Articles, Authors, Interviews, Novels, Publishing, Reviews, Stories

Shaz’s Stars Feature on loveahappyending.com

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Today I’m being interviewed by Sharon Goodwin, lovehappyending.com’s resident astrologer. Hope you enjoy it…

Shaz’s Stars Interviews Melanie Robertson-King


Shaz’s Stars – Welcome to the regular feature on ‘The Buzz’ of Shaz’s Stars!

Using sun sign astrology I will be interviewing loveahappyending.com Associate Readers to see how the traits of their sun sign affect their reading habits.

I hope you enjoy getting to know our Associate Readers as much as I’ve enjoyed interviewing them.

Shaz

Twitter @shazjera: http://bit.ly/m4lPE2

Website: http://shazjera.blogspot.com/

In the hot seat today I would like to welcome: MELANIE ROBERTSON-KING

Hello Melanie, thank you for letting us have a peek behind the scenes.  Your sun sign is  SCORPIO.

Q.  Scorpions are said to have an excellent memory.  Are you able to stop reading at any point …………..  and then when you pick the book up again remember exactly what has happened, who the characters are and where you are in the story?

When I’m reading, I prefer to stop at the end of a chapter but we all know that isn’t always an option. Quite often, I read during my lunch hours and when it’s time to go back to work, it’s mark the page if I’m reading a physical book or shut down the reader device. I have a Sony and the Kindle app on the iPad.

I don’t have to go back normally to refresh my memory of what’s happening. Usually, once I pick up the story and begin to read again, I fall into the familiarity of the people and places that I’m reading about.

Sometimes, my memory about books is a little too good. I read a book by an author a year ago. I read the second one by the same author this year. When I got to the ending of this second book, I felt a déjà-vu moment. I had read this before. I checked the first book, because after all, an author wouldn’t end two books the same way but in this case that’s what happened.

Q.  Associate Readers are avid readers.  Scorpions are very conservative about spending their money.  Does a novel have a set criteria for you to purchase it?  What attracts you to the books you choose to buy?  Do you use your library?

I haven’t used my local library much of late, I’m ashamed to say. I’ve used it for researching my articles of a historic nature that are set in the area. I have borrowed books and as a young girl, I practically lived there—taking books out and returning them on a regular basis.

When it comes to books if I want it, I go ahead and buy it. I’ve built up quite a collection of physical and e-books. I do like the fact that most e-books are a fraction of the price of physical books although I’m not so sure that’s my inner Scorpio or my Scottish roots and their thriftiness.

As far as a criteria for novels to purchase goes, if the cover is interesting enough to make me want to pick it up off the shelf (again we’re talking our local independent or chain bookstore), then I read the blurb on the back. If it sounds like something I’d be interested in, then I buy it. I’m particularly interested in novels set in England, Scotland or Wales.

The e-books I’ve purchased have been recommended by friends or authors I know.

Q.  A typical Scorpion never gives up, they are determined to reach their goal.  Does this affect your reading?  Do you read to the end of a book even if you’re not enjoying it?  Does this affect your choice of book?

I’m on a reader panel for a well-known publisher and some of the books they’ve sent me are a struggle to get through but I persevere. I’ve almost put a book down because of bad copy editing. The storyline was good so I kept reading and I’m very glad I did.

There’s only one book that I couldn’t read. Not that it was badly written but when you move a castle from within the heart of rural Aberdeenshire and plunk it on the North Sea coast south of Aberdeen… I draw the line. I’ve travelled to that area of Scotland many times and know the two castles… the real one and the mis-located one. I couldn’t get past that flagrant error.

Q.  Scorpions are known for being interested in the paranormal, the occult, conspiracy theories and mysteries.  Does this interest extend to your choice of genre?

