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Author bringing ninth book in Amanda series to library

Darlene Foster bases her mystery books for tweens on her own travels throughout the world.

Calgary children's author Darlene Foster will be visiting Okotoks this weekend to share the latest book in her popular Amanda Travels series. 

Foster will be doing a presentation at the Okotoks Public Library on Saturday, Oct. 1 from 3 to 4 p.m., where she will be discussing her books and her writing journey as well as reading from Amanda in France: Fire in the Cathedral

The Amanda Travels series, which now spans nine books, introduces tween readers to new cultures and countries by weaving mystery and adventure into the stories. The series stars spunky 12-year-old Amanda Ross, who loves to travel to unique places and unravel one mystery after another. 

Foster bases all novels on her own travels throughout the world and said the latest book comes from a trip she and her husband took to France four years ago. 

“Of course I visited Notre Dame (Cathedral) and was amazed by the impressive building,” she said. “When we learned about the fire, I was very sad. Later I decided I just had to include it in the book which I had just started writing.” 

In the book, Amanda explores the streets of Paris, the Palace of Versailles and the gardens of painter Claude Monet, while being drawn into the mystery surrounding the destructive fire of Notre Dame Cathedral. 

Foster started writing the first book in the series about two decades ago after returning from a trip to the United Arab Emirates. Amanda in Arabia: The Perfume Flask was published 12 years ago and there have been eight more books since. 

She has visited all the countries Amanda has been to in the books, including Holland, Malta, England, Spain and those along the Danube River. 

Foster said she likes writing for a younger audience. 

“I love tween readers. They are very curious and excited about life. I enjoy writing from the point of view of a 12-year-old,” she said. 

The author isn’t stopping at number nine and is already working on the 10th installment in the series, Amanda in Scotland: The Standing Stones, and has a few other ideas for future stories. 

Foster also writes short stories for adults and has had them published in a number of anthologies. She’s also compiling a collection of stories about being raised in Alberta in the 1950s and ’60s. 

Brought up on a ranch near Medicine Hat, Foster dreamt of travelling the world, meeting interesting people and writing stories. When not travelling and collecting ideas for her books, she divides her time between Canada and Spain with her husband and two rescue dogs. 


Ted Murphy

About the Author: Ted Murphy

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