Category Archives: A Shadow in the Past

4RV Publishing, A Shadow in the Past, Aberdeenshire, Books, England, Kindle, King Park Press, kobo, nook, Novels, readers, Scotland, The Consequences Collection, Tim's Magic Christmas, Writing

It’s Tell a Story Day

October 27, 2015 Melanie 4 Comments

It’s “Tell A Story Day”!

Well, in Scotland and England it is. And since my heart belongs to Scotland, and I have family and friends in both countries, need I say more?

Okay, so in keeping with the day, here’s my story…

tell a story

Blurb:

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.

Now isn’t that a great story? I think so, but then I’m biased.

~~~~~~~~~~

You can buy A Shadow from the Past in print or ebook from:

4RV Publishing
amazon.com
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Novels too long for your liking? How about a collection of short stories then?

Blurb:

The Consequences Collection is an eclectic compilation of twelve stories ranging from non-fiction through creative non-fiction to pure fiction, in prose and poetry.

The story of a Scottish Home Child is based on fact and told from the child’s point of view; The Mystery Woman of Kinettles is a non-fiction article on the appearance and subsequent disappearance of a woman’s body near the Wellington County House of Industry (Poor House) in 1879 Southwestern Ontario.

Some of these stories are lighter than others, and some might even beg you to leave the lights on.

Where to buy The Consequences Collection:

Paperback:

Lulu.com

Epub:

Lulu.com

Kindle:

amazon.com

And for the younger folks who love a good story, how about one for Christmas?

Blurb:

For Tim Frost, Christmas 2011 is a washout. No Santa. No presents. Nothing. His father lost his job when the mill closed and now the family is on the verge of losing their home.

A chance encounter with Nick Kringle, a modern-day Santa Claus, teaches Tim that the greatest gift you can receive is the gift of giving.

Tim’s Magic Christmas is available in paperback from the author, or for the kindle at amazon.com.

You can follow me here at Celtic Connexions or at:

Website: http://www.melanierobertson-king.com/
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Melanie-Robertson-King/221018701298979
Twitter Account: @RobertsoKing https://twitter.com/RobertsoKing
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6543072.Melanie_Robertson_King

A Shadow in the Past, Books, chapter books, short stories, The Consequences Collection, Tim's Magic Christmas

McDonalds Corners ~ Oct 25th

October 25, 2015 Melanie 1 Comment

Today, I took part in the Annual Fall Craft Show at the McDonalds Corners Agricultural Hall. I did a show here in the spring and had fun at the event (and good sales). The battery-operated LED fairy lights put in an appearance again today and my easel and poster board (after repairs were done) showing the inspiration behind A Shadow in the Past came along, too.

BTW, this is a different red top but in the lead up to Christmas (okay it’s before Halloween), I think red is far more festive… not to mention it matches with my table cloth and tartan topper.

I love doing events like this. I meet so many interesting people. It’s great to connect with prospective customers and re-connect with those I’ve met before.

From what I’ve been told, this show is usually busy from start to finish. But the weather was gorgeous today so people probably stayed home and got outdoor chores done before the snow flies. Will it deter me from taking part in the future? No way!

By the end of the day, I sold 1 copy of The Consequences Collection.

Like I said, sales were soft but it was still a fun day… and enjoying life is what’s important.

A Shadow in the Past, Books, chapter books, short stories, The Consequences Collection, Tim's Magic Christmas

Brinston show ~ Oct 24th

October 24, 2015 Melanie 4 Comments

Today, I took part in the Brinston United Church fall craft show. I did this show last year and enjoyed myself, not to mention did well. Since it’s getting close to Christmas I brought my strings of battery-operated LED fairy lights with me and wound them around my displays of books.

I love doing events like this. I meet so many interesting people. It’s great to connect with prospective customers and re-connect with those I’ve met before.

By the end of the day, I sold 2 copies of A Shadow in the Past, and 2 copies of Tim’s Magic Christmas. I also donated a copy of Tim as a door prize.

Tomorrow, I’m going back to McDonalds Corners where I did well in the spring.

A Shadow in the Past, Books, chapter books, The Consequences Collection, Tim's Magic Christmas

Face Painting isn’t just for Kids

October 5, 2015 Melanie 2 Comments

On October 4th I took part in the Friends of the Sanctuary‘s Nature and Wildlife Day at the Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary located between Morrisburg and Ingleside. It was my first time as this event and was pleased with my results.

face painting — Me wearing my warm, fur vest I bought on my recent trip to Scotland and my tartan boots from Sinister Soles

