Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Non-fiction book awards

The 2025 Hearten Short List for Inspiring and Uplifting Non-Fiction
The Hearten Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Inspiring and Uplifting Non-Fiction and Memoirs. The Hearten 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 true stories about adventures, life events, unique experiences, travel, personal journeys, global enlightenment, and more. 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 2025 Hearten Non-Fiction Long List to the 2025 Hearten Book Awards SHORT LIST. Entries below are now in competition for 2025 Hearten Semi-Finalists. Finalists will be selected from the Semi-Finalists. All FINALISTS will be recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC26).

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 28 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 18th, 2026 in beautiful Bellingham, WA sponsored by the 2026 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

These titles are in the running for the SEMI-FINALISTS of the 2025 Hearten Book Awards novel competition for Uplifting and Inspiring Non-Fiction!

Join us in celebrating the Short List authors and their works in the 2025 CIBAs.
- Alia Luria – Geri O Shimasu: Adventures of a Baka Gaijin
- Andy Becker – Grandy Let’s Play: Reflections on the Joy Blessings and Wonder of Grandparenting
- Barb Drummond – I Finally Have the Smoking Hot Body I Have Always Wanted Having Been Cremated
- Brent Larsen – You Make My Heart Giggle Dad-isms the Wisdom and Wit of Dad
- Candace Macphie – Finding Color
- Cerridwen Fallingstar – Rocket in My Pocket: Defying Gravity with Levity, From the Frontiers of Space… To the Frontiers of Consciousness
- Charlene Pell – In This Altered Body: A Survivor’s Story of Resilience and Love
- Christine Amoroso – Bare Naked in Public: A Memoir
- Cynthia Waine Brandt – Song of the Cardinal: A True Story of Miracles and Magic After Heartbreaking Loss
- Doug Cameron – My Tarzan Tree and Other Farm Boy Memories
- Dr. Deb Miller – Forget the Fairy Tale and Find Your Happiness
- Jeff Richards – Nothing Left To Lose: Or How Not To Start a Commune
- Jennifer Celeste Briggs – Watching Sarah Rise: a Journey of Thriving with Autism
- Julie Ryan Mcgue – Twice the Family: a Memoir of Love Loss and Sisterhood
- Kate Grant – No Woman Left Behind: a Journey of Hope To Heal Every Woman Injured in Childbirth
- Kathy Sechrist – Sara’s Redemption: a Journey of Courage Resilience and Hope
- Kay Brooks – Behind the White Beard Dale Ballew’s Story
- Kee Kee Buckley – Seeking Shama: Me, My Dog, and the Road To Inner Peace
- Maggie Enriquez – The Rebirth of a Phoenix
- Margie Crowe Wildblood – Because He Loved Me
- Marti Tote – Up Grief Creek Without a Paddle
- Patricia Eagle – Dog Love Stories the Canines Who Changed Me
- Rabei A. Wazzeh – The Masterpiece of Nature
- Rhona Morrison – From Crime Scenes to Cruise Ships: Navigating life’s troubled waters with resilience and hope
- Ricardo Jose Gonzalez-Rothi – The Mango Chronicle
- Robert Macauley – Because I Knew You: How Some Remarkable Sick Kids Healed a Doctor’s Soul
- Stacey Hettes – Dispatches From the Couch
- Sue Vana – Shaken by God’s Love From Fear To Favor in Grief’s Upside-Down World
- Tammy Dietz – Falling From Disgrace
Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

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

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

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

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2024 Hearten Awards is:

Elk Love: A Montana Memoir

By Lynne Spriggs O’Connor

See the full list of 2024 First Place Hearten Winners here!

We are now accepting submissions into the 2026 Hearten Book Awards for Inspiring and Uplifting Narrative Non-Fiction.

Please click here for more information.

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

April 16 – 19, 2026! Save the Date for Registration!

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

Join us for our annual conference and discover why!
December 16, 2025
The 2025 Journey Short List for Overcoming Adversity in Narrative Non-Fiction
The Journey Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Overcoming Adversity in Narrative Non-Fiction and Memoir. The Journey 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 true stories about adventures, life events, unique experiences, travel, personal journeys, global enlightenment, and more. 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 2025 Journey Non-Fiction Long List to the 2025 Journey Book Awards SHORT LIST. Entries below are now in competition for 2025 Journey Semi-Finalists. Finalists will be selected from the Semi-Finalists. All FINALISTS will be recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC26).

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 28 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 18th, 2026 in beautiful Bellingham, WA sponsored by the 2026 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

These titles are in the running for the SEMI-FINALISTS of the 2025 Journey Book Awards novel competition for Overcoming Adversity in Non-Fiction!

