Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Literary

The 2022 SOMERSET CIBAs Semi-Finalists for Literary and Contemporary Fiction
The SOMERSET Book Awards recognize emerging talent and outstanding works in the genre of Literary and Contemporary Fiction. The Somerset Book Awards is a genre division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring contemporary stories, literary themes, adventure, magical realism, or women and family themes. These books have advanced to the next judging rounds. We will put them to the test and choose the best among them.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from all 2022 Somerset Literary and Contemporary Fiction Short List to the 2022 Somerset Book Awards SEMI-FINALISTS. Entries below are now in competition for 2022 Somerset Finalists. The Semi-Finalists will compete for the Finalist positions. Winners will be selected from the Finalists. All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC22).

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 25 CIBA divisions’ Finalists.

We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 29th, 2023 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2023 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

These titles are in the running for the FINALISTS of the 2022 Somerset Book Awards novel competition for Literary and Contemporary Fiction!

Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2022 CIBAs.
- Conon Parks – Everything That Was
- Michael Richard – Chosen’s Beautiful Heart
- Karla Huebner – In Search of the Magic Theater
- Maggie St. Claire – Into the Wind
- Vee Kumari – ANKANAM
- Linda Moore – Attribution
- Kathleen Stone – Tell Me You Love Me
- Datta Groover – The Reluctant Visionary
- Rebecca Miller – Touch
- Robert Tucker – The Discontent of Mary Wenger, Paper Dolls, Book 1
- Patricia Sands – The Secrets We Hide
- Meredith Berlin – Friends with Issues
- Frances Howard-Snyder – A Willow Cabin at Your Gate
- Julia Tvardovskaya – Identifiable
- Michael Chatlien – Northern Lights
- Julia Brewer Daily – The Fifth Daughter of Thorn Ranch: A Modern Ranch with an Ancient Secret
- Ellen Sherman – Into the Attic
- Fran Hawthorne – I Meant to Tell You
- Jeff Hartman – The End Of The War
- Leslie Kain – Secrets In The Mirror
- Patricia Averbach – Dreams of Drowning
- Tom Stewart – Immortal North
- Jeffrey Dale Lofton – Red Clay Suzie
- Brenda Stanley – The Still Small Voice
- John Hansen – Hired Hand
- Jo Deniau – Stiff Hearts
- Dianne C. Braley – The Silence in the Sound
- Maggie Smith – Truth and Other Lies
- Susan Lynn Solomon – Raising Kane
- Lynn Byk – The Fearless Moral Inventory of Elsie Finch
- Edward Pontacoloni – The Rookery
- Lee Bukowski – A Week of Warm Weather
- Betsy Withycombe – The Murder of Sarah Grosvenor
- Morgan Sloan – Scars and Honey
- Harriet Cannon – Exiled South
- Ann Marie Stewart – Out of the Water
PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

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

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

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

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

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

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2021 Somerset Awards is Lies in Bone by Natalie Symons

Click here to see the 2021 Somerset Book Award Winners for Literary and Contemporary Fiction.

We are now accepting submissions into the 2023 Somerset Book Awards for Literary and Contemporary Fiction. The 2023 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2024.

Please click here for more information.

Winners will be announced at the 2022 Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards Ceremony that is sponsored by the 2023 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

April 27-30, 2023! Register Today!

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 11th annual conference and discover why!
February 28, 2023
The 2022 SOMERSET CIBAs Short List for Literary and Contemporary Fiction
The SOMERSET Book Awards recognize emerging talent and outstanding works in the genre of Literary and Contemporary Fiction. The Somerset Book Awards is a genre division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring contemporary stories, literary themes, adventure, magical realism, or women and family themes. These books have advanced to the next judging rounds. We will put them to the test and choose the best among them.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from all 2022 Somerset Literary and Contemporary Fiction Long List to the 2022 Somerset Book Awards SHORT LIST. Entries below are now in competition for 2022 Somerset Semi-Finalist. The Semi-Finalists will compete for the Finalist positions. Winners will be selected from the Finalists. All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC22).

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 25 CIBA divisions’ Finalists.

We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 29th, 2023 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2023 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

These titles are in the running for the SEMI-FINALISTS of the 2022 Somerset Book Awards novel competition for Literary and Contemporary Fiction!

Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2022 CIBAs.
- Conon Parks – Everything That Was
- Michael Richard – Chosen’s Beautiful Heart
- Karla Huebner – In Search of the Magic Theater
- Maggie St. Claire – Into the Wind
- Vee Kumari – ANKANAM
- Linda Moore – Attribution
- Kathleen Stone – Tell Me You Love Me
- Datta Groover – The Reluctant Visionary
- Ja-ne de Abreu – The Energy Inside Valsin’s Choices
- Rebecca Miller – Touch
- Grace Marcus – Visible Signs
- Robert Tucker – The Discontent of Mary Wenger, Paper Dolls, Book 1
- Patricia Sands – The Secrets We Hide
- Meredith Berlin – Friends with Issues
- Frances Howard-Snyder – A Willow Cabin at Your Gate
- Julia Tvardovskaya – Identifiable
- David B. Seaburn – Give Me Shelter
- Michael Chatlien – Northern Lights
- Julia Brewer Daily – The Fifth Daughter of Thorn Ranch: A Modern Ranch with an Ancient Secret
- Ellen Sherman – Into the Attic
- Fran Hawthorne – I Meant to Tell You
- Antonia Gavrihel – Back to One: Take 2 Ambient Light
- Karen Heenan – Coming Apart: A Novel of the Great Depression
- Jeff Hartman – The End Of The War
- Leslie Kain – Secrets In The Mirror
- Patricia Averbach – Dreams of Drowning
- Tom Stewart – Immortal North
- Jeffrey Dale Lofton – Red Clay Suzie
- Brenda Stanley – The Still Small Voice
- John Hansen – Hired Hand
- Jo Deniau – Stiff Hearts
- Drema Drudge – Southern-Fried Woolf
- Dianne C. Braley – The Silence in the Sound
- Maggie Smith – Truth and Other Lies
- Susan Lynn Solomon – Raising Kane
- Barbara Francesca Murphy – Lucina’s Letters
- Lynn Byk – The Fearless Moral Inventory of Elsie Finch
- Peter McDade – Songs By Honeybird
- Edward Pontacoloni – The Rookery
- Lee Bukowski – A Week of Warm Weather
- Betsy Withycombe – The Murder of Sarah Grosvenor
- Gloria Mattioni – California Sister
- Morgan Sloan – Scars and Honey
- Harriet Cannon – Exiled South
- Ann Marie Stewart – Out of the Water
PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

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

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

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

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

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

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2021 Somerset Awards is Lies in Bone by Natalie Symons

Click here to see the 2021 Somerset Book Award Winners for Literary and Contemporary Fiction.

We are now accepting submissions into the 2023 Somerset Book Awards for Literary and Contemporary Fiction. The 2023 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2024.

Please click here for more information.

Winners will be announced at the 2022 Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards Ceremony that is sponsored by the 2023 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

April 27-30, 2023! Register Today!

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 11th annual conference and discover why!
February 22, 2023
The 2022 SOMERSET CIBAs Long List for Literary and Contemporary Fiction
The SOMERSET Book Awards recognize emerging talent and outstanding works in the genre of Literary and Contemporary Fiction. The Somerset Book Awards is a genre division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring contemporary stories, literary themes, adventure, magical realism, or women and family themes. These books have advanced to the next judging rounds. We will put them to the test and choose the best among them.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from all 2022 Somerset Literary and Contemporary Fiction entries to the 2022 Somerset Book Awards LONG LIST. Entries below are now in competition for 2022 Somerset Short List. The Short Listers will compete for the Semi-Finalist positions. Finalists will be selected from the Semi-Finalists. All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC22).

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 25 CIBA divisions’ Finalists.

We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 29th, 2023 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2023 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2022 Somerset Book Awards novel competition for Literary and Contemporary Fiction!

Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2022 CIBAs.
- Conon Parks – Everything That Was
- Michael Richard – Chosen’s Beautiful Heart
- Karla Huebner – In Search of the Magic Theater
- Maggie St. Claire – Into the Wind
- Vee Kumari – ANKANAM
- Linda Moore – Attribution
- Kathleen Stone – Tell Me You Love Me
- Datta Groover – The Reluctant Visionary
- Theresa Griffin Kennedy – Talionic Night in Portland
- Ja-ne de Abreu – The Energy Inside Valsin’s Choices
- Rebecca Miller – Touch
- Grace Marcus – Visible Signs
- Robert Tucker – The Discontent of Mary Wenger, Paper Dolls, Book 1
- Patricia Sands – The Secrets We Hide
- Meredith Berlin – Friends with Issues
- Frances Howard-Snyder – A Willow Cabin at Your Gate
- Zubin Aibara – Gulliver’s Tramps
- J. F. Alexandria – Children of the Sun
- Julia Tvardovskaya – Identifiable
- David B. Seaburn – Give Me Shelter
- Michael Chatlien – Northern Lights
- Julia Brewer Daily – The Fifth Daughter of Thorn Ranch: A Modern Ranch with an Ancient Secret
- Ellen Sherman – Into the Attic
- Fran Hawthorne – I Meant to Tell You
- Antonia Gavrihel – Back to One: Take 2 Ambient Light
- Karen Heenan – Coming Apart: A Novel of the Great Depression
- John Nicholson – The Parables of Chance
- Terry Tierney – Lucky Ride
- Jeff Hartman – The End Of The War
- Leslie Kain – Secrets In The Mirror
- Patricia Averbach – Dreams of Drowning
- Tom Stewart – Immortal North
- Jeffrey Dale Lofton – Red Clay Suzie
- Brenda Stanley – The Still Small Voice
- John Hansen – Hired Hand
- Jo Deniau – Stiff Hearts
- Drema Drudge – Southern-Fried Woolf
- Dianne C. Braley – The Silence in the Sound
- Maggie Smith – Truth and Other Lies
- Susan Lynn Solomon – Raising Kane
- Barbara Francesca Murphy – Lucina’s Letters
- Lynn Byk – The Fearless Moral Inventory of Elsie Finch
- Peter McDade – Songs By Honeybird
- Edward Pontacoloni – The Rookery
- Lee Bukowski – A Week of Warm Weather
- Betsy Withycombe – The Murder of Sarah Grosvenor
- Gloria Mattioni – California Sister
- Morgan Sloan – Scars and Honey
- Matthew Marullo – Welcome To Opine
- Robert Steven Goldstein – Will’s Surreal Period
- Karen S. Bell – Like a Lily Among the Thorns
- Harriet Cannon – Exiled South
- Ann Marie Stewart – Out of the Water
PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

