Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Narrative Non-Fiction Writing Competition

First Place Category Winners for the 2015 JOURNEY Awards
The JOURNEY Awards writing competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Narrative Non-fiction. The Journey Awards is a division of the Chanticleer Awards International Writing Competitions.

We are pleased to announce the 2015 JOURNEY Awards Official First Place Category Winners. Good Luck to them as they compete for the 2015 Journey Grand Prize Award.
- Enlightenment: Grant Harper Reid – Rhythm for Sale
- Travelogue: Bonnie Rose Ward – Winds of Skilak: A Tale of True Grit, True Love, and Survival in the Alaskan Wilderness
- Self-help/How-to: Dr. Harish K. Malhotra, M.D. – Metaphors of Healing
- Volunteer Experience: George DeVault – Fire Call: A Volunteer Firefighter’s Memoir
- True Action/Adventure: Wendy Hinman – Tightwads on the Loose – A Seven Year Pacific Odyssey
- Memoir/Journey: H. Alan Day – The Horse Lover: A Cowboy’s Quest to Save the Wild Mustangs
More than $30,000 dollars in cash and prizes are awarded to Chanticleer International Blue Ribbon Awards Winners annually.

The Journey First Place Category award winners will compete for the Journey Grand Prize Award for the 2015 Best Narrative Non-fiction work. Grand Prize winners, blue ribbons, and prizes will be announced and awarded on April 30, 2016 at the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala, Bellingham, Wash.

The First In Category award winners will receive an award package including a complimentary book review, digital award badges, shelf talkers, book stickers, and more.

We are now accepting entries into the 2017 JOURNEY Awards. The deadline is February 28, 2017. Click here for more information or to enter.

Congratulations to those who made the JOURNEY AWARDS 2015 FINALISTS official listing.

More than $30,000 worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to the 2015 Chanticleer Novel Writing Competition winners! Ten genres to enter your novels and compete on an international level.

Who will take home the $1,000 purse this coming April at the Chanticleer Awards Gala and Banquet?
March 3, 2016
SPIRITUAL BLACKMAIL: My Journey Through a Catholic Cult by Sherri Schettler – a cautionary tale

In the early 1960s, leaders of the Roman Catholic Church found themselves grappling with dynamic shifts in the expectations and needs of contemporary society. In order to accommodate these shifts Pope John XXIII called for a special gathering of religious leaders. The gathering, referred to as the Second Vatican Council, aka Vatican II, outlined new strategies to make the disciplines of the Church and the explanations of her doctrine more accessible to her members.

Unfortunately many of the clergy, as well as the faithful, viewed these strategies as an undermining of centuries-old Catholic doctrine. Confusion and alarm within the hearts and minds of many traditionally-minded Catholics was the unfortunate result.

Author Sherri Schettler’s family was one of the many that succumbed to a deep-rooted fear that the new church had lost the necessary wherewithal to satisfy their spiritual needs. It was this sentiment that rendered them vulnerable to the charismatic “Bishop” Francis Schukardt who, with his renegade faction of misguided fundamentalists, shepherded them into the dark territory of mind control, and ultimately, betrayal. For Sherri, a trusting, vulnerable 14 year-old, the journey became one that would severely test both her faith and her resolve.

Informative and introspective, “Spiritual Blackmail” reveals the many facets of traumatic bonding, also known as Stockholm syndrome, in which an isolated individual identifies with and often defends her “captors.” But Sherri proved to be no ordinary follower.

In this honest and courageous memoir, author Sherri Schettler provides the reader with a riveting account of her years of near-incarceration within the confines of the ultra-traditional Fatima Crusade. And with grace and compassion she exposes, understands, and, ultimately, forgives the cruel actions of a spiritual flock that strayed from its Christian path.

Author Sherri Schettler’s story is a cautionary tale of the power of deception and a window into the genesis of radical fundamental religious thought.

Reviewer’s Note: The Second Vatican Council was formally opened by Pope John Paul XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed by Pope Paul VI on 8 December 1965.

November 10, 2015
The JOURNEY AWARDS for Narrative Non-Fiction 2015 Official Finalist List
The JOURNEY Awards writing competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Narrative Non-fiction. The Journey Awards is a division of the Chanticleer Awards International Writing Competitions.