Join us in celebrating the Long List authors and their works in the 2025 CIBAs.
- Amanda Carrasco – Becoming the Brave One
- Amy Mackin – Henry’s Classroom: a Special Education in American Motherhood
- Ana Hebra Flaster – Property of the Revolution: From a Cuban Barrio To a New Hampshire Mill Town
- Anne Abel – High Hopes
- Anselm Ezemson – Chasing Closure: a Life on the Edge of Belonging
- Baldur Einarsson – Ice and Fire: Thawing a Murderer’s Heart
- Barbara Jenkins – So Long As It’s Wild
- Beth Granger – Born and Razed: Surviving the Cult Was Only Half the Battle
- Brandi Dredge – Girl Uncoded: a Memoir of Passion Betrayal and Eventual Blessings
- Brian J. Quattlebaum – A Mad Box of Rain
- Carl Gorham – My Life in a Garden: Love, Loss, and Mulch: a Single Dad Seeks Answers in Nature
- Carol Odell, LICSW – Girl Groomed: a Therapist’s Memoir of Trauma
- Carolyn Saletto – One Hazel Green Eye
- Casey Mulligan Walsh – The Full Catastrophe: All I Ever Wanted Everything I Feared
- Chanchal Garg – Unearthed: the Lies We Carry & the Truths They Bury
- Cheryl Landes – The Best I Can Do: A True Story of Navigating the Complexities of Mental Illness and Homelessness
- Christine Amoroso – Bare Naked in Public: a Memoir
- Cynthia Moore – Dancing on Coals: a Memoir of an Overperformer
- Cynthia Waine Brandt – Song of the Cardinal: a True Story of Miracles and Magic After Heartbreaking Loss
- Damien Thompson – And Then I Would Fly
- Debbie Hartung – The Factory of Maladies: Seven Days on a San Francisco Psych Ward
- Deborah M. Foster – What’s So Bad About Being Poor: Our Lives in the Shadows of the Poverty Experts
- Diane C Pomerantz Ph.D. – Lost in the Reflecting Pool: Surviving Narcissistic Emotional Abuse
- Emily Sayre Smith – Smartass: Memoir of a Mouthy Girl
- Franke James – Freeing Teresa: A True Story about My Sister and Me
- Gavin O’Donnell – Father’s Day
- Heidi Yewman – Dumb Girl
- Hendrika De Vries – Open Turns
- Jacquelyn Dickey – The Dash
- Jane Cafarella – Cleaved: a Story of Loss, Legs, and Finding Family
- Janine Kovac – The Nutcracker Chronicles
- Jennifer Celeste Briggs – Watching Sarah Rise a Journey of Thriving with Autism
- Julie Randall – Patient 71: an Inspiring True Story of a Mother’s Love That Fueled Her Fight To Stay Alive
- Kathy Sechrist – Sara’s Redemption: A Journey of Courage Resilience and Hope
- Kelly-Anne Kerley – Breaking Up with My Wheelchair
- Lucie Frost – How the Hell Did I Not Know That: My Midlife Year From Couch To Curiosity
- Marti Tote – Can You Ride a Raindrop To the Ocean
- Mary Garden – My Father’s Suitcase
- Mary Jumbelic M.D. – Speak Her Name
- Mia Bolton – As We Bloom: Wisdom From Extraordinary Everyday Women & Gender Nonconforming People
- Mitchell Raff – Little Boy I Know Your Name
- Nin Mok – Suddenly Silent and Still
- Peter Flom – Twice as Weird: A Memoir about Twice Exceptionality
- PJ Hamilton – From the Piney Woods 2nd Edition
- Robert Carney – Unscarred
- Robert Macauley – Because I Knew You: How Some Remarkable Sick Kids Healed a Doctor’s Soul
- Ryan Mcdermott – Downriver: Memoir of a Warrior Poet
- Sondra R. Brooks – Not Good Enough Girl: A Memoir of an Inconvenient Daughter
- Stacey Hettes – Dispatches From the Couch
- Steven Simmons Shelton, MA, JD – Memoir of a Mangled Mind: How Concealing My Dissociative Identity Disorder Unleashed Multiple Personalities
- Wendy Crockett and Ian McPhee – Pushing Miles: A chronicle of Motorcycles, Mayhem, and Mettle
- Wilma Macliver – Life Behind the Masks
Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

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

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

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

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2024 JOURNEY Awards is:

Unfollow Me

By Kathryn Caraway

See the full list of 2024 First Place Journey Winners here!

We are now accepting submissions into the 2026 Journey Book Awards for Overcoming Adversity in Narrative Non-Fiction.

Please click here for more information.

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

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

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

Join us for our annual conference and discover why!
December 8, 2025
The 2025 I&I Long List for Instruction & Insight
The Instruction and Insight Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Guides and Self- Help Non-Fiction. The I&I 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 HOW-TO, Guidance, Travel Guides, Cookbooks, Instruction, Insight, Self-Help, and more.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from all 2025 I&I Non-Fiction entries to the 2025 I&I Book Awards LONG LIST. Entries below are now in competition for the I&I Short List. The Short Listers will compete for the Semi-Finalist positions. Finalists will be selected from the Semi-Finalists. All FINALISTS will be recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC26).

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 18th, 2025 in beautiful Bellingham, WA at the Bellingham Yacht Club sponsored by the 2025 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2025 I&I Book Awards novel competition for Guiding and How-to Non-Fiction!

Join us in celebrating the Long List authors and their works in the 2025 CIBAs.
- Albert Jung – What’s Your Name
- Alejandra Acuña – Stones, Flowers, and Lessons Learned
- Ana María López Jimeno – Vademecum of English: a Complete Reference Guide for Teachers and Learners
- Andrew Cooper – The Ethical Imperative: Leading with Conscience To Shape the Future of Business
- Ashlee Piper – No New Things
- Darryl Arrington, PhD – Epilogue: Now We Rise Above the Trafficking Experience
- Dawn Madelon Barclay – Vacations Can Be Murder: a True Crime Lover’s Travel Guide To New England
- Evan M. Butterfield – Copyright for Creatives: a Practical Guide To Copyright Law for Creative People Who Make Stuff
- Hanna Hasl-Kelchner, Mba Jd – Seeking Fairness at Work: Cracking the New Code of Greater Employee Engagement Retention Satisfaction
- Holly Thorton – The Hardest Help: Supporting a Loved One Through Addiction
- Jack Wolf – Critical Thinking for Go-Getters
- Jerome Puryear – The Art of Thinking: Critically with Clarity for Optimal Health Your Longevity Is Determined by How You Think
- Judy Taylor – Magpie Times Marshmallow World
- Kathleen Lockyer – Wild Inside: How Nature Protects Your Child’s Mental Health and Restores Yours
- Leslie Bains – Birds, Monarch Butterflies, and Short Hikes in the Santa Barbara Area
- Luella Goethals – Resonance Chakra Balance and the Law of Attraction
- Léonie Rosenstiel – They’re Coming for Your Elders and Your Inheritance: Ways To Protect Your Family Mitigate the Damage and Change the System
- Stephen Rue – Must: Becoming the Person You Are Meant To Be
- Tak Salmastyan – The Life’s Theater: Book One: Echoes That Suffocate, Art and Essays
- Tissa Richards – Rethinking Resilience: Fueling Your Competitive Advantage
- Tony Jeton Selimi – Climb Greater Heights
Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

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

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

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

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2024 I&I Awards is:

Success With Hydrangeas

By Lorraine Ballato

See the full list of 2024 First Place I&I Winners here!

