Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Metaphysical

The 2022 MIND and SPIRIT CIBAs Finalists for Enlightenment and Well-Being Non-Fiction
Mind and Spirit Non-Fiction

The Mind and Spirit Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Enlightenment and Well-Being Non-Fiction and Memoir. The Mind and Spirit Book Awards is a genre division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring enlightenment, motivational/self-help, spirituality, mindfulness, well-being, meditation, and energy. We will put books about true and inspiring stories to the test and choose the best among them. See our full list of Non-Fiction Divisions here.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from the 2022 Mind and Spirit Non-Fiction Short List to the 2022 Mind and Spirit Book Awards Finalists. All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC23).

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 First Place and Grand Prize Winners of the 2022 Mind and Spirit Book Awards novel competition for Enlightenment, Spirituality, and Mindfulness Non-Fiction!

Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2022 CIBAs.
- Ananta Ripa Ajmera – The Way of the Goddess: Daily Rituals to Awaken Your Inner Warrior and Discover Your True Self
- Grieg de la Houssaye – Turn On Your Energy
- Nico Marceca and illustrated by Karen Sue Chen – The One Week Journal
- Kaleb Thompson – Peace in the Midst of the Storm
- Dr Amanda Foo-Ryland – Knowing You
- Wendie Colter, MCWC, CMIP – Essentials of Medical Intuition: A Visionary Path to Wellness
- Deborah Vinall, PsyD, LMFT – Gaslighting: A Step-by-Step Recovery Guide to Heal from Emotional Abuse and Build Healthy Relationships
- D Terrence Foster. M.D – The Stress Book: Forty-Plus Ways to Manage Stress & Enjoy Your Life
- Felicia Pizzonia – Mind Candy: The Code to Program Your Subconscious Mind to Achieve Any Goal
- Kyomi O’Connor – A Sky of Infinite Blue- A Japanese Immigrant’s Search for Home and Self
- Donna McCart Welser – Rue’s Butterfly
- Jocelyn Jones – ARTIST: Awakening the Spirit Within
- Daryl Potter – Even the Monsters. Living with Grief, Loss, and Depression
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.

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 2021 Mind and Spirit Awards is Beth Gibbs for Enlighten Up!

Click here to see the 2021 Mind and Spirit Book Award Winners

We are now accepting submissions into the 2023 Mind and Spirit Book Awards for Enlightenment and Well-Being Non-Fiction & Memoir. The 2023 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2024.

Please click here for more information.

See our Full List of Non-Fiction Divisions here!

Winners will be announced at the 2022 CIBA Awards Ceremony on April 29, 2023, 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!
March 2, 2023
The 2022 MIND and SPIRIT CIBAs Short List for Enlightenment and Well-Being Non-Fiction
The Mind and Spirit Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Enlightenment and Well-Being Non-Fiction and Memoir. The Mind and Spirit Book Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring enlightenment, motivational/self-help, spirituality, mindfulness, well-being, meditation, and energy. We will put books about true and inspiring stories to the test and choose the best among them. See our full list of Non-Fiction Divisions here.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from all 2022 Mind and Spirit Non-Fiction entries to the 2022 Mind and Spirit Book Awards SHORT LIST. Entries below are now in competition for 2022 Mind and Spirit Finalists. All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC23).

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 Mind and Spirit Book Awards novel competition for Enlightenment, Spirituality, and Mindfulness Non-Fiction!

Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2022 CIBAs.
- Ananta Ripa Ajmera – The Way of the Goddess: Daily Rituals to Awaken Your Inner Warrior and Discover Your True Self
- Grieg de la Houssaye – The Energy To Thrive
- Grieg de la Houssaye – Turn On Your Energy
- Nico Marceca and illustrated by Karen Sue Chen – The One Week Journal
- Kaleb Thompson – Peace in the Midst of the Storm
- Dr Amanda Foo-Ryland – Knowing You
- Wendie Colter, MCWC, CMIP – Essentials of Medical Intuition: A Visionary Path to Wellness
- Deborah Vinall, PsyD, LMFT – Gaslighting: A Step-by-Step Recovery Guide to Heal from Emotional Abuse and Build Healthy Relationships
- D Terrence Foster. M.D – The Stress Book: Forty-Plus Ways to Manage Stress & Enjoy Your Life
- Felicia Pizzonia – Mind Candy: The Code to Program Your Subconscious Mind to Achieve Any Goal
- Rick Soshensky – The Music Therapy Studio: Empowering the Soul’s Truth
- Kyomi O’Connor – A Sky of Infinite Blue- A Japanese Immigrant’s Search for Home and Self
- Margaret Tran – The ACTIONS
- Donna McCart Welser – Rue’s Butterfly
- Jocelyn Jones – ARTIST: Awakening the Spirit Within
- Daryl Potter – Even the Monsters. Living with Grief, Loss, and Depression
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.

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 2021 Mind and Spirit Awards is Beth Gibbs for Enlighten Up!

Click here to see the 2021 Mind and Spirit Book Award Winners

We are now accepting submissions into the 2023 Mind and Spirit Book Awards for Enlightenment and Well-Being Non-Fiction & Memoir. The 2023 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2024.

Please click here for more information.

See our Full List of Non-Fiction Divisions here!

Winners will be announced at the 2022 CIBA Awards Ceremony on April 29, 2023, 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 7, 2023
THE INSANE GOD by Jay Hartlove – Cosmic Horror, Paranormal Mystery, LGBT+ Fiction

Sarah, a transgender schizophrenic teenager, has spent the past seven years in a psychiatric ward. When all her symptoms of schizophrenia disappear after receiving a special necklace from a nurse, she must learn to live in a world that moved on without her, in The Insane God by Jay Hartlove.

She receives strange visions of two opposing gods in battle with each other, which Sarah and her brother Nate work together to understand. The reality of these visions threatens to endanger the lives of everyone on Earth unless they change the course of an eternal battle.

The Insane God touches on topics such as mental illness, mental health, gender identity, and racism.

While the author tells a complex story with these subjects, he doesn’t fully address them all to a satisfying degree.

What Hartlove does well with The Insane God is create a surreal horror novel. Sarah and Nate quickly accept their strange new reality, contending with surreal visions of these monster-like gods in a cataclysmic struggle of the cosmos. The Insane God will appeal to readers who like their expectations subverted.

Sarah shows remarkable strength in keeping herself together despite everything she has to endure. Because she is dealing with present and past struggles, her character development suffers within the confines of the story’s length and pace. The chapters that focus on Sarah generate the most interest through strong emotional engagement. Her gift is given by the necklace she wears; Sarah can just take it off and walk away from the conflict, but she chooses to face the gods, hoping that she can make a difference.

The Insane God is fast-paced, driving readers on with an excited curiosity to know what strange thing will happen next.

As the story reaches its climax and Sarah’s dreams are rapidly defying the laws of time and reason, it seems the threat is insurmountable. Will Sarah be able to fulfill her part in the workings of the universe? A strong current of humor balances this horror, even until the end.

Jay Hartlove’s The Insane God is a surreal science fiction journey that struggles at times to find its rhythm, but nevertheless tells an enthralling story like none other. Readers will be left wanting to see Sarah continue to grow, hoping that her story does not end here.

September 23, 2022
The MIND & SPIRIT 2021 CIBA WINNERS for Spirituality and Enlightenment Non-Fiction
The Mind and Spirit Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Enlightenment and Well-Being Non-Fiction and Memoir. The Mind and Spirit Book Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring enlightenment, motivational/self-help, spirituality, mindfulness, well-being, meditation, and energy. We will put books about true and inspiring stories to the test and choose the best among them. See our full list of Non-Fiction Divisions here.

The 2021 MIND & SPIRIT Book Awards First Place Category Winners and the MIND & SPIRIT Grand Prize Winner were announced by Sean Dwyer on Saturday, June 25, 2022 at the Hotel Bellwether and broadcast via ZOOM webinar.

