Maretha at Fauna Park Tales

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 comments!

Please join us at our next book club discussion, Thursday, November 12, 2020, @ 11 AM CT,  **LIVE** via Zoom!  

I want to thank everyone who took the time to read and review “Saving the Evergreens”. Without reviews, especially on Amazon, books rarely are noticed, no matter how interesting they are. So, I would like to include two lovely reviews. The first one is from a lady in India, and the second one, from Gwendoly Plano – United States.

Ms Fiza Pathan5.0 out of 5 stars A short story which evokes joy, peace & soothing calmness.Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2020’Saving The Evergreens’ is a short story about the little beings living in a garden & how they try saving a favorite tree from destruction. The story is penned in a lyrical manner which while reading sounds like a song which is commendable as it suits the tone of the short story. I loved the beautiful paintings in the book, they are really well done & add to the overall positive effect of the short story. I loved the conversations between the butterfly, the bumblebee, Smallun, etc., which made this story a very novel read. The plot & concept is creative. The scenes flow together & make sense. The characters are described very well in good detail. The formatting of the book is good. The overall effect after reading the short story is one of joy, peace & soothing calmness. Therefore on the basis of appearance, formatting, plot, concept, development, genre, descriptions & grammar, ‘Saving The Evergreens’ gets 5 stars from me. I hope to read more of Maretha Botha’s work in the near future.

Gwendolyn Plano5.0 out of 5 stars A delightful story…Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2018Author Maretha Botha has a wonderful way of helping readers see the hidden beauty and complexities of life. I was entranced by this short story which evoked childlike respect for the tiny creatures in my yard and nearby in the woods. I’m not much of an insect person, but after reading Botha’s story, I’m thinking there is so much more I need to know. This was a fun read.One person found this helpful

I hope you have clicked on all the November Books of the Month. Please don’t forget to join our forum on 12 November!

Please join us at our next book club discussion, Thursday, November 12, 2020, @ 11 AM CT,  **LIVE** via Zoom!  

Thank you so much for visiting our blog today and please feel free to comment and/or join us. Enjoy the rest of your week and remember to be vigilant and stay safe!

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Published by 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.

8 comments

    • Thanks Marian, I was trying to get your Twitter handle because I wanted to tweet your book, which I finished reading yesterday. I will still post a review. I enjoyed your book very much! I’m looking at the recipes too. My grandchildren (boy and girl) both enjoy baking and cooking, as do my daughters. My eldest keeps nagging me for my gran’s and mother’s recipe books, but I don’t want to part with the books, so I’ll have to find the time to put them together for her, so seeing your recipes might just be the thing to get me going. Kind regards Maretha 🦋🦋🦋

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

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