We are now accepting submissions into the 2026 I&I Book Awards for Guiding and Helpful Non-Fiction.

Please click here for more information.

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

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

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

Join us for our annual conference discover why!
November 17, 2025
The 2025 Mind and Spirit Long List for Spirituality and Enlightenment
The Mind & Spirit Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Spirituality and Enlightenment Non-Fiction. The Mind & 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 Spirituality, Enlightenment, Self-Help, Mindfulness, Well-being, Meditation, Energy, and more.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from all 2025 Mind & Spiri Non-Fiction entries to the 2025 Mind & Spirit Book Awards LONG LIST. Entries below are now in competition for 2025 Mind & Spirit 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 (CAC26).

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 28 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 18th, 2026 in beautiful Bellingham, WA sponsored by the 2026 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2025 Mind & Spirit Book Awards novel competition for Spirituality and Enlightenment Non-Fiction!

Join us in celebrating the Long List authors and their works in the 2025 CIBAs.
- Amy L. Bernstein – Wrangling the Doubt Monster: Fighting Fears Finding Inspiration
- Andy Becker – “Grandy Let’s Play!”: Reflections on the Joy Blessings and Wonder of Grandparenting
- Andy Chaleff – Dying To Live: Finding Life’s Meaning Through Death
- Anne Jeppesen – When Life Came Knocking
- Charlotte Swift – Glow Up: Self-Love and Spirituality for Teens
- Cheryl Lynn – Washing the Inside of the Cup: My Journey of Walking in the Spirit
- D. H. Hutton – Drums of a Distant Tribe: a Son’s Message From the Great Beyond
- Danielly Kaufmann – The Age of Digital Spirit
- Diane Marie Taylor – I’m on Assignment: an Alternative View of Past Lives, the Impact on Our Current Lives, Soul Mates, World History, and the Akashic Records
- G.W. Evans – Heaven’s Hill: Meeting Your Loved Ones on the Other Side
- Dr. James Manning – Deeply Human the Science and Soul of Emotional Healing
- J.D. Pincus Ph.d. – The Emotionally Agile: Brain Mastering the 12 Emotional Needs That Drive Us
- Julianna Lindsey – Radiant Longevity a Physician’s Protocol for Living Your Best Life
- Keith and Erin Ramachandran – Mental Health, Strong Marriage
- Lara Sanderson – Mātrikā’s Muse: a Journey To Awakening Through the Senses
- Linda A. Lavid – Personal Archetypes for Stress Relief: a Holistic Guide
- Marie-Eve Dawood – Jesus Shrank My Dating Pool: Holding Out for a Godly Man When It Feels Like You’ve Missed the Boat
- Marti Tote – A Whisper in the Wings
- Natalie Saar – Becoming 1 Better: 100 Simple Changes To Improve Your Life 1 at a Time
- Paul O’Neill – Letters To a Young Teacher: Wisdom for Those Who Guide Others
- Rev. Robyn Accetturo, Lcsw – I Am the Reluctant Messiah and So Are You
- Stavo Mustang Craft – Auto Antenna: an Enchanted Guide To Santa Fe & Vague Blueprint To the Cosmos
- Terri Harford – New Body, Old Soul
- Timeout A. Taumu – The Magnificence of the 3
- Tyrone Polastri – Dancing on the Edge: Moving Through Life with Power, Dignity, and Effectiveness
Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

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

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

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

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

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2024 Mind & Spirit Awards is:

Naked in the Now: Juicy Practices for Getting Present

By Marijke McCandless

See the full list of 2024 First Place Mind and Spirit Winners here!

We are now accepting submissions into the 2026 Mind and Spirit Book Awards for Spiritual Non-Fiction.

Please click here for more information.

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

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

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

Join us for our annual conference and discover why!
November 12, 2025
Five Days Remain: The Series, Collections, Nellie Bly, and Military and Front Line Awards call!
The 2025 CIBAs Close Soon!

Don’t let your book miss out!
Only 5 days left to submit your books to these prestigious CIBA Divisions and embark on an extraordinary journey to success.

The Chanticleer International Book Awards provide ongoing recognition that amplifies authors’ digital footprints through high-traffic website features, social media promotion, newsletter spotlights, and long-tail marketing that continues promoting winners throughout the year and beyond!

The Series, Collections and Anthologies, Nellie Bly and Military and Front Line Awards are still open!

Congratulations to the 2024 Winners of the Series Awards!
- Karen Inglis – Secret Lake Mystery Adventures
- Glen Dahlgren – The Chronicles of Chaos
- Sandra Wagner-Wright – Salem Stories
- Taryn R. Hutchison – A Cold War Trilogy
- Kari Bovee – The Pryce of Murder
- J.L. Oakley – The Jossing series
- Ralph R. “Rick” Steinke – Jake Fortina Series
- Mike Murphey – Tales of Physics, Lust and Greed
- Rose Prendeville – Brides of Chattan
And a huge round of applause to our 2024 Series Grand Prize Winner:

A Vengeful Realms

By Tim Facciola

Collections and Anthologies is our Newest Division, recently split off of the SEA Shorts Award!

