Posts Tagged ‘books’
Smorgasbord Posts from My Archives – The Literary Column with Jessica Norrie – Reading from the very start
Posted on: July 19, 2019
- In: Books | guest posts | Writing
- 13 Comments
A great post on the importance of reading, that made me think of the books I read as a child and how they influenced my life.
In celebration of the imminent release of Jessica Norrie’s new book on July 22nd, I will be sharing her literary column posts again every fortnight over the summer. More about The Magic Carpet later in the post.
Reading from the very start
What is the beginning?
Before I wrote fiction and blogged, I was a translator, teacher and teacher trainer, with students ranging from 3 – 80+. I learned if a child learns young enough to appreciate different points of view through reading stories, the habit ebbs and flows but is never quite lost, with huge repercussions for how their lives develop.
Non-fiction can be told as stories too. The beginnings are usually clear, the plotting goes all over the place, the ends may be murky, but there’s always a story in there somewhere. It may be obvious – Henry VIII and his six wives, Harriet Tubman, Mahatma Ghandhi. Sometimes…
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- In: Books | reviews
- 16 Comments
A great review for Amanda on the Danube – The Sounds of Music is being featured on The Write Stuff. This remains to be a popular book in the series, enjoyed by adults and children.
It’s Tuesday once more and time for #ShareAReviewDay here on The Write Stuff. Please help me welcome Darlene Foster this morning, who will be sharing a review of her book Amanda on the Danube. (Have you noticed what a well-traveled little girl Amanda is? Lucky her!) Hope you enjoy this one and will pass it along far and wide. Thanks!
REVIEW:
Michael and I read this book together and we both enjoyed it immensely. It is my favourite of the three Amanda books we have read to date and we will definitely be reading more.
Amanda and her good friend, Leah, are on a boat cruise along the Danube and very much enjoying the good food and fascinating villages and towns that they stop at when they become embroiled in…
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Understanding
Posted on: April 12, 2019
- In: Books | Memories | short stories
- 52 Comments
I am pleased to be part of an anthology called Understanding, An Anthology of True and Significant Life Events – compiled by Stevie Turner
Blurb:
The following authors and bloggers kindly answered questions posed by Stevie Turner regarding significant life experiences they had undergone. These events include sexual abuse, a near death experience, alcoholism, being diagnosed with cancer, depression, losing weight, getting married, being a mother to many children, being the daughter of a narcissistic mother, and many more!
Thanks to:
Alienora Browning
Sally Cronin
Dorinda Duclos
Scarlett Flame
Bernard Foong
Darlene Foster
Janet Gogerty
Debbie Harris
Lucy V. Hay
Miriam Hurdle
Phil Huston
Pamela Jessen
Joe
D.G Kaye
Lynda McKinney Lambert
Jaye Marie
Clive Pilcher
Abbie Johnson Taylor
Beem Weeks
Here is an excerpt of my contribution, about
grief after the tragic death of a family member
Did you find your brother’s death hard to believe at first?
It was incomprehensible. I forced myself to be strong for my parents’ sake. I looked after the funeral arrangements etc in a blur. I kept saying to myself, this isn’t happening, this is just a bad dream and I will wake up soon. It was much later that I would find myself crying uncontrollably, usually when I was on my own. I recall driving down the highway when it hit me that he was gone. That I would not get to dance at his wedding, to hold his babies or to have a good chat and a laugh with him like we always did. My daughter would never get to know her uncle. I started crying so hard, I had to pull over as I couldn’t see through my tears. This happened a couple of years after the accident.
Did you feel angry after the initial shock had passed?
Yes. I was angry at the unfairness of it all. He was a young man with his whole life ahead of him. He had completed school, was working and being a responsible citizen. He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.
How long did it take you to accept his death?
I am not sure if I ever really have. I do know that he has been spared the hardships and heartaches of life. But I still wish he was here with us.
Available on all Amazon sites
Amazon UK
All proceeds will go to Cancer Research.
Check it out! Thanks.
- In: Books | guest posts | Writing
- 17 Comments
I am delighted to be featured on Aurora Alexander’s blog once again.
It is a very special pleasure for me to welcome you back on ‘Writer’s Treasure Chest’. In your former visits we learned about your writing, your writing process and asked for some advice. But there are so many more questions to ask!
Let’s see what you can tell us today:
1. Would you please describe your writer’s spot?
If you mean where I do my writing, it is usually in my office in my home in Spain. It’s the spare bedroom which we have turned into my office with a desk, computer and comfy office chair. I’m surrounded by books, magazines, a dictionary, thesaurus and other writer’s aids. Pictures of my family grace the walls. It is not a neat and tidy place but it works for me. I also hand write in the car (while hubby is driving, of course) on airplanes and sitting on my sunny terrace.
2…
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Cakes ‘n’ Bakes and Books
Posted on: November 23, 2018
- In: All things tea related | Books | Events
- 57 Comments
I was invited to do a book reading and signing at a local coffee shop called Cakes ‘n’ Bakes near my home in Spain. It was a huge success. Many cups of coffee, tea, delicious treats and books were sold to happy customers. The children enjoyed the two readings and everyone had a fun time. A great way to spend an afternoon. I was pleased to see Amanda’s travel adventures in the hands of many new readers. There will be some Amanda books under the tree this Christmas as well. One grandmother said she was going to read the books she bought, then send them off to her grandchildren. Here are a few pictures of the day and two short videos of me reading, thanks to Maureen Moss.
Cakes ‘n’ Bakes coffee shop in Los Dolses
Lemon meringue cupcakes
A happy customer
Eager listeners
Christmas shopping
Books and yummy cakes
Christine, the proprietor with her homemade mince tarts. So popular she had to make another batch mid-afternoon.
Salted caramel brownies to die for
A fellow author and supporter
Thank you to everyone who attended in person and in spirit!
Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends and family.
I am incredibly thankful for all those who support my writing endeavours!
- In: Books | guest posts
- 21 Comments
A wonderful article featuring the Amanda Travels series as a Christmas gift suggestion.
#BadMoonRising: Amanda in New Mexico: Ghosts in the Wind by Darlene Foster #childrensbooks #supernatural
Posted on: October 27, 2018
Just in time for Halloween, I am part of Teri Polen´s Bad Moon Rising series. I hope you have your costume ready, candies bought and pumpkin carved. If not, That´s OK. Just have a pumpkin spiced latte, sit back and enjoy the post! Happy Halloween!!
Today’s guest is the author of a wonderful series of children’s books. Readers call them ‘delightful armchair travel’ and a ‘fantastic adventure’. As a bonus – they’re educational! Amanda in New Mexico touches on the supernatural, and that’s the book Darlene Foster shares with us today. She also tells a Ouija board story that will send tingles down your spine. Welcome Darlene!
You’re in a horror movie. Are you the final person, the first to die, the comic relief, the skeptic, the smart one, or the killer?
I would be the comic relief. I’m usually the first one to crack a joke when things are tense. This can be annoying to some people who think it is no laughing matter.
Have you ever played with a Ouija board?
My aunt and I played with one when we were children. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. I do…
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