By the end of the day, I sold 3 copies of A Shadow in the Past, 2 copies of The Consequences Collection and 1 copy of Tim’s Magic Christmas. I also donated a copy of Tim to the silent auction which was to raise money for the sanctuary.

For $3.00 you could get your face painted and the money raised went to the sanctuary. It was mostly children having it done, but my husband is an overgrown kid at heart so he had it done, too. He was forewarned that if he did, he would be getting his picture taken and it would be posted on my blog… well guess what? Yup, he did.

What do you think? Would you get your face painted?

4RV Publishing, A Shadow in the Past, anthology, Authors, King Park Press, Novels, readers, Reading, The Consequences Collection

It’s Read A Book Day ~ #amreading

September 6, 2015 Melanie Leave a comment

Sept 6th is Read A Book Day

Whatever your genre, or preferred medium, curling up and reading a good book is a wonderful way to spend your time. There are loads of genres to choose from – crime, romance, paranormal, Young Adult, New Adult, non-fiction, memoirs and literary fiction. All will sweep you away into the world created by the author and give you some much needed escape from reality time.

A great place to get your reading material is at your local independent bookstore. Mine is Leeds County Books. If I find a book whilst shopping elsewhere, I take down the details and then go here and order my copy, if it isn’t already on the shelf.

I also have a great collection of e-books on my iPad in the Kindle app.

Since this is read a book day, I’m going to do a wee bit of shameless, self-promotion here. If you’re looking for a great read, check out A Shadow in the Past

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.

and The Consequences Collection – an eclectic compilation of twelve stories ranging from non-fiction through creative non-fiction to pure fiction, in prose and poetry.

Some of these stories are lighter than others, and some might even beg you to leave the lights on.

And for the younger readers,

Tim’s Magic Christmas

For Tim Frost, Christmas 2011 is a washout. No Santa. No presents. Nothing. His father lost his job when the mill closed and now the family is on the verge of losing their home.

A chance encounter with Nick Kringle, a modern-day Santa Claus teaches Tim that the greatest gift you receive is the gift of giving.

is an eclectic compilation of twelve stories ranging from non-fiction through creative non-fiction to pure fiction, in prose and poetry.

Some of these stories are lighter than others, and some might even beg you to leave the lights on.

– See more at: http://www.melanierobertson-king.com/wp02/?page_id=7339#sthash.VVdE3rEX.dpuf

is an eclectic compilation of twelve stories ranging from non-fiction through creative non-fiction to pure fiction, in prose and poetry.

Some of these stories are lighter than others, and some might even beg you to leave the lights on.

– See more at: http://www.melanierobertson-king.com/wp02/?page_id=7339#sthash.VVdE3rEX.dpuf

is an eclectic compilation of twelve stories ranging from non-fiction through creative non-fiction to pure fiction, in prose and poetry.

Some of these stories are lighter than others, and some might even beg you to leave the lights on.

– See more at: http://www.melanierobertson-king.com/wp02/?page_id=7339#sthash.VVdE3rEX.dpuf

What are you reading today?

A Shadow in the Past, Aberdeenshire, Novels, Photographs, recumbent, Scotland, Shadows from Her Past, stone circle

The Face in the Stones – REVEALED

August 21, 2015 Melanie 2 Comments

It’s only recently, I saw the face in the stones in this photograph. I guarantee that once you see it, you won’t be able to “un-see” it every time you see the picture. It’s even visible in the older version of the photograph that’s the header photo for my blog.

This stone circle, located in rural Aberdeenshire, Scotland, features in my debut novel – A Shadow in the Past – and its not yet published sequel – Shadows From Her Past.

This type of stone circle, known as a recumbent stone circle, is unique to Aberdeenshire. You can find out more about them here.

I’ve visited a number of stone circles in Scotland but I’ve never seen a face in them before.

Interesting? Creepy? What do you think?

4RV Publishing, A Shadow in the Past, characters, genealogy, Novels

Character ~ John Robertson from A Shadow in the Past

August 19, 2015 Melanie 2 Comments

John Robertson – patriarch of the Robertsons

John Robertson played an important role in my debut novel, A Shadow in the Past. He was the grandfather of my hero, Robert (named after my father Robert Robertson and my uncle Andrew Robertson).

In order to make this chart even remotely readable, it had to be split into three sections. This first section starts with the patriarch himself and his wife and ends with his grandchildren, Robert being one of them.

This second section begins with his great-grandchildren who were Margaret’s (Robert’s sister) children.

This last chart ends with one 5th great-grandchild – Colin Cameron.