SEA Shorts now covers Short Stories, Essays and Novellas together, and Collections and Anthologies is for exactly that, Multi-Story Collections and Multi-Author Anthologies!
The Nellie Bly Award for Journalistic and Research-Based Non-Fiction
- Carla Conti – Chained Birds: A True Crime Memoir
- Kori Reed – Men-in-the-Middle Conversations to Gain Momentum with Gender Equity’s Silent Majority
- Bonnie Bley – Stolen Voices: Missing and Murdered in Big Horn County
- Sarah Towle – Crossing the Line: Finding America in the Borderlands
And a huge round of applause to our 2024 Nellie Bly Grand Prize Winner:

The Sing Sing Files

One Journalist, Six Innocent Men, and A 20 Year Fight For Justice

By Dan Slepian

Congratulations to the 2024 Winners of the Military and Front Line Awards for Service to Others Non-Fiction!
- Roderick S. Haynes – Unauthorized Disclosures a Navy Memoir of the 1980s
- David Huntley – The B-17 Tomahawk Warrior: a WWII Final Honor
- Patrick Hogan – Coincidence, You Say?
- Shari Biery – It’s Your Turn How To Rediscover Yourself Prioritize Your Well-Being Thrive with Purpose
- Max Lauker & Antonio Garcia – Number 788: My Experiences in Swedish Special Operations – Preparing for NATO and the War on Terror
- Bibi LeBlanc – Wings of Freedom – The Story of the Berlin Airlift | Flugel der Freiheit – Die Geschichte der Berliner Luftbrucke
And a huge round of applause to our 2024 Military and Front Line Grand Prize Winner:

Memoirs From The Front Lines

Four States, Two Years, One Pandemic

By Kim Sloan

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

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

Your book deserves to be discovered, celebrated, and shared with the world. Don’t miss the chance to showcase your talent and gain valuable exposure at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (April 17-19, 2025) where Winners from all 28 Book Award Divisions will be announced and honored.

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

Let’s celebrate exceptional storytelling together!

Your book deserves to be discovered

Enter Today!
October 26, 2025
The 2025 Mind and Spirit Hall of Fame for Mindfulness and Enlightenment

Looking for Balance in your Life?

The Mind & Spirit Awards are here for you

***Enter your book today***

Mind and Spirit Non-Fiction

At the heart of the Mind & Spirit Awards is a celebration of transformation and enlightenment. It embraces the power of words to uplift, inspire, and guide, creating a ripple effect that resonates with readers on a soulful level. This division acknowledges the significance of the mind-spirit connection, delving into the realms of spirituality, mindfulness, well-being, and self-discovery.

Let’s celebrate the Grand Prize Winners of the Mind and Spirit Awards

Naked in the Now: Juicy Practices for Getting Present
By Marijke McCandless

Naked in the Now: Juicy Practices for Getting Present offers a playful yet impactful guide for those seeking vitality and inspiration. Through short, refreshing practices, readers explore vulnerability, authenticity, and self-compassion, fostering deeper connections with themselves and others. By committing to just minutes of daily practice, this book cultivates sustainable awareness and self-inquiry, rejuvenating one’s sense of vitality and joy. With an emphasis on mindfulness and emotional intelligence, it provides accessible tools to shift mindsets and embrace the present moment with curiosity and delight.

Buy it here!

Psychological Secrets for Emotional Success
By Dr. Kelly Rabenstein

Do you often feel that you sabotage your personal and work relationships? In Psychological Secrets for Emotional Success, Dr. Kelly Rabenstein teaches readers exactly what psychological techniques will help them strengthen and maintain their interpersonal connections.

Dr. Rabenstein is a licensed psychologist offering her extensive knowledge of how to make sound, conscious changes in mindset and perspective to help you thrive in relationships across the board. If a person can thrive, then they can be fully authentic to themselves and to those who surround them.

Psychological Secrets for Emotional Success follows the structure of thoughtful explanations and emotional explorations, followed by insightful exercises at the end of each chapter to help readers understand and improve both their workplace culture and personal interactions. These questions reveal where we stand and how to develop a more balanced life.

Dr. Rabenstein lays out the deceptively simple key to emotional success: a combination of awareness, education, and empathy.

Read More Here

A Sky of Infinite Blue
By Kyomi O’Connor

“It’s my armor,” Kyomi O’Connor realizes, as she sees herself continuing life as normal after her husband dies of cancer.

Grief brings with it many companions: childhood trauma, memories of difficult seasons of life, triumphant moments of growth, epiphanies, healing, love. In A Sky of Infinite Blue, Japanese immigrant Kyomi O’Connor allows grief to open her heart to the lessons of her past.

In particular, she recognizes emotional armor that since childhood, she has built up, torn down, and built up again. Through her relationship with her husband, her devoted Buddhist practice, and her trust in her “Self,” Kyomi makes meaning of her life and redeems her darkest memories. Readers walk through these memories with her as the book shifts between past and present.

Kyomi is deeply guarded as a child.

She struggles to deal with her family’s dysfunction, gradually learning to distance herself emotionally as a means of protecting herself. She fashions her armor, wearing it for years. But, after immigrating to the US, she finds a reason to begin taking it off.

Read More Here

Enlighten Up
By Beth Gibbs

Beth Gibb’s Enlighten Up! Finding Clarity Contentment and Resilience in A Complicated World is not a simple how-to book, but rather an invitation to begin a journey of self-discovery.

This journey follows the “five-layer method,” based on the Upanishads, a 3,000-year-old East-Indian wisdom tradition. After a quick history lesson on the pursuit of self-awareness, Gibbs walks readers through the five layers of achieving it, for a happy and fulfilling life. Throughout the book, Gibbs includes breaks for mindfulness and grounding exercises to get the most out of each section.

Gibbs writes about the assumption that the goal of enlightenment is to, “suppress or eliminate their emotions, live everlasting bliss, and face every situation with equanimity,” and how that assumption is unrealistic.

Read More Here

Exit The Maze
By Dr. Donna Marks

Exit The Maze: One Addiction, One Cause, One Cure by Dr. Donna Marks is a welcoming and comprehensive enchiridion of untapped wisdom that offers a step-to-step guide to getting out of any form of addiction.

