YvonnePrologue
Mom always said too much chocolate is like having too much love – you can’t get enough. I couldn’t agree more. Our favourite time together was baking chocolate cupcakes in a messy kitchen, surrounded by bowls, measuring cups and lots and lots of chocolate syrup. Chocolate was never just a treat or a reward; it has always been part of our lives – a symbol of comfort – one that even today I can’t live without.
My mother, Blair, claimed it was the three-layered chocolate cupcake that changed her life. She knew how bittersweet life could be, but amid all the challenges she faced, it was chocolate that kept our family together.
May your life be filled, as mine has been, with love and laughter; and remember, when things are rough all you need is … chocolate
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I can’t wait to read on into the first chapter now, to discover how and why Blair is a single mother and how she came to find such solace in chocolate and baking cupcakes, and about the strong emotional bond that obviously exists between mother and daughter.
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Would those first few lines of your book make you want to read more, without revealing too many spoilers?
If you want to share the first lines of a book you are reading, click on the link and visit Katy, at ‘A Few More Pages’
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YUMMMM! I so agree about Chocolate. And I think most people I know feel that way too….Chocolate is so very soothing—The bad part is, it is extremely addictive, for me…..So, I have to watch how much I eat it, and sometimes I just go off it for periods of time…..But, there is nothing like it. And now, I want to read that book!!! (lol)
BTW: As to Hollywood Forever being crowded…I have never been there when it was like that….And I visit there quite often….All the pictures on my blog were taken on different days and in different years…..So, it truly is a place of serenity…..And the Birds just add to the feeling of ease and relaxation….I don’t think it is on The Starline Tours, Thank God, and so it retains the privacy one would want in a place of sadness for many people….But, it holds such beauty that I think most people who come to visit their loved ones find it inspiring to be there…..
Hi Naomi,
I have to admit that I have a very sweet tooth and chocolate is just one of those things that is so addictive, although I guess that the manufacturers add plenty of ingredients to the mix, to make it that way, so that we keep coming back for more!!
We have a friend who is completely allergic to chocolate and can’t even eat anything that has been on the same plate as something covered in chocolate. In some ways I feel really sorry for her as she just doesn’t know what she is missing, but on the other hand I would like to be able to say no to chocolate or any other sweet things for that matter …. oh! for some willpower!!
It is good to know that ‘Hollywood Forever’ is truly a place of serenity and peace and not just another stop on the tourist trail. The birds certainly do add to the tranquility of the place and I think that anywhere with water is always calming and relaxing somehow.
This sounds so delicious. I love chocolate and reading a book that makes chocolate its focus would be really bad for my waist, I am afraid.
Hi Rikki,
There are references to the chocolate cupcakes all the way through the book, but I am about two thirds through and we are just now getting to the really ‘chocolaty’ part.
The underlying story is a very perceptive one, about betrayal, hoplessness and new beginnings.
It is Geraldine’s second book and the improved confidence in her writing is evident in this emotional storyline.
Chocolate is bad for my waistline just by passing the counter at the local store, I really need my dentist to fix my sweet tooth problem!!!
“Chocolate that kept our family together.” That’s so sweet. I luv chocolate too. Good beginning.
Hi Hattie,
Yes, that line is a little ambiguous, but I think generally refers to the fact that Vicky and Blair had lost their parents when very young and had been raised by their nana. Making chocolate cupcakes was something that they always did together, to keep their spirits up.
I’m with you on the loving chocolate, but I am trying to wean myself off it and get back in the shape that my profile picture suggests!!!
I like the comparison between chocolate and love, it’s a nice simile. This sounds like a moving read!
Hi and thanks for stopping by.
This is definitely a moving read, with a couple of explicit passages of sex, which I am not altogether sure needed to go into quite as much detail, but on the whole the storyline so far is great and well written.
I also like the thought that chocolate can be as warming and comforting as love and it is probably quite a good analogy, as chocolate is the first thing I reach for when I am a bit depressed or upset.
Chocolate is definitely a necessity! What would one do without it? And with dark chocolate being a healthy option, I say “go for it!”
Here’s MY FRIDAY MEMES POST
Hi LaurelRain,
I am doing my best to stop making chocolate such a necessity, as I only have 4 weeks to shed a few more pounds, before my niece’s wedding. It is too late to expect miracles, but slightly more room in the wedding outfit would be nice!!!
Personally, I can’t stand dark chocolate, far too bitter for my tastebuds. Now, there’s a thought, if all the shops were just to sell dark chocolate, then my problem would be solved, as I would never find the urge to buy any.!!
This is my kind of book – I love chocolate – a passion I share with my father. We can’t get enough of it! I have very fond memories of camping as a child when we would have a box of chocolates that we could have one from at breakfast each morning! It was then I learnt chocolate could be eaten at any hour of the day!
http://thebookgatherer.blogspot.com/2011/08/book-beginningson-friday_19.html
Hi, good of you to stop by.
I share my passion for chocolate with my husband, although for him there is only one kind that he really likes, whereas I am not quite so selective, I just love the stuff!!
That’s very decadent of you, eating chocolate for breakfast! But then, it is handed out in small quantities as an energy option for walkers and climbers, so I guess you could include camping in that genre LOL!!
That beginning makes me want to go into the kitchen and bake something with lots of chocolate.
Hello Eva,
That is one urge that I can easily ignore, I’m afraid.
Cooking is not one of my favourite pastimes, more a matter of necessity.
With there just being the two of us anyway, baking can work out awfully expensive and the quantities that you end up by making would feed us for a long time and with anything chocolate, that is one temptation we can both well do without.
I can actually close my eyes, smell the cakes baking and imagine the chocolate melting over the pan!!!!
That is a delicious beginning! I love chocolate so you basically had me with the first line!
Thanks for participating in Book Beginnings!
Hi Katy,
I love this meme, it is always such fun and there are some epic first lines out there!
I think that yourself and most of the bloggers out there have the same reaction to the sight and mention of chocolate.
It is just so frustrating that even thinking about chocolate, or for that matter sweet stuff of any description, adds instant inches to my hips and waistline.
The book itself was a great read and my review of it is almost done. A fantastic second book, which sees the author, Geraldine Solon, finding her own unique style of writing and plot building.