Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: #seriousauthors

The 2022 SHORTS CIBAs Finalists for Collections and Novellas
The Short Story Awards recognize emerging talent and outstanding works in Collected Works such as Short Story Collections, Essay Collections, and Anthologies. The Short Story Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards program.

The Chanticleer International Book Awards program discovers today’s best works. The Short Stories Awards discovers the Best New Shorts in Fiction and Narrative Non-Fiction. These books have advanced to the next judging rounds. We will put them to the test and choose the best among them.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from the 2022 Short List to the Shorts 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 2022 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

NOTE: We are posting the Short Stories and Essays in a different post.

These titles are in the running for the First Place and Grand Prize Winner of the 2022 Shorts Book Awards novel competition for Collections and Novellas!

Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2022 CIBAs.
- Lori Lee Peters – God, the Mafia, My Dad, and Me
- Kelly Evans – Stubborn: A Greek Comedy
- Susan Lehmann – Southern Lies and Homicides, Tales of Betrayal and Murder
- Susannah Dawn – I Am Who I’ve Always Been: Journey Excerpts
- Dale L. Roberts – Infestate
- Miguel Angel Hernandez Jr. – A Colossal Injustice: A Griffin Knight Corporate Murder Mystery
- Miguel Angel Hernandez Jr. – Do Nothing: A Griffin Knight Murder Mystery Thriller
- Chris Bennett – Advent – A Road to the Breaking Short Story
- Sara Connell – Ghost House
- Don Daglow – The Last One on the Run
- Barry Robbins – The Trump Diaries 2024
- Linnea Tanner – Two Faces of Janus
- Tessa Floreano – Slain Over Spumoni
- Jacek Waliszewski – Air Boat – Love is an Adventure
- W.A. Pepper – DoGoodR: A Tanto Thriller
- Pat Wahler – The Christmas Keepsake
- Britt Lind – A Fate Worse Than Death
- Arthur Herbert – Lockdown: A Collection of Dark Tales
- Mohan Ranga Rao – Geetha Essay – Domestic Work
- Endy Wright – The Garden Plot Diaries
- S A Melia – Aliens in Windsor
- Tamar Anolic – The Lonely Spirit
- Mekiya Walters – Cassandra Says
PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

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

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

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

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

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

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2021 SHORTS Awards for Short Story Collections is Elizabeth Crowens for
New York: Give Me Your Best or Your Worst

Click here to see the 2021 Shorts Book Award Winners and Finalists.

We are now accepting submissions for the 2023 Shorts Book Awards. The 2023 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2024.

Please click here for more information.

Winners will be announced at the 2022 CIBA Awards Ceremony, sponsored by the 2023 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

Don’t Miss out! 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 10th annual conference and discover why!
March 27, 2023
The 2022 SERIES CIBAs Finalists for Genre Fiction
The CIBA FICTION SERIES Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in any of our 16 Fiction Divisions where the author has written a series. The Fiction Series Book Awards is a division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs) is seeking for the best book series in all of its fifteen fiction divisions: Mysteries, Suspense Thrillers, Espionage/High Stakes, Young Adult, Middle-Grade Readers, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Supernatural and Paranormal, Romance, Historical Fiction. These books have advanced to the next judging rounds. We will put them to the test and choose the best among them.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from the 2022 Series Book Awards Short List to the 2022 Series 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 2022 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

Note: We have room for 5 Category Winners. Like many divisions there are more categories in the Series Awards than there are First Place Positions, though judges will sometimes ask for more or less than five winners.

These titles are in the running for the First Place and Grand Prize Winners of the 2022 Series Book Awards novel competition for Genre Fiction!

Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2022 CIBAs.