No one sets out to become an addict; it catches us off guard. An addiction can happen quickly or slowly and can affect anyone regardless of intelligence, social class, ethnic group, or religion. With pitch-perfect prose, Dr. Donna Marks invites readers into the root causes of different forms of addiction, while offering pragmatic and evidence-based solutions that are bound to yield results.

Buoyed by the personal experiences of the author along with numerous case studies, Dr. Marks further offers deep insights into the inadequacies of traditional treatment models. For example, she notes that most rehab centers lack adequate staffing and overstep the limits of their capabilities. Another example is the famous 12 steps of fighting addiction which she believes do help to stop a behavior and develop a solid support system, however, she also sees that the program falls short.

Read More Here

Now that you’re set on your next reads, what are you waiting for? The only way to join this amazing list of Mind & Spirit Winners is to submit today!

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

Be Part of the Legacy: Join the Illustrious Roster of Winners

As the deadline for the 2025 Mind & Spirit Awards arrives, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the exceptional achievers.

Seeking avenues for your non-fiction prowess? Explore all our Non-Fiction Divisions that provide platforms for various genres and styles.

September 26, 2025
The 2025 I&I Hall of Fame for Instruction & Insight

Seeking to spread wisdom and knowledge?

The Instruction & Insight Awards are here to help!

The Insight & Instruction Awards celebrate exceptional books that provide valuable knowledge, guidance, and enlightenment across a wide range of subjects. From alternative remedies to self-help, these awards acknowledge authors who have made significant contributions to the fields of education, self-improvement, and understanding the world around us. This diverse collection of books foster learning, personal development, and a deeper understanding of the world around us. Enrich lives and contribute to the non-fiction landscape by submitting today!

***Submit your Book Today***

You have until September 30th to Share your Book and Submit to the 2025 CIBAs!

Looking for something to learn? The I&I Awards have what your looking for! We’ve got categories for Travel, Crafts, Cooking, Motivation, Self-Help and More!

We’re always looking for reasons to celebrate our past winners. You can see the Grand Prize and First Place Winners from 2024 here, but let’s hope into our time machine and recognize our past I&I Grand Prize Winners!

Honoring the Grand Prize Winners of the Instruction & Insight Awards!

Success with Hydrangeas- A Gardener’s Guide
By Lorraine Ballato

Our review for the newest Grand Prize Winner is forthcoming. Here’s an excerpt from Amazon:

Finally, a Book with All the Secrets to Growing Great Hydrangeas!

This book reveals all the ins and outs to growing hydrangeas. If you’re at all confused about pruning this shrub – and who isn’t? – this book will clear things up. If you’re worried about how much water to give it especially when it droops in the sun, this book explains it all. And what about transplanting: when is the best time to do that? Chapter four has the answers to that one and covers it all.

How to get your plant to bloom

Let’s not forget the most common issue people have with this plant: how can I get it to flower reliably? You’ll get the scientific insight needed to better site your plant, and how to care for it. Then you can just sit back and watch it flower for you.

Read More Here

Eating Together, Being Together
By Julian C.E. Clauss-Ehlers and Caroline S. Clauss-Ehlers

Eating Together, Being Together is a rare, enlightening book that teaches the importance of family dining, both on the culinary side and in its benefits for childhood and young adult development beyond the kitchen walls.

Co-authored by master Chef and Dad, Julian C.E. Clauss-Ehlers, and Ph.D. Psychologist and Mom, Caroline S. Clauss-Ehlers, Eating Together, Being Together offers up their parental wisdom and expertise from the heart of the home—the kitchen.

With informative but relaxed conversations about food choices, preparation, and related activities, the two provide great insight into how family mealtime promotes well-being in a child’s life. As involved adults, they incorporate thoughtful discussions about spending quality time with their children, sharing and mitigating bad feelings, and making wonderful memories. Ultimately, they showcase family meals as nourishment for both the body and soul.

Within the pages of the book readers will find ways food can serve as a message of care and support, as well as a way to model kindness in the face of questions and concerns.

Read More Here

Emotional Magnetism
By Sandy Gerber

Emotional Magnetism: How to Communicate to Ignite Connection in Your Relationships is a self-help and marketing book in one—in fact, it’s a self-marketing book.

A seasoned marketing professional, author Sandy Gerber uses common elements in marketing theory to aid those who wish to enhance their communication skills and ability to get along with people around them. It’s easy to be misunderstood or unheard, and it’s even easier to be at cross-purposes, leading to frustration and animosity. But using Gerber’s SAVE technique, understanding what we mean and what we need becomes clear.

In this work, we learn what emotional magnetism is, and how well we can communicate when we learn how to harness it. We also learn about how emotional magnetism can be repelled when it’s not done right. But in order to use emotional magnetism, we must first learn what the emotional magnets are, using the acronym SAVE—short for safety (S), achievement (A), value (V), and experience (E)—and how they are reflected in our personalities.

Read More Here

The Black Foster Youth Handbook
By Ángela Quijada-Banks

The Black Foster Youth Handbook: 50+ Lessons I Learned to successfully Age-Out of Foster Care and Holistically Heal is a distinguished compilation of award-winning author Ángela Quijada-Banks’ insights, seeking to assist those in foster care to stay optimistic and triumph over traumatic experiences.

The text features the author’s candid revelations regarding the disarray she encountered in foster care and the overwhelming emotional roller coaster she underwent through family upheavals and a heart-breaking rift between her siblings.

Foster care had seen her forget her goals and aspirations, as traumas and emotional misfortunes spread their venom in her soul. Banks had found herself misplaced, perplexed, wounded, irate, and unloved. Her background, past wounds, and pessimistic beliefs ruled over her. In a painful recap, she reveals how she became accustomed to constant alarming incidents, creating in her a perpetual state of survival.

