Home Thoughts Weekly

I’ll be back with more Home Thoughts very soon, but this week brought the announcement of some exciting news that everyone at Choc Lit’s been eager to share.  We all had to be a bit patient until the news could be co-ordinated to suit both sides of the Atlantic, but here it is, the official press release... Brand-led, commercial women’s fiction publisher, Choc Lit expand into North America with effect from 1st January 2012, represented by International Publishers Marketing (IPM). “North America is a key market for our expansion. We already have a loyal following in the USA and constantly receive great reviews. Finding the right partner, who believed in our brand and could offer the right support was critical. We believe we’ve found the perfect match with Jane Graf at IPM,’ states Lyn Vernham, Director, Choc Lit. Since launch, Choc Lit has published a string of novels that regularly hit the Nielsen’s Top 20 Small Publishers Fiction List. In the last few months, they have picked u...

CHOC LIT SHORT STORY COMPETITION          Choc Lit are looking for short stories of up to 1,500 words in which the central theme is chocolate - eating it, drinking it, cooking with it, or anything else. Let your imagination take flight! PRIZES 1 st  prize £200, publication on the author’s corner blog and a box of organic chocolates from Plush A Runner Up will receive £50 and a box of organic chocolates from Plush RULES 1.         Your entry must be a maximum of 1,500 words. 2.         All work must be your own and not previously published. 3.         The entry fee is £3 per story 4.         All entries must be received by 31st January, 2012. JUDGES Your judges are Choc Lit authors Margaret James ( The Silver Locket, The Golden Chain ) and Sue Moorcroft ( Starting Over, All That Mullarkey, Want To...

It struck me recently that for all this blog's claims to be about living and writing in West Wales, I tend to be a bit secretive about the writing part!  This year hasn't been plain sailing for all kinds of reasons, but I can see light at the end of the tunnel with my revisions... at least I hope it's light and not the train coming towards me! What's been strange and wonderful, is that whilst I've been working on my revisions, Turning the Tide  has been making a life of its own away from me.  Okay what goes up, must come down but  its current Amazon rankings have really cheered me up... apologies for the trumpet tootle. #6   in  Books  >  Fiction  >  Women Writers & Fiction #9   in  Kindle Store  >  Books  >  Fiction  >  Romance  >  Contemporary #16   in  Books  >  Fiction  >  Romance  >  Adult & Contempora...

 Friday 4 November Arrive at Ma’s early evening after a long journey and some pretty hazardous driving conditions on the M4.  Ma mentions that she feels lucky to have escaped with just a sore toe after tripping over her Henry vacuum cleaner earlier in the day.  Her injury is soon forgotten though as we catch up with each other’s news over dinner which includes a ‘fecking eppel teyrt’ that Ma has served up in honour of our recent trip to Ireland. Saturday 5 November The afternoon sees us at a family party to celebrate Stepson One and his new bride’s recent wedding in Grenada.  I’m always a little apprehensive about Tom’s family gatherings, since, despite nearly thirteen years of marriage, there are times when I still feel like a ‘blow in’.  The past is a strange country with shifting borders, strong defences and prone to outbreaks of brief territorial disputes. Today, though, a whole new side to the family has entered the equation. The new Mrs H, who is of A...