Since I was young, I loved the idea of ghosts. My grandmother’s house was close to a cemetery so I played there a lot with my cousins. The stories we conjured up there, well we were kids, but at the time were fantastic. I spent many a happy hour having séances or with the Ouija board. Vampires and werewolves were favourite subjects. Some of the earliest books I read (borrowed from my local library) were Alfred Hitchcock mysteries.

I love a variety of genres—crime, romance, paranormal, mystery, occult. I have a couple of books from my younger years… Tales to Tremble By and Ghosts around the

House by Suzy Smith that I refuse to give up. Not to mention earlier works by Stephen King. The scarier books are the better I like them. I hope I haven’t deviated from your question too much.

(Ed.  No deviation from your question – we want to get to know you ?)

Q.  Scorpions always seem to accomplish their goals.  This is because they set tangible short-term goals that they know they can achieve.  Do you use this trait in scheduling your book reviews?  Do you plan which book you will read next?  How do you choose which book you will read next?

If I’m reading a number of books by one author then I tend to read them in order of publication. As far as book reviews go, I tend to write them after I’ve read the book while it’s still fresh in mind. Some folks say they keep notes while they read when they know they’re reviewing a work, not me.

When it comes to what book I’ll read next, I would have to say what mood I’m in at the time. If I’m feeling dark, then I’ll pick up a crime or mystery. Otherwise I’ll grab something at random off my overloaded bookcases.

Unfortunately, when it comes to my writing (revisions especially), I’m not so good at achieving my goals. I usually manage to write something every day but it might not be on my WIP. My goal for 2011 was to write every day. That fell by the wayside some time ago.

Q.  On the ‘outside’ a Scorpion sun person will present a cool, detached and unemotional air.  However, on an inner level, they are intensely passionate.  When you write your reviews, are you cool, detached and unemotional or does that passion come through?

I’ve not written many reviews so this is a hard question to answer. I would have to say so far I keep my reviews on the cool side and stick to the plot and characters. I suppose the more reviews I write, the more passion I’ll inflect into them. I do agree with the statement that Scorpios present a cool, detached and unemotional air but underneath lies a totally opposite person. I think that is a self-preservation measure that Scorpios have constructed to keep our passionate inner selves safe, lest we crumble.

(Ed.  Thank you for your honesty)

I consider myself a romance writer but write in other genres, too. Currently, ten of my non-fiction articles have been published, with one being a feature cover article.

I have two novel-length manuscripts completed. One is languishing with a publisher waiting for a yay or nay, the other (my first) is undergoing a major revision. When I need a break from it, I pick up a book and read or I write short stories.

My father was a Home Child who came to Canada through the auspices of The Orphan Homes of Scotland in 1930. My article Always a Home Boy is his and his siblings story. I also speak to local historical and genealogical societies on the subject of Home Children.

My father encouraged me to study Highland Dancing and take part in local competitions. I last competed in the summer 1969, a few short months after his death, at the 1000 Islands Highland Games and won the Silver Medal in the Sword Dance. In addition to Highland dancing, I took piping lessons and own a set of bagpipes which haven’t seen the light of day in a number of years – probably much to the relief of my neighbours.

I love to read but now that I’m writing, I have to be careful what I choose. I don’t want things from other people’s writings finding their way into my own work. So, to that end, I try to read from totally different genres. I don’t think I could write it effectively, but I love to read crime fiction – Ian Rankin, Stuart MacBride, Val McDermid, PD James, and of course, my good friend Chris Longmuir.

My other interests include genealogy, especially the study of Home Children, photography and travel – particularly Scotland because of my kinship with my father’s homeland. It was on a trip to Scotland, that I had the honour of meeting The Princess Royal.

To find out more about Melanie, please visit:-

Twitter Account @RobertsoKing: http://bit.ly/iiFKlE

Website: http://www.melanierobertson-king.com/

Melanie’s Celtic Connexions Blog: http://www.melanierobertson-king.com/wp02/

 

Authors, Novels, Publishing

Win a copy of The Bridge Club by Patricia Sands

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THE BRIDGE CLUB (.. it was never just about the cards..)

