IE author Vince Bailey takes home Grand Prize at CIBA for Best Fiction Series

The one-of-a-kind paranormal fiction Curtis Jefferson series wins the Grand Prize at the Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBA) for Best Fiction Series. 

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Our hero - 60s-era African American youth Curtis Jefferson - fought through many challenges in his supernatural saga from escaping a cursed detention center, to surviving a perilous desert crossing and evading fierce enemies.

And so has author Vince Bailey. From crafting three compelling paranormal historical fiction novels to weathering the ups and downs of publishing during a pandemic, Vince also enjoyed the rewards of connecting with loyal readers and the satisfaction of scoring multiple book awards for his beloved series. And now the journey takes another bold step forward.

The Curtis Jefferson series is the Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 Series Award! We congratulate our author Vince Bailey on this amazing accomplishment. 

The series was first named a finalist, then category winner in the Paranormal category. But the biggest win was yet to come. Announced at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 29th, 2023 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Washington and sponsored by the 2023 Chanticleer Authors Conference, Vince was called to the stage to be honored for his work on the series. Vince beat the winners in all other categories (romance, mystery, historical fiction, and more) to take home the grand prize. 

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The Curtis Jefferson series beat out winners in all other categories to take home the Grand Prize. 

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Vince Bailey (left front row) pictured with other CIBA winners

Vince is thrilled that the CIBAs chose his uncommon story to be highlighted as the winner. Through Curtis, Vince explores themes of personal triumph among grave challenges - both in this world and otherworldly. Curtis's ultimate journey is one of self and finding the strength to carry on even amid internal and external threats. 

"I was always a daydreamer in grade school," Vince said in a recent interview. "These days they’d call it ADD—always scribbling down all the tales and vignettes that my wandering mind would conjure in order to distract me from long division."

Vince carried that daydreaming through journalism and a weekly column, culminating in putting pen to paper to write the original Curtis Jefferson novel - Path of the Half Moon. This epic tale - later developed into three standalone novels - won the Arizona Authors Literary Award, received a 5-star review from Chanticleer Book Reviews, and was the category winner in the 2018 Paranormal and Supernatural Fiction Awards. The second book in the series, Courses of the Cursed, was also honored as a Finalist in the 15th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards. 

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I try to be subtle in my writing with regard to themes—I don’t think readers need to be hit over the head with pretty platitudes.  -Vince Bailey

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Vince Bailey grew up in Central Arizona, starting in the late nineteen-fifties. His youthful experiences there contribute significantly to his award winning Curtis Jefferson series. 
Vince has also been published in several college and local newspapers, and penned a column for a nationally distributed trade periodical. Mr. Bailey currently resides in Arizona, with his family.
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Connect with the author at VinceBailey.com

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Vince Bailey’s award-winning Path of the Half Moon is a paranormal historical fiction tale set in a remote detention facility for wayward boys in the early sixties. Curtis is an African American youth whose character and physical endurance are tested by a murderous inmate and a century-old Apache curse.

Available in print and ebook anywhere books are sold. Read more. 

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Book two in Vince Bailey’s award-winning Curtis Jefferson series brings back African American youth Curtis Jefferson as he battles the curse of Fort Grant. ​Available in print and ebook anywhere books are sold. Read more. 

A rollicking, Western-flavored frightfest. Bailey spins a colorful, intricate fictional world, steeped in well-observed Southwestern atmosphere and teeming with paranormal oddballs—including a headless lawyer who gallantly drives to the rescue of distressed people in his black Lincoln Continental and a squad of very, very old cavalrymen who still draw paychecks. - Kirkus Reviews 

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The final installment in Vince Bailey’s award-winning Curtis Jefferson series concludes Curtis's journey in spectacular fashion. This final installment of his supernatural saga follows our hero in his escape from the reformatory, his struggle to survive a perilous desert crossing, and his attempts to evade a fierce lawman.

Available in print and ebook anywhere books are sold. Read more. 

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