth of July! Celebrating Independence with Indie Authors and a Review Sale!

    Happy Fourth of July!

    Celebrating the Independent Author’s Marketing Revolution

    American flag, stars, red, white, blue

    You’ve claimed your independence to drive your own publishing future, create exactly what you want to create, and present your work to the world on your own terms. That same revolutionary spirit that led you to believe your stories deserve their chance with readers is what’s reshaping the entire publishing landscape.

    This Fourth of July, let’s celebrate what independence means for authors—and how smart independents are turning their freedom into a competitive advantag

    The Freedom to Move Fast (And the Responsibility That Comes With It)

    Faster Publication Timelines Self-publishing can shave months—even years—off the traditional publishing process. You control the timeline, the decision-making, and when your book is ready for readers. No waiting for publishing house committees or seasonal catalogs.

    Higher Revenue Potential While traditionally published authors typically earn 10-15% royalties, self-published authors can keep 35-70% of their book’s revenue. That’s a significant difference when you’re building a sustainable author career.

    woman, books, box, house, reading

    Complete Creative Control” From cover design to pricing strategy, distribution channels to promotional campaigns—it’s all in your hands. No publisher override on your vision.

    Longer Shelf Life: Traditionally published authors may see their book front and center on the bookstore shelf for several months but be unceremoniously replaced by a publisher’s newest release. Self-published authors can keep their book visible for a lifetime when they put in the time and effort to promote it. This gives self-published authors a HUGE advantage!

    The Independence Challenge: Standing Out in a Crowded Marketplace

    But here’s where independence gets interesting (and where many authors stumble): with great freedom comes great responsibility—especially when it comes to marketing and discoverability.

    Traditional publishers provide built-in credibility through their established reputation and industry connections. Independent authors need to build that credibility themselves, which is where professional validation becomes crucial.

    The Credibility Gap Readers, reviewers, and industry professionals often make quick judgments about book quality based on professional markers. Independent authors who invest in professional services signal that they’re serious about their craft and committed to quality—just like their traditionally published counterparts.

    Marketing Amplification Your independence means you’re also your own marketing department. Professional tools like editorial reviews don’t just validate your work—they provide marketing ammunition you can use across multiple platforms and for years to come.

    Celebrating Smart Independence: The Professional Author’s Approach

    The most successful independent authors aren’t just celebrating their freedom—they’re strategically leveraging it. They understand that true independence means having the resources and credibility to compete at the highest level.

    Professional editorial reviews serve as both validation and marketing fuel. When Chanticleer Book Reviews provides a thorough, honest assessment of your work, you’re not just getting feedback—you’re getting a powerful marketing tool that includes:

    • A comprehensive 450-word review you can use across all promotional materials
    • Professional SEO optimization that keeps your book discoverable long-term
    • Social media promotion to extend your reach
    • Integration with our promotional magazine for additional visibility

    This Fourth of July: Declare Your Marketing Independence

    This year, we’re celebrating the spirit of independence with authors who are ready to take their marketing to the next level. Because true independence isn’t just about having the freedom to publish—it’s about having the tools and credibility to succeed.

    Ready to amplify your independent author advantage?

    Submit your book for a Chanticleer Editorial Review and discover what professional validation can do for your marketing strategy.

    Our Editorial Review packages are specifically designed to maximize your digital footprint and provide the marketing ammunition independent authors need to compete effectively. Find out why serious independent authors consider professional reviews essential infrastructure for their publishing business.

    Do you have a book that deserves to be discovered?

    Use the code CBRHUR7KQK3H for $75 off an Editorial Review

    And use this code TNBXBZ6QYSM2 for $25 off a Children’s Book Review! 

    Submit your book for an Editorial Review with Chanticleer!

    Chanticleer Editorial Review Packages are optimized to maximize your digital footprint. Reviews are one of the most powerful tools available to authors to help sell and market their books. Find out what all the buzz is about here.

  • Let’s Hear It For the Red, White, and Blue! – Chanticleer Celebrates Independence Day 2024

    Fireworks, family gatherings, parades, and summer fun!

    It’s time to celebrate the Fourth of July!


    Fourth of July, Independence Day, fireworks, family, kids on dad's shoulders, american flag

    Independence Day is arguably our most flashy, exciting holiday, but was it always like that?

    As history records it, YES! Our Fourth of July traditions date back to the very day the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776! We’ve traveled back in time through the words of historians to see how our forefathers laid the groundwork for our most cherished Independence Day traditions!

    Declaration of Independence, gavel, legal, red white and blue, flag, stars and stripes

    Reading the Words of Our Forefathers

    Independence Day offers a moment of reflection on the inspired words of our forefathers. A reading of the Declaration of Independence is part of many Fourth of July celebrations, as well as speeches that continue  the tradition of public discourse within a democracy–a right Americans have protected ever since the day the Declaration of Independence was signed.

