Only 10 days left to submit your books to the prestigious CIBAs and embark on an extraordinary journey to success. With over $30,000 in prizes awarded annually, now is the time to make your mark!
We’re looking for the best of the best for Speculative Fiction! Chanticleer started with a mandate to offer a platform specifically to indie authors and presses, and now every year we receive every type of work, from brilliant manuscripts to Big Five publications. Does your book have what it takes?
We are proud to recognize ALL of these 2024 CIBA Winners in Speculative Fiction Divisions!
Cygnus Award Winners!
Timothy S. Johnston –A Blanket of Steel
Peter Dingus –Deep Time
A. R. Black –No Man’s Land
Thomas R. Weaver –Artificial Wisdom
Shami Stovall –The Half-Life Empire
Ozma Award Winners!
Curt Locklear –Treasure and Murder In Ireland
Glen Dahlgren –The Realm of Gods
Susan Wands –High Priestess and Empress, Book Two, Arcana Oracle Series
Prue Batten –The Red Thread
S.G. Blaise –Meddling Mages
J.A. Nielsen –The Claiming
Shelley Award Winners!
Evette Davis –The Gift
Alexander Fernandez –Above the Ashes
Keith Steinbaum –In Lieu of Flowers
Tim Facciola –Ghosts of Rheynia
AA DaSilva –Periphery
Rhett C. Bruno and Jaime Castle –Vein Pursuits
And the 2024 Grand Prize Champions of Speculative Fiction
Congratulations once more to these powerhouse authors!
From left to right we have The Cygnus Grand Prize Winner Ares, the Ozma Grand Prize Winner Circle of Stars, and the Shelley Grand Prize Winner Time-Marked Warlock
More than just recognition
The CIBAs are your portal to discoverability in a world with millions of books published annually. Whether your book makes it to the first lists or all the way to the coveted Blue Ribbon, the CIBAs signal to readers, booksellers, and industry professionals that you’re serious about your craft.
Join the ranks of celebrated authors who’ve taken this critical step.
Your book deserves to be discovered, celebrated, and shared with the world. Don’t miss the chance to showcase your talent and gain valuable recognition at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (April 2026) where Winners from all 28 Book Award Divisions will be announced and honored.
If you’ve been looking for a Fantasy to read, try out some of our Award winners!
A Circle of Stars By Erin Lark Maples
If you’re looking for a beach read with supernatural intrigue,A Circle of Starsby Erin Lark Maples will draw you in from page one. Ember “EJ” James, a newly-arrived stranger in the strange land of Prescott, AZ, immediately begins navigating unfamiliar territory, both physically and metaphysically.
Forty-something EJ doesn’t know it yet, but when she agreed to take over her deceased uncle Hollis’s shop in Prescott, she stumbled into a world of magical realism. The plant shop, as it turns out, is more than just that—it hides secret access to other realms, which supernatural beings will go to great lengths to access. Much like the plants in the shop, this tale is dark, tangled, and intriguing beyond belief.
Anyone else may have felt helpless. But EJ remains upbeat, charmingly self-deprecating, and resourceful to the end. There’s a great joy in seeing how she works through her new surroundings, unfazed by (almost) everything they throw her way.
A Vengeful Realm Book 1: The Scales of Balance
By Tim Facciola
The Scales of Balanceopens with an amnesiac gladiator, a queen certain her husband must die for the sake of the kingdom, and a prince who will do anything to save his father. Tim Facciola’s first novel in the high fantasy seriesA Vengeful Realmis threaded through with plots of assassination and political intrigue, all fueled by a divine struggle for dominance.
A Vengeful Realmis a study in richness. Its characters, setting, and world-building, the vital elements for a strong fantasy, pull the reader into the land of New Rheynia where the most valuable currencies are loyalty and power.
Facciola excels at characterization, beginning with an engaging tapestry of backgrounds.
The gladiator Zephyrus’ first memories are in a temple hearing the words of a prophecy that he can’t understand. Depending on the interpretation, he could bring peace or destruction. His only guide is his iron morality, which he hopes is enough to bring him back to who he once was.
Earth is linked in a symbiotic relationship with its spirit twin, a hidden utopia called EonThera. But as the paradise begins to inherit the harsh realities of Earth’s drastic climate change, EonThera urges action – before both realms collapse, in Steven Michael Beck’s Soar a Burning Sky.
What if there was an “earthly paradise,” a mirror of Earth – a terratopia that is an awe-inspiring existential representation of how amazing planet Earth could be? This fantasy fiction presents a synergic relationship between Earth and this soul, as together they sustain the Ticking – a heartbeat that nurtures both. But as Clayton Cramer puts it, “Abandon all thoughts of Utopia – humans are involved.”
As a result of the two realms’ mutual existence, one’s failing health accounts for the fall of the other. The soul of Earth, EonThera, is collapsing. It is plain that the enemy is ignorance, primarily Earth’s, and with this knowledge comes the recruitment of the four unlikely Earthly warriors to aid the two realms before they fall from a burning sky.
Sixteen-year-old Catalina Delgado’s hopes of marrying her love are troubled by strange, unnatural dangers, in Laurel Anne Hill’s novel, Plague of Flies.
Like every dutiful daughter in 1846, Catalina worries about her reputation. However, she must also gain the approval of Ángelo Ortega’s family. Unfortunately, when three strangers ride onto her family’s small ranch in Alta California, she knows that more than her dreams are at risk. Alta California has just been invaded by the men of the Bear Flag, and Catalina fears what will become of her homeland now that it has been claimed by the Yankees. The nearby ranch owned by the valiant General Vallejo has been raided, owners and their servants terrorized and held captive. Plus Bear Flaggers have murdered additional friends of Catalina’s family on a beach.
