I’m very excited this morning to share this wonderful Readers’ Favorite 5-star review for It Happened in Gastown with the world! At least the world who visits my blog. What am I saying? I’ll be shouting it from the rooftops everywhere.
Here’s the review.
In It Happened in Gastown by Melanie Robertson King, the author has taken romance, drama, intrigue, and unpredictability and written a story that catches the reader’s attention from the unusual start to the unexpected ending, one which is most intriguing and leaves the reader pondering and wondering in the best possible way. It Happened in Gastown introduces the main characters of Constables Hilary Dunbar and Luka Stephanopoulos, Xena, her German Shepherd, Taylor Simpson, Doctor Singh, Sun Huang, Robert MacDonald, Eric, and Zack Daniels. These characters make up a story that starts as a drama to be investigated and then leads the reader into a romance that may or not may survive. They then meet inhumane people who sit in judgment without knowing the full circumstances of what Hilary and Eric are going through.
Melanie Robertson King is an author I have not heard of before but I will be looking out for more of her books. King has written a story that would encourage any young adult venturing into the world of reading romances combined with intrigue and adventure. This would allow the young reader to advance to other books as well. This story can be enjoyed by all young adults, no matter their gender. It Happened in Gastown is hard to put down until the very last page is read. I really enjoyed reading this book and will be reading more of King’s writing. Thank you to the author for a delightful and enjoyable story.
See why I’m so happy?
You can purchase It Happened in Gastown here and see what made it so special that this reviewer at Readers’ Favorite gave it 5-stars.
First, it was Marketing Matters, then Motivation Matters and now we have Creativity Matters which has already hit the #1 spot in Hot New Releases at Amazon.
BLURB
Have you always thought about writing a book but don’t know where to start? Are you an experienced author and want to spread your wings? Are you looking for inspiration for every step in your writing journey? This is a book for everyone who wants to write, whether history or contemporary, science fiction or humour, local fiction or set in a made-up world, fiction, non-fiction, memoir, there’s something here for you. Join thirteen authors as they share their passion for why you should write in their genre and find your own passion as you read.
It’s time for you to spread your wings, follow your dreams and find your passion for writing.
Wendy H Jones is the Amazon #1 international best-selling author of the award-winning DI Shona McKenzie Mysteries. Her Young Adult Mystery, The Dagger’s Curse was a finalist in the Woman Alive Readers’ Choice Award. She is also The President of the Scottish Association of Writers, an international public speaker, and runs conferences and workshops on writing, motivation and marketing. Wendy is the founder of Crime at the Castle, Scotland’s newest Crime Festival. She is the editor of a Lent Book, published by the Association of Christian Writers and also the editor of the Christmas Anthology from the same publisher. Her first children’s book, Bertie the Buffalo, was released in December 2018. Motivation Matters: Revolutionise Your Writing One Creative Step at a Time, was released in May 2019. The Power of Why: Why 23 Women Took the Leap to Start Their Own Business was released on 29th June 2020. Marketing Matters: Sell More Books was released on 31st July 2020. Bertie Goes to the Worldwide Games will be released on 5th May, 202, and the third book in the Fergus and Flora Mysteries will be published in 2021. Her new author membership Authorpreneur Accelerator Academy launched in January 2021. Creativity Matters: Find Your Passion for Writing the third book in her Writing Matters Series will be published in September 2021.
By the time this post goes live, I’ll be long since asleep. Thank goodness for the ability to schedule, so before I fall asleep, I wish a warm welcome to 2020!.
I’m not much of a night owl anymore. I prefer early to bed and early to rise. Those few hours when the house is quiet allow me to formulate ideas for my books, which is best done while working something ‘mindless’ like jigsaw puzzles online. I love doing them, and usually, during the process, I come up with some crackers!
My 2019 achievements
2019 was a great year for me. I crossed an item off my bucket list – train trip to and from Vancouver on The Canadian.
Something that is unheard of for me is I released two books in 2019. The above-mentioned children’s book and the second in my It Happened Series – It Happened in Gastown.
My crowning achievement, YESTERDAY TODAY AWAYS, received a silver Recommended Read Badge in the mystery/thriller category!
So now that I’ve given you the highlights of 2019, let’s give a warm welcome to 2020!
I’m hoping to cross another item off my bucket list – The Ocean from Montreal to Halifax. That way I can say I’ve travelled across Canada from coast to coast by train.
Book three in the It Happened Series (It Happened at Percé Rock) takes place in the Canadian province of Québec on the Gaspé peninsula in the quaint village of Percé. A time-honoured tradition is to walk to the rock and back from the mainland at low tide. Needless to say, that event features heavily in the story.
Unfortunately, my characters aren’t cooperating at the moment and not talking to me. I have the plot outlined (sort of). Actually, I think they’re miffed at me because this was supposed to be book two in the series, but got shuffled back.
The idea for a third time-travel book featuring Sarah Shand, so perhaps it will be my 2020 release.
Wow! I’m so excited. YESTERDAY TODAY ALWAYS won a Silver Badge “Recommended Read” in the Author Shout Reader Ready Awards!
Isn’t it gorgeous? It looks even better on the cover, don’t you think?