Mysteries
- Amy S Peele – Medical Murder Mysteries
- Charlotte Stuart – Macavity & Me Mysteries
- Charlotte Stuart – Discount Detective Mysteries
- Phil Bayly – Murder on Skis
- Susan Lynn Solomon – Emlyn Goode Mysteries
Historical Fiction
- Richard Alan Schwartz – An American Journeys Novel
- Eileen Charbonneau – American Civil War Brides
- Robin Elno – The Clown William Series
- Jodi Lea Stewart – Silki, the Girl of Many Scarves for Laramie Book Awards
- Ian Crouch – A Pyrrhic Victory
- Rozsa Gaston – Anne of Brittany Series
- Tamar Anolic – Triumph of a Tsar
- Peter Curtis – The Kohut Trilogy
Grab Bag Assorted Genres
- Davalynn Spencer – Front Range Brides for Romance
- M.J. Evans – The Skullington Family for Children’s Literature
- Vince Bailey – The Curtis Jefferson series for Paranormal
- Miriam Verbeek – Songs of Si’Empra for Fantasy
- Terry Birdgenaw – The Antunite Chronicles for Young Adult
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 to the next rounds of judging.

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2021 Series Awards is Guinevere’s Trilogy – by Nicole Evelina

Mistress of Legend, Camelot’s Queen, and Daughter of Destiny

Click here to see the 2021 Series Book Award Winners for Genre Fiction.

We are now accepting submissions into the 2023 Series Book Awards for Genre Fiction. The 2023 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2024.

Please click here for more information.

Winners will be announced at the 2022 CIBA Awards Ceremony, 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 24, 2023
Chanticleer Authors Conference – Update and Latest Info by Kiffer Brown
Learn from the Best at CAC 23!

~Book to Film Workshop – What Every Author Needs to Know~

~How to Use Magazine Features to Promote Your Works~

~Travel Writing – How To and Breaking In to the Business~

~Podcasting for Authors~

~Narrative Fiction Podcasts vs Audiobooks~

~Decoding the Amazon Algorithm~

~Outlining Your Books, Pacing & Plotting, Genre Specific Editing~

~Kickstarter Publishing – Primer and How-To ~

~Exercising and Building Good Movement Habits for the Writing Life~

~BookBub and Book Funnel Selling Platforms~

~Increasing Your Email List and Expanding Your Readership~

~Book Covers that Sell~

~ChatGPT – What is it and What does it mean for authors and content creators~

~Multi-Channel Marketing for Authors ~

~How to be Your Own Book Publicist~

~Alphabet Soup (SEO, ISBNs, BISAC, Meta-Data) for Book Distribution and Discovery~

and many more sessions on the marketing and business side of being an author and publisher

Don’t Delay – Register Today!

Only Four Weeks until the 2023 Chanticleer Authors Conference

and the

2022 Chanticleer International Book Awards Banquet and Ceremony

Join us at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether on beautiful Bellingham Bay!

There are FIVE different registration packages available!
1. Book to Film 3-Hour Workshop with Maggie Marr, Atty – Creative Representation
2. 3-Day All Inclusive Registration with CIBA Ceremony and Banquet with options for discounted Book to Workshop, Companion Pass Option, and CIBA Dinner Guest option.
3. 2-Day Registration Pass with Awards Banquet – Saturday and Sunday & Book Fair
4. “Locals” Basic Day Pass for Saturday and Sunday Registration – No Awards Banquet. Book Fair included
5. CIBA Banquet and Ceremony Only for Saturday Evening
Join Us for the Crowning Event

of the

Chanticleer Authors Conference

the CIBAs Annual Banquet and Ceremony

The Icing on the Cake, the Crowning Event, the Highlight of the conference is the CIBA Banquet and Awards Ceremony that is held on Saturday evening of the conference.

The CIBA Banquet and Ceremony

First, we start with a cocktail hour (five-thirty in the afternoon with a cash bar, complimentary appetizers are served at six o’clock in the evening.

Most every one is dressed to impress – either “in brand,” posh, or “after-five” special. Of course, this is Bellingham, so there will always be those who bring out their best fleece and wool socks!

The ceremony photographer is set-up to take complimentary headshots, group photos, and, of course, photograph the ceremony announcements and presentations. After the event, he continues with division group photos, winner photos, cheering sections photos—a lot of photos—that attendees may download digitally for free!