Read More Here

Independent Living with Autism
By Wendela Whitcomb Marsh

Author and autism counselor Wendela Whitcomb Marsh has created a specialized guide for those with autism, seen through the eyes of five characters of different ages, with differing needs and aspirations in her book, Independent Living with Autism: Your Roadmap to Success.

Boldly launching her work with the ambitious chapter, “Solutions,” Marsh depicts some of the possible departure points for her readers: those just out of school, those who were diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder or who self-diagnosed, and all who face the challenges of ASD, whether alone or with family or social supports.

Marsh relays her story, focusing on the lives of five individuals with ASD.

Read More Here

Now that you’re set on your next reads, what are you waiting for? The only way to join this amazing list of I&I Winners is to submit today!

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

Submit to the CIBAs Today!

Now is your chance to touch the hearts of readers everywhere. Your Non-fiction story deserves to be discovered, and you can submit to the 2025 Instruction and Insight Awards by the end of the September. Don’t miss this chance to give your book the recognition it deserves.

The I&I Awards is your chance to shine!

September 26, 2025
The 2025 Hearten Long List for Uplifting and Inspiring Non-Fiction
The Hearten Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Inspiring and Uplifting Non-Fiction and Memoirs. The Hearten 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 true stories about adventures, life events, unique experiences, travel, personal journeys, global enlightenment, and more. 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 2025 Hearten Non-Fiction entries to the 2025 Hearten Book Awards LONG LIST. Entries below are now in competition for 2025 Hearten 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 (CAC26).

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 28 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 18th, 2026 in beautiful Bellingham, WA sponsored by the 2026 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2025 Hearten Book Awards novel competition for Uplifting and Inspiring Non-Fiction!

Join us in celebrating the Long List authors and their works in the 2025 CIBAs.
- Alia Luria – Geri O Shimasu: Adventures of a Baka Gaijin
- Andy Becker – Grandy Let’s Play: Reflections on the Joy Blessings and Wonder of Grandparenting
- Barb Drummond – I Finally Have the Smoking Hot Body I Have Always Wanted Having Been Cremated
- Brent Larsen – You Make My Heart Giggle Dad-isms the Wisdom and Wit of Dad
- Candace Macphie – Finding Color
- Cerridwen Fallingstar – Rocket in My Pocket: Defying Gravity with Levity, From the Frontiers of Space… To the Frontiers of Consciousness
- Charlene Pell – In This Altered Body: A Survivor’s Story of Resilience and Love
- Cheryl Lynn – Washing the Inside of the Cup: My Journey of Walking in the Spirit
- Christine Amoroso – Bare Naked in Public: A Memoir
- Cynthia Waine Brandt – Song of the Cardinal: A True Story of Miracles and Magic After Heartbreaking Loss
- Dianne Ebertt Beeaff – Infinite Paradise Witnessing the Wild
- Doug Cameron – My Tarzan Tree and Other Farm Boy Memories
- Dr. Deb Miller – Forget the Fairy Tale and Find Your Happiness
- Dr. Michael James – America’s Nightmare Surviving the Black Holocaust the Message Continues
- Jeff Richards – Nothing Left To Lose: Or How Not To Start a Commune
- Jennifer Celeste Briggs – Watching Sarah Rise: a Journey of Thriving with Autism
- Jerome Puryear – The Art of Thinking Critically with Clarity for Optimal Health
- Julie Ryan Mcgue – Twice the Family: a Memoir of Love Loss and Sisterhood
- Kate Grant – No Woman Left Behind: a Journey of Hope To Heal Every Woman Injured in Childbirth
- Kathy Sechrist – Sara’s Redemption: a Journey of Courage Resilience and Hope
- Kay Brooks – Behind the White Beard Dale Ballew’s Story
- Kee Kee Buckley – Seeking Shama: Me, My Dog, and the Road To Inner Peace
- Laurie Benson – Resilient Activism Igniting Wild Hope in Uncertain Times
- Lucie Frost – How the Hell Did I Not Know That: My Midlife Year From Couch To Curiosity
- Maggie Enriquez – The Rebirth of a Phoenix
- Margie Crowe Wildblood – Because He Loved Me
- Marti Tote – Up Grief Creek Without a Paddle
- Mary Olson-Menzel – What Lights You Up Illuminate Your Path and Take the Next Big Step in Your Career
- Patricia Eagle – Dog Love Stories the Canines Who Changed Me
- Rabei A. Wazzeh – The Masterpiece of Nature
- Rhona Morrison – From Crime Scenes to Cruise Ships: Navigating life’s troubled waters with resilience and hope
- Ricardo Jose Gonzalez-Rothi – The Mango Chronicle
- Robert Macauley – Because I Knew You: How Some Remarkable Sick Kids Healed a Doctor’s Soul
- Stacey Hettes – Dispatches From the Couch
- Sue Vana – Shaken by God’s Love From Fear To Favor in Grief’s Upside-Down World
- Tammy Dietz – Falling From Disgrace
Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

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

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

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

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

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2024 Hearten Awards is:

Elk Love: A Montana Memoir

By Lynne Spriggs O’Connor

See the full list of 2024 First Place Hearten Winners here!

We are now accepting submissions into the 2026 Hearten Book Awards for Inspiring and Uplifting Narrative Non-Fiction.

Please click here for more information.

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

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

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

Join us for our annual conference as we enter our second decade and discover why!
September 25, 2025
The 2025 Journey Long List for Non-Fiction Overcoming Adversity
The Journey Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Overcoming Adversity in Narrative Non-Fiction and Memoir. The Journey 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 true stories about adventures, life events, unique experiences, travel, personal journeys, global enlightenment, and more. 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 2025 Journey Non-Fiction entries to the 2025 Journey Book Awards LONG LIST. Entries below are now in competition for 2025 Journey 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 (CAC26).

The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 28 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 18th, 2026 in beautiful Bellingham, WA sponsored by the 2026 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

These titles are in the running for the SHORT LIST of the 2025 Journey Book Awards novel competition for Overcoming Adversity in Non-Fiction!