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

Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2021 CIBAs.
- Mike Lutz – Jesus Speaking
- Tammy Green – Living Without Skin: Everything I Never Knew About Fierce Vulnerability
- Beth Gibbs – Enlighten Up!
- Starr Regan DiCiurcio – Divine Sparks: Interfaith Wisdom for a Postmodern World
- Reagan J. Pasternak – Griffin’s Heart: Mourning Your Pet With No Apologies
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2021 MIND & SPIRIT Awards is:

Enlighten Up!

Beth Gibbs

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, 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 MIND & SPIRIT Book Awards winners will be announced at CAC23 on April 29, 2023. Save the date for CAC23, scheduled April 27-30, 2023, our 10 year Conference Anniversary!

Submissions for the 2022 MIND & SPIRIT 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 1, 2022
The SECRET of the MOON by Anthony Allaway – Metaphysical Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Myths & Legends

In a world once nearly obliterated by war, mankind has been put under the control of powerful religious forces. However, not all humans are convinced of the beneficence of their rulers. A young man named Axel is destined to combat the evil that pervades his realm.

Axel is an introspective young man, partner to Val, his beautiful true love, with whom he shares many secrets from childhood. He questions the meaning of life, the mysteries of the cosmos, even the works of God. His nemesis Lucinder is the offspring of a mother raped and savagely beaten by his priest father, leaving him with no feelings of love or compassion, only hatred underpinned by a deep cynicism. Now known as the Serpent Priest, Lucinder and his goddess-like lover Shira hold thousands in thrall, promulgating rigid religious doctrine. When Axel learns that Lucinder is planning a global upheaval, he knows he must act before Lucinder has a chance to exact his wrath.

First, Axel urges his little band of loyal companions to retreat by entering the Enchanted Forest.

The forest is seen as a mysterious, dangerous place, but Axel reveals that he spent time in the forest as a child and that there are forces of good within its shadows. From a Buddha-like human figure and heavenly visions, Axel will learn why he has been chosen and what sacrifices he will make in an epic battle against evil.

In this engaging debut fantasy, Anthony Allaway writes with an undeniable flair for the genre with tropes reminiscent of Tolkien and C. S. Lewis.

He uses Biblical lore, European mythology, and ancient folklore in his story, though all are clothed in illusion and metaphor. One example is the fruit tree that stands in the middle of the Enchanted Forest, the tree from which Axel and Val eat the fruit. As a consequence of taking and eating the fruit, the children are banished from the Temples of Avalon, where the monks reside. But from the fruit, in Allaway’s mystical depiction, Axel is given revelations about the powerful secret of the moon.

The author has created vibrant characters: innocent children; nefarious priests; memorable females like the generous-hearted Grace and the nasty-minded Shira; and angelic beings who seem a cross between the pure spoken of in religious literature and the all-seeing but humanly flawed celestial overseers described in Greek mythology.

The blend of heady philosophy and an action-packed plot forms a colorful, page-turner-of-a novel. Allaway’s story is the stuff dreams are born out of, easily envisioned in cinematic images that will appeal to all imaginative readers.

May 29, 2020
The ONE APART by Justine Avery – Family Saga, Fantasy, Metaphysical/Visionary

A perfect blend of realism, fantasy, and deep spirituality awaits those who open Justine Avery’s novel, The One Apart. It is what readers bring to the novel – faiths, belief systems, philosophical dilemmas – that will influence and shape their perceptions of this fascinating and compelling read. Avery’s book, like life, is full of instruction for those who want to be fully aware.

Aware of what?

Everything—including awareness itself.

This is certainly the case for the main character, Aaron, a remarkable boy who lives with his mother, Sancha, and his grandmother, Maria. Although she’d planned to give Aaron up for adoption, Sancha bonds so deeply with her son at birth that she can’t fathom life without him. His grandmother realizes his uniqueness, too, as the newborn communicates with her through blinking his eyes. He makes astonishing progress through developmental milestones, walking and reading within the first months of life.

