Many moons ago when I had a career, one of my favourite roles was reading fiction aimed at 11-14 year olds and writing resources based on the books for classroom use for a large UK publisher. When I heard that Darlene Forster writes for a similar age group I just had to invite her to stay in with me and tell me about one of her books. Luckily she agreed to come!

If you’re an author who’d also like to stay in with me to tell me about one of your books, please click here for more details.

Staying in with Darlene Foster

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Darlene. Thanks so much for staying in with me. Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

Thank you for inviting me over. It’s a perfect evening to talk about books.

(Any evening is a perfect one to talk about books Darlene!)

I brought Amanda in New Mexico – Ghosts in the Wind with me because it’s the latest in the Amanda Travels series. It’s a fun book to talk about at night because, as you can see from the title, there just might be ghosts in it. Also New Mexico is a cool place.

(I love being transported to new places and I haven’t been to New Mexico – yet!)

Just to let you know a bit about our heroine – Amanda Ross was a bored 12 year old Canadian girl until she started to travel. Boy did her life change then! In the United Arab Emirates she finds herself in the middle of an adventure that involves a runaway princess, bounty hunters, camels and a sand storm. She often wishes she were back home in her boring but safe life again. Amanda joins her friend Leah in Spain where they help a young girl escape the clutches of a mean horse thief. She also visits her friend in England where they get lost in a maze, hide in an underground tunnel and ride the London Eye in search of a missing vintage novel. When Leah visits Amanda in Alberta, they take in all the sights while trying to decipher the mysterious writing on a stone and keep it from getting into the wrong hands. They even go on a cruise down the Danube where Amanda is asked to look after a violin for a homeless musician. It seems others want this instrument as well. No matter where Amanda travels, she can’t seem to stay away from danger.

(I absolutely love the sound of Amanda. She sounds like my kind of girl. I also seem to attract trouble when I travel so I think we’d have a lot in common…)

What can we expect from an evening in with Amanda in New Mexico – Ghosts in the Wind?

In this adventure, Amanda is on a school trip to Taos, New Mexico with several fellow creative students. She shares a room with Cleo, an anxious classmate who insists she sees ghosts. Determined to prove there is no such thing, Amanda can’t seem to shake the feeling that something or someone is watching her.

(Sounds brilliant!)

This is what one reviewer had to say:

New Mexico is indeed an enchanting place, and Darlene Foster brings it to lovely, haunting life in this instalment of Amanda’s adventures. Sixth-grader Amanda is a brave traveller, up for anything, and definitely doesn’t believe in ghosts…but even she starts getting spooked and wondering if she needs to change her mind when she goes on a class trip to Taos and vicinity, with all its Old West locales with turbulent pasts. Delightful armchair travel, as ever from Darlene’s books, as well as enticingly spooky ghost stories–what’s not to like? Molly R

And this from a young reader and reviewer:

What I particularly love about this book as with all of the Amanda books, is that you feel like you are on a travel adventure with Amanda and her friends. The reader learns a lot about the place Amanda visits each and every time. I enjoyed this book, and I look forward to more of Amanda’s travels. Eric W

So let’s join Amanda, Cleo and their funny friend, Caleb, as they visit a rugged and beautiful landscape where a traditional hacienda, an ancient pueblo, and a haunted and spooky hotel all hold secrets to a wild and violent past.

Does Cleo really see ghosts? Can Amanda escape the eerie wind that follows her everywhere she goes? Perhaps the Day of the Dead will reveal the mysteries of Taos.

As another reader said:

Amanda is a great character: fearless, a little mischievous, and always ready to help someone! Christa P

(You must be delighted with reader reactions to Amanda and her adventures Darlene.)

What else have you brought along and why?

I brought along some bean burritos with salsa verde for us to nibble on while we chat. I hope they aren’t too spicy.

(Not too spicy at all. I love this kind of food. Thanks Darlene!)

I also brought a couple of pictures from my album of my visit to Taos, New Mexico. It truly is fascinating with many reminders of the past. The perfect place for an adventure.

 

Thanks so much for staying in with me to tell me all about Amanda in New Mexico – Ghosts in the Wind, Darlene. I’ve really enjoyed hearing about Amanda’s adventures and now I want to hop on a plane to New Mexico!

Amanda in New Mexico – Ghosts in the Wind

Amanda Ross is on a school trip to Taos, New Mexico with several of her fellow creative students. Join Amanda, Cleo and their funny friend, Caleb, as they visit an ancient and beautiful landscape where a traditional hacienda, an ancient pueblo, and a haunted and spooky hotel all hold secrets to a wild and violent past. Does Cleo really see ghosts? Can Amanda escape the eerie wind that follows her everywhere? Perhaps the Day of the Dead will reveal the mysteries of Taos in this latest adventure of Amanda’s travels.

Amanda in New Mexico – Ghosts in the Wind is available for purchase through the publisher links here.

About Darlene Foster

Darlene Foster is a writer, an employment counsellor, an ESL tutor for children, a wife, mother and grandmother. She loves travel, shoes, cooking, reading, sewing, chocolate, music, the beach and making new friends. Her 13-year-old grandson called her “super-mega-woman-supreme”. She was brought up on a ranch near Medicine Hat, Alberta, where she dreamt of traveling the world and meeting interesting people. She currently divides her time between the west coast of Canada and the Costa Blanca in Spain, with her husband Paul.

Amanda in Arabia-The Perfume Flask was her first published novel. Once bitten by the travel bug, Amanda travels to other interesting places, sticking her nose in other people’s problems and getting herself in trouble. Read Amanda in Spain – The Girl in the Painting, Amanda in England – The Missing Novel, Amanda in Alberta – The Writing on the Stone, and Amanda on the Danube – The Sounds of Music to find out the adventures Amanda has as she travels the world. You can find all of these books here.

You can find out more about Darlene by visiting her website and her blog. You’ll also find her on Facebook and Twitter @supermegawoman.