Our CAC23 photographer is Dwayne Rogge of PhotoTreeHouse Photography, Bellingham, WA.

FINALIST attendees are given a Finalist Ribbon to attach to their name badge upon registration pick-up—btw.

Also, there are many different lodging options for different budgets and needs. Click here for more info

Who will take home the coveted Chanticleer Blue Ribbons?

At seven o’clock in the evening, each attendee is handed a ceremony program with all the Finalists listed by division.

Next, we are seated for a lovely dinner catered by the Hotel Bellwether. Acknowledgements, a short keynote presentation, and recognition of the Finalists in attendance during the salad course.

Then we enjoy the Northwest inspired dinner prepared by the Hotel Bellwether’s Executive Chef Marcello Mazzoleni.

After dinner, coffee and dessert (the cash bar stays open the entire time!) are served and we begin the announcements for the Division First Place Award Winners. We have a small break and photo opportunities.

Next, we announce the Division Grand Prize Winners. And, finally, the Overall GRAND PRIZE WINNER of the 2022 CIBAs!

More photos are taken!

At the end of the glorious evening, we all head to the Hotel Bellwether’s fireside bar to gather and enjoy each others company and congratulate the winners.
March 24, 2023
Chanticleer to Exhibit at AWP Convention in Seattle this Week! – Kiffer Brown
AWP Conference

(really, a convention)

March 8 – 11, 2023, Seattle Convention Center

Photo Courtesy of AWP (awp.org)

AWP, aka the Association of Writers & Writers Programs, conference is held this year at the Seattle Convention Center. The AWP conference alternates between the East Coast, Mid-West, and the West Coast. Whenever it is held in Seattle or in the Pacific Northwest, you can count on us participating! We load up the car with the booth and books of Chanticleerians (to display) and off we go!

You will find us at Booth 210. The convention hosts approximately one thousand exhibitor booths and tables. That is a LOT of exhibitors!

The exhibit floor is open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Meanwhile there are plenty of break-out sessions (perhaps a thousand or so) to choose from to attend. Many of them are quite esoteric such as:

So, one could say that it is quite the “literary conference.” Many universities are present trying to lure new students into their MFA or MLA programs. Bellingham’s own Western Washington University will be there along with University of Washington. Also, the classic colleges are also represented such as Sarah Lawrence College.

We exhibit at AWP because 1) we are proud members of the venerable organization, 2) Our Chanticleer Review magazine is in the company of others such as the Harvard Review, The Chestnut Review, Prairie Schooner, and the American Literary Review.

And then there are the quirky literary magazines that make the AWP scene so wonderful: Bullsh*t Lit, Door is A Jar Literary Magazine, and Typewriter Tarot to name a few.

Many small presses are also represented.

Registration?
- Saturday is the Book Fair Day when AWP lowers the registration fee to $25 for that day only.
- Seniors (65 and Up) can register onsite for $175
- Student Registration is $150 on site (with ID)
- AWP Members Registration is $435
- Non-Member Registration is $540
- Individual Membership is $75 per year.
- Our Membership to AWP is $225 per year.
No food or drink is included. There are vendors in the convention center.

But back to us Chanticleerians!

Toni Ann Johnson will present Thursday at 1:45 – 3 p..m. Rooms 343 and 344 Summit.

Minding the Gaps and Mining Landscape in Linked Short Story Collections (Ramona Reeves, Leslie Pietrzyk, Camille Acker, Rion Amilcar Scott, Toni Ann Johnson)

Linked short story collections have become more popular, perhaps in part because of their hybrid nature. They can employ recurring themes, characters, and settings to situate readers in worlds that move beyond the borders of many short stories while stopping short of the breadth and propulsion of a novel. Minding the gaps, or the spaces, is key in writing linked story collections. How does space function between and within linked collections, and what stories does one choose to tell and why?

Author Signings at the Chanticleer Booth 210 by CIBA Award Winning Authors
- Janet Oakley, Friday 2 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
- Beth Bacon, Friday 3 p.m. -3:30 p.m.
- Marian Exall, Saturday noon – 12:30 p.m.
If you are attending AWP 23, please do stop by our booth and say Hi! to David Beaumier, Sharon Anderson, and me (Kiffer Brown).