ENTER TO WIN….

There is one copy of Patricia Sand’s wonderful novel, The Bridge Club, waiting to be won. Simply post your details as a comment here by 13 August 2011 to be entered into the random draw.   (Please note: comments can take up to 24 hours to appear.)

Eight women. Four decades of friendship. One unimaginable request. How far would you go to  help a good friend? Is there a point where you might draw the line?

Partying together as hip twenty-somethings in the psychedelic 1960’s, eight young women begin a connection that will last longer than any ever imagined.

What starts as a monthly card game, turns into forty years that span a woman’s journey from youthful optimism to the challenges and opportunities presented in life’s later years. The complexities of women’s friendships are played out through a maze of life’s inevitable scenarios. Laughter and tears lead to a crisis that challenges principles and proves the power of friendship.

The Bridge Club is a story for anyone who cares about friendship. Not simply the “Hi, how are you?” type but the kind that weathers all storms, unselfishly celebrates triumphs, and hums along year after year with never an unkind word. It does exist. If you already share a friendship like this, you will relate to the women of The Bridge Club. If you don’t, perhaps the story will inspire you to find it.

Here are some excerpts from this inspiring novel by Patricia, that give a glimpse of what The Bridge Club is all about:-

The tires crunched up the gravel drive leading to Pam’s rustic log house, where the rest of the Bridge Club was already relaxing. Relieved to be there, Dee laughed in spite of herself as the Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” blared from around the back of the house with the familiar sound of the Bridge Club backup singers in full voice. Mick and the boys, Sir Elton, Sir Paul, Stevie Nicks, and the Bridge Club—still rockin’ as they headed for sixty.

One of the pluses of living in the country, she thought. You never have to worry about the volume.

The spacious cedar deck at Pam’s had witnessed many great parties over the years, and Dee knew precisely what the scene would be as she took the stone steps two at a time and rounded the corner of the house.

“I can’t get no, I can’t get no. Hey, hey, hey-y.”

The singing stopped mid-chorus as they welcomed the latecomer.

“Yay! Look who’s finally arrived!”

“Our first lady of the links!”

“How did the match go?”

Scarcely noticing a glass of white wine slipped into her hand, she made the rounds to get everyone’s latest news. Although she appeared subdued to several of the women, nothing was said. It was simply assumed she was tired from her day of golf. Of all the group, Dee was the most low key and conservative. She saved her moments of exuberance for very select occasions.

Cocktails at seven, dinner at eight was the tradition, and sometimes they actually made it happen. Tonight was one of those nights, so Dee had only about twenty minutes of chitchat outside before they sat down at the 150-year-old pine dining table for a late summer feast of BBQ ribs, free-range chicken from the farm down the road, accompanied by fresh corn, new potatoes, and field tomatoes all picked that afternoon. It was a traditional meal at this time of year, but Dee, known for the huge portions she could consume without gaining an ounce, wasn’t eating much on this particular evening.

“I’ve got a lump in my breast,” she blurted partway through dinner.

 *****

Bo signaled a time-out with her hands, obviously wanting to get back to Marti‘s earlier comment.

“Okay, enough of the sad story. It‘s done and we‘ve moved on, right? Not to be insensitive, but we did deal with this when it happened.”

“Absolutely right, enough is enough,” Marti agreed, happy to change the subject.

“So what‘s the powwow about?” Bonnie pressed on.

Leaping to her feet, Marti turned her back to them briefly and then twirled around with her hands pressed to the side of her face.

“Get it?” she asked.

Everyone looked at her quizzically.

Some laughed.

Others just shook their heads.

“Mar, to be honest you never have been very good at charades! What the hell are you getting at?” Dee asked, looking completely confused.

Plopping herself back down in her chair and making a face, Marti groaned, ”God I wish I still smoked! I would love to light up right now! Oh, but then I might not be able to do what I‘m thinking of doing. So…”

“So … what?” Jane asked.