Divinity’s Twilight: Rebirth By Christopher Russell
Divinity’s Twilight: Rebirth by Christopher Russell is the opening of a High Fantasy epic about the rise and fall of vast empires.
The story grows from unfinished business between three brothers gifted with magic and power but chose different paths to achieve safety and security for themselves and the people who followed them.
These different paths culminated in a battle where the fate of their world is balanced precariously on a knife’s edge. Darmatus and Rabban are engaged in a war to the death with their oldest brother Sarcon. Sarcon believes the road to that safety lies in power alone, that the only way to be secure is to crush all his enemies, no matter how heinous the deeds required.
Remember to add your next reads to your StoryGraph or Goodreads account! Now that you’re set on your next five reads, what are you waiting for? The only way to join this amazing list of Ozma Winners is to submit today!
These Hall of Fame winners prove that exceptional fantasy comes from authors brave enough to explore magical realms, whether it’s EJ’s supernatural plant shop in modern Arizona or epic battles between godlike brothers. Each of these stories found their readership through the recognition and promotion that comes with Ozma Award achievement.
You know you want it…
Will your fantasy tale be next to join this prestigious lineup? From urban magic to high fantasy epics, the Ozma Awards celebrate every corner of the fantasy spectrum.
Don’t let your story remain hidden in an enchanted vault—submit to the Ozma Awards and join the ranks of celebrated fantasy authors who’ve found their audience through Chanticleer!
The Ozma Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Fantasy Fiction. The Overall Grand Prize Winner, Erin Lark Maples’ book, A Circle of Stars will be promoted for years to come in our annual Hall of Fame article, as well as be featured on the Ozma 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!
Join us in celebrating the 2024 First Place Ozma Winners!
Curt Locklear – Treasure and Murder in Ireland
As Halloween draws close, Scrooge, Cratchit, and their newly married junior partner Sherlock “Lockie” Holmes, father of the great detective, are pulled into the complex murders of three Irishmen: a nobleman, a town mayor, and a pubkeeper. To Scrooge’s utter dismay, the three sail to Ireland, where they uncover biblical secrets and face a wide range of challenges and assailants. The trio is aided by two sharp female protagonists: one is an accomplished scientist, the other is developing martial arts skills. A crafty lawyer intends to seize the mines belonging to Lucy Holmes and her cousins, Abigail and Samuel Jiggins. An ancient cult is forming, and a young mastermind continues to plot in the shadows. Set during the horrendous Irish Potato Famine, Treasure and Murder in Ireland follows the trio as they struggle their way through dangerous circumstances, gathering clues and discovering magic does not always belong in myths.
In a realm where dreams and reality intertwine, the final battle brews.
The gods of Order have vanished. Despite priests like Dantess and Myra struggling to maintain peace, the Harbingers of Chaos fan the flames of rebellion, bringing the world to the brink of war.
Galen, drawn into the heart of the Dreaming—an ethereal realm where past, present, and future collide—confronts not only his nemesis, the cunning Carnaubas, but a horrifying truth: the exiled gods of Order still hunger for dominion.
Luckily, Galen is not alone. Eve, a young girl gifted with the uncanny ability to see the threads that connect everything, joins him on a desperate quest to find the elusive god of Chaos, their only hope for preventing Order’s return.
The Realm of Gods is more than just a story; it’s a descent into the battle between Order and Chaos, a testament to the enduring power of human connection, and a battle cry for rebellion against tyranny.
Join the heroes you love on their final, climatic dance between despair and hope, the last leg in an extraordinary journey that you’ll never forget.
On her return to London, artist and seer Pamela Colman Smith discovers that her nemesis, Aleister Crowley, has returned—and his sights are set on her. Despite Aleister’s efforts to stop Pamela from further developing her tarot deck and accessing its magic, she carries on casting her High Priestess and Empress muses, Golden Dawn society leader Florence Farr and popular theatre star Ellen Terry. But when Ellen is poisoned and nearly killed, Pamela realizes that Aleister won’t stop coming for her—not until her muses are dead.
When Aleister reveals his plot to assassinate Queen Victoria and all female rulers, war breaks out between the Aleister’s Carlists and the Golden Dawn. With so many lives on the line—that of the queen, and those of her friends—Pamela must access her inner magic to face the battle of her life.
A red silk thread tied around one’s wrist by the God of Fate is immovable.
Destiny is immutable.
For Lien of the First House of Silk and Ming Xao, her Emperor, the woven silk thread on their wrists brings them to the very edge of death as they are hunted by the fey for a secret map they hold in their possession.
Glenna’s heart sinks just as her boots sink in the mud, when she sees how horrid the planet Raghild is.
But there is no turning back now. She must forge onward to meet the despised charlatans, aka, mages—the only ones able to help her get rid of the corruption that’s killing her.
The sooner she finds the mages, the sooner she can rid herself of the deadly corruption, and of the pesky mage who somehow sneaked his way into her heart.
Spense is the unfortunate younger son of Lord Ferrous, with a growing talent for the magical arts and a larger talent for finding trouble, most often in the form of botched spells. Dewy is a Fae princess who tends to disappoint her aunt, the Summer Queen, through her—ahem—carefree life choices.
A chance encounter—and another botched spell—leaves Spense bonded to Dewy and able to control her will. But it’s a violation of magic. Not to mention devastating to Human-Fae relations.