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

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

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

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

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

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2021 Somerset Awards is Lies in Bone by Natalie Symons

Click here to see the 2021 Somerset Book Award Winners for Literary and Contemporary Fiction.

We are now accepting submissions into the 2023 Somerset Book Awards for Literary and Contemporary Fiction. The 2023 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2024.

Please click here for more information.

Winners will be announced at the 2022 Chanticleer In’tl Book Awards Ceremony that is sponsored by the 2023 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

IN-Person – April 27-30, 2023! Register Today!

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 11th annual conference and discover why!
January 26, 2023
November SPOTLIGHT on the 2022 Somerset Awards for Literary and Contemporary Fiction

November brings insight, reflection, and contemplation of the state of affairs in which we find ourselves. As the year winds down, so, too, we reflect and ponder what we have done, who we are, and who we would like to be.

It’s a perfect time to curl up with a good novel, you know, the type that grabs you and lives with you long after you put it down.

This is why we celebrate novels that are literary, satirical, and contemporary. This is why we celebrate the Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards – Somerset Literary Novels Writing Competitions.

We chose William Somerset Maugham because we love his work and love what he has to say about it:

“I am a made writer. I do not write as I want to; I write as I can… I have had small power of imagination… no lyrical quality… little gift of metaphor I had an acute power of observation, and it seemed to me that I could see a great many things that other people missed.” W. Somerset Maugham

W. Somerset Maugham was a British author who wrote plays and short stories and novels. He was a dashing and daring man who did not wish to follow the other men in his family to practice law. Imagine, an individual in the Victorian Era… He was born on January 25, 1874, in Paris (at the British Embassy) and died on December 16th, 1965, in Nice, France.

During the First World War, our Somerset proved his valor by serving with the Red Cross in the ambulance corps (remember his earlier medical training) and was recruited by the British Secret Intelligence Service right before the October Revolution in 1917.

Somerset dove into medicine and was fairly good at it until he wrote his first novel, Liza of Lambeth (1897) and all bets were off. The book flew off the shelves and people were reportedly wrestling in the streets for copies to gift their loved ones. (*Creative license at work – however, you don’t know that this did not happen…) He was known to say, “I took to it (writing) as a duck takes to water.”

At the age of sixty-six, he had to flee with only a suitcase from the encroaching Nazis as they advanced across Europe. He escaped to England and then on to South Carolina, in the U.S. where he continued to work on the screenplay for Razor’s Edge. He moved to Hollywood and then eventually back to France.

Did we mention that W. Somerset Maugham was repudiated to be the highest-paid author of the 1930s?

It’s obvious why we chose Somerset to represent our Literary & Contemporary Fiction Awards!

Submit your novel or manuscript to our Somerset Awards today!

Here is a listing of the Somerset Book Awards Hall of Fame Winners!

The 2018 Somerset Award Grand Prize Winner was:

Hard Cider – a novel by Barbara A. Stark-Nemon

Abbie Rose Stone is a woman determined to follow her newly discovered dream of producing her own craft hard apple cider while navigating the ups and downs of family life with her grown sons and husband.

Abbie Rose knows how to deal with adversity, and dives headfirst into this new chapter of her life with energy and passion. She describes her early adulthood years of infertility struggles and the hardscrabble way she built her young family through invasive medical procedures, a surrogate attempt, and adoption barriers.

The 2019 Somerset Award Grand Prize Winner was:

The Proprietor of Theatre Life by Donna LeClair

Still in progress, we’re excited to review Donna’s book when it comes out!

The 2020 Somerset Award Grand Prize Winner was:

Gregory Erich Phillips for A Season in Lights

Gregory Erich Phillips’ A Season in Lights is a well-crafted, engaging exploration of creatives, each following their heart and trying to reach their dream.

Against backdrops of the 1980s AIDS crisis and the more recent COVID-19 pandemic, the story entwines the lives of a 30-something dancer and an older musician as they strive to make their artistic mark in the cultural capital of New York City.

