Three Times A Charm with Darlene Foster

Three Times a Charm is a weekly feature that spotlights authors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promoters from the publishing industry.

This week author, Darlene Foser, joins us. Darlene, tell us about you.

I am a writer of children’s stories, an employment counselor, an ESL teacher, a wife, mother and grandmother. I love travel, reading, shoes, cooking, sewing, music, chocolate, walking on the beach and making new friends.  My grandson calls me “super-mega-woman-supreme”.  I was brought up on a ranch near Medicine Hat, Alberta, where I dreamt of traveling the world and meeting interesting people.  I live on the beautiful west coast of BC with my husband Paul and our two black cats, Pumpkin and Monkey.  I have had two children’s travel/adventure books published and am currently working on the third in the series.

Tell us more about your series!

Amanda in Arabia – The Perfume Flask is my first published novel.
Amanda Ross is an average twelve year old Canadian girl. So what is she doing thousands of kilometres from home in the United Arab Emirates? It's her own fault really, she wished for adventure and travel when she blew out those candles on her last birthday cake. Little did she know that a whole different world awaited her on the other side of the globe, one full of intrigue, mystery and folklore. A world with a beautiful princess, a dangerous desert and wonderful friends. Join Amanda on her first adventure as she discovers the secrets behind The Perfume Flask.

Amanda in Spain – The Girl in The Painting is the second book in the series.
Amanda Jane Ross is certainly becoming a world traveler; she's now in sunny Spain on vacation with her friend Leah.  While there, she encounters a mysterious young girl who looks eerily like the girl in a famous painting she saw in a Madrid museum. Even weirder, the girl keeps showing up wherever Amanda finds herself - Madrid, the remote mountains of rural Spain, the beaches on the Mediterranean Sea, a fiesta and the streets of Barcelona. Amanda wants to help this sweet young girl and her beloved pony escape the clutches of a mean horse-dealer. Come with Amanda on her next adventure as she attempts to unravel the mystery behind the Girl in the Painting while she treks across Spain - one step ahead of danger!

They sound charming! Middle graders love series, too.

Now, for the Threes. Share with us your top 3’s to help us know you a little better.

  • Top 3 pieces of advice for kids these days.

Never give up on your dreams, even if others say you can’t do it, even if things get in the way. Tell yourself you can do it. If you believe it, you can do it.

Be nice to everyone. You never know when your paths may cross again. By being pleasant to everyone it will come back tenfold.

Learn something from every one you meet and every experience you have, good or bad.

  • Top 3 professions you wanted to be when you grew up.

A teacher. I always loved to teach, even when I was a preschooler.
A missionary. I wanted to travel the world and help people less fortunate
A social worker. I wanted to help people to have a better life.

I never did any of those jobs but now I am an employment counselor and facilitate workshops, helping unemployed people find work.  So I am doing what I wanted to do, just with a different title.  I also travel a lot with my husband.  It wasn’t until I became an adult that I dreamt of being a writer.  If you believe it, you will do it!  And it is never too late to follow your dreams.

  • Top 3 authors.

Jane Austen. I never tire of her stories of country life and amazing characters. 
Lucy Maude Montgomery. She created the most unforgettable character of all time, Anne Shirley
Louisa May Alcott. Her depiction of family life and the close bond of sisters is skillfully portrayed in Little Woman

All three authors created strong female characters and wrote about their relationships with those around them with humour and strong emotion.  I read their books over and over.

You’ve made me want to revisit all three of those authors!

Darlene, how can our readers go to keep up with you and your writing?

Website: http://www.darlenefoster.ca/
Blog: http://darlenefoster.wordpress.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/supermegawoman
Facebook: Darlene Foster Writer
http://www.ireadiwrite.com/Books/Amanda%20in%20Arabia/

Thank you for joining us on Three Times A Charm, this week. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed hosting you on SoT and hope you’ll come visit again when your third book comes out. Best of luck with your writing, Darlene.

THANKS!

If you’d like to be featured in Three Times A Charm, please contact me. I’m always looking for authors, illustrators, bloggers, editors, agents involved in children’s publishing to be my guest. Email kaistrand (at) yahoo (dot) com.  Three Times A Charm will be on hiatus in February, but return again with all new guests in March.

Comments

  1. DarleneJanuary 25, 2012 at 9:10 AM

    Thanks for the interview Kai! Loved your questions. I would be happy to answer any other questions your readers may have.
    Darlene Foster, dreamer of dreams, teller of tales

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kai Strand, AuthorJanuary 25, 2012 at 10:04 AM

    Thanks for visiting with me and our readers. It has been so nice getting to know you and hearing about your books.

    ReplyDelete

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