    Picnic, Fourth of July, Independence Day, flags, laughing, family

    Barbecues and Picnics

    Celebrating Independence Day by enjoying treasured family dishes with friends began on the same day the Declaration of Independence was signed!

    According to historians, after a grueling day of debate on July 4, 1776 John Adams and his wife celebrated the country’s new independence with a meal of turtle soup, poached salmon with egg sauce, green peas, boiled potatoes, and a dessert of Indian pudding or apple Pandowdy. Today, the dishes are different–with hamburgers, watermelon, and ice cream being favorites–but the sentiment of the celebration remains the same.

    Sack races, grass, trees, kids, blue shirts, canvas bags

    Fun and Games in the Great Outdoors

    Our forefathers spent most of their day outside, so it’s no surprise they were often found relaxing under a tree as their children played games, such as tag, sack races, hide-and-seek, and hopscotch. These games are still played on July 4th today, along with organized activities like parades, marathons, drag races, car shows, and extreme eating competitions. Many Americans will also be spending their day at lakes, beaches, and parks as they wait for a fireworks show to begin.

    Fireworks, water, night, lights, lake, bay, sea

    “The Rocket’s Red Glare”

    In 1776, future-President John Adams wrote a letter to his wife, Abigail, detailing how he thought Americans should celebrate the country’s declared independence from England. He wrote the day should be filled with “pomp & parade, with shews (shows), games, sports, bonfires, bells and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more (sic).” His words were heard by many, resulting in the first July 4th fireworks display in Philadelphia the very next year. Today, Americans spent $2.7 billion dollars on fireworks!

    Chanticleer’s Fourth of July is celebrated in Bellingham, Wash. The day’s events include a celebration at Zuanich Point Park and the Squalicum Boathouse, with a fireworks show over Bellingham Bay. Events begin at 2pm, and, with sunset around 9:15pm, the fireworks show will begin at 10:30pm!

    You can learn more about this and other Whatcom County Events here.

    Celebrate America and the people who created this great country with these amazing authors!

    TOM SAWYER RETURNS

    Tom Sawyer Returns Book Cover

    Tom Sawyer Returns is the second book in The New Adventures series by author E.E. Burke.

    Readers join a now grown up and far more independent Becky Thatcher as she maneuvers her complicated life in Civil War era Mississippi. Tom has long since left, and Becky is engaged to Union Captain Alfred Temple, who offers her all the safety and security she needs in such uncertain times. But does she love him? Actually love him?

    Continue Reading here…

    COLIN AND THE LEGEND OF THE WEEPING WILLOW

    Colin and the Legend of the Weeping Willow Cover

    In Colin and the Legend of the Weeping Willow by Anna Casamento-Arrigo, curious Colin learns a Native American legend about the Weeping Willow from one of his favorite people, his grandmother.

    Across the years, people have shared their cultural legends and tales. Often these stories are told to explain phenomena in the natural world, and are passed down by elders through oral traditions.

    In this story, Colin visits his grandparents to join in fun activities like baking cupcakes and playing catch.  During the cupcake making, he shares with his grandma that he has been learning about Native American legends, and she takes the opportunity to tell him another Native story.

    Continue Reading here…

    ITALIANS IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

    Italians in the Pacific Northwest Cover

    Tessa Floreano’s Italians in the Pacific Northwest is an inviting pictorial narrative featuring both ordinary and extraordinary individuals of Italian heritage who helped to create and develop Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

    Concentrating on the decades from 1880 to 1950, Floreano begins by referencing the earliest Italian explorers of the Pacific Northwest Territory, then quickly moves to the efforts of those who sought a better life through hard work and new opportunities on American shores.

    Continue Reading here…

    WISHES, SINS AND THE WISSAHICKON CREEK
    CIBA First Place Winner in the Somerset Division
    Wishes Sins and the Wissahickon Creek

    Wishes, Sins, and the Wissahickon Creek by PJ Devlin emulates the lives of fictional characters brimming with hope and promise yet living a truthful life of existence in the gorgeous setting of Pennsylvania’s Wissahickon Creek.

    The book encompasses ten short stories making it a complete work of fiction. Devlin creates characters which are rich in both experience and struggle. Not only do they live in a real world created by Devlin, but her characters, a mix of children and adults, both struggle with daily, real-world issues most Americans deal with. The stories are all relatable in this sense, which makes the text come alive, page after page.

    Continue Reading here…

    AMERICA’S FORGOTTEN SUFFRAGISTS

    America's Forgotten Suffragists Cover

    Comprehensive in its own right, America’s Forgotten Suffragists by Nicole Evelina is an essential addition to the canon of women’s suffrage and first-wave feminism.