Here in a two-fold unveiling, the story comes to life from the first-person perspective of Cammie, a starry-eyed aspiring dancer from Lancaster, PA, and the third-person reveal of Tom, a more seasoned black pianist. He longs for a classical career but is too often labeled a jazz musician. Cammie first encounters Tom in a studio dance class where he’s taken a job as the musical accompanist. Befriended by the gay dance instructor, Tom heeds the worldly advice offered about surviving in the Big Apple. “All you’ve got to do is convince people that you belong. You’ve got to tell them who you are before they tell you.”

The 2021 Somerset Award Grand Prize Winner was:

Lies in Bone Natalie Symons

A review of Lies in Bone is forthcoming. However, we know you’ll love this intricate story told with beautifully tight control. A mystery lies at the heart of this book that has the feeling of a grown-up To Kill a Mockingbird meets Serial Production’s S-Town Podcast. Highly Recommended.

Will your novel be recognized as the best of the best in the Somerset Awards for 2022? Find out!

Submit your work to the Chanticleer International Book Awards – today!

The last day to submit your work is November 30, 2022. We invite you to join us, tell us your stories, and find out who will take home the prize at CAC23 on April 29th.

As our deadline draws near, don’t miss this opportunity to earn the distinction your literary novel deserves! Enter today!

The SOMERSET Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards – the CIBAs.

The winners will be announced at the CIBA Awards Ceremony on April 29, 2023, which will take place during the 2023 Chanticleer Authors Conference. All Finalists and First Place category winners will be recognized, the First Place Winners will be whisked up on stage to receive their custom ribbon and wait to see who among them will take home the Grand Prize. It’s an exciting evening of dinner, networking, and celebrations!

First Place Winners and Grand Prize winners will each receive an awards package. Whose works will be chosen?

The excitement builds for the 2022 SOMERSET Book Awards competitions.

November 10, 2022
THE FOX: Mike, Hilda, and the Green Emerald Cafe Inferno by Battalion Chief John J. Mandeville and John J. Valentino – Fire Fighters, ’60s & ’70s, Action & Adventure

In The Fox, a unique fictional work, Chief John J. Mandeville presents a creative tale that focuses on the various daydreams, successes, and defeats of a lieutenant with the NY Fire Department.

Moving between the ’60s and ’70s, these collective chapters surround strange connections between a bevy of unexpected characters and their chance meetings at a showplace café that unfortunately produces tragic consequences.

Lieutenant Mike “Rooter” Mose is introduced as a Kevin James look-a-like who enjoys the variety of covering assignments for those on leave from different fire stations. While on a trip to Atlantic City with his wife, Rooter glimpses an older restaurant patron wearing a fur coat, which brings to mind a strange recollection. The ensuing chapters then reveal a mixture of storylines surrounding the birth of a fox pup and its fight for dominance and survival, a fur trapper dealing with economic decline and his determination to catch the vulpine that got away. and a younger woman enticed by both the wealth of her older peers and her desire to own a luxurious fur.

In Mandeville’s effort to present a dog-eat-dog world, readers see the casualties that abound in both the animal and human domains.

Here the thematic crossover showcases elements of wealth and desire, jealousy and envy, and a commonality of survival of the fittest.

Within the ranks of his firefighting career, Rooter faces unusual and precarious situations, whether a raucous fiasco created by a brotherhood group helping their fellow fireman with his move to an upscale neighborhood; the tragic mishap of a chief’s aid; the jocular transport of a 750-plus lbs. person; or an unforgettable call to the Green Emerald Cafe.

Here the atmosphere is laced with the likes of transvestite entertainment, irate chefs, obnoxious patrons, art thieves, and a shy coat check girl just trying to do her job.

“Fire can be your friend, but it’s a shaky relationship,” clearly ignites the heroic efforts of those on the front line staring down “The Red Monster.”

Likened to a drooling red devil; an owl after its prey; or “Señor Rojo” enjoying a meal of oxygen, heat, and fuel; detailed descriptions paint a vibrant picture of fire’s destructive power.

Mandeville draws us into the visual realm of his stories, often likening a character’s looks to a known actor or celebrity. The narrative also offers up human and animal comparisons with comments directed to the reader, i.e. a fox escaping into a tree trunk is like ball player Pete Rose diving into first base.

This book includes a character list, a glossary of fire terms, and a diagram of the Green Emerald Cafe that helps to evoke the action for readers.

The story comes together in a circuitous path, combining its disparate people and conflicts.

Through an engaging blend of humor and pathos, the writing is rich in both character and action and driven by a strange group of interlocking storylines that reach an unexpected culmination.

The Fox: Mike, Hilda, and the Green Emerald Cafe Inferno by John J. Mandeville and John J. Valentino won First Place in the 2016 CIBA Somerset Book Awards for Contemporary and Literary Fiction.

August 8, 2022
Part Two of The 2021 Chanticleer International Book Awards (#CIBAs) Overall Grand Prize and Division Grand Prize and First Place Category Winners
We are deeply honored and excited to continue to announce the 2021 Winners of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs) with our second of three official postings.

The winners were recognized at the CIBA ceremony held on June 25th, 2022 In-Person and broadcast live via ZOOM at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether, Bellingham, Wash.

The CIBA announcements were made LIVE with Chanticleerians flying in and watching from around the globe and North America.