To free Dewy and save Spense’s kingdom, they must journey through faerie territories—facing feral magic, treacherous wilderness, and their own distractible hearts. Unless that’s just the effect of The Claiming…
From Chanticleer:
The illegitimate son of a human king accidentally binds himself to a Fae princess in J.A. Nielsen’s YA adventure,The Claiming.As war bears down on the kingdom of Telridge, can the two of them break the spell in time?
Lord Ferrous, ruler of Telridge, smells conflict coming for his people. Even so, he denies a mysterious request from the king of the Winter Fae, and sets his sons to prepare their land for war. His eldest, Prince Dirk, gathers his knights and begins to evacuate the common people to the protection of Telridge castle. His younger son Spense, born out of wedlock to the castle’s head cook, uses his finicky magic to Claim a bridge over a powerful river. If he succeeds, the passing will be barred to their enemies. But he fails to realize that the powerful living force he encounters isn’t the bridge at all.
Dewy, crown princess of the Summer Fae, is Claimed instead of the bridge. Her aunt, Lady Radiant, must exile her from their lands. While Dewy’s careless spirit chafed under Radiant’s authority, she grieves for her lost home.
The Chaucer Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Early Historical Fiction. The Grand Prize Winner, James Hutson-Wiley’s book, The Merchant from Sepharad will be promoted for years to come in our annual Hall of Fame article, as well as be featured on the Chaucer 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!
Marie de France was a 12th Century poet, considered to be the earliest known female poet writing in French. Her work is still read and was also an influence on the genre of Chivalric Romance. One of her works is a series of 102 fables, some translated from Aesop, the ones in the series she wrote have a focus on Female characters. Fable 51 is considered an early version of the Raynard the Fox tale, which was an inspiration for Chaucer while writing the Canterbury Tales, specifically the Nun’s Priest’s Tale, the tale also starring a certain rooster named Chanticleer.
Venice in 1509 is on the brink of war. The displeasure of Pope Julius II is a continuing threat to the republic, as is the barely contained fighting in the countryside. Amid this turmoil, noblewoman Justina Soranzo, just sixteen, hopes to make a rare love marriage with her sweetheart, Luca Cicogna. Her hopes are dashed when her father decides her younger sister, Rosa, will marry in a strategic alliance and Justina will be sent to the San Zaccaria convent, in the tradition of aristocratic daughters. Lord Soranzo is not acting only to protect his family. It’s well known that he is in debt to both his trading partners and the most infamous courtesan in the city, La Diamante, and the pressure is closing in.
After arriving at the convent, Justina takes solace in her aunt Livia, one of the nuns, and in the growing knowledge that all is not strictly devout at San Zaccaria. Justina is shocked to discover how the women of the convent find their own freedom in what seems to her like a prison. But secrets and scandals breach the convent walls, and Justina learns there may be even worse fates for her than the veil, if La Diamante makes good on her threats.
Desperate to protect herself and the ones she loves, Justina turns to Luca for help. She finds she must trust her own heart to make the impossible decisions that may save or ruin them all.
A duty he believes in. A general he idolizes. But when doubts surface, will he stay true to honor or the chance to return to the woman he loves?
Poland, 1620. Jacek Dąbrowski scents war in the air. Away from the battlefield for five years, the renowned fighter yields to a growing itch and answers the general’s request to help lead the army against the Ottomans. But he’s torn between duty and family when the perils of combat force him to leave his defenseless wife behind.
Attending war councils and taking command of problematic noblemen, Jacek starts to doubt the mission and the sacrifice of being far from his loved ones. But his loyalty to his commander could put him on an irreversible path to disaster…
Will Jacek’s call to arms prove to be his death song?
Set in the late 4th century CE, Elodia’s Knife tells the gripping tale of a young Gothic girl who kills her abusive husband and flees his family’s retribution by rafting across the Danube River into Roman territory. Against the backdrop of a crumbling empire and the looming threat of Gothic invasion, Elodia must use her wits and her strength to rise to power in a world that seeks to crush her. With unforgettable characters, pulse-pounding action, and a vivid sense of historical detail, this is a must-read for anyone who loves adventure, romance, and history.
From Chanticleer:
Elodia is a young woman driven by dreadful circumstances to act with deadly force in the Robert S. Phillips novel Elodia’s Knife.
What Elodia hoped would be her leap away from danger instead left her surrounded by perilous threats that now threaten to consume her. Armed with her courage, determination, instincts, and a trusty knife, Elodia faces a hostile world in foreign territory.
Not all are against her though. Allies– even a friend– can be found, if Elodia can summon the bravery to listen to her feelings and own deep wishes.
Young Elodia is unhappily married to an abusive husband. But when he tries to attack her again, she strikes back and kills him.
Margaret of Austria was the most significant political negotiator of early 16th-century Europe. About as Austrian as French fries are French, she was born in Brussels in 1480, raised in France, married and widowed in Spain, then married and widowed again in Savoy by age twenty-four.
In 1506 Margaret’s life turned upside down when her brother Philip of Burgundy unexpectedly died in Spain. With their mother Juana of Castile insane, four children, heirs to the Habsburg empire, were left behind in the Burgundian-Habsburg Netherlands.
Margaret stepped in and took the reins.
Appointed by her father, Maximilian I, Margaret became governor of the Netherlands, then widened her role to broker the 1508 Treaty of Cambrai where Europe’s princes united against Venice.
Ferdinand of Spain, Henry Tudor then Henry VIII of England, Louis XII of France, and Louise of Savoy for Francis I all came to Margaret’s negotiation table. Under her deft diplomacy princes saw reason and wars were averted.
