+Blog News+ Jorie endeavours to host a “Chocolate Romance” inspired chat on #ChocLitSaturdays!

Posted Thursday, 17 April, 2014 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 13 Comments

Parajunkee Designs

#ChocLitSaturdays | a feature exclusive to Jorie Loves A Story

Whilst hosting #ChocLitSaturdays since January 2014, I have noticed that I would love to find a way to bring more awareness to the ChocLitUK novels I am reading & reviewing as much as I wanted to engage with romance readers who are seeking wicked sweet quality romances which are uplifting in scope, inspiring to read, and focus on the relationship side of romance rather than superficial lust and/or causal dating where the heart of the story is not hinged to the connection between the couple. I love ChocLit novels as much as I love the Inspirational Romances I read because they each in their own way give the reader a well-rounded story full of dynamic heroes and heroines who are just as strong as their male leads! I like the dimensional quality to the blokes and the way in which the stories are paced. I’ve been toying with hosting a weekly ‘chat’ on Twitter ever since I first started to discover weekly Twitter chats,… I love the community aspect of them & I love being able to connect to book bloggers, avid readers, emerging & new authors, writers working on manuscripts, and published authors who are receptive to chatting with the readers who adore their stories. I felt it would be a great bridge into my Saturday Feature as well as expand the knowledge of the feature itself. This is the short story of how it started to evolve,..

The idea to host a chat on Twitter on *Saturday* has been nibbling around my head for a little while now, not more than a week, but not a full seven days either! Then, inside #StoryDam tonight something quite magical happened as when I went to respond to a tweet within the conversation at hand, I somehow slipped this IDEA out into the open, and it felt like it was the right thing to do even though I was hesitating at the same time! For starters I had not run this past ChocLit yet, but I felt confident they would appreciate the gesture as in my mind the whole basis of the #ChocLitSaturdays chat would be to not only expand the knowledge of the books I am being blessed to read & review, but to incorporate a genuine love of reading *romance!*

By uniting readers & writers alike in a conversation where we can talk about why we love Romance and the kind of stories which encourage our spirits & hearts, as much as give us a calming balm when we sit down to read. I know the chat will expand and grow as time shifts forward however, I’d love to invite ChocLit authors to drop in if they were available to do so, as much as welcome other writers to join in on the fun too! I see it as a celebration of Romance for all that Romance offers but at the same time have it a bit hinged to the book I am reviewing that particular Saturday and use the themes inside the novel as a jumping off point of what to talk about in the Romance field in general.

I have been wanting to incorporate what the tagline on my #ChocLitSaturdays badge declares: romance, chocolate, and a cuppa tea is simply divine on the weekends! I’d love to talk and share about our favourite bits of chocolate, romance reads, and which cuppa tea or tea latte works brilliantly with the book in our hands! I’d like to start off the chat with the focus on the recent ChocLit novel I read and then, segue from there to talk about the themes inside it before going into the Romance genre as a broad stroke of conversation. Again, I’d like to offer the authors of ChocLit a chance to drop in and converse with us as well.

Everyone in #StoryDam & a few in #ChickLitChat tonight were encouraging me to think I was onto something with this idea, and therefore, I am launching this post as a way to get feedback before proceeding forward! I have written up a Poll on ideas for when I can host the chat but please, if your time zone is awkward to meet-up on the options I have given, in the comment threads I welcome feedback on which hours is best for everyone!

I also want you to take a moment in the comment threads to respond to my loosely conceived ideas & let me know if you would like to spend an hour with me on Saturdays talking about ChocLit, chocolate, tea, romance, heroes, heroines, and the joy of reading romance! Readers & writers will always be welcome but I’d love to keep the focus on reading romance and not turn this into a ‘how to write’ romance chat. We can always talk about the craft of writing as it organically evolves, as chats tend to organically go here or there naturally, but I simply meant, I wanted this to be from the reading point of view verse the writing perspective.

I am going to keep the Poll up for a week, but if enough of you respond by midnight Friday the 18th, I might surprise you and host my first #ChocLitSaturdays chat THIS Saturday! Go! Vote! Write me in the comment threads! Let’s pull this idea of mine together! Tweet & share this with your bookish friends! Help me get the word out and let’s see where this off the cuff idea of mine leads!

#ChocLitSaturdays Collage of Upcoming ChocLit Book Reviews

Be sure to read my contribution to Mailbox Mondays from the 14th,

when I launched my first “Jorie’s Box of Joy”!

First hour is EST USA | Second hour is England | After most votes are cast I might create a second as I had accidentally forgotten to account for the time differences! You’d think I’d remember the five hour time difference by now! Therefore, you can vote more than once, if you already voted cast a second hour you’d be available!