We cheered on the CIBA winners with our drink of choice, whether in-person or Virtual!

Btw, Kiffer’s favorite Champagne!

We want to thank all of the CIBA judges who read each and every entry and then comment, rate, and rank within each of the 25 CIBA Divisions. Without your labors of love for books, the Chanticleer International Book Awards would not exist. THANK YOU!

We want to thank all of the authors and publishers who participated in the 2021 Chanticleer International Book Awards (the CIBAs). Each year, we find the quality of the entries and the competitiveness of the division competitions increasing exponentially. We added a new level to the judging rounds in 2021—the premier Level of FINALIST per each CIBA Division. The CIBA judges wanted to add the Finalist Level of Achievement as a way to recognize and validate the entries that had outstanding merit but were not selected for the very few First Place Award positions within each genre division.

This post will recognize the First Place and Grand Prize Winners for the Laramie, Chaucer, Goethe, Hemingway, Chatelaine, Mark Twain, and Somerset Awards.

For the Cygnus, Ozma, Paranormal, Global Thrillers, M&M, Clue, Little Peeps, Gertrude Warner, and Dante Rossetti Book Awards, please click here for Part 1.

For the Journey, Hearten, Nellie Bly, I&I, Mind & Spirit, Harvey Chute, Military & Frontline, Series, and Shorts Book Awards, place click here for Part 3

Coveted Chanticleer Blue Ribbons!

We are honored to present the

2021 Chanticleer International Book Awards

Grand Prize Winners

The 2021 CIBA Winners!

The LARAMIE Book Awards for

American, Western, Pioneer, Civil War, and First Nation Novels

The Grand Prize Winner is

TOM SAWYER RETURNS by E.E. Burke
- Chris Bennett – Road to the Breaking
- George T. Arnold – Wyandotte Bound
- Pamela Nowak – Never Let Go
- David Fitz-Gerald – The Curse of Conchobar: A Prequel to the Adirondack Spirit Series
- Glen Craney – The Cotillion Brigade: A Novel of the Civil War and the Most Famous Female Militia in American History
- T.K. Conklin – Outlaw’s Redemption
The CHAUCER Book Awards for

Pre-1750s Historical Fiction

Grand Prize Winner is

TOO SOON THE NIGHT by James Conroyd Martin
- John A. Martino and Michael P. O’Kane – Olympia: The Birth of the Games
- Janet Wertman – The Boy King
- Wendy J. Dunn – Falling Pomegranate Seeds: All Manner of Things
- Rebecca D’Harlingue – The Lines Between Us: A Novel
- Patricia Bracewell – The Steel Beneath the Silk
- James Hutson-Wiley – The Travels of ibn Thomas
The GOETHE Book Awards for

Post-1750’s Historical Fiction

Grand Prize Winner is

AFTER THE RISING by Orna Ross
- Ron Singerton – The Refused
- Drema Drudge – Victorine
- Lee Hutch – Molly’s Song
- Adele Holmes, M.D. – Winter’s Reckoning
- Mike Jordan – The Freedom Song
- Michelle Rene – Maud’s Circus
The HEMINGWAY Book Awards for

20th Century Wartime Fiction

Grand Prize Winner is

EO-N by Dave Mason
- Murray Pura & Patrick E. Craig – Far On The Ringing Plains
- Marian Exall – Daughters of War
- Marina Osipova – Too Many Wolves in the Local Woods
- Richard Alan Schwartz – The Soldier: A Novel of the Vietnam War Era
- Jerena Tobiasen – The Emerald, Book II of The Prophecy
The CHATELAINE Book Awards for

Romantic Fiction and Women’s Fiction

Grand Prize Winner is

THE LONG DESERT ROAD by Alex Sirotkin
- Deborah Swenson – Till My Last Breath, Book One in the Desert Hills Trilogy
- Valerie Taylor – What’s Not Said — A Novel
- Evie Alexander – Highland Games
- Tina Sloan – Chasing Cleopatra
- Kana Wu – No Secrets Allowed
- Emma Lombard – Discerning Grace
- John W. Feist – The Color of Rain
The MARK TWAIN Book Awards

for Humor and Satire

Grand Prize Winner is

CERTIFIED by Roger Wilson-Crane
- Charlie Suisman – Hot Air
- Elizabeth Crowens – Babs and Basil, and the Hounds of the Hollywood Baskervilles
- Lou Dischler – My Only Sunshine: Getting Straight with the Bomb
- Andy Becker – The Kissing Rabbi: Lust, Betrayal, and a Community Turned Inside Out
- Anne Pfeffer – Binge
The SOMERSET Book Awards

for Literary, Contemporary, and Mainstream Fiction

Grand Prize Winner is

LIES IN BONE by Natalie Symons
- Alex Sirotkin – The Long Desert Road
- Robert Gwaltney – The Cicada Tree
- Judy Keeslar Santamaria – Jetty Cat Palace Cafe
- Kent Politsch – Beebe and Bostelmann, a historical novel
- Douglas Green – A Dog of Many Names
- Barbara Linn Probst – The Sound Between the Notes
- M. J. Simms-Maddox – The Mysterious Affair at the Met
Congratulations to ALL!