    Equal parts local history of women’s right to vote in the nineteenth century and biography of Virginia and Francis Minor, America’s Forgotten Suffragists illuminates the story of a wife-and-husband feminist duo who were the first to fight for women’s suffrage at the Supreme Court level.

    Continue Reading here…

    US Flag in the wind

    This Independence Day, we wish you the following:

    May your family and loved ones be close and happy. May we share in the benefits of a community that cares for and loves each other.

    Happy Fourth of July from Sharon, Kiffer, David, Dena, Scott, Anya, Andy, and the whole Chanticleer Team!

    Thank you for being part of the Chanticleer Family! 

    Happy Fourth of July, Chanticleer, friends, red, white, blue, red white and blue, banner, stars, fireworks

    You can always submit your book for an Editorial Review with Chanticleer!

    Chanticleer Editorial Review Packages are optimized to maximize your digital footprint. Reviews are one of the most powerful tools available to authors to help sell and market their books. Find out what all the buzz is about here.

    Have an Award Winner?

    The tiers of achievement for the CIBAs

    Submitting toBook Awards is a great way to get your book discovered! Anytime you advance in the Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards, your name and book are promoted right here on our website, through our newsletter, and across social media. One of the best ways to engage in long tail marketing!

    To stay up to date with exciting news about our conference, your next great read, or contest deadlines, sign up for our Newsletterhere!

    Your book deserves to be discovered!

  • Happy Fourth of July from Chanticleer 2023

    Celebrating the 4th of July – Independence Day in the U.S.A.

    In July 1776 the United States declared Independence from England.

    John Dunlap printed copies of the Declaration of Independence in his Philadelphia shop on the night of July 4, 1776. (National Archives Identifier 301682)

    The primary freedoms that everyone remembers from the Declaration of Independence is “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” You can read the full Declaration here via the National Archives. It’s about two pages long and worth taking the time to review it.

    Of course, the Declaration of Independence didn’t mean freedom for all…

    Since US Independence was declared, the path to voting rights for all has been a long one getting from there to here, and there’s still more work to be done. You can read an abridged history of the journey of voting rights for women and people of color here, with special attention paid to the 19th Amendment.

    And we now have Juneteenth, a Texas holiday that is now celebrated nationwide. . The holiday celebrates a June 19, 1865 proclamation that freed enslaved peoples in Texas. Texas then, in 1979, became the first state to recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday. You can learn more about Juneteenth here.

    You can also read Ralph Ellison’s posthumously released novel by the same name.

    Clearly, the US Independence Day has a deep, rich history that still lives on and evolves today. The traditions to celebrate the Fourth of July also continue to change and grow with the world.

    Here in Bellingham, Wash., there will be a celebration at Zuanich Point Park and the Squalicum Boathouse. Events begin at 2pm, and, with sunset around 9:16pm, the big event begins at 10:30pm! You can learn more about this and other Whatcom County Events here.

    Fireworks go off behind Bellingham's Old City Hall for the Fourth of July Independence Day
    Bellingham’s Old City Hall

    It is also a time to remember those who serve and have served to preserve our nation’s independence and democracy.

    We invite you to  visit Chanticleer’s most recent Memorial Day post here.

    Finally, we want to celebrate the US Independence Day in the most Chanticleer way possible — by recognizing wonderful titles . We hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

    Great Reads from Chanticleer Reviews

    US Fiction and Early History

    Delaware Before the Railroads

    DELAWARE BEFORE The RAILROADS
    By Dave Tabler

    Delaware Before the Railroads by Dave Tabler presents a captivating visual tale of this tiny state, from 1638 to 1832, ranging between early colonial settlements and the aftermath of America’s Independence.

    Delaware’s place in this seminal time of United States history is carefully illustrated through pictures with wonderful captions. Delaware Before the Railroads highlights the significant role played by Delaware in America’s creation, uncovering surprising historical details such as the origin of log houses, a heroic figure who thwarted the British invasion of Canada, and the intriguing connection with Captain Kidd.

    The pictures and captions are highlighted by sidebar paragraphs that deliver more knowledge about what life was like for the Swedes and Dutch who settled near Delaware Bay. They found, for instance, a “new world” of seafood they didn’t recognize, such as the crabs they called “sea spiders.”

    Read more here.

    Delphic Oracle Cover

    DELPHIC ORACLE, U.S.A.
    By Steven Mayfield
    Mark Twain Grand Prize Winner

    The Coen Brothers meet Garrison Keillor in Steven Mayfield’s quirky, offbeat, and often hilarious Delphic Oracle, U.S.A.