We are pleased to announce the JOURNEY Awards Official Finalists List for 2015, otherwise known as the “Short List” from all the 2015 entries received. The Official Finalists Listing is comprised of works that have passed the first three rounds of judging from the entire field of entrants. To pass the first three rounds of judging, more than sixty pages of the works below have been read and been deemed worthy by the CBR judges of continuing in competition for the JOURNEY Awards FIRST IN CATEGORY positions and their prize packages.

Congratulations to the JOURNEY AWARDS 2015 FINALISTS and Good Luck to them as they compete for the First Place Category Positions:
- Grant Harper Reid – Rhythm for Sale
- Tessa Shaffer – Heaven Has No Regrets
- Bonnie Rose Ward – Winds of Skilak
- Harish K. Malhotra – Metaphors of Healing
- George DeVault – Fire Call
- Wendy Hinman – Tightwads on the Loose
- Margaret Irving – Frozen Tears
- H. Alan Day – The Horse Lover
- Gayle Nix Jackson – The Missing JFK Assassination Film
- George DeFault for Fire Call
- Warren Dent – Regentville
- Roni McFadden – The Longest Trail
- Ginger Cucolo – The Knoll
Good luck to all the Journey Awards Finalists who made the Short List as they compete for the First In Category Positions!

More than $30,000 dollars in cash and prizes are awarded to Chanticleer International Blue Ribbon Awards Winners annually.

The Journey First Place Category award winners will compete for the Journey Grand Prize Award for the 2015 Best Narrative Non-fiction work. Grand Prize winners, blue ribbons, and prizes will be announced and awarded on April 29, 2016 at the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala, Bellingham, Wash.

The First In Category award winners will receive an award package including a complimentary book review, digital award badges, shelf talkers, book stickers, and more.

We are now accepting entries into the 2016 JOURNEY Awards. The deadline is January 31st, 2016. Click here for more information or to enter.

More than $30,000 worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to the 2015 Chanticleer Novel Writing Competition winners! Ten genres to enter your novels and compete on an international level.

Who will take home the $1,000 purse this coming April at the Chanticleer Awards Gala and Banquet?
November 3, 2015
I REMEMBER HORSEBUNS by Rafe Mair, a historical memoir

In this delightfully well-written, very personal memoir, Rafe Mair, who describes himself as a British Columbian first and a Canadian second, tells the story of his childhood and beyond as he grew up in Vancouver. Mair was a politician in Premier Bill Bennett’s cabinet in Victoria, then left politics behind to host the radio show Open Line. An opinionated commentator and a lover of history, Mair describes himself as having a “revolutionary bent.” His reminiscences of Vancouver and British Columbia during a time of great growth and change are insightful and fascinating.

Mair begins his story on a humorous, explanatory note of the book’s title, recalling the early years of Vancouver, during which commodities such as bread, eggs, and milk were delivered to one’s door by horse-drawn wagons. One side effect of these deliveries was the frequent pile of “horsebuns” left behind in the street, which came in very handy for the fertilization of the “Victory Gardens” during the war! Mr. Mair also gives a humorous, yet serious definition of what it is to be a true British Columbian.

Yet underneath the humorous anecdotes and light-hearted reminiscences, this memoir is a modern historical record of British Columbia and Canada, as told by a man who deeply understands the politics, culture and history of his homeland. He juxtaposes intimate portraits of his family with detailed renderings of events that shaped his hometown and province. His childhood, spent in Vancouver’s neighborhoods, provides a picture of the immigrant communities that became the foundation of the city’s modern, cosmopolitan culture. His love for his country, as well as his in-depth knowledge of it, shines through on every page.

As an adult, Mair was active in fighting for or against legislation he strongly believed would aid or threaten the very survival of his province and its cities. These events are described with an insider’s understanding of what was at stake. Mair continues his work to this day, as an environmental activist and community leader.

Readers of this memoir are entertained and also given an insightful rendering of Canada and its culture that they would never glean from reading history books. Highly recommended for Canadians who want a deeper understanding of the events that have shaped their country and culture, as well as for Americans who want to better know their neighbors to the north.

September 17, 2015
JOURNEY AWARDS for Narrative Non-fiction FIRST PLACE Category Winners
Chanticleer Book Reviews is honored to announce the First Place Category Winners for the JOURNEY Awards 2014, a genre division of the Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Award Writing Competitions.