We will email each winner with more information about their prize packages and more information.

Be sure to FOLLOW and LIKE us Facebook and on Twitter @ChantiReviews

Not seeing your Division? Try the links below!

For the Cygnus, Ozma, Paranormal, Global Thrillers, M&M, Clue, Little Peeps, Gertrude Warner, and Dante Rossetti Book Awards, please click here for Part 1.

For the Journey, Hearten, Nellie Bly, I&I, Mind & Spirit, Harvey Chute, Military & Frontline, Series, and Shorts Book Awards, place click here for Part 3

And the OVERALL GRAND PRIZE for the 2021 CIBAs!

Stay Tuned for Part 3 which will announce the Overall Grand Prize Winner!

We are now accepting entries into the 2022 and 2023 Chanticleer International Book Awards.

Click here for more information and submission deadlines: https://test.chantireviews.com/contests/

As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please email us at Chanticleer@ChantiReviews.com — We will try our best to respond within 3 business days.

Thank you for joining us in celebrating the 2021 CIBA Winners! – The Chanticleer Team
July 12, 2022
The SOMERSET 2021 CIBA WINNERS for Literary & Contemporary Fiction
The SOMERSET Book Awards recognize emerging talent and outstanding works in the genre of Literary and Contemporary Fiction. The Somerset Book Awards is a genre division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring contemporary stories, literary themes, adventure, magical realism, or women and family themes. These books have advanced to the next judging rounds. We will put them to the test and choose the best among them.

The 2021 SOMERSET Book Awards First Place Category Winners and the SOMERSET Grand Prize Winner were announced by James Conroyd Martin on Saturday, June 25, 2022 at the Hotel Bellwether and broadcast via ZOOM webinar.

This is the OFFICIAL 2021 LIST of the SOMERSET BOOK AWARDS First Place Category Winners and the SOMERSET Grand Prize Winner.

Join us in celebrating the following authors and their works in the 2021 CIBAs.
- Alex Sirotkin – The Long Desert Road
- Robert Gwaltney – The Cicada Tree
- Judy Keeslar Santamaria – Jetty Cat Palace Cafe
- Natalie Symons – Lies in Bone
- Kent Politsch – Beebe and Bostelmann, a historical novel
- Douglas Green – A Dog of Many Names
- Barbara Linn Probst – The Sound Between the Notes
- M. J. Simms-Maddox – The Mysterious Affair at the Met
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2021 SOMERSET Awards is:

Lies in Bone

Natalie Symons

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

Attn CIBA Winners: More goodies and prizes will be coming your way along with promotion in our magazine, website, and advertisements in Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards long-tail marketing strategy. Welcome to the CIBA Hall of Fame for Award Winners!

This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the Facebook post. However, for Facebook to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews.

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

Additionally, we also post on Twitter. Chanticleer Facebook and Twitter handle is @ChantiReviews

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

The 2022 SOMERSET Book Awards winners will be announced at CAC23 on April 29, 2023. Save the date for CAC23, scheduled April 27-30, 2023, our 11 year Conference Anniversary!

Submissions for the 2022 SOMERSET Book Awards are open until the end of November. Enter here!

Don’t delay! Enter today!

A Note to ALL the WINNERS: The coveted CIBA Blue Ribbons will be mailed out starting in August. We will contact you with an email to verify your mailing address and other items. We thank you for participating in the 2021 Chanticleer International Book Awards!
July 9, 2022
The 2021 SOMERSET Book Awards for Literary and Contemporary Fiction – The Finalists – CIBAs 2021
The SOMERSET Book Awards recognize emerging talent and outstanding works in the genre of Literary and Contemporary Fiction. The Somerset Book Awards is a genre division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring contemporary stories, literary themes, adventure, magical realism, or women and family themes. These books have advanced to the next judging rounds. We will put them to the test and choose the best among them.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from the 2021 Somerset Literary and Contemporary Fiction Semi-Finalists to the 2021 Somerset Book Awards FINALISTS. All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC22).

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

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

These titles are the FINALISTS of the 2021 Somerset Book Awards program for Literary and Contemporary Fiction!

Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2021 CIBAs.
- Ben Sharpton – The Awakening of Jim Bishop: This Changes Things
- M. J. Simms-Maddox – The Mysterious Affair at the Met
- Anne Pfeffer – Binge
- E. A. Coe – The Other Side Of Good
- Margaret Ann Spence – Joyous Lies
- Kent Politsch – Beebe and Bostelmann, a historical novel
- Teng Rong – Brilliant White Peaks
- Natalie Symons – Lies in Bone
- Dan Schorr – Final Table: A Novel
- Dawn Newton – The Remnants of Summer
- Douglas Green – A Dog of Many Names
- Robert Gwaltney – The Cicada Tree
- Richard C. Brusca – In the Land of the Feathered Serpent
- Judy Keeslar Santamaria – Jetty Cat Palace Café
- Charlie Suisman – Hot Air
- Suzanne Simonetti – The Sound of Wings
- Alex Sirotkin – The Long Desert Road
- John Hansen – Badger Creek
- Sue Phillips – You Oughta Know
- Cara Sue Achterberg – Blind Turn
- Gene Helfman – Beyond the Human Realm
- Barbara Linn Probst – The Sound Between the Notes
These titles and their authors will compete to advance to the FIRST PLACE and GRAND PRIZE Positions of the 2021 Somerset Book Awards for Literary and Contemporary Fiction. Good Luck to All!