{SOURCES: Jorie Loves A Story badge created by Ravven with edits by Jorie in Fotoflexer. Book covers for ChocLitUK novels provided by ChocLitUK for promotion & reviews; used with permission. The collage of book covers & the notice for #ChocLitSaturdays was created by Jorie in PicMonkey.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

About jorielov

I am self-educated through local libraries and alternative education opportunities. I am a writer by trade and I cured a ten-year writer’s block by the discovery of Nanowrimo in November 2008. The event changed my life by re-establishing my muse and solidifying my path. Five years later whilst exploring the bookish blogosphere I decided to become a book blogger. I am a champion of wordsmiths who evoke a visceral experience in narrative. I write comprehensive book showcases electing to get into the heart of my reading observations. I dance through genres seeking literary enlightenment and enchantment. Starting in Autumn 2013 I became a blog book tour hostess featuring books and authors. I joined The Classics Club in January 2014 to seek out appreciators of the timeless works of literature whose breadth of scope and voice resonate with us all.

"I write my heart out and own my writing after it has spilt out of the pen." - self quote (Jorie of Jorie Loves A Story)

read more >> | Visit my Story Vault of Book Reviews | Policies & Review Requests | Contact Jorie

Divider

Posted Thursday, 17 April, 2014 by jorielov in ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, Romance Fiction, Twitterland & Twitterverse Event




All posts on my blog are open to new comments & commentary!
I try to visit your blog in return as I believe in ‘Bloggers Commenting Back
(which originated as a community via Readers Wonderland).


Comments are moderated. Once your comment is approved for the first time, your comments thereafter will be recognised and automatically approved. All comments are reviewed and continue to be moderated after automated approval. By using the comment form you are consenting with the storage and handling of your personal data by this website.

Once you use the comment form, if your comment receives a reply (this only applies to those who leave comments by email), there is a courtesy notification set to send you a reply ticket. It is at your discretion if you want to return to re-respond and/or to continue the conversation established. This is a courtesy for commenters to know when their comments have been replied by either the blog's owner or a visitor to the blog who wanted to add to the conversation. Your email address is hidden and never shared. Read my Privacy Policy.

13 responses to “+Blog News+ Jorie endeavours to host a “Chocolate Romance” inspired chat on #ChocLitSaturdays!

  1. Christine Stovell

    Dear Jorie, I like both your idea and your thoughts about Choc Lit novels focussing on the relationship aspects of the romance. In my own work I enjoy looking closely at the dynamics of a small group of characters around the heroine and seeing how those relationships shape the heroine’s journey towards finding both herself and new love. When choosing novels to read I’m also drawn to stories where the heroine moves on through understanding herself. So yes, I’d be very happy to join in the chocolate, Choc Lit and chat sessions!
    Chrisx

    • Good afternoon, Ms. Stovell,

      Thank you for stopping by today, as I have loved reading our shared love of romance stories! Everything you were saying about putting the focus on the characters and how the relationships are interconnected towards their personal journey towards understanding themselves is quite bang-on to what I am always seeking myself! I love the realism of choice I find stitched into ChocLit novels, as the writers are always surprising me by the depth of how far they go into a character’s journey. They are honest about the psychological factors of sorting out an individual’s thought process as well as to explain their actions which affect their lives. I love the layers & the development of full-bodied characters who leave you with a hearty head full of musings!

      My current ChocLit selection is definitely an embodiment of a heroine who is taking great strides towards arriving at the hour in which she reveals her inner self to the mirror, so to speak! She is caught between wanting to purge the memories of the past to protect her future, but is in a quandary as to how far she can go before she dissolves out of view! I am speaking on behalf of “The Maid of Milan” which is quite an extraordinary character journey towards self-acceptance! I cannot wait to write my final thoughts & post them!

      I am looking forward to chatting with you – hope you can attend the first chat, this Saturday!

    • Hallo Ms. Freeman,

      Thank you for dropping by and supporting my #ChocLitSaturdays chat idea! I am humbled and honoured by the turnout of support! I am enjoying watching everyone take to the idea & even being kind to leave me commentary as well! Between the comment threads here and all the lovely tweets, I am full of joy! :) I will definitely tweet out advance notice for each chat, but the best bit is that each chat will meet-up at the same hour on Saturdays once I sort out the hour based on the Poll results & my own inclination of making the meeting hour fair for everyone. In this way, you can pick & choose which Saturday works best for you! I’ll be delighted to see you alight in the conversations, but there is no stress – come & go as you are able too!