Join us in celebrating the Long List authors and their works in the 2025 CIBAs.
- Amanda Carrasco – Becoming the Brave One
- Amy Mackin – Henry’s Classroom: a Special Education in American Motherhood
- Ana Hebra Flaster – Property of the Revolution: From a Cuban Barrio To a New Hampshire Mill Town
- Ann Michelle Mracek – Unpacking the Attic
- Ann Van Hine – Pieces Falling: Navigating 9/11 with Faith Family and the FDNY
- Anne Abel – High Hopes
- Anselm Ezemson – Chasing Closure: a Life on the Edge of Belonging
- Baldur Einarsson – Ice and Fire: Thawing a Murderer’s Heart
- Barbara Jenkins – So Long As It’s Wild
- Beth Granger – Born and Razed: Surviving the Cult Was Only Half the Battle
- Brandi Dredge – Girl Uncoded: a Memoir of Passion Betrayal and Eventual Blessings
- Brian J. Quattlebaum – A Mad Box of Rain
- Carl Gorham – My Life in a Garden: Love, Loss, and Mulch: a Single Dad Seeks Answers in Nature
- Carol Odell, LICSW – Girl Groomed: a Therapist’s Memoir of Trauma
- Carolyn Saletto – One Hazel Green Eye
- Casey Mulligan Walsh – The Full Catastrophe: All I Ever Wanted Everything I Feared
- Celia LaVon Belt – My ValHalla: Angels Are No Strangers To Chains
- Chanchal Garg – Unearthed: the Lies We Carry & the Truths They Bury
- Cheryl Landes – The Best I Can Do: A True Story of Navigating the Complexities of Mental Illness and Homelessness
- Cheryl Lynn – Washing the Inside of the Cup: My Journey of Walking in the Spirit
- Christine Amoroso – Bare Naked in Public: a Memoir
- Cynthia Moore – Dancing on Coals: a Memoir of an Overperformer
- Cynthia Waine Brandt – Song of the Cardinal: a True Story of Miracles and Magic After Heartbreaking Loss
- Damien Thompson – And Then I Would Fly
- Dan Gold – Game Changers Inspirational Sports Stories
- Debbie Hartung – The Factory of Maladies: Seven Days on a San Francisco Psych Ward
- Deborah M. Foster – What’s So Bad About Being Poor: Our Lives in the Shadows of the Poverty Experts
- Diane C Pomerantz Ph.D. – Lost in the Reflecting Pool: Surviving Narcissistic Emotional Abuse
- Dr. Deb Miller – Forget the Fairy Tale and Find Your Happiness
- Dr. Kirsten Viola Harrison and Sean/a Smith – I, Sean/a: the Story of a Homeless Intersex Woman Who Inspired a Community
- Dylan Nigh – Fool’s Gear: a Completely Devastating Thing I’ll Probably Do Again
- Elizabeth Fulgaro – Learning to Love (Not Loathe) Me
- Emily Sayre Smith – Smartass: Memoir of a Mouthy Girl
- Franke James – Freeing Teresa: A True Story about My Sister and Me
- Gavin O’Donnell – Father’s Day
- Heidi Yewman – Dumb Girl
- Hendrika De Vries – Open Turns
- Jacquelyn Dickey – The Dash
- James B. Wells – Because: A CIA Coverup & A Son’s Odyssey To Find the Father He Never Knew
- Jane Cafarella – Cleaved: a Story of Loss, Legs, and Finding Family
- Janine Kovac – The Nutcracker Chronicles
- Jennifer Celeste Briggs – Watching Sarah Rise a Journey of Thriving with Autism
- Jia Apple – The Tell
- Joshua Storment – MENtal: My Entropic Nuances Towards Another Life
- Julie Randall – Patient 71: an Inspiring True Story of a Mother’s Love That Fueled Her Fight To Stay Alive
- Kathy Sechrist – Sara’s Redemption: A Journey of Courage Resilience and Hope
- Kelly-Anne Kerley – Breaking Up with My Wheelchair
- Lucie Frost – How the Hell Did I Not Know That: My Midlife Year From Couch To Curiosity
- Maggie Enriquez – The Rebirth of a Phoenix
- Marti Tote – Can You Ride a Raindrop To the Ocean
- Mary Garden – My Father’s Suitcase
- Mary Jumbelic M.D. – Speak Her Name
- Mia Bolton – As We Bloom: Wisdom From Extraordinary Everyday Women & Gender Nonconforming People
- Mitchell Raff – Little Boy I Know Your Name
- Nin Mok – Suddenly Silent and Still
- Peter Flom – Twice as Weird: A Memoir about Twice Exceptionality
- PJ Hamilton – From the Piney Woods 2nd Edition
- Robert Carney – Unscarred
- Robert Macauley – Because I Knew You: How Some Remarkable Sick Kids Healed a Doctor’s Soul
- Ryan Mcdermott – Downriver: Memoir of a Warrior Poet
- Sondra R. Brooks – Not Good Enough Girl: A Memoir of an Inconvenient Daughter
- Stacey Hettes – Dispatches From the Couch
- Steven Simmons Shelton, Ma, Jd – Memoir of a Mangled Mind: How Concealing My Dissociative Identity Disorder Unleashed Multiple Personalities
- Valerie Foster – The Risk of Sorrow: Intimate Conversations with a Holocaust Survivor
- W. Hector Rivera – An Island I Don’t Want To Be on: Surviving the Riptide of Bipolar Disorder
- Wendy Crockett and Ian McPhee – Pushing Miles: A chronicle of Motorcycles, Mayhem, and Mettle
- Wilma Macliver – Life Behind the Masks
Good luck to all as your works move on to the next rounds of judging.