We’d love to see you!

Meanwhile, don’t forget to register for CAC23!

It is coming up soon! April 27 – 30, 2023 at the Hotel Bellwether
March 8, 2023
The 2022 SHORTS CIBAs Short List for Collections and Novellas
The Short Story Awards recognize emerging talent and outstanding works in Collected Works such as Short Story Collections, Essay Collections, and Anthologies. The Short Story Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards program.

The Chanticleer International Book Awards program discovers today’s best works. The Short Stories Awards discovers the Best New Shorts in Fiction and Narrative Non-Fiction. These books have advanced to the next judging rounds. We will put them to the test and choose the best among them.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from the 2022 Entries to the Shorts Book Awards Short List. The Short Listers will compete for the Finalist Positions. 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 2022 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

NOTE: We are posting the Short Stories and Essays in a different post.

These titles are in the running for the FINALISTS of the 2022 Shorts Book Awards novel competition for Collections and Novellas!

Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2022 CIBAs.
- Lori Lee Peters – God, the Mafia, My Dad, and Me
- Kelly Evans – Stubborn: A Greek Comedy
- Susan Lehmann – Southern Lies and Homicides, Tales of Betrayal and Murder
- Susannah Dawn – I Am Who I’ve Always Been: Journey Excerpts
- Virginia Crow – Haunting Whispers of Highland Waters
- Philip Derrick – Saigon Spring
- Dale L. Roberts – Infestate
- Walli Ann Wisniewski – Wanderings in Opera Shoes
- Miguel Angel Hernandez Jr. – A Colossal Injustice: A Griffin Knight Corporate Murder Mystery
- Miguel Angel Hernandez Jr. – Do Nothing: A Griffin Knight Murder Mystery Thriller
- Chris Bennett – Advent – A Road to the Breaking Short Story
- Sara Connell – Ghost House
- Don Daglow – The Last One on the Run
- Edward Morrow – Tree S.T.A.R.S: Dominion
- Barry Robbins – The Trump Diaries 2024
- Linnea Tanner – Two Faces of Janus
- Tessa Floreano – Slain Over Spumoni
- Jacek Waliszewski – Air Boat – Love is an Adventure
- Andrew Farkas – The Great Indoorsman
- W.A. Pepper – DoGoodR: A Tanto Thriller
- Pat Wahler – The Christmas Keepsake
- Britt Lind – A Fate Worse Than Death
- Arthur Herbert – Lockdown: A Collection of Dark Tales
- Mohan Ranga – Geetha Essay – Domestic Work
- Endy Wright – The Garden Plot Diaries
- Suzanne Smith – The Mortal Vampire
- S A Melia – Aliens in Windsor
- Tamar Anolic – The Lonely Spirit
- Mekiya Walters – Cassandra Says
PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

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

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

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

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

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

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2021 SHORTS Awards for Short Story Collections is Elizabeth Crowens for
New York: Give Me Your Best or Your Worst

Click here to see the 2021 Shorts Book Award Winners and Finalists.

We are now accepting submissions for the 2023 Shorts Book Awards. The 2023 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2024.

Please click here for more information.

Winners will be announced at the 2022 CIBA Awards Ceremony, sponsored by the 2023 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

Don’t Miss out! 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 10th annual conference and discover why!
February 17, 2023
The 2022 SHORTS CIBAs Short List for Short Stories and Essays
The Short Story Awards recognize emerging talent and outstanding works in Short Stories, Essays, Novelettes, Novellas, Short Story Collections and Anthologies. The Short Story Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards program.

The Chanticleer International Book Awards program discovers today’s best works. The Short Stories Awards discovers the Best New Shorts in Fiction and Narrative Non-Fiction. These books have advanced to the next judging rounds. We will put them to the test and choose the best among them.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from the 2022 Shorts Book Awards entries to the 2022 Shorts Book Awards SHORT LIST. The Short Listers will compete for the Finalist positions. 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.