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

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

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

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

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

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2020 Somerset Awards is

Gregory Erich Phillips

for A Season in Lights

Click here to see the 2020 Somerset Book Award Winners for Literary and Contemporary Fiction.

We are now accepting submissions into the 2022 Somerset Book Awards for Literary and Contemporary Fiction. The 2022 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2023.

Please click here for more information.

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

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

FLEXIBLE REGISTRATIONS ARE AVAILABLE for these challenging times.

Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.

Join us for our 10th annual conference and discover why!

Featuring: International Best Selling Author Cathy Ace along with A+ list film producer Scott Steindorff.
May 5, 2022
The 2021 SOMERSET Book Awards for Literary and Contemporary Fiction – The Semi-Finalists – CIBAs 2021
The SOMERSET Book Awards recognize emerging talent and outstanding works in the genre of Literary and Contemporary Fiction. The Somerset Book Awards is a genre division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring contemporary stories, literary themes, adventure, magical realism, or women and family themes. These books have advanced to the next judging rounds. We will put them to the test and choose the best among them.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from the 2021 Somerset Literary and Contemporary Fiction Short List to the 2021 Somerset Book Awards SEMI-FINALISTS. The Finalists will be chosen from the Semi-Finalists. All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC22).

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

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

These titles are the SEMI-FINALISTS of the 2021 Somerset Book Awards program for Literary and Contemporary Fiction!

Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2021 CIBAs.
- Ben Sharpton – The Awakening of Jim Bishop: This Changes Things
- Adrian Spratt – Caroline
- Linda Stewart Henley – Waterbury Winter
- M. J. Simms-Maddox – The Mysterious Affair at the Met
- Anne Pfeffer – Binge
- E. A. Coe – The Other Side Of Good
- Margaret Ann Spence – Joyous Lies
- Suzanne Kamata – The Baseball Widow
- Vicki Volden – All the After
- Kent Politsch – Beebe and Bostelmann, a historical novel
- Ruthie Stevens – You Can’t Blame the Flower
- V.N. Writer – Who Stole My Hula Hoop?
- Teng Rong – Brilliant White Peaks
- Natalie Symons – Lies in Bone
- Ruth Hull Chatlien – Katie, Bar the Door
- Dawn Newton – The Remnants of Summer
- Douglas Green – A Dog of Many Names
- Robert Gwaltney – The Cicada Tree
- Sarah E Zilkowski – Beasts of War
- Vanessa Carlisle – Take Me With You
- Richard C. Brusca – In the Land of the Feathered Serpent
- Natalie Symons – Lies in Bone
- Judy Keeslar Santamaria – Jetty Cat Palace Café
- Charlie Suisman – Hot Air
- Sandra Vasoli – The Masterpiece Pursuit
- Suzanne Simonetti – The Sound of Wings
- John Hansen – Old Water
- Alex Sirotkin – The Long Desert Road
- John Hansen – Badger Creek
- Pamela Hamilton – Lady Be Good: The Life and Times of Dorothy Hale
- Sue Phillips – You Oughta Know
- Chera Thompson & NF Johnson – A Time to Wander
- Cara Sue Achterberg – Blind Turn
- Susan Lynn Solomon – Dancing Backwards
- Debra Whiting Alexander – A River for Gemma
- Anne Moose – House of Fragile Dreams
- Jane Ward – In the Aftermath
- Drema Drudge – Victorine
- Malcolm Spicer – Freedom from Privilege
- Rick Lenz – Hello, Rest of My Life
- Gene Helfman – Beyond the Human Realm
- Emily A. Myers – The Truth About Unspeakable Things
- Roberta Seret – Love Odyssey
- Barbara Linn Probst – The Sound Between the Notes
- Florence Reiss Kraut – How to Make a Life: a novel
- Susannah Marren – A Palm Beach Scandal
- Mekiya Walters – Ashes, Ashes
These titles and their authors will compete to advance to the FINALISTS Positions of the 2021 Somerset Book Awards for Literary and Contemporary Fiction. Good Luck to All!

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

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

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

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

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

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2020 Somerset Awards is

Gregory Erich Phillips

for A Season in Lights

Click here to see the 2020 Somerset Book Award Winners for Literary and Contemporary Fiction.

We are now accepting submissions into the 2022 Somerset Book Awards for Literary and Contemporary Fiction. The 2022 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2023.

Please click here for more information.

