Melanie
Owen-Roberts
writer
my writing & other work
Writer
I am a writer and live in Yorkshire, UK. You will find me at Montenegro Girl, where I blog about my passion for Montenegro, my little apartment there and the pursuit of a simple life. I am also in the throes of fulfilling a lifelong dream and am writing my first book.
If you like my writing style and would like me to write for you, please feel free to contact me.
Background
This is the third reincarnation of my work-life. Prior to becoming a writer, I ran my own jewellery business for 10 years, before moving into work as an independent administrator for planning inquiries over the following 20 years.
Property & Interiors
My work as a freelancer on short term contracts has given me the flexibility to be able to follow my passion for property and interiors over the years. To date I have carried out 7 renovation projects, both here in England and Montenegro. I have just completed the refurbishment of my 60s townhouse in Yorkshire and the second renovation of my apartment in Kotor.
Writing journey
I have been writing since I was very young, but it has always been for my eyes only. In recent years I have felt an increasing need to change this. I love to explore the themes of freedom, simplifying life and the value of reflection and learning in my writing. It’s been a journey of self-discovery to get this far, but now that I have finally taken the plunge, I am surprised just how much I am enjoying myself!
Montenegro Girl
I write at Montenegro Girl, a blog about my love affair with Montenegro, where I bought a tiny apartment in 2005 and the lessons in simplicity I’ve learnt along the way.
PS Oh, and in case you are wondering where Montenegro is…
Montenegro is in South East Europe, just below Croatia.
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A little more about me
I am the daughter of a foreign diplomat. I think all the moving and travelling must have got into my blood.
I have lived in 6 countries and moved house 24 times – excluding all my student homes. I speak 4 foreign languages and a smattering of another. I love to travel. The slow sort. Long train journeys, meandering around old towns, trying out new foods and idling away the time in cafes, watching the world go by.
I studied Russian at university and spent seven months in Zagreb, Yugoslavia in 1988, as part of the course.
The time I lived there left an incredible impression on me and created a life-long connection with that part of the world. 17 years later I discovered Montenegro in the far south corner of the former Yugoslavia, when I set out to buy an investment property for my ‘pension’ fund in 2005.
I have been ready for a fresh purpose in my work life for some years, secretly longing to be a writer, but feeling it was unachievable for various reasons.
It’s turned out to be a journey of self-discovery getting to this point and I have had to face up to more than a fear or two. It can be hard when you finally dare to step out and follow a long-held dream. But if it’s one thing the pandemic has brought home to me, it is that I don’t want to keep saving real life up for later anymore.
As Dawna Markova so beautifully put it,
‘I will not die an unlived life’.
I have been based in Harrogate, England for the last 7 years with my lovely husband and 14-year old daughter and get to Montenegro as often as I can. The rest of the time I fulfil my need to retreat, write and explore in my VW campervan.
Let’s Start a Conversation