Cass crumpled up a paper cocktail napkin and threw it at Marti, ”Will you tell us what this is all about?”

“You‘re making us crazy!” shrieked Danielle.

“I‘m making me crazy too! I cannot believe I feel so self-conscious telling you about this! Honestly, I feel like I‘m being so self-absorbed. So narcissistic. So … so … anti-feminist! All right, here it is. I‘m seriously thinking about having a facelift.”

With an air of exaggerated disappointment, Cass asked, “That‘s what all the drama was about?”

“No biggie there, Marti,” said Pam, palms outstretched and relieved this was all that had been on Marti‘s mind.

“Go for it—after careful consideration as to who does the work, of course,” was Dee‘s typically cautious response.

Marti sat up straighter, nodding as she did.

“So you don‘t think I‘m a nut bar or completely into myself? I‘ve really been reluctant to say the words out loud.”

“Oh God, Mar, just promise me you won‘t end up looking like Goldie Hawn in that movie. Remember those lips?” Cass reminded her.

Laughing and nodding, Marti gestured with her hands as she shook her head.

“No overblown lips. I promise.”

“Vanity, thy name is woman,”intoned Bonnie. “Even though it was probably some beauty editor and definitely not Shakespeare who said this, it seems to fit.”

“Guilty as charged,” laughed Marti, “just slap a big V on my forehead!”

*****

Back in Toronto after the vacation, Danielle rolled up her sleeves one morning after first cranking up Beatles music on her iPod. For over thirty years that was her music of choice to clean by. Today she was going to give the place a good once over. She moved all the furniture, cleaned every nook and cranny, and decided to tackle the storage closet. Bryce was off on his annual four-day fishing weekend at an isolated island lodge in Georgian Bay with the guys, so it was the perfect opportunity to turn things upside down.

Standing tiptoe on the top rung of the small stepladder, she momentarily lost her balance and knocked one of Bryce’s old briefcases to the floor. Working from home now and with files all stored on a laptop, he really didn’t use them anymore. This particular case had always been her favorite, with a soft, rich leather the color of roasted chestnuts and classic brass fittings. It had such a fine quality look to it that suited Bryce. As silly as it sounded, she had loved to see him carrying it.

The briefcase hit the floor with a sharp thud, and the locks popped open. Her heart stopped as her brain tried to make sense of what her eyes were seeing.

To find out more about Patricia and where to buy The Bridge Club, here are some links:-

Author Page: http://loveahappyending.com/patricia-sands/

Author Website:  http://www.patriciasandsauthor.com
Author Blog:  http://www.patriciasands.wordpress.com
Twitter A/c @Patricia_Sands:  http://bit.ly/rbk8i1
Facebook page Patricia Sands:  http://on.fb.me/lvigrm and
Facebook page The Bridge Club: http://on.fb.me/m3NfQY

 

Family

Honouring the Past

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Today would have been my Dad’s 98th birthday. Unfortunately, he didn’t even get to see his 56th. He died on April 29, 1969, three months prior. I was twelve then. My mother was widowed at the age of thirty-nine.

My Dad was one of the thousands of British Home Children sent out to Canada between 1861 and 1938. He, two brothers and one sister came through The Orphan Homes of Scotland between 1922 and 1930.

Unlike so many others, he never hid the fact he was a Home Child and in later years, I’ve done much to honour the memory of those youngsters who came so long ago. I’ve had articles published on the subject, here and in the US. And most recently, a story specifically about him in Leopard Magazine in the UK. He was always modest and never one to toot his own horn so that one would make him uncomfortable, I think. But to me he was special and always will be.

In 2001, I was involved with an exhibit in Glasgow called The Golden Bridge because of my Home Children ties. When I found out my Dad’s story was going to be one of the featured exhibits, I was there.

