Light Bites

by Helen Laycock

Take a pinch of humour, a touch of light-heartedness and a drop of whimsy and you have the perfect recipe to be savoured any time, anywhere.

Light Bites - a collection of satisfying and uplifting tales.

Light Bites is one of three short story collections by Helen Laycock. The others, Peace and Disquiet and Minor Discord, lean towards the darker side of life and, as such, are a complete contrast.

Helen Laycock has work published in the 'One Word Anthology' by Talkback Writers (Alfie Dog), The Aspiring Writers 2013 Winners Anthology (Blue Dragon Press), An Earthless Melting Pot, Vol 2 (Quinn), The Best of CafeLit (Chapeltown)as well as online. She is also a regular contributor to CafeLit.

Some of Helen Laycock's short story success:

• Shortlisted for Annual Love Story Competition, Writing Magazine, May 2005.
• Shortlisted for Adult Fairy Story Competition, Writing Magazine, November 2011.
• Shortlisted for Fiction Competition, Writers’ Forum, Issue #134, 2012.
• Shortlisted in the Erewash Creepy Christmas Chiller Competition, December 2012.
• 3rd place in “The Aspiring Writers Short Story Competition" yearly anthology, May 2013.
• 3rd place in “The Aspiring Writers Short Story Competition" yearly anthology, June 2013.
• 1st place in “The Aspiring Writers Short Story Competition" yearly anthology, July 2013.
• 1st place in “The Aspiring Writers Short Story Competition" yearly anthology, August 2013.
• Shortlisted for Tea and Tale/Milton Rooms Short Story Competition as part of the Ryedale Book Festival.
• One of five runners up in the Words With Jam Bigger Short Story Competition, 2013.

148 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 12, 2012

About the author

SHORT STORIES
Helen Laycock's short stories appear in a variety of anthologies, such as the Cabinet of Heed and An Earthless Melting Pot, in magazines, and in her own collections, and have been successful in many writing competitions. Her first attempt at play-writing secured her a shortlisting in Pint-Sized Plays in 2016.

FLASH FICTION
In 2018, she was commissioned as a lead writer at Visual Verse and her flash fiction has featured in several editions of The Best of CafeLit. Pieces have been showcased in Reflex Fiction, the Ekphrastic Review, Paragraph Planet, Serious Flash Fiction, the Beach Hut, and Lucent Dreaming – whose inaugural flash competition she won. She was longlisted in Mslexia’s 2019 flash fiction competition and her work has appeared in several Flash Floods as part of National Flash Fiction Day.

CHILDREN'S FICTION (MG)
She has penned nine children's books for 8-12-year-olds. She has been employed as a writer by an educational publisher and as a teacher.

POETRY
Pushcart nominee, winner of Black Bough Poetry's Chapbook Contest, former recipient of the David St. John Thomas Award, and nominee for the Dai Fry Award, Helen Laycock’s poetry collection Frame has featured as Book of the Month at the East Ridge Review.

Her poetry has been published by Black Bough, Broken Spine Arts, Folkheart Press, Prattlefog and Gravelrap, The Wombwell Rainbow, Poetry Roundabout, Spilling Cocoa Over Martin Amis, Onslaught, The Storms Journal, Popshot, Lucent Dreaming, Literary Revelations, Kobayaashi, Three Drops Press, The Caterpillar, The Dirigible Balloon,Fevers of the Mind & Visual Verse. Many of her poems can be purchased at https://www.facebook.com/pillarboxpoe....

She also writes humorous verse.

She has four websites:
Fiction in a Flash
https://helenlaycock.wixsite.com/fict...

Children's Author
https://helenlaycock.wixsite.com/hele...

Poetry
https://helenlaycock.wixsite.com/marb...

Tiny Tales
https://helenlaycock.wixsite.com/tiny...

All her books are available on Amazon:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Helen-Laycoc...

US: https://www.amazon.com/Helen-Laycock/...

She can be followed on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/helenlaycock...
Twitter:
@helen_laycock

Reviews

[Dave Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title is fitting for this book, as its short stories are on the light side, serving a delightful selection such as you might get with hors d'oeuvres served at a party.

Twelve stories are included here, ranging from singles looking for love, to a woman jealous of a neighbor, to a fairy who doesn’t feel comfortable in her skin, to a ghost attending her body’s funeral.

Humor runs through the stories, offering spice to the palate here and there. A prank doesn’t work as planned. A woman’s mission to get to the train station to pick up her husband doesn’t go smoothly. A couple on a vacation are surprised when they reach a cozy cabin. And when things don’t proceed as planned, you can laugh and make do with the happy accidents.

Of course, not all events are accidental or happy. Such as when you learn why many homeowners on a street are putting their houses up for sale. And when a women is quite underwhelmed by a man on their first date — and her reaction deepens when the man emails her what has to be the most awkward poem ever sent to someone after a first date. Or any date. The poem includes references to a scab and body hair. Yeah. You read that correctly. But at least the poem has rhyming lines.

