JLB Creatives: March 30, 2014

Monday, March 31, 2014

Meet Author Darlene Foster

Greetings! Glad you're here. This week we are featuring author Darlene Foster with an author interview. We're sure you'll like what she has to offer the literary world. Her writing talent, creativity, and dedication to the craft shine through in every word.

Please welcome the stunning. . .

Author Darlene Foster

Let’s say you’re thinking about going on once in a life time vacation…how exciting! What are some of the places you’d consider, and what would you do while you’re there?

I love to travel and a once in a lifetime adventure for me would be a trip to

Australia

and

New Zealand

. I would so love to see Ayers Rock, the Sydney Opera House, koala bears, kangaroos and so many other amazing sites and animals only found down under. I think it would be a fabulous setting for my main character, Amanda Ross, to have an adventure.

What book or books are you currently working on? Can we expect a new release soon?

I am currently working on Amanda in Alberta - The Writing on the Stone, the fourth book in the Amanda travel adventure series. I expect it to be out late spring or early summer 2014.

What kind of animals, birds, or fish do you like best? Do you have any pets - how many do you have – and what are their names?

I love animals of all kinds (so much so I don’t eat them!) I have always been fascinated by camels and feature one in my first book, Amanda in Arabia – The Perfume Flask. His name is Ali Baba and he’s pretty cool. There is a dancing pony named Pedro in Amanda in

Spain

– The Girl in the Painting and a smart Maine coon cat called Rupert in Amanda in

England

– The Missing Novel. I currently live with a black cat named Monkey who sleeps at my feet while I write.

Forget about make-believe super powers…we’ll never have them – bummer, I know right? But good news…TRUE super powers come in different forms such as a great attitude, a wonderful personality, loving kindness, and other cool traits like those. Who’s the one super hero in your life, and what is their TRUE super power?

The super hero in my life is my Dad. He taught me to never give up and to value family and friends. He was a hardworking, honest, caring cowboy with a great sense of humour. He didn’t have much education but he was the wisest person I ever met. He could strike up a conversation with anyone at anytime; he had a genuine interest in all people. He believed you could always find something good in anyone if you looked hard enough. He’s been gone for seven years but I remember his wise words and kind deeds everyday.

We all love stories – especially yours! Would you be willing to give the readers a synopsis of your current book?

In Amanda in Alberta – The Writing on the Stone, Amanda is visited by her English friend, Leah. Amanda enjoys showing her out-of-town guest many interesting Alberta sites and activities. They visit the Calgary Stampede, Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump and the Royal Tyrell Dinosaur Museum to name a few. When Amanda finds a stone with strange writing on it, she doesn’t think it’s very important until someone wants it bad enough to put her and Leah in danger.

Creativity. Where does yours come from? This is something writers are asked about much of the time. Would you be so kind as to elaborate on where you get your ideas and what sparks your creativity?

I get my ideas from my travels and the people I meet. Every place is so amazing and everyone I meet has a unique story. I love listening to people as they relate ordinary occurrences. Being out in public gives me so many ideas; on the bus, at the beach, shopping, in a coffee shop, etc. Reading also sparks my creativity and I try to read a variety of books.

How much time do you devote to writing? Daily – weekly – monthly – whenever the urge strikes?

I talked about writing a book for a long time but “Never got around to it”. A few years ago when I wanted to write about my travels in the Middle East, I decided I needed to make a plan. So I resolved to write at least one hour a day and I stuck with it. Now I write two hours a day, usually in the evening after work and dinner with my husband. It is now a habit.

If you could personally thank one person, or several (living or not) for giving you the strength, determination, and perseverance to continue in your writing who would you thank?

Other than my Dad of course, it would be my Grade three teacher. She introduced me to the world of travel by creating such fascinating classroom activities. For instance, she had us dress up in sombreros and serapes, gave us Spanish names and cooked chili con carne for us when we studied

Mexico

. She made me want to see the world. She encouraged me to read and to write down all the stories that I made up in my head. She also gave me my first Bobbsie Twins book. (Which I still have.) I looked her up a couple of years ago through the wonders of the internet. She remembered me after all these years and we arranged to meet. I was finally able to thank her after all those years.

Who is your favorite character that you have created? Tell us about him or her and why you are so fond of them.

My favourite character is Amanda Ross, the main character in my travel adventure books. She is an ordinary twelve year old full of curiosity. She is adventurous, brave and kindhearted. She sees the best in people and always wants to help those in need. Sometimes she is naïve and too trusting whitch gets her into trouble. She values her friends and doesn’t like to upset them. I am fond of her as she is the sort of girl I would have liked to have been when I was twelve.

If you could spend a day with an author, who would it be? And of course we’ve got to know why.

If I could spend a day with an author it would be Jane Austen. I have loved her and her books for a long time. It would be fun to have a cup of tea with her, listen to her witty remarks and gain some insights into her creativity. She created the most amazing characters who could be anyone’s neighbour. She made ordinary people interesting.

Thanks so much for being here Darlene - I hope the fans have had as much fun as I have getting to know you and discovering more about you and your writing.