I’ve honoured him and his memory in other ways, too. My oldest grandson was named after my father. My son’s middle name was my father’s. I’ve set my novels in the area of Scotland where he was born and have spent time in that area. When my husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary, we renewed our vows in the church at Quarriers Village (formerly The Orphan Homes of Scotland).

I know he’s watching over me. Sometimes, I feel him at my elbow when I’m writing… and with some of the material I’ve written likely quite mortified by it all. But still, I’m doing what I want to do and he’s happy for me for doing it.

As I do every year on Father’s Day and his birthday, I’ll be making the trek to the cemetery to spend some time with him.

Happy Birthday, Dad.

Robert A Robertson July 30, 1913 - April 29, 1969
Authors, Publishing, Stories

Press Release – Thousand Islands Storefront Writing Contest

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The Thousand Islands Writers Festival will hold their first annual Storefront Writing Contest, Saturday August 27th, 2011 in downtown Brockville. Patterned after a similar contest in Bruton, England the contest will pair individuals who write from downtown storefronts creating short stories of approximately 2,000 words in the genre of their choice.

Participants meet at the Brockville Library at 9:30 a.m., on contest morning to register. Store locations and prompts for the contest will be randomly drawn. Writers will proceed to their chosen sites to begin writing at 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Completed work will be turned in at the Grindstone Tapas Lounge with a post-contest social hour.

Entries can be produced by pen or laptop. Laptop users are asked to bring a memory device to download from. Participants are encouraged to dress in period costumes, but it is not necessary.

The entry fee is $5. The deadline for entries is Friday August 19th, 2011. Entries should include the participants name, address, phone number and e-mail address. Drop off is at Leeds County Books, 73 King St. W., Brockville or mail to Thousand Islands Writers Festival, 13 Duke St, Brockville, Ontario K6V 3J2.

Further details may be found at www.tiwfestival.org.

Contacts:

Doreen Barnes
Chair, Thousand Islands Writers Festival
(613) 345-3365

Russ Disotell
Vice-Chair, Thousand Islands Writers Festival
(613) 342-0793

Articles, Authors, Stories

Thousand Islands Writers Festival Storefront Writing Contest – August 27, 2011

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Melanie & Dorothy at Echo Clothing in Brockville

Here we are comfortably ensconced in the brightly painted Adirondack chairs at Echo Clothing in Brockville, one of the proud sponsors of the Thousand Islands Writers Festival Storefront Writing contest. Even folks without laptops are welcome to join in the fun on contest day, as demonstrated by Dorothy. Handwritten entries will be accepted.

The official press release is coming soon followed within a couple of weeks by Doreen Barnes’s article in the St Lawrence EMC newspaper.

Authors, Publishing, Stories

In A Flash by Chris Hanna is available at amazon.com again

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Chris contacted me yesterday to say his book is back up on amazon.com after having to take it down temporarily to remove one of the short stories since an editor had decided to buy it.

Congrats on the additional sale, Chris.

You can download In A Flash for the Kindle here for $2.99 US.

Good luck Chris. We wish you many sales.

To find out more about Chris Hanna, you can visit his blog – Christopher D. Hanna – Speculative Fiction

Authors, Novels, Publishing

Richard Holmes launches his Angelic Wisdom Trilogy today

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Launch Day for Angelic Wisdom Trilogy by Richard Holmes

As loveahappyending.com featured Author Richard Holmes releases Angelic Wisdom Trilogy it is a day that marks another step in his career as an author.  This new book combines three of Richard’s earlier volumes and has been updated.

ENTER TO WIN….

There are  2 copies of the original Angelic Wisdom Vol 2, waiting to be won.  It will give you a feel for this exciting triology.  Simply Email us at lovehappyending.com@gmail.com by 25 July 2011 asking to be entered into the random draw and sending Richard your good wishes.

This wonderful trilogy of angelic insights started life back in 2002, and was originally three separate volumes.  It is a delightful piece of work that allows the reader to take a peek into the very souls of these truly amazing celestial beings that we like to refer to as angels.  

