MarethMB – An extension of Fauna Park Tales, this blog highlights general book reviews and interesting writers' titbits.

Featured Maretha at Fauna Park Tales

RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB’S “SPOTLIGHT” Author May 2020 Blog Tour

Featured Maretha at Fauna Park Tales

Fauna Park Tales Book Trailer on YouTube

Featured Maretha at Fauna Park Tales

A Small Reminder Of Fonty

April 1, 2020April 1, 2020 Maretha at Fauna Park Tales

“Whispers of the Past” Blog Tour – @RobertaEaton17 @4WillsPub

March 24, 2020 Maretha at Fauna Park Tales

My Review – The Memory – by @judithbarrow77 – #NewRelease

March 24, 2020March 24, 2020 Maretha at Fauna Park Tales

My Review – “Strange HWY: SHORT STORIES” – @BeemWeeks

March 21, 2020March 24, 2020 Maretha at Fauna Park Tales

My Review – “The LoveLock” – @EichinChang-Lim

March 21, 2020March 24, 2020 Maretha at Fauna Park Tales

My Review – “Son of my Father – a Family Dynasty” by @PeggyHattendorf

March 17, 2020March 24, 2020 Maretha at Fauna Park Tales

Welcome to Day 2 of the “NO PEDIGREE” Blog Tour! @NonnieJules #RRBC #RWISA @4WillsPub

Maretha at Fauna Park Tales

Maretha is a South African Italian, born in a small town called Montagu. She grew up in nearby Worcester in the Western Cape – a town reminiscent of living in Switzerland among the snow-capped mountains. Worcester had a small library. Young Maretha’s visits were limited to three times a week, because the librarian told her, “You spend too much time with your nose in a book and neglect your school work.” Nothing much has changed, because she's still a confirmed bookworm who constantly strives to raise more bookworms who enjoy reading, not just as a pleasant past-time, but as an excellent tool to be used when grown-up. Before immigrating to the UK to settle in Lancashire, Maretha worked as a librarian in a private school in Botswana, where one of her tasks was to encourage children to enjoy reading. That was a labour of love for this bookworm, providing valuable help in carving her own career as a children's author/illustrator. It brought her face to face with the literary industry’s toughest critics – children and preteens. She saw that many students also enjoyed reading about birds and animals, their care, habitats and general well-being, especially when a few added catchy rhymes here and there made reading sessions interesting and alive. In 2012 her job was localised and as things often happen, this unforeseen occurrence led to a new chapter in her life. To remain motivated, she wrote down everything she could remember about her family's pets – their little habits and characteristics. For example, the character of the working-dog hero in Fauna Park Tales is based on the different traits of every single dog her family ever owned. Researching habits, habitats and interesting titbits about martial eagles and eagle owls, as well as many smaller birds such as crimson-breasted shrikes and hoopoes,made it easier to illustrate them and tell a believable story. Her illustrations appear throughout Fauna Park Tales. Maretha Botha admits to being a chocoholic and unreformed coffee addict, a keen gardener and bird watcher, who likes to walk on the moors where the stiff breeze coming in from the sea, quickly clears her head, making way for more inspiration.

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The Building Blocks of Story

Originally posted on Story Empire:
Ciao, SEers. I’m currently wrapping up edits on a full five-book series. It’s hard to revise all day, every day—especially when it’s your own work instead of a client’s—so sometimes, creative breaks are necessary. They actually serve two purposes. They let your analytical brain take a rest, so you’re less…

Up-Close

Originally posted on Wandering Ambivert:
https://youtu.be/dmtFJA6Nr9o

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Originally posted on Wandering Ambivert:
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My Review – “When the Bombs Fell” by Robbie Cheadle @bakeandwrite

Today, I’m happy to tell you more about Robbie Cheadle, who says the following about herself: “Hello, my name is Robbie, short for Roberta. I am an author with six published children’s picture books in the Sir Chocolate books series for children aged 2 to 9 years old (co-authored with my son, Michael Cheadle), one […]

My Review – “Die Leeu en die Hond” (Afrikaans); “The Lion and the Dog” by Patricia Furstenberg @patfurstenberg

I love having a fellow South African Children’s Author on Fauna Park Tales blog, and three years’ ago (how time flies!) I had the privilege to interview Patricia Furstenberg. Here is the link to this interview. Just FYI, her book, “Joyful Trouble” has been on amazon’s Best Seller List. Here is the link to my […]