NOTE: We are posting the Collections and Novellas in a separate post.

These titles are on the Short List of the 2022 Shorts Book Awards for Short Stories and Essays!

Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2022 CIBAs.
- Louise Lenahan Wallace – Mud on the Range
- Susannah Dawn – The Case To Be Me
- Susannah Dawn – The Hiroshima Gambit
- Susannah Dawn – On The Run With Meagan Wise
- Brian Feutz – Masquerade
- Henry Kuhlman – Carno
- Linda Lee Keenan – The Sentinel
- Mike Murphey – Old Man Baseball
- Lloyd Jeffries – Buried in the Stars
- Alice McVeigh – Capturing Mr Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Short Story
- Frances Howard-Snyder – The Leak
- Miriam Polli – Agathos
- Tom Durwood – Jayani’s Big Gamble
- Ellen Notbohm – What She Thinks About When She Thinks About Shoes
- Robert Phillips – The Dummy
- Mekiya Outini – The Man Who Misspelled God
- J.L. Oakley – Sons and Streams
- Donna LeClair – I Am Human
- George T. Arnold – Those phone calls
- Claudia Carbonell – Hututu
- Ray Dionne – Harvest Day
- Suzanne Smith – Bullets and Bustles
- Suzanne Smith – The Scalp Collector
- Leslie Wibberley – The Poison Garden
- Mekiya Walters – The Cavemen
PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

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

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

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

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

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

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2021 Shorts Awards for Short Stories is Toni Ann Johnson for Homegoing

Click here to see the 2021 Shorts Book Award Winners and Finalists.

We are now accepting submissions for the 2023 Shorts Book Awards. The 2023 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2024.

Please click here for more information.

Winners will be announced at the 2022 CIBA Awards Ceremony, 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 17, 2023
The 2022 SERIES CIBAs Short List for Genre Fiction
The CIBA FICTION SERIES Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in any of our 16 Fiction Divisions where the author has written a series. The Fiction Series Book Awards is a division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs) is seeking for the best book series in all of its fifteen fiction divisions: Mysteries, Suspense Thrillers, Espionage/High Stakes, Young Adult, Middle-Grade Readers, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Supernatural and Paranormal, Romance, Historical Fiction. These books have advanced to the next judging rounds. We will put them to the test and choose the best among them.

These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from the 2021 Series Book Awards Entries to the 2022 Series Book Awards SHORT LIST. Entries below are now in competition for 2022 Series 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 2022 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

These titles are in the running for the FINALISTS of the 2021 Series Book Awards novel competition for Genre Fiction!

Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2022 CIBAs.
- Amy S Peele – Medical Murder Mysteries
- M.J. Evans – The Skullington Family
- Richard Alan Schwartz – An American Journeys Novel
- Charlotte Stuart – Macavity & Me Mysteries
- Eileen Charbonneau – American Civil War Brides
- Vince Bailey – The Curtis Jefferson series
- Robin Elno – The Clown William Series
- Ian Crouch – A Pyrrhic Victory
- Rozsa Gaston – Anne of Brittany Series
- Davalynn Spencer – Front Range Brides
- Tamar Anolic – Triumph of a Tsar
- Miriam Verbeek – Songs of Si’Empra
- Charlotte Stuart – Discount Detective Mysteries
- Phil Bayly – Murder on Skis
- Terry Birdgenaw – The Antunite Chronicles
- Peter Curtis – The Kohut Trilogy
- Susan Lynn Solomon – Emlyn Goode Mysteries
- Kathi Bjorkman – Third Eye Witness
- T. P. Graf – The Life and Stories of Jaime Cruz
- Jodi Lea Stewart – Silki, the Girl of Many Scarves
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 to the next rounds of judging.

The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2021 Series Awards is Guinevere’s Trilogy – by Nicole Evelina

Mistress of Legend, Camelot’s Queen, and Daughter of Destiny

Click here to see the 2021 Series Book Award Winners for Genre Fiction.