Some of these characters were mentioned in the first book. Some (but not all) will be introduced in the second one – Shadows From Her Past.

These charts were created using Legacy genealogy software and the handy dandy snipping tool in Windows, which I have to say is as ‘handy as a pocket in a shirt’.

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.

I can’t share the blurb for Shadows From Her Past with you yet but when I can, you can read it here.

4RV Publishing, A Shadow in the Past, characters, genealogy, Novels

Character ~ Gordon Eadie from A Shadow in the Past

August 17, 2015 Melanie Leave a comment

‘Auld’ Gordon Eadie

While he didn’t play a big role in A Shadow in the Past (two mentions in two paragraphs one one page in one chapter), his character was important to the story … and in more ways than one.

His forename, Gordon, latterly became part of the name of the farm Sarah was born and raised on – Gordonsfield.

And, as you can see from the descendant chart above, produced from Legacy, he was Sarah’s 3rd-great-grandfather. If you click on the chart, it will give you a larger image which is readable.

Not all of the characters appeared in A Shadow in the Past, nor will they all appear in the second book in the the series – Shadows From Her Past – but I needed to create a family for Sarah that included aunts, uncles, cousins, parents, and grandparents.

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.

I can’t share the blurb for Shadows From Her Past with you yet but when I can, you can read it here.

For more information on A Shadow in the Past and where you can purchase it, visit my website.

4RV Publishing, A Shadow in the Past, car boot sale, King Park Press, Spencerville Mill, The Consequences Collection, Tim's Magic Christmas

UK Style Car Boot Sale

August 16, 2015 Melanie 1 Comment

Car Boot Sale

On Saturday, August 15th, I took part in a UK style car boot sale To benefit the Spencerville Mill. My UK friends will know what a car boot sale is. The nice folks at the mill were billing it as an English style sale, but they are popular all over the UK.

We could set up our allotted space any way we wanted. I happened to arrive first, so got the best ‘stall’ – right outside the entrance to the mill.

Car parked where I wanted. Canopy erected and partly over the car, it was time to open the ‘boot’ and set up my display.

With it being a car boot sale, I only took a small portion of my wares out of the boxes to display. Everything else remained in the trunk.

As you can see from the way the table cloth is blowing, it was breezy. Good thing we had three bottles of water and a bottle of windshield washer anti-freeze and a multitude of bungee cords.

You’ll notice, although it doesn’t match my tartan throw, I am wearing a red and black tartan infinity scarf.

While it wasn’t one of my better sale days, I had a couple – one of which using my Square credit card reader. I sold 1 copy of A Shadow in the Past and 1 copy of The Consequences Collection.

#BookLoversDay, 4RV Publishing, A Shadow in the Past, Books, chapter books, digital downloads, ebooks, genre, King Park Press, Novels, Publishing, readers, Reading, The Consequences Collection, Tim's Magic Christmas

It’s Book Lovers Day!

August 9, 2015 Melanie Leave a comment

Happy Book Lovers Day!

This unique holiday can also be celebrated on the first Saturday in November. So why not celebrate it both days?

Hardcover, paperback, ebook. What’s your preference? Both have their advantages. Ebooks are usually less expensive than a paperback and definitely more so than a hardcover.

One hundred books on an e-reader weigh far less than the same number of physical books and take up a lot less space – better for travel.

For the person who likes mystery and suspense with romance…

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?

Buy links for A Shadow in the Past can be found here.

~~~~~~~~~~

For those who prefer short stories…

The Consequences Collection is an eclectic compilation of twelve stories ranging from non-fiction through creative non-fiction to pure fiction, in prose and poetry.

Some of these stories are lighter than others, and some might even beg you to leave the lights on.

The Consequences Collection is available for the kindle on all amazon platforms and in epub format at lulu.com

~~~~~~~~~~

And a middle grade Christmas novelette…

For Tim Frost, Christmas 2011 is a washout. No Santa. No presents. Nothing. His father lost his job when the mill closed and now the family is on the verge of losing their home.

A chance encounter with Nick Kringle, a modern-day Santa Claus teaches Tim that the greatest gift you receive is the gift of giving.

Tim’s Magic Christmas is currently only available in paperback. To find out how to get your copy, contact me via email. Watch for it coming in kindle and epub formats.

Sept 6th is Read A Book Day

John Robertson – patriarch of the Robertsons

‘Auld’ Gordon Eadie

Car Boot Sale

Happy Book Lovers Day!

My Scottish roots and writing by Melanie Robertson-King