Guest Post: Confessions of a Bridesmaid by Sophie King

To celebrate the re-publication of her romantic comedy The Wedding Party, I'm delighted to welcome Sophie King back to the blog with an entertaining guest post about being a bridesmaid.

It looked as though all my dreams had come true! There I was, standing at the church door. Walking towards the handsome, funny man at the altar who had stolen my heart at the age of fifteen. The organist struck up Here Comes The Bride. We were off!

Except that I was the bridesmaid. Not the bride.

I first met Jim at a school disco and was, quite literally, swept off my feet at first sight! We dated for three months which was quite a long time in those days. And then he ended it. I’ve a horrible feeling that this had something to do with a Christmas present I gave him. My meagre savings from my weekend job meant I could only afford something small. So I bought him a bar of male soap. Well, after all, we women get soaps as presents so surely it was acceptable to do the same for a man? But presumably he took it as an insult (so you don’t think I wash?) and after that, he just stopped calling ...

Anyway, back to the wedding. About two years after Jim had broken my heart, I met someone else – also at a school disco. It turned out that his great friend was Jim. We began to go out as a foursome and I got on very well with Jim’s new girlfriend. Strangely, I didn’t feel any jealousy. After all, I’d just got engaged to Jim’s friend.

When Jim and his girlfriend announced their own engagement, they asked me to be bridesmaid! I was over the moon. I’d always wanted to be a bridesmaid and this was my first time. But there was one problem. I had long straight hair and the bride’s mother decided I ought to have a bit of a kink. She spent hours before the wedding, trying to get it the way she wanted. As a result, I ended up looking like a poodle. The bride, in contrast, looked radiant.

Cover Reveal: Love is All You Need: Ten tales of love from The Sophie King Prize

Today I'm pleased to have been asked to do another cover reveal, this time for Love is All You Need, an anthology featuring the 10 winning short stories selected for the Sophie King Prize which is published this week.

I'm very proud to support romantic fiction which, nowadays, comes in all kinds of shapes and sizes. There's great competition in both love and writing. That's why it's hard to find the right partner - and to choose a winning entry. Many stood out in different ways but in the end, I picked those that surprised me and also left a lovely warm feeling. A bit like a love affair, really... Sophie King

Enjoy these 10 great stories with heart - the winning tales of love from The Sophie King Prize 2014, chosen by bestselling author Sophie King.

"I picked those that surprised me and also left a lovely warm feeling. A bit like a love affair, really …" Sophie King 

Meet 10 women, from different places, backgrounds and times, and each with a different experience of men and romance. 

Their stories in turn hold the promise of romance, reflect on finding love, or show the lengths we'll go to for the special person in our lives.

Guest Post: The Sophie King Prize short story competition

Today I'm delighted to bring you news about the Sophie King Prize, a fantastic short story competition which aims to discover a great new romance short story.  The winning story will be chosen by best-selling novelist and short story writer Sophie King.

The competition is free to enter, and is open to both published and unpublished writers worldwide.  The winning story will be recorded by a professional actor, and broadcast from a dedicated online audio player.  the winner will also receive a pair of Silver-Plated Life Long Champagne Calices and £0 (approx $79) gift voucher courtesy of www.handpickedcollection.com. One runner up will receive a £25 (approx $39) gift Handpicked Collection voucher.

The Sophie King Prize is now open for entries. Entrants must submit a short story of between 1,500 to 2,500 words with a romantic theme. The submissions deadline is January 10th 2014 and the winner will be announced on February 14th 2014. To enter, go to:www.thesophiekingprize.com.  

Guest Book Review: Sophie King - Divorce for Beginners

Reviewed by Ceri Kehoe

As Lizzie juggles running a failing women's magazine with bringing up a young family she ponders on whether you really can “have it all”. The answer comes sooner than she expects when her husband's actions turn her world upside down...

Alison should be looking forward to a quieter life with David now that their youngest has flown the nest. But David has other ideas and his increasingly bizarre behaviour leaves Alison wondering if she really knows her husband at all...