The Journey Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Narrative Non-fiction. The Journey Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer Book Reviews Blue Ribbon Awards Writing Competitions.

First Place Category Winners for the Journey Awards are:
- Global Enlightenment: Thwarted Escape by Lopamudra Banerjee
- Personal Journey: The Breast is History, by Bronwyn Hope
- Career Experiences: Caregiving Our Loved Ones by Nanette J. Davis, Ph.D.
- An Era Memoir: Soviet Letters by Alex Posoukh
- Travelogue Experiences: Moroccan Musings by Anne B. Barriault
- True Action: Waking Reality by Donna LeClair
- How-to/Life Experiences: The Accidental Teacher: Life Lessons from my Silent Son by Annie Lubliner Lehmann
- Best Manuscript: Five Thousand Brothers in Law: Love in Angola Prison by Shannon Hager
CONGRATULATIONS!

The 1st Place Category Winners compete for the JOURNEY AWARDS 2014 GRAND PRIZE position. The 2014 JOURNEY category winner was announced at the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala in September 2015. See the Grand Prize Winners.
- The deadline for entries into the Journey Awards 2014 was Feb. 28, 2014.
- The deadline for entries into the Journey Awards 2015 is Feb. 28, 2015.
GRAND PRIZE Overall Journey Awards Winner from 2013:

Christine Smith, More Faster, Backwards: Rebuilding David

To view the 2013 JOURNEY Award Winners, please click here.

To compete in the 2015 Journey Awards or for more information, please click here.

THE DEADLINE TO ENTER THE 2015 JOURNEY Novel Writing Competitions is February 28th, 2015.

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CBR’s rigorous writing competition standards are why literary agencies seek out our winning manuscripts and self-published novels. Our high standards are also why our reviews are trusted among booksellers and book distributors.

Please do not hesitate to contact Info@ChantiReviews.com about any questions, concerns, or suggestions about CBR writing competitions. Your input and suggestions are important to us.

Thank you for your interest in Chanticleer Book Reviews international writing competitions.

Chanticleer Book Reviews & Media, L.L.C. retains the right to not declare “default winners.” Winning works are decided upon merit only. Please visit our Contest Terms and Conditions page for more information about our writing contest guidelines.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
February 2, 2015
Metaphors of Healing by Dr. Harish Malhotra

One rarely sees a self-help book from a practicing psychotherapist that offers more humor and appeal to the common denominator in all of us than this collection of brief stories: Metaphors of Healing : Playful Language in Psychotherapy and Everyday Life. Dr. Malhotra offers a simple, but brilliant, idea: Use the healing language of metaphor as a therapeutic strategy and a curative approach for daily life.

Metaphors of Healing organizes metaphors by themes, including “The Daily Grind,” “Dating,” “Being a Better and Happier You,” and “Addiction,” among the 14 chapter titles. For instance, try reading “Is the Left Lane Too Fast?” as a metaphor for slowing down, easing the professional load, and getting reacquainted with our family. Its appeal is in the simplicity of applying the idea toward easing anxiety and cutting back on the “daily grind” most of us know too well. In addition, we gain a visceral sense of how the self-imposed pressure to succeed contributes to everyday unease and unnecessary fears.

Another feature of Metaphors is how easily one remembers a story, but forgets most of the high-minded advice of a therapist. If the story fits (and most of these have the superb quality of fitting very well) a client can leave his therapy session with an entirely new way of dealing with his or her issue. For instance, he says, “A dead-end road is not the same as a dead end journey.” We can always find another route more effective than the lost cause we thought was our destiny.

Malhotra’s training in both psychotherapy and behavioral approaches offered flexibility for initially coping with his patients’ various maladies. Shifting to metaphor when confronting dis-ease, he discovered, incorporated an even broader spectrum: healing words from unexpected sources. Who knew a figure of speech could have such transformative powers?

Malhotra aims to move people beyond their negativity, beyond their holding on to old problems, and even beyond their expectations to achieve a lifestyle free of judgment and criticism. I found his ideas on marriage as mindfulness exercises very significant—he speaks of empathy as the path to marital happiness: “Walking in the moccasins of one’s spouse” contributes to compassion and forgiveness, opening the door to an enduring love.

