I would have never thought it but, according to the sample I copied and pasted from my work in progress, Shadows from her Past, I write like… are you ready for it?
I wonder, if I were to take a sample from my published debut novel, A Shadow in the Past, if the same result would occur? Hmm… maybe I’ll try that some time.
Who do you write like? Why not try this and see? You can find out by clicking on Analyze your writing in the box above or by clicking here.
I’d love to see whose prose your writing style emulates, so why not give it a go then leave a comment telling the results of your writing analysis.
As a writer, you want the words you choose to remain true to your voice. How do you manage when your carefully planned scene loses the impact your wanted to portray doesn’t come across because your brain can’t relate it to your fingers? You write WORDS but they’re not the ones you envisioned using and they don’t flow smoothly. Your writing is choppy and disjointed – kinda like mine is right now.
Do you:
Read over the last of what you worked on the previous day to get reacquainted with your characters and setting?
Throw your hands up in frustration and stomp around the room?
Bash your head against the wall or surface of your computer desk?
Take long cleansing breaths and go off and do something else to clear your mind – like take the dog for a walk (assuming you have a dog to walk), go for a walk by yourself?
Does listening to music help you when you’re struggling to find the right words? Or do you prefer complete silence.
Depending on where I’m working, my writer’s toolbox includes a dictionary and thesaurus. But if I’m working on my laptop and space is at premium (outside in a lawn chair comes to mind), while I still refer to both of the aforementioned books, I tend to use online versions instead. These are my favourites.
Yesterday’s Craft Sale at the Mallorytown Legion was well attended but not as busy as the one I took part in last November. Still, it was a good turnout to say there were quite a few other things going on in the village competing for attention.
I sold and signed three copies of A Shadow in the Past within the first hour and a half. Afterwards things died down but even though I didn’t sell anymore copies directly, the prospect of a sale from the bookstore in Kingston, A Novel Idea, where I have copies for sale, exists.
The idea that my book was now available as an e-book appealed to a number of people. One woman, who knew her daughter would love my book said she would let her know. Her daughter lives in Australia…
Blurb:
When a contemporary teen is transported back through time to the Victorian era, she becomes A Shadow in the Past…
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 would prefer to buy A Shadow in the Past in e-book format, you can order it from amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobobooks and the iBookstore.
Today at the Mallorytown Legion from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, there will be a craft sale. Loads of vendors and goodies to choose from. So, if you’re close by to the village, drop by. The legion is on the east side of Quabbin Road opposite Peryl Road.
I’ll be there selling and signing copies of my debut novel, A Shadow in the Past.
Blurb:
When a contemporary teen is transported back through time to the Victorian era, she becomes A Shadow in the Past…
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 would prefer an e-book to a paperback, you can order A Shadow in the Past in that format from amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobobooks and the iBookstore.
The name Orphan Homes of Scotland implies the children who went there were orphans. That wasn’t always the case. My father wasn’t an orphan. He was one of ten children and after his mother died when he was just two years old, his father had a stroke and couldn’t look after the family.
Grandpa Robertson was married twice. The children from his first marriage helped out as best they could, but in the end, my father and four of his siblings (all from the second marriage) who were sent off to the Orphan Homes of Scotland.
My father and his brothers, George and Andy, stayed here in Broadfield Home (Cottage 1).
Because there was no such thing as co-ed living, sisters couldn’t stay in the same house as their brothers. Brothers couldn’t even visit their sisters without the housemother’s consent and only for a short time.
My father’s sisters, Barbara and Christina, stayed here in Leven Home (Cottage 13).
After my father came to Canada, he worked on a number of farms in the Brockville area and enlisted with the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders during World War II.
Robert A Robertson 1913-1969
Phillips Cables (sadly now the property is just an empty lot) provided him with employment from the time my father returned from the war and while he worked there, he met my mother.
My parents’ wedding – July 22, 1950
Sadly, I lost my Dad on April 29, 1969 as the result of a workplace injury. He may not be with me anymore but he lives on in my heart.
The wait is over. The Kindle version of A Shadow in the Past has arrived.
When a contemporary teen is transported 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?
You can get your copy of A Shadow in the Past at
If you don’t have a Kindle, you can download the app from amazon for your PC, iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, Android devices, and more. Check their website to see if they have the app you need.
Was this one of those riddles that has driven you mad trying to come up with solution? Or are you a riddles aficionado and able to figure it out right away?
Are you ready for the solution? I’ll go over the clues one last time.
Clue #1
James Allan [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
The building pictured above is the Rannes Hall in Kennethmont, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
Clue #2
of course you recognize my book cover…
and finally…
Clue #3
Take a really close look at the heading on the calendar page… August 2013. It’s in the future. It’s not here yet. Okay, my book is a time-travel but that’s not it.
So without any further ado, may I have a drum roll, please…
Are you ready for the answer? Should I make you stew any longer? No. I won’t do that. I couldn’t be that mean to my loyal blog followers.
I will be in Scotland in August 2013 and on the 17th, I’ll be hosting a book launch for A Shadow in the Past at the Rannes Hall in Kennethmont!
Isn’t that brilliant? I can hardly wait for my feet to touch good old Scottish terra firma. It’s been way too long since I was last there.
My Scottish roots and writing by Melanie Robertson-King
Blurb:
copy of A Shadow in the Past at