Karen has managed to hold her family together since leaving her husband Paul many years before. That makes her the perfect person to start The "How to Survive Divorce" Club, to help others on their own. But as the burden of past secrets unravels, Karen realises she needs help too.

Ed really believes in marriage. So much so that he's done it three times already. But as his work and home life get ever more complicated, will he ever be able to find “The One”...?

Add in mysterious diary entries, an overbearing sister, a troublesome stepbrother, the surprise return of faces from the past, grown up kids with their own problems, and ageing parents who've discovered the ups (and downs) of internet dating and you have a gripping and entertaining tale of modern life as our foursome struggle with... Divorce for Beginners.

Author Interview: Sophie King

Sophie King has been a fabulous contributor to my blog having previously written a guest post feature as well as taking part in my Christmas Shorts feature last month. Today I'm glad to welcome Sophie back to talk about her latest book, Divorce for Beginners, amongst other things.

Can you tell us a little bit about Divorce for Beginners?
It’s about a group of people who get together to mend their wounds after separation – and eventually laugh their way back to life.

Where did the inspiration come from to write about people starting over again? 
My first marriage ended after a very long time.  It taught me a lot – including the importance of new friends to help you along.

Which comes first, the characters or the plot?
I get the spark of an idea and then, almost instantly, think of characters who would ‘people’ that idea. But both constantly evolve as I go along. By the end of the novel, I know the characters much better than I did at the beginning so I go back and flesh them out.

Are you able to give us a hint as to what your next novel is about?   
It’s called ‘Happy Families’ and is written under my other pen name Janey Fraser (published by Arrow, Random House).  The story is about a harassed mother whose own mother is going out with a scary child expert; a father whose wife has run off and a young grandmother who suddenly finds herself in charge of her granddaughter. They all meet through a parenting class and find love, friendship and some unexpected twists. 

Christmas Shorts with... Sophie King

Today I'm pleased to welcome Sophie King to the spotlight for the Christmas Shorts feature.  To date Sophie has written 5 books as Sophie King as well as 2 books under the name of Janey Fraser, most of which I have read. 

Earlier in the summer I reviewed Sophie's e-book collection of short stories, Tales from the Heart, which can be read here and I'm looking forward to reading her new book, Divorce for Beginners, which is due to be published shortly as well as the next Janey Fraser book, Happy Families, which is due out in March. 

What is your earliest Christmas memory?  
Getting into a lift at the old department store Gamages in London with my mother to see Father Christmas. It was like visiting Narnia.

What is your favourite Christmas tradition?
Singing carols in church and also putting out the children's stockings even though they're older now!

Books Read: Sophie King - Tales from the Heart

Source - Received from publisher to review

Enjoy these twenty stories of love, family and friendship from the best-selling author of The School Run and The Wedding Party. 

A woman cooks a meal for her ex-husband, but has more than food on her mind...
Can a new arrival remind a family of what is really important in life..?
A young couple's love transports an elderly woman into the past...
Will love second time around heal old scars..?
Warring grandparents refuse to see eye to eye...
Are family secrets best kept hidden..?
A wise man's last request brings surprises for his great-niece...

Told with wit, understanding, humour, love and romance - these Tales from the Heart, which have appeared in a range of popular women's magazines such as Woman's Weekly and My Weekly, are brought together in one collection for the first time.

Guest Post: Sophie King talks about 3 of her favourite childhood books

The first guest post has been written by bestselling author Sophie King who has published 5 books including The School Run.   Sophie has recently published Tales from the Heart, an e-book collection of some of her short stories that have been published in magazines such as Woman's Weekly and My Weekly. 

I'll hand you over now to Sophie who tells us why she has chosen the books below as her 3 favourite childhood books.

I couldn't have got through my childhood without reading! Books were my refuge - especially when my little sister came along! I would read anywhere. Up the apple tree (the only tree in our Harrow garden).  At the kitchen table. In bed. I was a bit of a sickly child so I spent quite a lot of time in bed but I loved it because it gave me more time to read! It's very hard to pin down just three books but these are the ones which come instantly to mind.