The latest feature in the Memoir Showcase is a very special story from well-known author Valerie Poore.

As Val intriguingly explains, "This is the first chapter of a memoir I have yet to write but intend to continue with when I've finished a novel I'm working on."

You can read Val's contribution The Reluctant Boarder here.

Valerie Poore

Val is an English language teacher by day and a writer during her free time. Born and educated in the UK, she spent twenty years in South Africa and another twenty living on a historic barge in the Netherlands, a lifestyle she adores despite the hard work it involves. Nowadays, she shares her time between the barge and a cottage in Zeeland.
 
These diverse worlds have given her some wonderful experiences, and she enjoys sharing her stories in her books and on her blog, which she started in 2006.
 
To date, Val has published nine memoirs and three novels, as well as a collection of anecdotes. She has also contributed to a number of anthologies and writes barge-related articles for the women’s sailing magazine, Sistership. 

It is a real pleasure to feature this latest contribution in our Memoir Showcase from well-known author, Jackie Lambert. It is a very recent story from her travels with her husband. I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I have.

You can read Welcome to Kosovo here.

Author Bio:

Hi, I’m Jacqueline (Jackie) Lambert, a dedicated doggie travel blogger and author.

BC (Before Canines) I rafted, rock-climbed and backpacked around six of the seven continents. A passionate windsurfer and skier, I can fly a plane, have been bitten by a lion and appeared on Japanese TV as a fire-eater.

AD (After Dog) I quit work in 2016 to hit the road permanently with my husband and four pooches. Initially, we were Adventure Caravanners, who aimed To Boldly Go Where No Van Has Gone Before. Now, we’re at large in a self-converted six-wheel army lorry. Until Putin launched his ‘special operation’ in Ukraine, we had Mongolia in our sights. Plan B is our Never Mind The Balkans Tour; a circuit from the UK through Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia, then back to the UK for a truck MOT.

I have published five books about how we went from wage slaves to living the dream. Fur Babies In France, Dog on the Rhine, Dogs ‘n’ Dracula, It Never Rains But It Paws and Pups on Piste all fall within one of my favourite genres; light-hearted travel memoirs. My forthcoming books will chronicle our tour of Poland in a pandemic and our new life as Trucking Idiots. I have also contributed chapters to several travel anthologies.

Check me out and follow me on the links below:
 
Amazon:
author.to/JacquelineLambert
 
Blog:
www.WorldWideWalkies.com
 
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/JacquelineLambertAuthor

Jackie Lambert Author with Ruby
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The latest contribution in our Memoir Showcase is a very interesting piece from a regular supporter of ours, Susan Mellsopp.  As Susan explains, "I was listening to a talking book one night when I heard the phrase ‘wallpaper memories’. This piece of writing is the result."

You can read Wallpaper Memories by clicking here.

Susan Mellsopp is happily retired and lives in Hamilton New Zealand with her cream and gold Labrador guide dog Maya. She also has her retired guide dog, a golden retriever named Jay. Much of her life has been spent as a dairy farmer, and also working as a librarian, archivist and accessible transport researcher. She runs a writers group and is constantly being challenged to write in genres other than travel and memoir. Susan has published two school histories, written for an alumni magazine, and writes for a national magazine which is published monthly. She is a voracious reader; usually having two talking books and a kindle book on the go at once, loves to travel, listen to classical music, cook, spend time with friends and use modern technology. 
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​Ronald Mackay

Ronald and Viviana established their small business Fincas CALEDONIA, the Scottish Tradition in Argentina, in 2003. Starting with a few hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon vines, they expanded to 15 hectares of fine wine grapes of several varietals. From scratch, they developed a modest domestic market for in Argentina and exported to Poland, the UK, and the US. Their primary enjoyment, however, was the vineyard where they worked hands-on as grape growers. In their separate nursery, they grew certified disease-free vine rootlings for sale to local vintners. They ran Fincas CALEDONIA near Rama Caída, a village in the Province of Mendoza, until 2012. Ronald is the author of “Fortunate Isle, a memoir of Tenerife” and “The Kilt Behind the Curtain”.
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