DEVELOPING AN ARTICLE INTO A MEMOIR!

My lovely Scottish Granny in the Scottish snow!
(one of the photos that appears in The Scottish Connection)

Writing Tip: Consider developing what started out as a feature article into a full length book! After I returned to Scotland with my mother and young sons to revisit our Scottish roots, I wrote an article about our trip. I submitted the article to various publications over the years, but at 4,000+ words it appeared it was too long. Eventually a prestigious Canadian magazine editor said he loved it and wanted to use it. Unfortunately, a year later the publisher decided against it. I think they just couldn't find where to fit it in, as it was so long!

Then a light went off in my brain. Why not develop the article into a book? I dug out copies of my ancestors' marriage, birth and death certificates which had been in my late mother's possession, so I could add that information. And I scanned old photos plus some from the Scottish trip. 

I put it all together and "The Scottish Connection: A Journey Back - Mini-memoir", with Scottish ancestry, historical facts, genealogy, comparable prices, geographical descriptions, personal anecdotes, nostalgia and precious old photos, was released on Amazon as an e-book and in paperback!

Take a look at it, if you like. There's a sample "Look Inside" on Amazon - CLICK HERE

NOSTALGIC SCOTTISH MEMORIES

“A little way out of Aberfoyle we found the lodge on the Craigenveoch estate where my mother and family had lived. On warm, summer evenings she, Jack and Ray leaned out of their bedroom windows, watching their parents sing along with friends to gramophone music as they rowed across Loch Ard. The loch was described by Sir Walter Scott as a ‘beautiful sheet of water … a spacious mirror’. The main house at Craigenveoch, where my grandfather had worked as gardener, still stood proud and well cared for. My mother told us that the house, land, lodge, and two staff apartments over the garage, sold for a little over £3,000 in 1939.” [Excerpt from The Scottish Connection: A Journey Back – Mini-memoir]

In this nostalgic, illustrated mini-memoir I share memories of my 1978 journey back to Scotland with my mother and young sons, to revisit our Scottish roots. “The Scottish Connection” contains a wealth of information - Scottish ancestry, historical facts, genealogy, comparable 1978 prices, geographical descriptions, personal anecdotes, nostalgia and precious old photos. Available to download from Amazon as an e-book for only $2.99 and also in paperback:

BUY SCOTTISH CONNECTION ON AMAZON.COM

BUY SCOTTISH CONNECTION ON AMAZON.CO.UK

THE TALE OF THE SCOTTISH CONNECTION IN THE TRIBUNE TODAY!

“My word – what a lengthy journey”, the story of how my newly released book “The Scottish Connection” came to be, appears in The Tribune’s “Weekend” supplement today!

In “The Scottish Connection”, an illustrated mini-memoir, I share memories of my 1978 journey back to Scotland with my mother and young sons, to revisit our Scottish roots. “The Scottish Connection” contains a wealth of information - Scottish ancestry, historical facts, genealogy, comparable 1978 prices, geographical descriptions, personal anecdotes, nostalgia and precious old photos.

“The Scottish Connection: A Journey Back – Mini-memoir” is available on Amazon as an e-book and in paperback. Or special order through your favourite local bookstore.

THE SCOTTISH CONNECTION E-BOOK

THE SCOTTISH CONNECTION PAPERBACK

UPCOMING BOOK RELEASE - THE SCOTTISH CONNECTION!

COMING SOON!

My illustrated mini-memoir “The Scottish Connection”. This will be available as an e-book and in paperback.

Driving long distances in a short space of time throughout the United Kingdom is the norm nowadays. However, in the seventies it was often an adventure to cover the length or breadth of Britain. In this mini-memoir I share memories of my 1978 journey back to Scotland with my mother and young sons, to revisit our Scottish roots.

The Scottish Connection contains a wealth of information – Scottish ancestry, historical facts, genealogy, comparable 1978 prices, geographical descriptions, personal anecdotes, nostalgia and precious old photos.