Enjoying political power, Margaret avoided remarriage. Then Henry VIII’s right-hand man Charles Brandon turned her world upside down.
Margaret’s court attracted Europe’s brightest, including the young Anne Boleyn. Yet halfway through her rule Margaret was ousted by enemies. She won back her position with a comeback strategy as astute today as it was in 1517.
Journey to the Renaissance with Margaret of Austria, who shot the fortunes of the House of Habsburg to the stars while setting a winning precedent for female rule in the Netherlands.
Now nearly seventeen, Megge and Brighida must endure another brutal loss.
As they perform the rites of transition that precede a burial, Megge accepts a daunting new charge that carries consequences not even her cousin the seer can predict. It brings visions. Dreams. And voices that come to her as she goes about her work.
A silken voice beckons her back to the cliffs of Kernow, which she has seen only in dreams.
A commanding voice orders her back.
And the menacing voice she’s heard since she was a girl is now ever at her ear, bringing a haunting new meaning to her grandmother’s words, “You’re never alone.”
But only when the tales of an old woman, a stranger to Bury Down, echo those voices and conjure those cliffs does Megge embark on a journey that leads to a secluded cove they call The Sorrows and a destiny none of the women of Bury Down could have foreseen.
From Chanticleer:
In The Lady of the Cliffs, an ambitious sequel in the Bury Down Chronicles by Rebecca Kightlinger, a teenager embarks on a journey that will bring her face to face with unexpected destiny.
The year is 1286 CE in Cornwall, England. At the turn of her seventeenth year, Megge and her cousin Brighida find themselves dealing with a new loss, one that breaks both their hearts. As heirs to the Book of Seasons and Book of Times respectively, they have to protect the books from sinister hands as they hold knowledge and wisdom that must one day be united. The power of these two books calls for a duty that is far greater than any woman of Bury Down has ever borne.
As they take part in a final right of passage that the women of Bury Down perform for their dead, Megge, an apprentice weaver, takes on new challenges that Brighida, an apprentice seer, cannot foretell. Megge begins having dreams and visions. In one of her dreams, she sees a rolling sea drive itself into a cove at the foot of a cliff, and a silken voice asking her to return to the cliffs of Kernow, a place that she has only seen in her slumber.
1461, Isle of Jersey. Disillusioned by war, Sir Philippe de Carteret returns home to hang up his sword and embrace his duties as seigneur of the island’s most powerful manor. Desiring to raise his son in peace and safety, he is dismayed when news arrives that the impregnable fortress of Mont Orgueil Castle has been breached.
He seeks assistance from England to expel the invaders. But amid the chaos of the Wars of the Roses, his pleas go unheeded. To safeguard his son and preserve the family legacy, de Carteret pledges fealty to the new lord. Hopeful that the French will rule benevolently, his illusions are quickly shattered when their tactics turn brutal.
With spies everywhere and unsure of whom to trust, can de Carteret build a rebel force and lead them on a quest to liberate the homeland he loves?
The Chaucer Awards are named after Geoffrey Chaucer, the author of The Canterbury Tales. But Chaucer was hardly the only writer of past ages. Female writers of the past are often overlooked, so during this Award cycle, we’re going to highlight some of them in Chaucer posts.
The Disk of Enheduanna, discovered in 1927 by Leonard Wooley, now in the Penn Museum
The oldest known writer in history is Enheduanna
She was High Priestess of the Sumerian Moon Goddess Nanna, and Daughter of Sargon the Great, the first King of the Akkadian empire. Living in approximately 2300 BCE, she composed 42 temple hymns and 3 stand-alone poems. While her Father was uniting Mesopotamia and creating one of the worlds first empires, she was uniting their religions, her hymns being used to combine the worship of Inanna and Ishtar. One of her poems, Inanna and Ebih, even has the distinction of being the first text to have illustrations.
Another female writer, Murasaki Shikibu, wrote Genji Monogatari, also known as The Tale of Genji in about 1000- 1012 CE in Japan.
The Tale of Genji is considered to be one of the worlds first Novels, directly inspired by her life as a Lady-in-waiting in the Royal court. What’s interesting about her novel is how much of it centers on the female perspective, of the women in Genji’s life and how they shaped his fate. While the book is an amazing example and look into Japanese Culture at that time, it also still has points that are still able to be seen in Modern Japanese society. It is however thought that the last 10 chapters may have been written by her daughter, poet Daini no Sanmi.
However, the Chaucer Awards focus on work written in the last 3 years.
Pre-Historical Fiction- Anything before written history. Neolithic and Neanderthal type stories. The Clan of The Cave Bear by Jean Auel or The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle are good examples.
Ancient Historical Fiction- Greek, Roman, Egyptian; Classical History
Dark Ages, Medieval, Renaissance
Elizabethan/Tudor
1600s
World/International History Pre-1750s
Americas- Historical Fiction Pre-1750s
Legend Based Pre-1750s Historical Fiction (Arthurian, Beowulf, Chaucer)
Rebecca Kightlinger – The Lady of the Cliffs: The Bury Down Chronicles, Book Two
C.V. Lee – Token of Betrayal
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 CHAUCER Awards is:
The Merchant from Sepharad
By James Hutson-Wiley
Now it is our pleasure to celebrate some of the Early Historical Fiction that’s come to us lately!
EDGED In PURPLE
By John W. Feist
Edged in Purple by John W. Feist welcomes readers to a place outside of time and space, a liminal space where characters of myth wait to return to their fated stories.
