A Bit of Glamour!

Contrary to popular belief, an author’s life is more hard slog than glitzy glamour but once in a blue moon we do get the chance to raise a glass and to nibble canapes. One such occasion arose this week for me – my first ever publisher’s party.

All the Joffe Books partygoers!

Joffe Books (of which Choc Lit are part) held a garden party in London to celebrate their tenth birthday. It took place at the swish Six Park Place next to Green Park. We Choc Lit authors met in a pub beforehand and made our grand party entrance en masse (safety in numbers!).

There were bubbles, nibbles and lots of chat. It was great to meet the Joffe/Choc Lit team in person and put faces to names. The weather stayed dry, if not exactly warm and there were ‘going home’ presents of a Joffe birthday mug and tote bag. But the best takeaway of the evening was the feeling of camaraderie between the Choc Lit family of authors and the knowledge that though we may write in our individual garrets, others are going through the same trials and tribulations as us.

Finally, a competition I spotted (that’s right, I haven’t quite unsubscribed from all those newsletters!):
New Writers are running a free-to-enter poetry competition with the theme of ‘Summertime’. Poems can be up to 20 lines long and the closing date is 20th June 2024. First prize is £50 and publication on the NewWriters.org.uk website (and the inaugural issue of the New Writers Anthology) plus a copy of Jordan Hamel’s debut poetry collection. 
How to enter: Send entries as attachments (MS Word or PDF) to competitions@newwriters.org.uk and use “Summer Poetry Competition” as the subject of the email. Use your poem’s title as the file name (avoid calling it ‘Summertime’). Ensure your name or other details are not written on the entry (and no need to add a word/line count).

Now all we need is the sunshine back for some summer inspiration!

Some of the ChocLit authors enjoying the party vibe!