Bella’s Scribblings: Exceedingly Good Expectations

My new claim to fame is that I have had a conversation with Mr Kipling about cakes. Not a dream, but a real life exchange with the real Mr Kipling. (Well, possibly not the real Mr Kipling because I don’t think there ever actually was a Mr Kipling who made the cakes – sorry if I’ve just shattered a fantasy).

Anyway, I love Twitter. Where else can you have a conversation with Mr Kipling? You see you really don’t know do you? ‘Mr Kipling’ (see I’ve put it in inverted commas just to prove that I know it’s not an actual person) asked me what type of Mr Kipling cake my book would be! Well, I was obviously thrilled but also a bit scared by the question.

Have you any idea how many different types of cake, slice and tart ‘Mr Kipling’ produces? Well it’s about twenty-six, which is more than enough to look through when you are put on the spot to decide which one your book is! This is the one only time I wished there was one of those silly questionnaires – ‘What type of Mr Kipling cake are you?’ but no, there’s never one when you need one is there?

Now, it is true, that there is a smidgeon of a chance that I over thought this one and that a complete review of all the Mr Kipling cake types alongside my story synopses was not essential but I had been asked a question and I wanted to give a thought through answer. The first Mr Kipling cake that popped into my head was French Fancy – yours too? How strange? Anyway, my book does have a couple of scenes in Paris but it is definitely not a French Fancy. Now don’t get me wrong, when the mood takes me I enjoy a French Fancy as much as the next person but it’s not my first choice and it’s not right for my book. My book simply isn’t that sweet.

Tarts and pies were next to be investigated and let me be candid with you – my book is not a tart. I like the simplicity of a pie but my book isn’t that fruity (with the exception of Chapter 26). In the large cake section we have a lot of very traditional offerings including Battenburg and Manor House fruitcake neither of which is that reflective of the contemporary story I have written.

Finally I made it to slices, where there is an alarming amount of choice. I was able to quickly eliminate the almond slice (my book is not totally nuts) and the traditional options like Victoria slice. There is no heavenly activity in my story so Angel slices were out and whilst I am a huge chocolate fan (I’m not the size of a whale it’s just that I really like the stuff…) chocolate just seemed too comfortable and cosy.

I mulled over the last few choices and finally made my decision (drum roll please) my book is a Lemon Layered Slice! And here is why – the Mr Kipling Lemon Layered Slice is described as ‘Light and refreshing’ – my book is not War and Peace, so definitely comes under the ‘light read’ category. I would like to think that it is a little bit different from the usual Chick Lit read, which would make it ‘refreshing’. My approach has also been to layer two stories (do you see what I did there?) and the slices are ‘topped off with a zing of real lemon icing’ whereas my novel most definitely has an extra zing (No! Not chapter 26!) it’s got my sense of humour in it, really you people!

So, now do you see why it took me two hours to respond? Please pass the cake someone!

Bella’s first novel, It Started at Sunset Cottage was released on 12th February by Harper Impulse. She was a runner-up for the New Talent Award at the 2013 Festival of Romance and a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association. Every fortnight, Bella will be sharing her experiences and advice as a new author. She also has her own blog – www.bellaosborne.com

by

Bella Osborne

Bella’s first novel, It Started at Sunset Cottage was released by Harper Impulse. She was a runner-up for the New Talent Award at the 2013 Festival of Romance and a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.