The Fold is a beautiful land, a near-utopia shepherded– literally– by Thetis and Peleus of Greek mythology. They raise the heroine of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, Perdita, after her father had accused her mother of betraying him with another, the whole sad story a product of his own paranoia.
Perdita’s story is proceeding as it was written. She has already met Florizel, the man who should be the hero of her romance– when her story is intersected by another. Just as The Winter’s Tale features royal courts, doomed relationships, mistaken identities, and family murder, so too does an ancient Greek drama: the Oresteia of Aeschylus, the story of Agamemnon after the Trojan War.
Mack Little’s historical fiction novel Daughter of Hades explores the lives of slaves during the age of pirates.
Little’s research shines in her thoughtful presentation of the Caribbean islands, the escaped slaves who found freedom amongst them, the lives of buccaneers and maroons, and their daring and dangerous exploits.
On the first page, Little introduces us to Geraldine, or “Dinny”, running for her life from her owner, Owen Craig, who has just raped her.
THE SHERIFF: Book Three of The Druid Chronicles
By A.M. Linden
The Sheriff, the third installment of A.M. Linden’s Druid Chronicles series about 9th-century life in Anglo-Saxon England, fully immerses readers in that distant era with all of its joys, conflicts, and hardships.
Trained from his youngest years in the military, Stefan has learned both battle skills and leadership, with the ability to approach a situation without causing it to get out of hand. He is fiercely loyal, but continually denied a larger role in the kingdom’s army. His latest indignity came with the king assigning him as sheriff of Codswallow, a paltry village. With a retinue of less than 10 people including his slave, he has to collect taxes and keep the peace.
The novel shows two major episodes. The first follows his Codswallow days, including his relationship with Jonathan, owner of the Three Dragons Inn. Stefan learns that Jonathan is paying protection money to keep bandits away from the inn, and carries out a series of plans to discover who is, what we could call, the crime boss.
Elodia is a young woman driven by dreadful circumstances to act with deadly force in the Robert S. Phillips novel Elodia’s Knife.
What Elodia hoped would be her leap away from danger instead left her surrounded by perilous threats that now threaten to consume her. Armed with her courage, determination, instincts, and a trusty knife, Elodia faces a hostile world in foreign territory.
Not all are against her though. Allies– even a friend– can be found, if Elodia can summon the bravery to listen to her feelings and own deep wishes.
This is the journey from beginning to end for the CIBAs Levels of Achievement is so worthwhile! Every list you make means more promotion for you and your work as each list is posted right here on our website, on our social media, and also out in our newsletter!
The Ozma Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Fantasy Fiction. The Overall Grand Prize Winner, Tim Facciola’s book, A Vengeful Realm will be promoted for years to come in our annual Hall of Fame article, as well as be featured on the Ozma 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!
Elwyn is remarkably unremarkable, and she prefers it that way. What more could a thief hope for than to pass through life unseen? Upon fleeing a violent life with her invisible friend-a clever and capricious creature who’s only grown more real with time-she is plunged into an adventure rife with otherworldly beings both beautiful and beastly.
As the Greyscale’ most cutthroat assassin, Brannon has a bone to pick with Elwyn-and several to break. Tasked with hunting down his errant colleague, he soon finds himself in a magic-steeped hamlet where he encounters creatures even more deadly than himself. To survive, he must rely on the very rival he’s been sent to capture.
Little Lydia has a chilling secret, and even she doesn’t know the whole of it. Her unusual appearance has earned her the nickname “monster,” and there may be some truth to the slight. When she caves to the whispers that have slithered through her mind for months, she loses everything she knows and must start anew in the company of criminals.
Bored by his charmed existence, prince Aedyn slips into the lives of these three misfits only to learn of schemes that place both the Mortal and Faerie Realms in peril. If he can help the others work together to thwart the plans of two feuding fiends, they might just manage to save multiple worlds…provided they don’t kill each other first.
Allen is a great world builder and provides complex characters with intricate plots. This story has a little bit of horror, a little fantasy, time travel and heartbreak. Everything had a smooth pace. Now we just need the third book in the series! — Chanticleer
This book is not yet released, but we are very excited to see it come out! It is the sequel to Seagrass Maggie, which also won a First Place Ribbon in the 2022 Ozma Award.
Kullen is the Emperor’s assassin. The sharp hand of justice. The Black Talon.
Gifted a soul-forged bond with his dragon, Umbris, Kullen is tasked with hunting any and all who oppose the Empire.
But when the secretive Crimson Fang murders two noblemen before his very eyes, Kullen must discover the truth of who they are and what they want. What he uncovers is a web of lies and deceit spiraling into the depths of Dimvein.
Natisse, a high-ranking member of the rebellion known as the Crimson Fang, has no greater goal than to rid Dimvein of power-hungry nobles. Haunted by her past, fire, flames, and the death of her parents, she sets out to destroy the dragons and those who wield them as unstoppable weapons of destruction.
Until she too finds herself buried beneath the weight of the revelations her investigations reveal…
A malignant being is hunting Shaun McClanahan and his daughter Molly. When it steals their gold, they are thrust into an epic adventure, hurtling back through time to ancient Rome.
To save themselves, Molly and her father must come to terms with a painful past, heal old wounds, and grapple with the most powerful leprechaun magic ever known to lore gatherers. But even with the help of a poetry-writing fox and a hyper-intelligent chicken, can they save the universe?
