Pens, Paws, and Claws would like to welcome author, Darlene Foster to the blog!
- In: Books | guest posts | Writing
- 10 Comments
I am so pleased to be featured on Jemsbooks Blog. Janice Spina is a prolific author herself with many kids books on her list of publications. Check them out. Even if you think you know all about me and my books, you might learn about a special talent I have!
INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR DARLENE FOSTER!
Darlene Foster
Please help me welcome author Darlene Foster to Jemsbooks Blog Segment of Interview an Author.
It’s lovely to have you here Darlene. Please step up on the soap box.
Please tell us something about yourself.
I’m probably considered a late bloomer as I didn’t start writing seriously until later in life. But I have always loved to tell stories and made up tales in my head growing up on a ranch in southern Alberta. I recall pretending I was in exciting, foreign countries having an adventure. I had two wishes as a child, one was to travel the world and the other was to be a published writer one day. I have been very lucky as I have held wonderful jobs over the years, raised two amazing children, and been blessed with four grandchildren and two great grandchildren. My dreams have come true…
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This summer I have been fortunate to be featured on a number of great blog sites. Today I am a guest of Hugh Roberts as he shares snippets of his diary entries from 1988. Find out what song from the 80s I picked and read a wonderful review of one of my books from an eight-year-old.
All aboard the music time machine! Continuing the story from 1988. This week my guest is the author, writer and blogger Darlene Foster.
Click here to read the first week of this feature, and follow the links at the end of each post.
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London – August 12th, 1988
Marty’s plans to buy his first home now seem to be going ahead. Within the next six weeks, both he and Michael Purdy could have their own home. Marty confirmed to me again today that I was at the top of the list to rent the spare room in the flat from them. I’m delighted by this, given the terrible events of last week. as it has started the ball rolling for me in searching for a new home.
If all goes to plan, Marty and I could be moving out of Grassmere Road by November. That would mean that I will have had a full year of living here. It will always be a place I will remember. Even in the short amount of…
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Authors and Their Pets
Posted on: August 5, 2018
- In: animals | Dot | guest posts | Memories | Writing
- 38 Comments
I am so pleased to be the featured author on Pens, Paws and Claws, a wonderful blog that features authors and their pets. Don’t you just love the title of the blog? Check it out, especially if you love pets. Read about how I use animals in my books and how animals have affected my writing life. Of course, Dot is included.
Welcome Author Darlene Foster
Author Darlene Foster and her dog, Dot.
How do your pets impact your writing?
Spending time with my dog relaxes me and inspires ideas. When I get stuck, I take her for a walk and often return with fresh new ideas. She also gets me off my butt and away from the computer. When she thinks I have been there too long, she comes into my office with her ball and drops it in front of me, looking at me with those big puppy dog eyes. I just can’t say no. Before moving to Spain and getting our dog we had cats. They would sleep on my lap or on my feet while I wrote. A writer needs pets. They are great to discuss ideas with.
Who could refuse those eyes?
Do you include animals in your stories?
Living on a farm/ranch there were always animals around so I love animals of all sorts….
read more here and discover my funniest pet story
http://penspawsandclaws.com/welcome-author-darlene-foster/
Whether you are a writer or not, how have animals affected your life? Do you have a funny pet story?
Tags: antelope, author, author interview, dogs, Dot, guest post, memories, Pens Paws and Claws, pets, writing
- In: History | Travel
- 86 Comments
I wrote about my recent visit to Winchester Cathedral here, the final resting place of Jane Austen and King Canute as well as other notables. I spent a couple of days in this enchanting part of the UK with friends who took me on drives full of pleasant surprises.
Winchester itself is an interesting city full of history and stories. It was made the capital of England during Saxon times by King Alfred The Great. Whether he let the cakes burn or not is debatable but when I read that story as a child, I was always intrigued by this man. In the center of town is a statue of one of my childhood heroes and the only monarch in England to be called Great.
Winchester is a perfect place to wander around, with many historic buildings and interesting shops, including many bookstores.
I love the boot above the Clark’s Shoe Shop
At the university sits a bench dedicated to Jane Austen and Phillis Wheatly displaying the importance of literature to this city. It was at the University of Winchester that I attended a writer’s festival that weekend.
Driving through the New Forest made me think of days of yore and those who would have traveled by horse and buggy down these same paths.
And then we came upon a thatched-roofed village – right out of a book!
The village of Wherwell
Can you imagine living in a house like this?
Later, on the way to a pub for dinner, we came upon a wonderful old church with an awesome graveyard. Since I have this fascination with cemeteries, I had to take a few pictures.
And to my delight, we passed through yet another thatched-roofed village. My friends were kind enough to stop so I could take pictures.
The charming village of Monxton
The following day we went to the seaside city of Bournemouth, a place I had not been to before. I loved the casual elegance of the place and the lovely gardens in the center of town.