As a toddler, he speaks with the wisdom of a timeless soul. Maria suspects that these physical and mental feats indicate that her grandson is chosen for a special purpose, but she hopes he’ll live as normal a life as possible. He’s distracted, however, by a malevolence that only he can see. As Aaron comes of age, he strives to act normal and blend in, but his very few close friends and girlfriend notice his preoccupation, his never being fully present in this world.

There’s a reason for Aaron’s constant distraction, for his never feeling a part of this life; he is connected to “the Apart,” the other-worldly dimension that is both removed from human existence, “corporeality,” but ever at hand. Since childhood, he has sensed that his true name is Tres and that his existence as Aaron is somewhat play-acting. His hyper-awareness alerts him to his “OnLooker,” a sort of guardian angel who’s a liaison between Aaron and the sagacious luminary beings of the Apart that consult and advise on Aaron’s tutelage.

Much of the book involves Aaron learning, with the instruction of his OnLooker, how to fully experience awareness, to understand that every moment is this moment despite previous lives and the variety of life’s experiences. At a critical juncture in the novel, Aaron is given a choice, one that will impact his own existence dramatically but also that of all other beings. The author adroitly merges Aaron’s worldly existence and his relation to the realm of the Apart in a poignant and satisfying conclusion to the novel.

This is a quiet book, one that allows the reader the time and space to experience life with its main characters. The stillness is at times deeply peaceful, at other times eerie and ominous. The novel illustrates the power of compassion and empathy, but also the chilling consequences when power is exercised for self-serving purposes.

While the character of Aaron has similarities to various religious and mythic figures, the author has also imbued him with a uniqueness and a relevance to our times. This book will stay with you long after you finish it, a hallmark of excellent literature. Justine Avery’s The One Apart inspires deep contemplation of self, community, and individual and collective purpose.

The One Apart won First Place in both
OZMA and SOMERSET Awards in 2017!

December 10, 2018
NARADA’S CHILDREN: A Visionary Tale of Two Cities by Woody Carter – exploring universal values

A colorful fable resonates with contrasting modalities of mysticism and social action, exploring how culture and religion can separate us or bind us together.

Narada is a traveler and a stranger when he first meets the lovely Hohete and her people in the ancient city of Ja’Usu. Given water, food, and shelter by Hohete’s family, Narada is sharply questioned by village elders who are stymied by his forthright statement that he is a representative of a deity named The Great Mystery. So they conspire to remake him as a storyteller, to reduce his power and profit from his talent for spinning yarns by selling refreshments to his audience.

Narada hoodwinks them, though. He gathers all the people, even the despised Oromo beggars, and arranges for the poor to be given food instead of buying it. He then weaves a wondrous story of another city, Oakland, California, in the early twenty-first century; there, Arthur Renfro, a community activist, is trying to improve conditions for his fellow African Americans.

The people of Ja’Usu are magically able to “see” the story as Narada tells it, becoming immersed in the strange ways of a civilization where women have power, and rejected groups like the Oromo may be objects of social concern, not disapprobation.

Narada subtly constructs his parable, measuring the relative power of religion, psychiatry, and social change to improve individual lives and using Ja’Usu and Oakland as contrasting examples. In Oakland, Arthur Renfro proposes meditation as a radical method to resolve the deep inner conflict within the spirits of his people. In Ja’Usu, the tale of Arthur’s quest for equality and aid for minorities will gradually break down ancient taboos, presenting the potential of liberation for women like Hohete and for the oppressed Oromo.

Narrative theologian and author Woody Carter has worked with organizations concerned with the welfare of African Americans like those he depicts in Narada’s Children.

Carter’s use of language is enchanting and emotive, evoking folk memory like a tribal griot. Like his audience in the fire-lit square of Ja’Usu, readers will be lulled and lured into his tale and see, perhaps, how their own perceptions accord with “the imperishable records of celestial light” from which the Narada draws his wisdom.

Through the interactions of people in two great cities—one ancient, one modern—Narada’s Children explores the universal value of genuine fairness and equality. Masterfully written, this uplifting and encouraging work is a spiritually transporting tale that is much needed by those of all races and creeds—especially in today’s turbulent times.

September 7, 2016