Jenesis is a monster. Her odd looks and small stature incite disdain but mask her power — power she must harness to overcome evil, or perish trying.In the year 535 AD, Jenesis, the elfish daughter of a human father and mystical mother, is abandoned under a fairy tree on the west coast of Ireland. Her odd looks earn her the label, monster.
Jenesis has a secret — she’s descended from the magical tribe of Danu. Her destiny to save monsters — children abandoned because of disabilities — leads her to the new world and a hidden chamber along the Wissahickon Creek. Jenesis must protect the chamber from wicked men who want to destroy it, the monsters, and her.
Throughout her interminable life, Jenesis calls on human skills and Danu power to battle evil reincarnated. Will she find a Danu to take her place? Will her journey ever end?This epic tale spans the years 535 AD to 1952, and spins from Ancient Ireland to indigenous America to Philadelphia’s Wissahickon Creek. History and myth, humanity and deity, mundane and magic are masterfully interwoven to create an authentic world populated by mystical and mortal characters. The Chamber is the first Wissahickon Monsters story. This genre-bending tale will appeal to fans of fantasy, historic fiction, and romance who love to enter a story and become part of it. Devlin’s characters seamlessly coexist in the upper world and underworld, all the while protecting the chamber’s secret.
The Ozma and Goethe Awards both close at the end of July! Don’t let your History become a Fantasy!
The Ozma Award for Fantasy Fiction and The Goethe Award for Post-1750 Historical Fiction close submissions on JULY 31st.
You can’t win if you don’t submit!
Submit to the CIBAs Today!
Only 10 days left to submit your books to the prestigious CIBAs and embark on an extraordinary journey to success. With over $30,000 in prizes awarded annually, now is the time to make your mark!
The Ozma Awards for Fantasy and The Goethe Awards for Late Historical Fiction are still open until JULY 31st!
Congratulations to the Winners of the 2023 Ozma Awards!
Lilla Glass – The Unseen
Charles Allen – The Order of the Red God
Jaime Castle & Andy Peloquin – Black Talon
Jonathan Uffelman – Book of Leprechauns: The Lore Gatherers
PJ Devlin – The Chamber
And a huge round of applause to this years Overall Grand Prize, and Division Grand Prize for OZMA
A Vengeful Realm by Tim Facciola!
Congratulations to the Winners of the 2023 Goethe Awards!
William Maz – Bucharest Legacy: The Rise of the Oligarchs
And a huge round of applause to this years 2023 Goethe Grand Prize Winner- If Someday Comes by David Calloway
The CIBAs offer more than just recognition — they 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 3-6, 2025) where Winners from all 25 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.
Fantasy isn’t just elves and magic. There is so many possibilities for a Fantasy Tale and we love that!
Let’s Dive into the Categories!
Magic, Heroes and Villains is classic High Fantasy like Lord of The Rings.
Coming of age is Fantasy typically looks at someone coming into their own, like Egwene al’Vere in The Wheel of Time, but it can also be aimed at a younger audience. For YA Fantasy see Dante Rossetti and for Middle Grade Fantasy check out the Gertrude Warner Awards!
Steampunk and Dieselpunk are a type of Alternative history and Counterculture, Steampunk being Victorian era sci-fi or fantasy, or both, with an emphasis on steam powered or gaslight technology and historical fashions.
Dieselpunk is a similar category but more like an industrial Art Deco, Film Noir aspects with aesthetics of the World Wars and Early Cold War. The video game series Bioshock, or Bladerunner could be seen as examples of Dieselpunk . There are quite a few different types of ‘punk’. Cyberpunk is one of the more well known, using 1980s futuristic aesthetics.
Historical Fantasy is similar to the previous, but with less of the Science Fiction elements. History with magic instead of History with weird tech.
Modern and Urban Fantasy is exactly what it sounds like. Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files is a good example. Fantasy, but realistic. Magical Realism stands on its own, and can be found as a Category in the Somerset Awards!
Last, but not least is Myths and Legends and Fairy Tales. Classic Fantasy elements, Fairies, King Arthur, folktale type stories.
Fantasy can even have many crossovers with Science Fiction! The cast of Star Trek: Next Generation shows just the same thing.
Looking for your next Fantasy Read? Check out some of these incredible books we’ve reviewed!
THE CLAIMING: Fractured Kingdoms Book 1 By J.A. Nielsen
The illegitimate son of a human king accidentally binds himself to a Fae princess in J.A. Nielsen’s YA adventure, The Claiming. As war bears down on the kingdom of Telridge, can the two of them break the spell in time?
Lord Ferrous, ruler of Telridge, smells conflict coming for his people. Even so, he denies a mysterious request from the king of the Winter Fae, and sets his sons to prepare their land for war. His eldest, Prince Dirk, gathers his knights and begins to evacuate the common people to the protection of Telridge castle. His younger son Spense, born out of wedlock to the castle’s head cook, uses his finicky magic to Claim a bridge over a powerful river. If he succeeds, the passing will be barred to their enemies. But he fails to realize that the powerful living force he encounters isn’t the bridge at all.
Dewy, crown princess of the Summer Fae, is Claimed instead of the bridge. Her aunt, Lady Radiant, must exile her from their lands. While Dewy’s careless spirit chafed under Radiant’s authority, she grieves for her lost home.
A CIRCLE Of STARS: Four Crowns Series Book 1 By Erin Lark Maples
If you’re looking for a beach read with supernatural intrigue, A Circle of Stars by Erin Lark Maples will draw you in from page one. Ember “EJ” James, a newly-arrived stranger in the strange land of Prescott, AZ, immediately begins navigating unfamiliar territory, both physically and metaphysically.