The author is not a Pollyanna, an everything-is-beautiful-if only-you employ-a-metaphor to your life issues. Change requires commitment and persistence. We all seek successful relationships, whether we are talking about a difficult boss, an annoying neighbor next-door or our beloved spouse. Malhotra stresses how precious any relationship can be when it is working, even when it is very challenging. The healing power of any relationship blooms only under certain conditions, however: practicing the difficult virtues of restraint and diligence.

This is not a book to be read in one sitting or all at once. It is one that the reader will find herself/himself picking up again and again taking in a chapter or a metaphor to ponder and, perhaps, adapt. It will become, more or less, a gentle companion that guides and inspires. One will find, on reflection and on rereading, that these simple stories contain deep insight and wisdom. Clinicians and those seeking to increase their understanding of themselves and their fellow humans would benefit immensely from reading Metaphors of Healing.

January 17, 2015
Journey Awards First Place Category Winners for Narrative Non-fiction
Chanticleer Book Reviews is honored to announce the First Place Category winners of the Journey Awards for Narrative Non-fiction.

The Journey Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Narrative Non-fiction. The Journey Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer Book Reviews Blue Ribbon Awards Writing Competitions.

The Overall First Place Genre Winner for the Journey Awards 2013 is:

Christine Smith, More Faster Backwards

First Place Category Winners for the Journey Awards for Narrative Non-Fiction are:
- Era Memoir – Unforgiving, The Memoir of an Asperger Teen by Margaret Jean Adam
- Travelogue Experiences – My Next Husband Will be Normal by Rae Ellen Lee
- Enlightenment – My Aphasic Journey – by Carol Schultz
- Experiences – Survivor Clift by Jessica Clift
- Experiences – The Tutor by Debra Boyle
- True Action/Adventure – More Faster Backwards by Christine Smith
- Personal Journey – Leaving Early by Don Waitt
First Place Category Winners competed for the Overall 1st Place Prize for The Journey Awards 2013.

The Overall 1st Place Prize received $250 U.S. cash prize plus promotion. Overall 1st Place Award winners went on to compete for the Grand Prize Blue Ribbon purse of $1,000. For more information, please visit our Contest Details page at: https://www.chantireviews.com/contest-details

The deadline for submitting entries for The Journey Awards 2013 was Jan. 31, 2013 midnight.

The deadline to enter The Journey Awards 2014 was Feb. 28, 2014.

The deadline to enter The Journey Awards 2015 is Feb. 28, 2015.
May 30, 2013
The Journey Awards – 2013 Finalists for Narrative Non-Fiction
It is our pleasure to announce the FINALISTS of Rounds One and Two of The Journey Awards for Narrative Non-Fiction 2013.

The Journey Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Narrative Non-fiction. The Journey Awards is a division of Chanticleer Book Reviews Blue Ribbon Awards Writing Competitions.

Finalists for the Journey Awards 2013 are:
- Unforgiving: The Memoir of an Asperger Teen by Margaret Jean Adam
- The Tutor by Debra Ann Boyle
- Love Is So Brief: A Journey through Pablo Neruda’s “Poem 20″ by Sean Dwyer
- Survivor Clift by Jessica Clift
- The Devil’s Gateway by Helen Coleman
- My Next Husband Will be Normal by Rae Ellen Lee
- Borrowed Time by Carolyn Leeper
- Meritage Divorce by Cheryl Nielsen
- The Shell of a Person by Lance Pototschnik
- Crossing the Void: My Aphasic Journey by Carol Schultz
- More Faster Backwards: Rebuilding David B by Christine Smith
- Leaving Early by Don Waitt
The next round will be for First Place Category Winners; The Journey Awards. Winners will be contacted before the end of June 2013. First Place Category Winners will compete for the Overall 1st Place Prize for The Journey Awards 2013.

The deadline for submitting entries for The Journey Awards 2013 was Jan. 31, 2013 midnight.

The deadline to enter The Journey Awards 2014 will be Jan. 31, 2014.

Chanticleer Book Reviews & Media retains the right to not declare “default winners.” Winning works are decided upon merit only. Please visit our Contest Details page for more information.

Please do not hesitate to contact info@ChantiReviews.com about any concerns, questions, or suggestions about CBR writing competitions. Your input is important to us.
April 19, 2013