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

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

FLEXIBLE REGISTRATIONS ARE AVAILABLE for these challenging times.

Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.

Join us for our 10th annual conference and discover why!

Featuring: International Best Selling Author Cathy Ace along with A+ list film producer Scott Steindorff.
April 18, 2022
The 2021 SOMERSET Book Awards for Literary and Contemporary Fiction – The Short List – CIBAs 2021
The SOMERSET Book Awards recognize emerging talent and outstanding works in the genre of Literary and Contemporary Fiction. The Somerset Book Awards is a genre division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring contemporary stories, literary themes, adventure, magical realism, or women and family themes. These books have advanced to the next judging rounds. We will put them to the test and choose the best among them.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from the 2021 Somerset Literary and Contemporary Fiction Long List to the 2021 Somerset Book Awards SHORT LIST. The Short Listers will compete for the Semi-Finalist Positions. The Finalists will be chosen from the Semi-Finalists. All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC22).

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

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

These titles are in the running for the SEMI-FINALISTS of the 2021 Somerset Book Awards novel competition for Literary and Contemporary Fiction!

Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2021 CIBAs.
- Ben Sharpton – The Awakening of Jim Bishop: This Changes Things
- Adrian Spratt – Caroline
- Linda Stewart Henley – Waterbury Winter
- Daniel Pare – No Matter The Price
- Antonia Gavrihel – Back to One
- M. J. Simms-Maddox – The Mysterious Affair at the Met
- Anne Pfeffer – Binge
- Valerie Taylor – What’s Not Said
- E. A. Coe – The Other Side Of Good
- Margaret Ann Spence – Joyous Lies
- Suzanne Kamata – The Baseball Widow
- Vicki Volden – All the After
- Kent Politsch – Beebe and Bostelmann, a historical novel
- Gary Lee Miller – Finding Grace
- Ruthie Stevens – You Can’t Blame the Flower
- V.N. Writer – Who Stole My Hula Hoop?
- Teng Rong – Brilliant White Peaks
- Natalie Symons – Lies in Bone
- Ruth Hull Chatlien – Katie, Bar the Door
- Patrick Garry – Through the Waves a Steady Path
- Dan Schorr – Final Table: A Novel
- Dawn Newton – The Remnants of Summer
- Douglas Green – A Dog of Many Names
- Robert Gwaltney – The Cicada Tree
- Sarah E Zilkowski – Beasts of War
- Vanessa Carlisle – Take Me With You
- Richard C. Brusca – In the Land of the Feathered Serpent
- Bob Siqveland – Lines Through a Prism
- Judy Keeslar Santamaria – Jetty Cat Palace Cafe
- Joanne Kukanza Easley – Just One Look
- Charlie Suisman – Hot Air
- Tom Glenn – Secretocracy
- Sandra Vasoli – The Masterpiece Pursuit
- Suzanne Simonetti – The Sound of Wings
- John Hansen – Old Water
- Robert Steven Goldstein – Cat’s Whisker
- Alex Sirotkin – The Long Desert Road
- John Hansen – Badger Creek
- Eric Lotke – Union Made
- Pamela Hamilton – Lady Be Good: The Life and Times of Dorothy Hale
- Sue Phillips – You Oughta Know
- Chera Thompson & NF Johnson – A Time to Wander
- Cara Sue Achterberg – Blind Turn
- K. – Resistance, Revolution and Other Love Stories
- Susan Lynn Solomon – Dancing Backwards
- Debra Whiting Alexander – A River for Gemma
- Anne Moose – House of Fragile Dreams
- Jane Ward – In the Aftermath
- Linda Rosen – Sisters of the Vine
- Drema Drudge – Victorine
- Kathy Sechrist – Success Is The Best Revenge
- Rick Lenz – Hello, Rest of My Life
- Cinda K. Swalley – The Golden Hearts Club
- Shan Leah – Thieves, Beasts & Men
- Gene Helfman – Beyond the Human Realm
- Emily A. Myers – The Truth About Unspeakable Things
- Sarahlyn Bruck – Daytime Drama
- Roberta Seret – Love Odyssey
- Barbara Linn Probst – The Sound Between the Notes
- Lynn McLaughlin – Jackson
- Jenn Bouchard – First Course
- Florence Reiss Kraut – How to Make a Life: a novel
- Susannah Marren – A Palm Beach Scandal
- C. Victorya Grace – Julip Lullabies and Silent Cries
- Mekiya Walters – Ashes, Ashes
PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

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

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

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

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

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

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2020 Somerset Awards is Gregory Erich Phillips for A Season in Lights

Click here to see the 2020 Somerset Book Award Winners for Literary and Contemporary Fiction.

We are now accepting submissions into the 2022 Somerset Book Awards for Literary and Contemporary Fiction. The 2022 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2023.

Please click here for more information.

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

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

FLEXIBLE REGISTRATIONS ARE AVAILABLE for these challenging times.

Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.

Join us for our 10th annual conference and discover why!

Featuring: International Best Selling Author Cathy Ace along with A+ list film producer Scott Steindorff.
February 21, 2022