MarethMB

Featured Fauna Park Tales

My Five 2018 PAGE-TURNERS by Maretha Botha

Featured Fauna Park Tales

RRBC November Spotlight Author – Mark Bierman

Featured Fauna Park Tales

WATCH “#RWISA” WRITE Showcase Tour! – Nonnie Jules

November 27, 2018 Fauna Park Tales

Welcome to the WATCH “#RWISA” WRITE Showcase Tour! #RRBC #RRBCWR

November 27, 2018 Fauna Park Tales

WATCH “RWISA” WRITE Showcase Tour – Beem Weeks

November 6, 2018November 7, 2018 Fauna Park Tales

WATCH “RWISA” WRITE Showcase Tour – Laura Libricz

November 6, 2018November 7, 2018 Fauna Park Tales

WATCH “RWISA” WRITE Showcase Tour – Rhani D’Chae

Series Notes #10 – “The Orphans’ Plight” In Sound – Short Video

The air was cool, the stars were bright, a few fireflies continued buzzing around and the cicadas made a terrible racket in the acacia. Before going to bed, the three friends – Kgabo, John and Maisie James – sat quietly drinking another cup of espresso on the porch. Then Kgabo took an old worn envelope out of his top pocket. He removed a letter, looked up at John James and handed it to him.
In his strange-sounding Humanlang Kgabo said, ‘John Moleele, you’ve been my friend for a long time. The people at the post yard said this letter is written in the Queen’s language which I cannot read or understand. I want you to explain this letter’s words to me. It lay there at the post yard in Mua-Mua for many days. As soon as I received it, I prepared without delay and set off on our long journey to Molodi. My dog, Bibi and I trekked through the desert for many days, following the course south, along a dry riverbed. (The Letter – The Orphans’ Plight: An African Adventure).

A Little Dog Called Chicki

This friendly face belongs to Chicki – she is one of the favourite ones in the life of her human, Australian author, Margaret Lynette Sharp, who writes sweet romance novels, as well as Regency period dramas based on our favourite characters from “Pride and Prejudice”. Here is a link to her website: https://www.amazon.com/Margaret-Lynette-Sharp/e/B00834SYCQ as well as […]

Talking Trees

There is something serenely splendid about being in the middle of a forest, looking up into the skies, hearing the wind rustle among the branches and being rejuvenated by clean, fresh-smelling air everywhere. Such a desirable situation has often given a writer’s imagination wings, although even a familiar neighbourhood or backyard with a few graceful […]

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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Series Notes #10 – “The Orphans’ Plight” In Sound – Short Video

A Little Dog Called Chicki

Talking Trees

My Reviews for October

While in Scotland, we had a day or two when the weather was not quite as sunny, days for curling up in bed with a book, in fact two! DEWEY – The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched The World by Vicki Myron Copyright 2008 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dewey-small-town-library-cat-touched-world-ebook/dp/B0031TZCBO/ This is the true story of a small abandoned […]

Trails and Trials

Originally posted on Jane Bwye:
Welcome to a long-standing friend Maretha Botha, author of lovely children’s books set in down-to-earth Africa. My mouth is watering at the thought of your delicious pasta dish, Maretha – over to you… Thank you so much for having me on your blog, Jane. I would like to tell you a…

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MarethMB

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

My Five 2018 PAGE-TURNERS by Maretha Botha

Talking Trees

RRBC November Spotlight Author – Mark Bierman

My Reviews for October

A Small Reminder Of Fonty

WATCH “#RWISA” WRITE Showcase Tour! – Nonnie Jules

Welcome to the WATCH “#RWISA” WRITE Showcase Tour! #RRBC #RRBCWR

WATCH “RWISA” WRITE Showcase Tour – Beem Weeks

WATCH “RWISA” WRITE Showcase Tour – Laura Libricz

WATCH “RWISA” WRITE Showcase Tour – Rhani D’Chae