The first part of the book goes into great detail as to how the angels function and what they actually do for the Earth and mankind in general. 

Part two gives a deep insight into spiritual (natural) law and answers the kind of questions that tend to keep the average mere mortal frustrated and in the dark.  For example, have you ever wondered why you continuously seem to attract the same kinds of people into your life that always causes you hurt and pain?  This question and many more are dealt with within the pages of part two.  There are also question and answer sessions in parts one and two, between the author and his celestial guardian, that are both thought provoking and interesting to say the least.  

Finally, part three consists entirely of such a session and deals with matters that the author felt remained unanswered from the previous two volumes.  This book will change your life;  you can’t afford NOT to read it.

Here are some extracts from this amazing book :-

Miracles are everyday occurrences and are living proof of God’s love and grace.  A miracle can happen anytime, anywhere and such events demonstrate the extent that God will go to, in order to express his love for mankind.  So what is a miracle?  It is an event that occurs in seemingly impossible circumstances; a happening that defies all logic.  Humans experience miracles on a daily basis, but are oblivious to the majority of such Divine occurrences.

Miracles happen because mankind constantly requires proof and confirmation that God really does exist.  How then can we in the angelic realms describe a miracle to you?  How can we convince you that miracles really happen?  You are probably thinking that this is not possible, for many of you will not be aware of experiencing miracles first hand, and you are probably waiting for us to give examples.

The best example that we can give you, dear reader, is the example of how you came to be reading this book.  Each and every one of you has a story to tell, each and every one of you has walked a pathway of many lumps, bumps, twists and turns.  Indeed many of you will think it is an absolute wonder, a miracle, that you now read literature such as this.  As you cast your mind back over the years and think on the journey that has brought you to this book, I’m sure you will agree that it is nothing short of miraculous.

Look around you at nature, the different life forms, the trees, the vegetation, the wonderful colours and smells, is this not all miraculous?  Indeed life itself is a miracle, the very air you breathe, the sunshine, the seasons, all are miraculous.  Once you grasp an appreciation of all these things, then your whole life will be one miraculous experience for you.

Miracles are not impossible events.  They are everyday occurrences and demonstrations of love in action, love in motion.  When you understand the miracle that is your life, and when you are truly grateful for all that life gives you, then, and only then, can you say that you are on the right pathway to self-realisation.  The Law of Miracles decrees that when you truly walk a pathway of light, you understand that everything in your life is a gift from God, a miracle.  Armed with this wisdom your life becomes bliss – which is the ultimate miracle.  God bless you.

Zadkiel – Angel of wisdom and truth

Intention is probably the most important thing in any thought, feeling or deed that you conceive, in that it is the intention behind the thought, feeling or deed that determines the outcome.  The outcome in this case meaning the level of cause and effect.  There have been many deeds carried out with good intentions that have not yielded desirable results.  However, this does not necessarily mean that the perpetrators have acquired a degree of negative karma by their actions.  It is what is in your heart that counts.

Your intentions count for everything, and this is a very important truth to grasp for all those who seek a pathway of light.  Once you conceive a thought there is a simultaneous interaction between the mind and the heart.  In this minute moment in time, your intentions behind the thought are determined.  Remember, we have spoken previously about today’s thoughts being tomorrow’s reality.  As soon as the thought is conceived it goes out into the ether and will manifest itself at some stage or other.  This means that if you have a thought based on good intentions, but for various reasons forget to carry out the actions behind the thought, there is every chance that the manifestation of the good actions will take place anyway.  For example, if you know of someone who is under the weather and needs healing, it may be your intention, via your thoughts, to send this person absent healing (please see the section on healing for an explanation of this).  If you then forget it won’t matter because the thought has already gone out into the ether.  Your angels in the higher spiritual realms will pick up on this and act in accordance with your thoughts.