Forty-something EJ doesn’t know it yet, but when she agreed to take over her deceased uncle Hollis’s shop in Prescott, she stumbled into a world of magical realism. The plant shop, as it turns out, is more than just that—it hides secret access to other realms, which supernatural beings will go to great lengths to access. Much like the plants in the shop, this tale is dark, tangled, and intriguing beyond belief.
Anyone else may have felt helpless. But EJ remains upbeat, charmingly self-deprecating, and resourceful to the end. There’s a great joy in seeing how she works through her new surroundings, unfazed by (almost) everything they throw her way.
SUMMER THUNDER: Magic at Myers Beach Book 1 By Alan B. Gibson
Lily struggles to keep her business, her son, and her home. But in Summer Thunder, first book of the Magic at Myers Beach series by Alan B. Gibson, Lily’s luck begins to turn as she connects with the enigmatic beach king Theos.
With the help of her friend and fellow business owner Greta “the Witch,” Lily tries to revitalize her fairy-themed decoration and figurine store. Her divorce from her abusive ex-husband Kelly is pending, and she must present a calm and reliable home to ensure full custody of her son Jamie. But when her kindly landlord, Ms. Coffey, passes away, she’s confronted with two options: lose her prime business location and upstairs apartment, or somehow make enough money to buy the building herself.
Enter Theos, a kitesurfing champion with adoring fans. He shows true appreciation for Lily’s fairy figurines, bringing her many more sales. But more importantly, Theos becomes deeply interested in Lily herself. Their romance begins on rocky footing, as Theos has a strange air about him and seems to vanish whenever a storm comes into town. But when he begins modelling for a new fairy figurine – aptly named Theos, the King – the two are drawn inevitably closer.
MISTRESS Of LEGEND: Guinevere’s Tale Book 3 By Nicole Evelina
In Mistress of Legend, the enticing finale of Nicole Evelina’s Guinevere’s Tale trilogy, matters are life-and-death by the second sentence, pulling readers deep into Guinevere’s fate in this retelling of Arthurian legend.
We come upon heroine Guinevere in the midst of an ill-fated romance with Lancelot. It’s far from her first troubled entanglement, but the stakes rise as she’s severely injured and faces even more threats, pursued by possible enemies. The novel’s beginning is woven with backstory, which adds suspense to the drama unfolding in Guinevere’s present. This summarizing might be slow for readers familiar with the series, but makes the story accessible for those who haven’t picked up the first two books.
Many more characters appear, waving the web of intrigue Guinevere finds herself caught in.
Evelina builds this setting through well-researched cultural details, like the holidays and rites of Guinevere’s pagan world, and the symbolism and ideology of the Christianity that threatens to blot her world out.
Plus, check out our 2023 Overall Grand Prize Winner, A Vengeful Realm by Tim Facciola!
A roaring start with a queen planning her husband’s execution while full of regret for what must be done. Magic is forbidden, knights and gladiators are doing their best to make their way through a complex political world, and the prince is just trying to keep his family safe. Excellent for anyone who loves Brandon Sanderson!
Thank you to everyone who submitted to the 2023 Ozma Awards! We can’t believe that the whole adventure starts again when the Ozma Awards close on July 31st, 2024.
This is the journey from beginning to end for the CIBAs Levels of Achievement is so worthwhile! Every list you make means more promotion for you and your work as each list is posted right here on our website, on our social media, and also out in our newsletter! Your book deserves to be discovered.
If you’ve been looking for a Fantasy to read, try out some of our Award winners!
A Vengeful Realm Book 1: The Scales of Balance
By Tim Facciola
We’re coordinating the review with Tim to go out in October with his next book release! The full series is out now, and you won’t regret reading it! Check out his website here and see it on Amazon here!
Soar a Burning Sky By Steven Michael Beck
Earth is linked in a symbiotic relationship with its spirit twin, a hidden utopia called EonThera. But as the paradise begins to inherit the harsh realities of Earth’s drastic climate change, EonThera urges action – before both realms collapse, in Steven Michael Beck’s Soar a Burning Sky.
What if there was an “earthly paradise,” a mirror of Earth – a terratopia that is an awe-inspiring existential representation of how amazing planet Earth could be? This fantasy fiction presents a synergic relationship between Earth and this soul, as together they sustain the Ticking – a heartbeat that nurtures both. But as Clayton Cramer puts it, “Abandon all thoughts of Utopia – humans are involved.”
As a result of the two realms’ mutual existence, one’s failing health accounts for the fall of the other. The soul of Earth, EonThera, is collapsing. It is plain that the enemy is ignorance, primarily Earth’s, and with this knowledge comes the recruitment of the four unlikely Earthly warriors to aid the two realms before they fall from a burning sky.
Sixteen-year-old Catalina Delgado’s hopes of marrying her love are troubled by strange, unnatural dangers, in Laurel Anne Hill’s novel, Plague of Flies.
Like every dutiful daughter in 1846, Catalina worries about her reputation. However, she must also gain the approval of Ángelo Ortega’s family. Unfortunately, when three strangers ride onto her family’s small ranch in Alta California, she knows that more than her dreams are at risk. Alta California has just been invaded by the men of the Bear Flag, and Catalina fears what will become of her homeland now that it has been claimed by the Yankees. The nearby ranch owned by the valiant General Vallejo has been raided, owners and their servants terrorized and held captive. Plus Bear Flaggers have murdered additional friends of Catalina’s family on a beach.