    One June afternoon in 1925, seventeen-year-old Maggie Westinghouse, out walking alone as was her custom, comes upon a stranger in a railroad switch-house asleep on a pile of gunnysacks. Maggie, who has always stood a little apart from the town, has recently begun to experience visions that come upon her “in a leisurely way,” ending in a swoon and a restless sleep filled with exotic talk of which she later has no memory. No one knows what to make of it, but they soon will. After this afternoon’s chance encounter with July Pennybaker, a charming grifter on the lam, her world will never be the same. Neither will the town of Miagrammesto Station.

    Eighty-nine years later, in the days leading up to and following the July 4th weekend, domestic dramas are playing out across Delphic Oracle, Nebraska (nee Miagrammesto Station).

    Read more here.

    Everything That Was Cover

    EVERYTHING THAT WAS
    By Conon Parks, Chris Sempek, Mike MacNeil, Larry Knight
    Somerset Grand Prize Winner

    Everything That Was echoes myriad broken emotions born of the world in turmoil after 9/11, intricate and politically bold, and as disturbing in its brutal humanity as it is satisfying with witty jests.

    The 9/11 terrorist attack has shattered the psyche of the American people. A volcanic eruption of questions demands the whys and hows of the attack. From this anger, a massive war on terror begins. This historical fiction reflects the chaos of 9/11 and its ensuing global chaos – resulting in a series of violent endeavors and events. Throughout Everything That Was, one can find a swarm of fragmented ideologies, mini memoirs of war veterans, and witness accounts – all screeching reasons for the attack, the ensuing war, and its consequences: political, ideological, and theological.

    The book’s very structure expresses the central ideas of its content, making for an affecting read.

    Read more here.

    Wartime Fiction and Non-Fiction

    Dear Bob Cover

    DEAR BOB: Bob Hope’s Wartime Correspondence with the G.I.s of World War II
    By Martha Bolton with Linda Hope
    Military and Front Line Grand Prize Winner

    During World War II, Bob Hope traveled almost ceaselessly to outposts large and small, entertaining US troops – and inspiring them; Martha Bolton brings the extent of this work to light in Dear Bob.

    Writer Martha Bolton worked with and for comedian Bob Hope. Now, with Hope’s daughter Linda, she has gathered and organized the letters written to Bob by the soldiers he helped.

    Hope, English born, and born to entertain, once said he could not retire and go fishing because “Fish don’t applaud.” Among his sizzling lines – and there are hundreds recorded here – he told one audience that he’d gotten a wonderful welcome when he arrived at their camp: “I received a 10-gun salute… They told me on the operating table.”

    Read more here.

    SEEING GLORY: A Novel of Family Strife, Faith & the American Civil War
    By Bruce Gardner

    Seeing Glory by Bruce Gardner is a sweeping, thought-provoking Christian historical novel of the American Civil War. The novel portrays the critical roles of family ties and religious faith in shaping personal attitudes and actions towards the horrors of slavery and the war itself.

    Spanning the era from the famous abolitionist John Brown’s Pottawatomie Massacre in 1856 through the end of the war nine years later, Seeing Glory focuses on the gut-wrenching conflicts over slavery and the southern way of life faced by David, Emma, and Catherine Hodge, fictional siblings, raised on a wealthy plantation in Virginia.

    David returns home from a prestigious northern college filled with radical new perspectives. He challenges his father’s and his southern church’s assurances that the Bible says slavery is approved by God. When David calls out the truth as he now sees it, he ignites a firestorm that tears him away from his family at the beginning of the Civil War, sparking huge changes in their individual destinies. Soon after meeting Abel Bowman—an ardent abolitionist and follower of John Brown—David moves north to Ohio and becomes an embedded war reporter with Abel’s Union army regiment. Mutual zeal for the abolitionist cause abounds, but will it help or hinder the two men’s endurance of horrific battlefield violence and scandalous personal accusation?

    Read more here.

    US Flag in the wind

    This Independence Day, we wish you the following:

    May your family and loved ones be close and happy. May we share in the benefits of a community that cares for and loves each other.

    Happy Fourth of July from Sharon, Kiffer, David, Scott, Anya, Andy, and the whole Chanticleer Team!

    And Remember! You can join the Chanticleer Family Anytime!

    CAC 23 featured atty Maggie Marr, magazine editor Eric Lucas, author Mark Berridge, podcaster and broadcast journalist Reenita Malhotra Hora, and more!

    To stay up to date with exciting news about our conference, your next great read, or contest deadlines, sign up for our Newsletter here!

    Check out our Editorial Services here and our Manuscript Overviews here, OR, if your work is already polished to a fine shine, it’s time to submit to our Editorial Reviews here and our Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBAs) here!

    Your book deserves to be discovered!