Everything is created by the thoughts of man.  Humans create all situations for themselves by the power of their thoughts.  Life on the Earth plane is most definitely an illusion, but the actions of humans are the product of previous thoughts, which in turn became feelings and then actions.  Today’s thoughts create tomorrow’s life; we have stated this on many previous occasions.  Humans are slaves to their own thoughts.  The human mind will “steal” your happiness and create for you unhappiness based on illusion.  By the same token humans can also experience joy whilst on Earth.  The thing to remember is that matter is constantly in motion and is driven by the thoughts of humankind.  It’s like a child having a piece of plasticine and constantly creating different objects from the same piece.  The plasticine itself will always remain the same but the object created will always be in accordance with the child’s imagination.  This is the illusion.  Everything on the Earth plane is comprised of matter, which is concentrated energy.  The energy will always be constant, but the scenarios of people’s lives will always be a product of their thoughts.  Thoughts are very confusing and changeable; therefore the illusion will change too.  This is why some people appear to go from disaster to disaster throughout their lives.

To buy now:-
Amazon (buy): http://amzn.to/npQQ8P

To find our more about Richard and his books:-
Author Page:  http://loveahappyending.com/richard-f-holmes/
Author’s website: http://www.richardfholmes.co.uk/
Author’s Blog: http://richardfholmes.wordpress.com/
Twitter A/c @atmicsplendour: http://bit.ly/kuyNKf

Authors, Interviews, Publishing, Stories

Interview with Chris Hanna – author of In A Flash

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I had the chance recently to sit down and speak with Chris Hanna, fellow Writer’s Ink member and author of In A Flash.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

In my early teens I really started to read a lot of books. I fell in love with science fiction and read every sci-fi novel I could get my hands on. Since my family did not have much money we usually picked up books second hand at flea markets or yard sales for a quarter each. Due to the age of the books I mainly read from the golden age of science fiction; Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert and Robert A. Heinlein.

Loving to read such fascinating and thought provoking speculative literature eventually led to the idea that I could do it myself. It was a decade later before I actually took the first step to do what it takes to be a writer, write.

What genres do you write in?

I thought I wanted to be a science fiction writer. In actuality I am a speculative fiction writer. The difference being that instead of creating a story around the science, you write about people and a ‘what if?’ scenario to advance the plot. For example; Robert A. Heinlein asked what if a human child was raised by martians? Would that person in fact be human since their thoughts would inherently be alien? The result was “Stranger In A Strange Land.” Probably the most recognized Heinlein novel. I’m afraid I am not educated enough to write hard science-fiction so I am more comfortable writing speculatively.

I realized long ago that my writing is innately morbid. Because I have a proclivity for the morose I have tried my hand at horror writing. It is fun because I do not have to try and hide the darkness. I can let it run free!

What is your favourite?

Speculative fiction, definitely. It is my first love.

What made you decide to self-publish your collection of flash-fiction and poetry?

To test the waters. The work was sitting in my folder gathering dust and was probably never going to be used in a regular market. Flash-fiction is a growing trend in Internet story telling and I wanted to try self-publishing. The hardest part was figuring out how to create the document. After much research and lots of trial-and-error “In A Flash” finally came to be.

You mentioned being approached by a publishing company for your short stories after seeing some of your posts on FB… how did that work out for you?

I find out today (July 20th, 2011) if McGraw-Hill Ryerson will be sending me a contract. I am just waiting to hear from the editor if the education committee is happy with my submissions.

I understand you belong to a writers’ group. What can you say about the helpfulness and support from being involved with other writers?

I think I would have given up if it were not for the group. They are there when I need that extra push to keep going when the journey seems futile. I am very self-critical and I find I can ease up on myself when I receive such positive feedback and support from my peers.

Do you have any advice for writers who might be contemplating the self-publishing route?

My only advice would be to work hard at self-promotion. No matter how brilliant your self-published book may be, it is not going to sell itself. This entails a learning curve for folks such as myself who may be too humble for their own good.

My Scottish roots and writing by Melanie Robertson-King