Maretha Botha Titbits

Featured Maretha at Fauna Park Tales

Welcome to Day 4 of the 2021 RWISA “REVOLUTION” Blog Tour! @WendyJayneScott @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA #RRBC #RWISA

Featured Maretha at Fauna Park Tales

Special Guest – Michael Hardy – Audiobook Producer

Featured Maretha at Fauna Park Tales

#FaunaParkTales Book Trailer on YouTube produced #4WillsPublishers #RRBC

March 3, 2021 Maretha at Fauna Park Tales

Lisa Kirazian in “WHO’S ON THE SHELF” w/@NonnieJules – #RRBC @kirazian

February 13, 2021February 14, 2021 Maretha at Fauna Park Tales

Welcome to Day 3 of the 2021 RWISA “REVOLUTION” Blog Tour! @YvetteMCalleiro @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA #RRBC #RWISA

February 12, 2021 Maretha at Fauna Park Tales

Welcome to Day 2 of the 2021 RWISA “REVOLUTION” Blog Tour! @Jinlobify @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA #RRBC #RWISA

February 11, 2021February 14, 2021 Maretha at Fauna Park Tales

Welcome to Day 1 of the 2021 RWISA “REVOLUTION” Blog Tour! @HealthMN1 @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA #RRBC #RWISA

November 19, 2020 Maretha at Fauna Park Tales

Welcome to Day 11 of the WATCH “RWISA” WRITE Showcase Tour! @nonniejules @RRBC_Org #RRBC #RWISA #RWISAWRW

November 18, 2020December 8, 2020 Maretha at Fauna Park Tales

Welcome to Day 10 of the WATCH “RWISA” WRITE Showcase Tour! @jinlobify @RRBC_Org #RRBC #RWISA #RWISAWRW

November 17, 2020December 8, 2020 Maretha at Fauna Park Tales

Welcome to Day 9 of the WATCH “RWISA” WRITE Showcase Tour! @wendyjaynescott @RRBC_Org #RRBC #RWISA #RWISAWRW

November 16, 2020November 18, 2020 Maretha at Fauna Park Tales

Welcome to Day 8 of the WATCH “RWISA” WRITE Showcase Tour! @ptlperrin @RRBC_Org #RRBC #RWISA #RWISAWRW

Wonderful Wednesday – #Garden Glimpses – #Snow, #Pebbles #Decking

How time flies! During December and early January, I had this permafrost feeling – and it had little to do with lockdown or stay-at-home guidelines – I just felt down because the skies were grey most of the time, and I only ventured outside to check on the birds’ water, leave seeds for them and […]

#RRBC SPOTLIGHT AUTHOR BLOG TOUR Harriet Hodgson @healthmn1

It’s Day 3 of the #RRBC Spotlight Author Blog Tour for #Author, Harriet Hodgson @healthmn1! C’mon by @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA #RRBCSA #GriefDoodling I’m very pleased to host Harriet Hodgson today. I encourage you to give this worthy author all the support she deserves. Day 3 Affirmation Writing Steps – by Harriet Hodgson Sit in a comfortable chair. Eliminate background noise if […]

Flame and Hope: An African Adventure – an #NewRelease #Audiobook #Childrensbooks #Classics #Interview

FLAME and Hope: An African Adventure is the first book in the Fauna Park Tales series, based on the African adventures of Flame, family, and furry and feathered friends. Gold Medal winner on Authonomy, supported by HarperCollins Publishers. A review/ excerpt from their children’s editor states: “Maretha Botha has created a vivid and engaging world of […]

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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Wonderful Wednesday – #Garden Glimpses – #Snow, #Pebbles #Decking

#RRBC SPOTLIGHT AUTHOR BLOG TOUR Harriet Hodgson @healthmn1

Flame and Hope: An African Adventure – an #NewRelease #Audiobook #Childrensbooks #Classics #Interview

A Wonderful Wednesday Post – A November Book of the Month – “Saving the Evergreens” #RRBC #Fantasy #Gardening #Environment

I’m excited to tell you that my short story, “Saving the Evergreens” is one of our Rave Reviews Book Club Book of the Month – November 2020. Below my book are three more books which I’m sure you will enjoy too! To interact with this month’s BOM Authors, please visit our BOOK OF THE MONTH forum and leave your […]

A Wonderful Wednesday Post – Autumn in my Garden

Somehow, we missed summer here in our part of the woods, so suddenly, our brave summer flowering bulbs, shrubs and perennials disappeared, leaving quite a large part of our garden looking a bit sad. Fortunately, a few autumn colours came to its rescue! We have a brave vine which gives the loveliest leaves, but it […]