We are now accepting submissions into the 2023 Series Book Awards for Genre Fiction. The 2023 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2024.

Please click here for more information.

Winners will be announced at the 2022 CIBA Awards Ceremony, 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 17, 2023
Word Nerd – Using the Best Word – the PERFECT Word by Kiffer Brown
Learning another language has always been my portal to understanding the nuances of my own language, American English. Currently, I am trying to learn European Portuguese to add to my faltering French and German. It is a very slow process but still appeals to my word nerdiness that I attribute to my Latin classes in high school.

In reviewing books and many other types of media, my most frequent complaint is when the writers are lazy with their word usage. Not punctuation. Not verb agreement. Not even when the writers are being pedantic. What makes me twitch the most is Lazy Word CHOICE!

Not that the words must be sesquipedalian. (Definition at the end of the post.)

For example, the word PERFECT.

Would any of these words below be a better fit than “perfect” for conveying your thoughts with a more exact meaning?
- impeccable
- without fault
- flawless
- faultless (slightly different than flawless)
- incomparable
- sublime
- ideal
- the best
- shiny new
- perfection
- absolutely
None of the words above are sesquipedalian (ahem), but they do have slightly different connotations to convey your thoughts more exactly, don’t they?

And now, as promised, the definition of sesquipedalia: very long words.

Sesquipedalian: a person who uses big words to sound smart.

Even though Diane Garland and I are lexicomanes, I hope that we do not come across as sesquipedalian. However, no one would accuse me of being pauciloquent.

Lexicomane: lover of dictionaries

Pauciloquent: using few words in speech or conversation

The main point is that as a writer, you do not want to bumfuzzle your readers or listeners.

Bumfuzzle: confuse, perplex, fluster

To bring this diverting (aka fun, I hope) post to a close, I would like to share some words that I read in a business journal that are supposed to make you sound smarter. However, their synonyms might work better in your works. It depends. Right? Right! Or as my friend with whom English is a second language admonishes me to say, “Correct? Correct!” instead of right—especially when giving directions.
- articulate (well-spoken)
- accolades (kudos)
- brevity (concise)
- adulation (excessive flattery)
- anomaly (odd)
- pithy (brief, clever remark)
- lucid (clear and intelligible)
- bespoke (custom-made)
- diatribe (rant)
- vitriolic (nasty, scathing comment or action)
- aplomb (confidence)
- resplendent (shining brilliantly)
Do you have some words that you would love to share or ones that you think should be abolished (scrapped) from the English language? Let me know!

REMINDER to WRITE FAST and EDIT SLOW

And remember to not worry about word choice when you are creating your first or second draft.

WRITE FAST!

Edit Slow!

Handy link to our Write Fast, Edit Slow post with a practice exercise.

Word choice editing comes after you get your story’s first or second draft draft down in words from the “mindfilm” that you experience when you are creating a work.

I do hope that you have enjoyed reading this post at least half as much as I enjoyed writing it. Until next time,

Keep on Writing! Kiffer

Chanticleer Editorial Services – when you are ready

Did you know that Chanticleer offers editorial services? We do and have been doing so since 2011.

Tools of the Editing Trade

Our professional editors are top-notch and are experts in the Chicago Manual of Style. They have and are working for the top publishing houses (TOR, McMillian, Thomas Mercer, Penguin Random House, Simon Schuster, etc.).

If you would like more information, we invite you to email Kiffer at KBrown@ChantiReviews.com for more information, testimonials, and fees.

We work with a small number of exclusive clients who want to collaborate with our team of top editors on an ongoing basis. Contact us today!

Chanticleer Editorial Services also offers writing craft sessions and masterclasses. Sign up to find out where, when, and how sessions are being held.

A great way to get started is with our manuscript evaluation service. Here are some handy links about this tried and true service: https://test.chantireviews.com/manuscript-reviews/
September 20, 2022
Notes and Jottings about Writing from Kiffer Brown, A Chanticleer Writer’s Toolbox Post
Kiffer Brown’s Fall Cleaning Finds Writing Tips!