Bournemouth seafront
A fabulous building housing a LUSH store
Lovely gardens in the middle of the city
A huge lilac bush with the cathedral in the background
I discovered that Mary Shelly, although she never lived there, is buried in Bournemouth.
St. Peter’s in Bournemouth where Mary Shelly is buried, along with her parents.
Yes, that Mary Shelly, the author of the novel, Frankenstein, and wife of Percy Shelly. Did she ever imagine there would be a pub named after her?
We stopped for an ice cream and had a stroll along the seafront before I was dropped off at the airport. A perfect couple of days with good friends.
Making memories with friends.
#ABRSC – MJ Interviews Author Darlene Foster – Children’s Adventure Series: Amanda Travels
Posted on: July 22, 2018
- In: Books | guest posts | Writing
- 17 Comments
I’m tickled to be featured on MJ Mallon’s blog. Find out what I would do with a traveling onion and a few other things about me and my writing that you may or may not know.
A huge welcome to Darlene Foster who is over at my blog home today for a Q and A about her children’s adventure series: Amanda Travels.
Some of you might know that I like to interview using my nickname MJ…
MJ: I’d love to find out more about your amazing travel series featuring a twelve year old girl. Who is Amanda Ross and where does she like to travel to? What mysteries does she uncover/solve? What adventures does she have?
Darlene: Amanda Ross is an average girl living in Alberta, Canada and she is bored. On her twelfth birthday she makes a wish for travel and adventure before blowing out all her candles. The next day tickets to visit her aunt and uncle in the United Arab Emirates arrive in the mail. She has an amazing adventure in the UAE that includes a mysterious perfume flask, a beautiful princess, a…
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- In: History | Memories | Travel
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Many people are intrigued by the name of my birthplace and tend to want to know more about it. So I thought I would share an article I recently had published in Travel Thru History, a wonderful ezine featuring great travel articles. There are many reasons to visit this interesting prairie city that will always be apart of me no matter where I go. Here are ten of them.
TEN REASONS TO VISIT MEDICINE HAT
Canada
by Darlene Foster
Medicine Hat, Alberta, is not often high on anyone’s must-visit list, if it’s there at all. But it should be. There are many reasons to visit this oasis in the Canadian prairies, here are ten of them.
The Name
Who wouldn’t want to visit a place with such a unique name? There are many stories about how the city acquired its unique name derived from the original First Nation’s name Saamis, which means The Medicine Man’s Hat. All the legends involve a feather headdress. One story tells of a battle between the Blackfoot and Cree in which a retreating Cree Medicine Man lost his headdress in the South Saskatchewan River at the place where Medicine Hat became a town. The city uses a feather headdress as its symbol. The locals simply call their town, “The Hat” and residents are often called, “Hatters”.
The World’s Largest Tepee
It’s hard to miss this towering structure as you enter Medicine Hat on the Trans-Canada Highway from either direction. Originally constructed for the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics, the Saamis Tepee is a tribute to Canada’s native heritage. The colours of the structure are symbolic, white for purity, red for the rising and setting sun and blue for the flowing river. It is the World’s Tallest Tepee standing over 20 stories high, weighing 200 tonnes
Read more about Medicine Hat here
http://www.travelthruhistory.com/html/cities121.html
One of the many sculptured brick murals by Jim Marshall.
To learn more about Jim Marshall and his sculptured brick murals watch this interesting video which includes fabulous views of the city.
https://www.pbs.org/video/northwest-profiles-james-marshall-brick-artist/
The giant chess set by the library. Grandchildren is another reason for me to visit.
Do you come from an interesting place? Please share with me in the comments.
Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Summer #Sale – 99p/99c – #children #YA #Poetry #African Adventure Lucinda E.Clarke, Darlene Foster, Natalie Ducey and Annette Rochelle Aben
Posted on: July 14, 2018
- In: Books | reviews
- 16 Comments
Lots of things happening on the blog right now. Some great books on sale for a limited time including Amanda in New Mexico-Ghosts in the Wind. A good time to stock up for the summer. Everyone loves a book sale!!
Welcome to the second of the Summer Sale posts with discounted books by authors on the shelves of the Cafe and Bookstore. There are two more sale posts scheduled for the 16th and 20th of July.
Some of the books from Monday 9th may still be on sale so worth checking:https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2018/07/09/sallys-cafe-and-bookstore-summer-sale-brigid-p-gallagher-hugh-w-roberts-jacquie-biggar-and-victoria-zigler/
The books will be on sale for just a few days around those dates so pick up your copies quickly!
All the spaces have now been filled but if you have any of your books that are FREE in July there is still some room on those posts.
Wednesday July 18th and Saturday July 21st – Spaces filling up quickly
Just let me have the link to the book on Amazon or Smashwords and the dates the book is free … I will have all your other details on file.. sally.cronin@moyhill.com
The first author with a discounted…
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