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

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

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

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

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

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2024 JOURNEY Awards is:

Unfollow Me

By Kathryn Caraway

See the full list of 2024 First Place Journey Winners here!

We are now accepting submissions into the 2026 Journey Book Awards for Overcoming Adversity in Narrative Non-Fiction.

Please click here for more information.

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

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

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

Join us for our annual conference and discover why!
September 25, 2025
The Mind & Spirit 2024 First Place Roundup for Spirituality and Enlightenment

The Mind and Spirit Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Enlightenment and Well-Being Non-Fiction. The Grand Prize Winner, Marijke McCandless’s book, Naked in the Now, will be promoted for years to come in our annual Hall of Fame article, as well as be featured on the Mind and Spirit contest page year ’round!

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

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

Join us in celebrating the 2024 First Place Mind and Spirit Winners!

Shari Biery – It’s Your Turn: How to Rediscover Yourself, Prioritize Your Well-Being, & Thrive with Purpose

Also a Chanticleer 2024 Military and Front Lines First Place Winner!

Are you feeling buried under the demands of supporting your spouse, family, and the chaos of daily life while your own needs fall to the bottom of the list?

As a midlife woman, it’s easy to always put others first, leaving little time or energy for yourself. But now, It’s YOUR Turn to break free from the overwhelm and reclaim your life.

In It’s Your Turn, Shari Biery—a National Board Certified Purpose and Well-Being Coach and former military spouse—shares her personal journey from self-neglect to self-empowerment.

The moment she received the American Flag at her husband’s retirement ceremony marked not just the end of his career but the start of her own new chapter. After years of putting everyone else first, Shari made a powerful shift, and now she’s here to guide you in doing the same.

Through relatable stories and actionable steps, Shari shows how common it is for midlife women, especially those supporting a spouse and family, to feel overwhelmed and disconnected—and how to overcome these challenges.

From Chanticleer:

The detailed and actionable guide, It’s Your Turn by Shari Biery, encourages women to reclaim the time and space they deserve in life from the slow creep of demands like home, childcare, and supporting a spouse’s career.

To help women take “their turn,” much of this book is devoted to slowing down: why, how, and when to do it. Even its conversational writing style is an invitation to do so. It’s Your Turn leads readers to reflect, assess, and make effective changes in their lives. This isn’t a quick-hit self-help book, but a meditation for navigating midlife flux amid marriage and family responsibilities.

Biery draws on her own experiences living through many challenges frequently encountered by modern women. She struggled most with balancing personal needs and family responsibilities. Biery’s own needs and dreams long fell by the wayside in favor of managing her household and supporting her husband with his career in the military. With It’s Your Turn, she hopes to share her process of reclaiming those needs and dreams and reclaiming her well-being.

It’s Your Turn is loosely organized around Biery’s “C.A.L.M. method.” Through Clarity, Awareness, Learning, and Mindset, she teaches women how to carve out necessary space for themselves.

Read More Here

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Damien Fozard- Disbelief

Manuscript

Eileen Marlowe – The Call to Connect with Spirit

Author and artist Eileen Marlowe is an Indigenous Chipewyan from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. She invites readers to learn from her journey of spiritual identity, to forge connections with spirit and leverage them to transform your life. Through the symbology of dreams and the vibrant colours of her abstract art, Eileen shares her experience of dialoguing with her spiritual guides. Her practices of daily meditation and her efforts of becoming the director and architect of her own life are embodied in the themes of the artwork throughout.

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Anne Kiehl Friedman – Higher Love: A Psychedelic Travel Memoir of Heartbreak and Healing

Her entire life, Anne Friedman chased everything that society told her she should want: Marriage. Professional achievement. Thighs that didn’t touch. But all that got her was depression, anxiety, and disordered eating. Little did she know, her world was about to be turned upside down.

When her fiancé dumps her without explanation, she buys a one-way ticket to Costa Rica in search of answers. But what she finds there is beyond anything she could have imagined.

Through a spontaneous psychedelic experience in the jungle, Anne discovers three simple words that bring her peace. And in Amsterdam, on magic mushrooms with her dad, she has a series of visions that allow her to let go of the self-blame for her broken engagement.

But this is just the beginning of her journey. In Higher Love, Anne takes readers on a globe-trotting search for healing through psilocybin, ayahuasca, LSD, and cannabis. As she travels through the Netherlands, Morocco, Turkey, Spain, and other richly sensuous locations, Anne shares the life-changing wisdom she gains from each psychedelic experience.

For fans of Eat, Pray, Love and Untamed, Higher Love is a guide for self-discovery with a delightful psychedelic twist. But be warned, this is not your average love story. With powerful emotions and a captivating setting, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Jane Kim Yu – Journey of Awakening and Higher Consciousness

Discover the journey of awakening in a new light never seen before. Read about our universal journey of discovery, of awakening to the greatest truth of the land, the truth that reverberates in our very hands, the hands of heart, the very heart of our being, that – you are love.

Through a profoundly rare experience that left the author’s mind silent for nearly half a year, it awakened her own desire to find her fire. The very fire that lit the night sky. The very fire that lives in all our hearts nigh. The very fire, to come alive.

Jane’s debut book Journey of Awakening and Higher Consciousness, is an offering of love that crystalizes her 3 passions: eloquent writing, creative expression, and the exploration of our divine humanity. These combine into an unforgettable experience that will awaken your inner fire and bring passion and purpose back into your life.

Find it Locally and on Amazon!

Thank you for joining us to celebrate the 2024 Mind & Spirit First Place Winners!

Watch for our Spotlight and Hall of Fame Articles that will feature incredible books, including Marijke McCandless’ Grand Prize Award-winning Naked in the Now

Your book can join the Tiers of Achievement, but only if you enter the Mind & Spirit Awards!

Got a great Self-Help or Enlightenment Book?

The 2025 Mind & Spirit Book Awards are open through the end of September!

Submit to the Mind & Spirit Awards Today!

September 24, 2025