I must admit, I didn’t think I won anything because the email didn’t come in early this morning, like the announcement that I moved on to Phase 2 did.
You can imagine my surprise when I checked the mail on my iPhone, and there was the news. Well, let me tell you, you could have knocked me over with a feather.
The next stage begins on January 15th, 2020.
That is the date Author Shout begins the following benefits of my silver badge.
Promotion – YESTERDAY TODAY ALWAYS will receive six months of promotion in which it will be featured as a Silver Badge “Recommended Read Reader Ready” book in its category on their website, shared across all of their social media platforms and featured spots in the newsletter.
Graphics Pack – YESTERDAY TODAY ALWAYS will receive a “Silver Badge Recommended Graphics Pack” consisting of a 3D book cover mockup, teaser banners, animated teaser banners, and a book teaser video all with my Silver Badge on my book cover.
Author Teach Access – I will receive six months of free access to Author Teach (http://authorteach.com/). Author Teach is a members-only community of authors teaching authors with a focus on sharing tips, tools, techniques, resources, and networking opportunities. My six months of access to Author Teach will include a featured author interview, my very own landing page inside the community, access to a private Facebook group, and more.
Blurb and buy links
Who is stalking Katherine and why?
Still reeling from the death of her husband in the London Bombings, Katherine builds a wall around her heart to prevent further hurt.
In a serendipitous moment her first love, Jared Martin walks back into her life. Old feelings are rekindled but as their second-chance-relationship develops, another cruel twist of fate strikes. The helicopter Jared is a passenger on ditches in the North Sea.
Who, if anyone, will survive the ordeal? Is fate still not done its dirty deeds?
Will a reckless moment from her past come back to haunt her?
It contains adult content, violence, and strong language. 18+ recommended.
The countdown to the annual event known as national novel writing month is on. Better known as #NaNoWriMo, authors from around the world take part in this gruelling event.
Do you #NaNo? If so, do you start out like this? The Eureka moment that will sustain you for the entire month?
Then write feverishly for a while?
Things are looking good … and then, the dreaded writer’s block attacks.
The end of the month draws nearer and you’ve not written in days. When all is said and done, do you feel like this? Frustrated with yourself and your lack of staying power?
Life gets in the way. It happens to all of us. Maybe your idea wasn’t enough to sustain a novel.
The beauty is, you can outline and plan for National Novel Writing month ahead of time. If you’re prepared and not flying by the seat of your pants, the month will fly by with few hiccups.
1,667 words every day is not impossible and you’ll achieve your 50,000-word target for the month. The trick is, it’s not random words. It’s a novel. You need a beginning, middle and end.
J’adore le Vieux-Québec surtout quand elle est vêtue de ses parures de Noël!
What’s not to love about Vieux-Québec? It’s a beautiful city in every season. I think it’s the closest thing to Paris there is without jumping on a plane for a seven hour flight. From where I live, Vieux-Québec is about a six hour car ride. Everything within the fortifications is in walking distance. Even the hotel my husband and use, is only a five minute walk beyond the wall. If we have a room on the back of our accommodations, we overlook the Plains of Abraham.
With all this going for it, you can understand why I wrote a novel set in this beautiful, historic city.
Dufferin Terrace is a beautiful place to walk in any season. It overlooks the Lower Town and the majestic St. Lawrence River. Day or night, the views from here are spectacular.
Fairmont le Château Frontenac in the distance has the appearance of a medieval castle with its towers and turrets – a place where knights would rescue damsels in distress.
Christmas in full swing here on this narrow street. Love, love, love this part of the town!
When you’re down in this part of the city, the ferry terminal is only a short walk away. Riding across the river to Lévis gives you a whole different perspective of the city. Views you would never get from any other angle.
Between the hotel and the post office you can see the funiculaire. This inclined railway is the best way to travel from the top of the escarpment to the bottom or vice vera. Actually, the walk down the hill isn’t nearly as difficult as the return trip.
This part of town is beautiful year round and is one of the stops on the ghost walk. One of my favourite shops is in the background on the left – Geomania. I’ve purchased some gorgeous jewellery there.
This is just one market stall. The area behind Hôtel de Ville and the park beside it are packed with vendors selling all manor of things – handknitted, blown glass, footwear, books, a café where you can sit and take a load off whilst enjoying something to eat or drink.
On one of the horse-drawn carriage rides we took, our driver told us the section of the house above overgrown by the shrubs covering the front windows was reputed to be the most haunted house in the city. It definitely looks in disrepair and sorely in need of some TLC, but haunted?
On our last summer trip, we did a ghost walk hosted by Les Visites Fantômes. We started out while it was still light out and finished well after dark in an unlit Holy Trinity Cathedral. Spooky.
We stopped and watched this gentleman for quite some time. His music had everyone tapping their toes and clapping their hands in time to the rhythm.
During his tenure as Premier of the Province of Québec, Réne Lévesque resided in this modest home on Rue d’Auteuil.
In 2001, the upper two floors of the Price Building became the official residence of the Premier of the province. This buildings is visible from almost anywhere in Vieux-Québec.
