This year’s Canada Day celebrations in my hometown will be more special than in years gone by. This year, the Canadian flag celebrates it’s 50th year, but perhaps even more special, it was born here in Brockville.
Our local newspaper, The Recorder and Times, featured an article on the subject and the huge flag and dedication ceremony that will take place at 3:00 pm today. You can read the article here.
As in previous years, the day will end with a fireworks display.
Where do you live in Canada? How will you celebrate the day?
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.
Riddles… Think you’ve come up with the answer to this one?
Oh the conundrum of solving riddles. They can be easy to solve or drive you mad trying to come up with the answer.
You have a few more days to ponder your answers to my riddle. June 1st is when the answer will be revealed. So for those of you who haven’t come up with the solution, here are the clues again…
Anyone who already knows the answer, please don’t spoil it for those who haven’t seen this yet are still puzzling over the answer…
Clue #1
James Allan [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Clue #2
and finally…
Clue #3
So there you have it. Three things that have something in common. An old building, my book cover and a calendar leaf. Any ideas what these three things have in common?
Leave a comment stating what you think the answer is. I’ll be interested to see you answers. And those of you who already know? Please, don’t spoil it for those who are still scratching their heads trying to figure it out.
And if you’re not in to solving riddles… well at least sit back and enjoy the theories as they come in. It should be great fun.
Today, I’m thrilled to host in my Author Interviews Scottish native but now English resident, Lizzie Lamb.
Freighter passing by the Three Sisters Islands in the St Lawrence River
Normally, I conduct these interviews in my cozy lounge here at Celtic Connexions, but today, since today is too nice to be stuck indoors, I thought sitting by the river on a bench at Blockhouse Island looking over this beautiful part of eastern Ontario and New York State was more suitable. And look! We’ve been lucky enough to see a freighter coming up river.
After a slight diversion and the tea and biscuits I’ve brought along with us, it’s down to the business at hand.
I love the title of your book – Tall, Dark & Kilted. How did you come up with it?
It was a bit of a fluke really. I had a one to one with an editor at the Romantic Novelists’ Association Convention a year ago where she read three chapters and the synopsis of the novel – which was then called BIG BAD WOLF. Her feedback suggested that the title told the reader nothing about the setting or what the novel was about. Furthermore, she said that most readers took between 3-5 SECONDS to decide if they wanted to buy a book without moving on. I thought about calling the novel HIGHLAND FLING but there were already about two dozen novels of that name. Off the top of my head I suggested Tall, Dark and Kilted and she LOVED it. The name stuck and I’m glad I changed it.
Your book is set in the Scottish highlands. What made you decide that part of Scotland? Is there a specific area that readers will recognize even if it goes under a fictitious name?
A Scot by birth and heritage, I’ve loved the west coast of Scotland ever since I can remember and have spent many holidays there. The scenery, the history and the fact that the Gulf Stream touches its shores and palm trees and other tropical plants thrive in the shadow of snow topped mountains has a real resonance for me. I also adored Monarch of the Glen (the TV series) although that was filmed elsewhere and the movie Local Hero (filmed in Pennan). Kinloch Mara is an amalgam of lots of the places I’ve visited but Port Urquhart was based on the towns of Oban and Portree.
I love the TV series Monarch of the Glen and the movie Local Hero. The first time I saw palm trees in Scotland was when I visited Finlaystone Estate at Langbank. The next time was when I was in Plockton. I’ve never been to Oban or Portree but hope to rectify that very soon.
You have a rather catchy tagline for your novel. Would you share it with us?
NOTTINGHILL MEETS MONARCH OF THE GLEN
I chose that tagline because I thought that non-UK readers would have seen the movie and/or watched the TV series and they would understand what my rom com was about.
You recently took part in a “literary lunch” with another author. Enquiring minds need to know… was this something you both organized or did the venue do it and invite you? Would you deem the event a success?
The event came about because Adrienne (one of The New Romantics 4 – our indie group) is managing director of her own PR company. She was having lunch with the owner/manager of the hotel and he was looking for a range of events to draw customers into the hotel. As the Leicester Book Fest was looming on the horizon, Adrienne suggested a literary lunch and he jumped at the idea. Adrienne asked me to join her as I am used to public speaking and am confident when talking about my path to publication and Tall, Dark and Kilted to potential readers. The lunch was a great success and we hope to host another event there in the run up to Christmas/ Valentine’s Day.
To be honest I seem to have so little time when I’m not writing in one form or another!
I like to visit friends, have them for dinner or afternoon tea and meet up with girlfriends in coffee shops. I try to read as much and as widely as I can and write reviews of the books I’ve read, which takes up quite a bit of time. I have this dream of sitting in the garden in the sun and doing nothing at all – but the weather won’t play ball and my mind is always buzzing with new writing ideas. Before I know it I’ve reached over for the iPad and started typing … I also like listening to music on my iPhone through headphones and watching movies. My latest resolution is to spend less time social networking and more time chillin’ and unplugging from the wonderful but time consuming career I’ve chosen. Hm, wonder if I’ll manage it.
Author Bio:
Of Scottish/Irish/Brazilian heritage, I was born up in a steel mining town in the Scottish Industrial Belt. The massive RAVENSCRAIG steel mill was quite literally in my back garden. In order to escape from the forbidding industrial landscape I learned to play imaginatively with my friends in the back garden and then started writing extra scenes and characters for the movies I saw on a Saturday morning. I was bitten by the writing bug and never looked back. I lived in Scotland until I was 11 when my parents moved to England in search of work and better opportunities for me and my siblings… Scoll forward to 2006 –
Sorry to interrupt, but if I recall correctly, Ravenscraig was in Motherwell which is a part of Greater Glasgow? Do carry on.
After teaching my 1000th pupil and working as a deputy head teacher in a large primary school, I decided it was time to leave the chalk face and pursue my first love. I joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers Scheme, honed my craft and wrote Tall, Dark and Kilted. I’d always wanted to write a romantic novel set in the Highlands and Islands and Tall, Dark and Kilted is the result. Not a steel mill in sight!! Much of my time is taken up publicising Tall, Dark and Kilted and finishing my second rom com which will be published autumn 2013. I am also a founding member of an indie publishing group: The New Romantics 4 and enjoy meeting readers and talking about my writing.
I live with my husband (also a retired primary deputy head teacher) and my naughty parrot Jasper in Leicester and I have the best job in the world.
You can buy Tall, Dark and Kilted from amazon via this universal link.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my chat with Lizzie as much as I have. Thanks for making the “virtual” trip from England to Eastern Ontario and my wee corner of the world.
My Scottish roots and writing by Melanie Robertson-King
Blurb:
copy of A Shadow in the Past at
I love the title of your book – Tall, Dark & Kilted. How did you come up with it?
Of Scottish/Irish/Brazilian heritage, I was born up in a steel mining town in the Scottish Industrial Belt. The massive RAVENSCRAIG steel mill was quite literally in my back garden. In order to escape from the forbidding industrial landscape I learned to play imaginatively with my friends in the back garden and then started writing extra scenes and characters for the movies I saw on a Saturday morning. I was bitten by the writing bug and never looked back. I lived in Scotland until I was 11 when my parents moved to England in search of work and better opportunities for me and my siblings… Scoll forward to 2006 –