Found Notes from the Home of Kiffer Brown

We are getting ready to do some long-awaited (no thanks to Covid) and much needed remodeling on our 100-year-old-plus bungalow. A little known fact of our old home is that Edward R. Murrow’s parents lived here and Mr. Murrow visited them often. Below is a photo of Mr. Murrow visiting his parents in the house that I now live in.

A photo of Edward R. Murrow visiting his parents’ house in Bellingham, Wash.

In moving my office (read: organize boxes of notebooks, composition books, and small pieces of paper), I am compelled to go through them and decide which ones I will toss, which ones I will need to consolidate, and which of the aforementioned I will deem worthy of keeping. While I was flipping through these individual journals, I saw the following snippets of note-taking from leaders and top authors in the publishing industry.

How many of you have these in your writing lair?

Writing Notebooks

Without further ado here are a few of the found gems that I found while going through a few of my notebooks:
- Write the slow stuff fast and the fast stuff (aka action scenes) slow to increase tension. In other words, “Tell” the slow stuff and “Show” the Fast Stuff.
- When writing you either need to advance the plot or reveal more about a character.
- Chapters should have arcs to them and cliffhangers to keep the reader turning pages.
- The first and last sentences of each chapter are the most important.
- Dialogue is action. Action is dialogue (Robert Dugoni).
- Only add backstory in on an as-needed basis. Does it advance the story? If not, don’t add it.
- Start scenes with action. End scenes with action.
And, finally, Subplots must be woven in. They are tools for the author to:
- Delay the main plot
- Distract the protagonist
- Heighten mood
- Affect pacing
- Add foreshadowing
- Shows transformations
- Ramp up the main plot
After years of attending conferences and living and breathing the writing world, it’s a joy and a gift to come across these treasures from the best in my home office. I hope you find these jottings as helpful as I have.

Now back to trying to beat back chaos in my office. I will do another post about the jottings and notes that I find during my re-organization.

We’d love to hear from you and your notes and jottings!

Keep on Writing! The world needs good books now more than ever! – Kiffer
September 8, 2022
The BOOK SERIES 2021 CIBA WINNERS for Genre Fiction
The CIBA FICTION SERIES Book Awards recognize outstanding series works in any of our 16 Divisions. The Fiction Series Book Awards is a division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs) is seeking for the best book series in all sixteen fiction divisions: Mysteries, Suspense Thrillers, Espionage/High Stakes, Young Adult, Middle-Grade Readers, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Supernatural and Paranormal, Romance, Historical Fiction. These books have advanced to the next judging rounds. We will put them to the test and choose the best among them.

The 2021 BOOK SERIES Book Awards First Place Category Winners and the BOOK SERIES Grand Prize Winner were announced by Diane Garland on Saturday, June 25, 2022 at the Hotel Bellwether and broadcast via ZOOM webinar.

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

Join us in Celebrating the following authors and their works in the 2021 CIBAs.

Ozma Book Awards for Series – Fantasy Fiction
- M. K. Wiseman – The Bookminder series
Dante Rossetti Book Awards for Series – Young Adult
- Pamela Beason – Run for Your Life
Chatelaine Book Awards for Series – Romantic Fiction
- Janet K. Shawgo – Look For Me Series
CLUE Book Awards for Series – Thriller/Suspense
- Kaylin McFarren – Threads
Mystery & Mayhem Book Awards for Series – Mysteries / Cozy and Not-so-Cozy
- Amy S. Peele – A Transplant Medical Murder Mystery series
Chaucer Book Awards for Series – Historical Fiction
- Nicole Evelina – The Guinevere’s Tale Trilogy
Laramie Book Awards for Series – Americana / Western Fiction
- E. Alan Fleischauer – JT Thomas’s Series – Western series
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2021 BOOK SERIES Awards is:

The Guinevere’s Tale Trilogy

by Nicole Evelina

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

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

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

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

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

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

The 2022 BOOK SERIES 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 BOOK SERIES 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 8, 2022