Divinity’s Twilight: Rebirth By Christopher Russell
Divinity’s Twilight: Rebirth by Christopher Russell is the opening of a High Fantasy epic about the rise and fall of vast empires.
The story grows from unfinished business between three brothers gifted with magic and power but chose different paths to achieve safety and security for themselves and the people who followed them.
These different paths culminated in a battle where the fate of their world is balanced precariously on a knife’s edge. Darmatus and Rabban are engaged in a war to the death with their oldest brother Sarcon. Sarcon believes the road to that safety lies in power alone, that the only way to be secure is to crush all his enemies, no matter how heinous the deeds required.
Sixteen-year-old Nat is a boxcar kid. It’s the Dust Bowl era, and Nat has lost everything: his grandmother, his family home, and a sense of belonging. He hops trains across Texas in search of a place for himself amid so much loss. Outside of Amarillo, Nat feels a peculiar sensation, a tug from destiny, that pulls him toward the small town of Tanglewood. However, instead of finding a job and some much-needed food, he discovers Polly Jones, a teenager like himself, chained to a post with a sign above her reading, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch.”
Nat can’t bring himself to abandon her to the small-minded, fearful townsfolk and immediately becomes her protector until the arrival of Camille Renoir Lavendou, a local woman who operates Miss Camille’s Home for Wayward Children. No one dares stop Camille from releasing Polly and taking both teens with her because Camille is reputed to be in the “witchin’ business” herself. Nat’s excitement at the prospect of food and a place to stay quickly turns to disbelief and wariness when he steps inside Camille’s sanctuary. What he thought was a ploy on Camille’s part to keep the nosey townsfolk at bay doesn’t seem to be a trick at all when he meets those who are under Camille’s care.
Remember to add your next reads to your StoryGraph or Goodreads account! Now that you’re set on your next five reads, what are you waiting for? The only way to join this amazing list of Ozma 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!
Our Chanticleer International Book Awards feature more than $30,000.00 worth of cash and prizes each year!
All First Place Winners Receive a coveted Chanticleer Blue Ribbon and discounts on our Roost Membership and Editorial Reviews.
All Division Grand Prize Winners a covetedChanticleer Book Review Package
The Ozma Grand Prize Winner is namedChanticleer ReviewsBest Fantasy Fiction Book of the Year and goes on to compete for the Chanticleer Overall Grand Prize Best Book of the Year
The Overall Grand Prize Winner is namedChanticleer Reviews Best Book of the Year and awarded the$1000 prize
All winners receive a Chanticleer Prize Packagewhich includes a digital badge, a ribbon and a whole assortment of goodies detailed below (winners outside the US pay a shipping & handling fee)
That’s more than $30,000.00 worth of cash and prizes! The Fine Print.
~$1000 for one lucky Overall Grand Prize Winner
~$30,000+ in reviews, prizes, and promotional opportunities awarded to Category Winners
You know you want it…
Currently accepting entries. Deadline: July 31, 2024
Are you a Chanticleer Author who has some good news to share? Let us know! We’re always looking for a reason to crow about Chanticleerians! Here are some recent achievements from our authors:
The Chaucer Book Awards recognizes the best of the best in Historical Fiction featuring the Pre-1750s Historical Fiction, including pre-history, ancient history, Classical, world history (non-western culture), Dark Ages and Medieval Europe, Renaissance, Elizabethan, Tudor, and 1600s.
Named for Geoffrey Chaucer who wrote The Canterbury Tales, The Chaucer Awards is the first Historical Fiction division created at Chanticleer, pre-dating the Goethe Awards for Late Historical Fiction and the Hemingway Awards for 20th c. Wartime Fiction. After receiving an overwhelming amount of entries into the 2016 Chaucer Book Awards, the judges requested that the CIBAs divide the historical fiction division.
The Canterbury Tales is considered one of the greatest works in the English language, and is in large part responsible for the strong Germanic influence (the top competing work of literature, Pearl, was much more heavily influence by French, but it wasn’t as popular and we don’t even have records of the author’s name). It was among the first non-secular books written in Middle English to be printed.
A woodcut from William Caxton’s second edition 0f the Canterbury Tales printed in 1483
Our favorite Rooster, Chanticleer himself comes from the Prior’s Tale, written by Chaucer!
“For crowing there was not his equal in all the land. His voice was merrier than the merry organ that plays in church, and his crowing from his resting place was more trustworthy than a clock. His comb was redder than fine coral and turreted like a castle wall, his bill was black and shone like a jet, and his legs and toes were like azure. His nails were whiter than the lily and his feathers were like burnished gold.” – Chaucer
Some interesting tidbits about Geoffrey Chaucer
Born c. 1342/43 probably in London. He died on October 25, 1400
His father was an important London vintner
His family’s finances were derived from wine and leather
Chaucer spoke Middle English and was fluent in French, Latin, and Italian
He guided diplomatic missions across the continent of Europe for ten years where he discovered the works of Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio whose The Decameron had a profound influence on Chaucer’s later works
He married well as his wife received an annuity from the queen consort of Edward III
His remains are interred in the Westminster Abbey
As our deadline draws near, don’t miss this opportunity to earn the distinction your historical fiction deserves! Enter today!
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 CHAUCER Awards is:
The Chaucer Awards, as a Division of the CIBAs, promotes authors at every step of the way. Each time a book advances we promote it
Posting it on our high traffic website
Highlighting it across our social media
Sending it directly to our audience in a newsletter blast
Beginning at the Short List we start offering digital badges and promotional stickers to all entrants. We love promoting our authors and can’t wait to see who moves up in the lists for this prestigious award!