That poem and date occur in the last story of the book, “Shaken, and Stirred,” my favorite story of this collection and the most funny to me.

If you desire lighter fare after yet another horrific event in the news or dark fiction, give this book a shot. The delightful assortment of stories just might have you smiling and chuckling.

[Helen Laycock · Rating 5 out of 5]

To read more of my writing, you may like to look at my website 'Fiction in a Flash':
http://helenlaycock.wixsite.com/ficti...

Here are a few quotes from readers of Light Bites:

'The author writes so well, in such a 'real' way that I found myself immersed in each tale.'

'Her characters are easy to relate to and there is lots of humour that keeps you entertained.'

'I thoroughly enjoyed every story and would definitely recommend it.'

'There is certainly something for everyone here.'

'A very good read.'

'Utterly delicious'

'Dahl-esque delight - ridiculously funny, yet intelligent. Weird and wonderful characters - a chocolate box of surprises.'

'When you read a collection of short stories and come away thinking "I wish each of those was a book in its own right" then you know the writing is good. Ms Laycock makes the absurd seem real. In one of the stories, Harry Potter could have waltzed straight in. Written with a light touch and a dry sense of humour. I loved it.'

'If you like your stories short, wickedly funny, more than a little twisted and unexpectedly sentimental in places - then this is definitely for you.'

'Perfect length for a work break or with coffee and biscuits, care needed to not laugh out loud or choke!'

'The true-life tale of Yiscah (formerly Jeffrey) Smith may serve as the inspiration for UK author Helen Laycock's knock-about comedy, 'Occupational Therapy', a tale from her short story collection, 'Light Bites', in which fairy Lily Blue becomes a goblin and lives happily ever after.'

'This mirthful collection of a dozen cheery tales makes clear that she revels in her present work and causes me to wonder how much her school students must miss her -- even now.'

'I would recommend this collection to anyone who is looking for some "Light Bites" to entertain them.'

''Very enjoyable read. There are twelve well written and intriguing stories that all will enjoy. Even a cute one about fairies. Each one will take you on a different ride. Read and enjoy.'

'I can't really do the writer justice, all I can say is how much I enjoyed reading these stories and how good the stories are.'

'I read the first story in this collection and had to carry on and read the next.They are just so interesting, whimsical, different to anything I've read and I really enjoyed reading them.'

'Great mixture of stories. Wonderful book for dipping into. Title is really appropriate. Liked this a lot.'

'Light Bites is the third of Helen Laycock's Books I've read, and the lightest in terms of subject and humour. Despite the fact I find most 'humour' books not to be so, there are some gems in these pages'

[Alyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book delivers what it promises — short light hearted stories, written with good characterisation. Some more enjoyable than other. I particularly liked Stealing the Show and Shaken and Stirred.

[Natalie Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe,
who hast not made me a woman’.
(From the Jewish morning prayer service)

The Israeli weekend news-sites blew in on Friday (17 January 2015)
with an eye-popping profile of an American chassid who’s transgendered from male to female but kept the ultra-Orthodox Jewish faith.

The true-life tale of Yiscah (formerly Jeffrey) Smith may serve as the inspiration for UK author Helen Laycock’s knock-about comedy, 'Occupational Therapy', a tale from her short story collection, 'Light Bites', in which fairy Lily Blue becomes a goblin and lives happily ever after.

This allows me to reveal that Laycock is herself a sort of changeling – a delightfully mischievous one! - who has moved from school teacher to writer and penned prize-winning poetry along with adult and children’s fiction.

She says: “As a teacher, I loved nothing more than inspiring my students to write”.

This mirthful collection of a dozen cheery tales makes clear that she revels in her present work and causes me to wonder how much her school students must miss her – even now.

[Federica S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first time I was reading a collection of short stories and I have to admit that from time to time, it was difficult for me to disconnect between the stories.. But this has nothing to do with the quality of the writing or the stories, it was just me.
I did enjoy reading them, I liked the diversity between each story, same where more appealing to me than other, but overall I would recommend this collection to anyone who is looking for some "Light Bites" to entertain them.

[Kathryn]

Light Bites is the third of Helen Laycock’s Books I’ve read, and the lightest in terms of subject and humour. Despite the fact I find most ‘humour’ books not to be so, there are some gems in these pages, with the first story – Abi’s A to Z – making me laugh out loud. Loved the final punch line. And whilst a few of the stories were, perhaps, a little predictable, Stealing the Show was a delight.

[Angelmovingonup Wjesus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really great selection of short stories. I couldn't pick a favorite of the twelve, I enjoyed them all. There was a little bit of something for most readers, even a cute story about fairies. It was a very pleasurable read.