Because La Citadelle is a working military base, there were a number of places we couldn’t tour. Here are the soldiers of the Royal 22e Régiment (Van Doos) taking part in the ceremony.
I love this cannonball. It’s been there for ages and as the tree grows, it brings more of the iron sphere with it.
No trip would be complete without a ride in a horse-drawn carriage. We’ve done it twice now. There are three different routes you can take – two shorter ones, or a long one with puts them both together. We opted for the long one, both times.
I hope you’ve enjoyed your virtual tour of Vieux-Québec.
Never heard of it before? Well, you can read more about it here. The stories can cover everything from Grimm to urban legends.
Scottish legends, myths, and mystery are found in A Shadow in the Past, so what better time to celebrate it?
Even the cover exudes fairytale mystery. Once upon a time…
Nineteen-year-old Sarah Shand finds herself thrust back into the past. There she struggles to keep her real identity from a society that finds her comments and ideas strange and her speech and actions forward, unlike Victorian women. When Sarah verbally confronts confining social practices, including arranged marriages, powerful enemies commit her to a lunatic asylum. After falling in love with the handsome Laird of Weetshill, Robert Robertson, she must decide whether to find her way back to her own time or to remain in the past with him.
And then there’s the sequel … Shadows From Her Past
A cruel twist of fate returns Sarah Shand to her life in the year 2010 where she discovers she is a patient in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and has been for months. Struggling to come to terms with the situation, she insists she belongs in the year 1886 at Weetshill mansion with her husband the Laird, Robert Robertson, and adopted daughter, Jenny. Her family and consultant physician try to convince her she was dreaming or hallucinating but Sarah refuses to believe them.
Robert, who has experienced strange things at the stone circle at Gordonsfield Farm, somehow breaks through the time-space continuum and visits Sarah in his future. He pleads with her to return to the past but his cryptic messages only confuse her.
Medical student, David Robb, himself a descendant of the Robertsons of Weetshill, befriends Sarah. Fascinated with her stories of the past, after her release from the hospital, he takes Sarah to meet his parents, the current owners of the mansion and surrounding land.
This year, the winter solstice and lunar eclipse occur on the same day. Will a trip to the stone circle during this combination of events create the magic Sarah needs to return to 1886 and her family there? Or will she remain in the present and make a life with David?
there was a day specifically dedicated to telling fairy tales. Today is that day…
Tell A Fairy Tale Day!
Never heard of it before? Well, you can read more about it here. The stories can cover everything from Grimm to urban legends.
Scottish legends, myths, and mystery are found in A Shadow in the Past, so what better time to celebrate it?
Even the cover exudes fairytale mystery. Once upon a time…
Nineteen-year-old Sarah Shand finds herself thrust back into the past. There she struggles to keep her real identity from a society that finds her comments and ideas strange and her speech and actions forward, unlike Victorian women. When Sarah verbally confronts confining social practices, including arranged marriages, powerful enemies commit her to a lunatic asylum. After falling in love with the handsome Laird of Weetshill, Robert Robertson, she must decide whether to find her way back to her own time or to remain in the past with him.
If you have a favourite fairy tale, leave a comment telling which one it is.
When a contemporary teen is catapulted back in time to the Victorian era, she becomes A Shadow in the Past…
Nineteen-year-old Sarah Shand finds herself in Victorian Era Aberdeenshire, Scotland and has no idea how she got there. Her last memory is of being at the stone circle on the family farm in the year 2010.
Despite having difficulty coming to terms with her situation, Sarah quickly learns she must keep her true identity a secret. Still, she feels stifled by the Victorians’ confining social practices, including arranged marriages between wealthy and influential families, and confronts them head-on then suffers the consequences.
When Sarah realizes she has fallen in love with the handsome Laird of Weetshill, she faces an agonizing decision. Does she try to find her way back to 2010 or remain in the past with the man she loves?
So why not buy yourself a book (preferably one of mine), run a bubble bath and pour yourself a glass of wine (or your tipple of choice) and escape for some self-indulgence.
Just don’t fall asleep in the tub. And if you’re going to read using your kindle, kobo, nook, iPad or another electronic e-reader, put it in a sealable plastic bag to protect it if you don’t have a caddy with a book rest. Water and electronic devices don’t mix.
Do you have the desire, discipline, story to tell and most importantly, the motivation to succeed?
If you can check all those boxes, then you’ll have a successful month of NaNoWriMo-ing.
But how to you manage when you work full-time, be a domestic Goddess when you’re not holding down your day job?
It’s not easy but it can be done. I’ve not figured out a winning/working formula yet but in time I will.
The only thing I know is, after working on a computer for 8 hours a day, trying to spend a few hours writing at the end of the day, doesn’t work well.
So, since I have a laptop, I take it to work with me and grab a few minutes on my lunch hour. Today I managed about 45 minutes writing time and cranked out 552 words and before the end of the day, sketched out ‘what happens next’. That will make tomorrow’s work much easier.
I subscribe to the nownovel.com website and there are some excellent tips there to keep you motivated for the month of November.
Cheers and happy writing! Wishing my fellow #NaNoWriMo-ers success this month!
My Scottish roots and writing by Melanie Robertson-King