      I do believe I hit on two aspects of reading everyone adores: drinking a fresh brewed cuppa tea & savouring chocolate!

    • Hallo Maggie!

      I am thrilled to bits to see you dropping by – and bless you for voting for all the different times which work for you! I am attempting to sort out which time of day is best for everyone, as I know its a bit of an undertaking to sort out all the major time zones (i.e. stateside, UK, Europe, & Australia/New Zealand) but I felt it was only right given that my first focus is to talk about ChocLit novels! I’ll compile the end results and make the best choice I feel works for everyone who is hoping to drop-in on the chats! I am growing more eager to sort this out, as I am hosting my *first-ever!* chat this coming Saturday! Eek. Too wicked for words! OOh, I felt that might be the best bit to it, truly outside of the bookish chatter – tea & chocolate!!

  2. beverleyeikli

    Hi Jori, what a great idea this is! I love a good chat, and if it’s about romance and chocolate – such a perfect combination – and the endless variety of themes in our stories, then count me in!

    Like Liz, I’ll be going to RT in mid May, but other than that, I’m always available for a chat.
    I live in Australia but I think early evening your time translates well into Australian time.

    • Hallo, Ms. Eikli!

      If you clicked over to my Mailbox Monday post you know that your lovely Regency Romance was a complete surprise for me to find in my ChocLit Book Bundle! And, I decided I did not want to wait to read it as I very much *loved!* The Reluctant Bride, as you well know! Getting to read this next release of yours is a true delight and happily anchors my Friday in happy hearted joy! Two well writ Romances in one day is such a wonderful blessing!

      Oh, thank you for saying that! :) I am appreciating all the responses both on Twitter and in the comment threads! I need to copy over the Twitter comments tonight, as I was so wrapped up in Inscription, I had not had the proper chance to do so sooner! I thought it was a clever premise myself for a ‘chocolate romance inspired chat’ hinged to ChocLit, but of course, I wanted to test the waters & see if anyone would show up if I launched it! A bit spilt on the time zone differences so I am thinking I’ll have to make the best choice whilst weighing the votes after the seven days expires the Poll! I want to make it fair for everyone world-wide!

      How lovely you & Ms. Harris will be in New Orleans! I had a lovely conversation with her earlier today! Do grab the chance to walk down by the Riverwalk and the Mississippi! I still remember it being such a nice place to soak into the atmosphere aside from walking Bourbon Street whilst the music wafted out of the clubs! Happy travels and may you each have a brilliant time!

      Looking forward to you both dropping in on my soon-to-be launched #ChocLitSaturdays chat!

      • beverleyeikli

        Dear Jorie,

        Yes, Liz Harris and I will both be in New Orleans – and we’ll definitely check out Bourbon St – just as we were both in Kansas City where we met for the first time last year. Wonderful!

        And thank you for your kind words. I think an author must always feel the day suddenly got more wonderful when someone likes the book they’re written, or even just parts of it – and tells them and the world. I’m thrilled that you liked The Reluctant Bride so much. I hope you enjoy The Maid of Milan equally. Regardless, I’ll just be interested in your honest review. It’s a very different book in which I was exploring very different – and quite dark – themes, like drug addiction, despair and manipulation; a Regency version of what I’ve seen first-hand, really. Though ff course, there’s an uplifting ending.

        I shall wait with great interest to learn more about your #ChoclitSaturdays chats.

        Beverley xx

  3. It’ll be a first visit for me to both of those States. I shall be going to Venice in Florida, which I hear is lovely. I shall take your best wishes to both Florida and Louisiana. xx

  4. This sounds a fabulous idea, Jori. Congratulations on coming up with it!! I should love to be involved. I come back from my visit to Florida, and then New Orleans and the RT Booklovers’ Convention, just before the end of May and would be able to join in after that. Liz xx

    • Thank you, Ms. Harris!

      I felt the best way to get the word out about it today is to tweet the lovely ChocLit authors I am following! I was hoping it would be an idea which could catch on! The hardest bit is sorting out the best hour to host it, but once that resolves I am thankful to hear that there is healthy interest from readers & writers alike! Thank you for giving me such an encouraging response!

      You will be visiting my state then! I am hopeful the weather in Florida this May will hold its charm! Oh, I had heard about the RT convention in New Orleans this year! Such an enchanting city! Love Bourbon Street for the jazz & blues which drifts out of the clubs! I hope the Riverwalk is still there — best place to wander around by the Mississippi!

      Have a wonderful holiday & I welcome seeing you alight in the #ChocLitSaturdays chat!

Leave a Reply

(Enter your URL then click here to include a link to one of your blog posts.)