On 8th March 2025 – International Women’s Day – my guest, author Fondley Tenner Palmer, published his fantasy adult tale “Footnotes “ . This magical tale of powerful goddesses portrays women as potent forces for good. Fantasy novels are all the rage at the moment, and this novel, I feel, offers an intelligent escapism without being far fetched and enough fantasy to lose yourself in an alternative universe for an hour or two. Before I introduce Fondley, here’s a quick summary of “Footnotes”:

BOOK SUMMARY
This novel is the story of two goddesses, Goddess Lusa and Goddess Mulcapan who, billions of years ago, were a physical presence on planet Earth. It tells of their origins and histories as human leaders and great queens of their communities. Now these powerful goddesses have returned – but what do they want from the people of Earth? Will they treat us well – or will we become their slaves? Will we have to fight for our very existence?
THE INTERVIEW
Hi Fondley 👋 Welcome to the blog …

Hi, my name is Fondley Tenner Palmer, and I’m thrilled to be here today. I was born in England, in the summer month of July, raised and educated in Wembley, Middlesex, and I’m father to the greatest daughter in the world and our cat,named Pansie.
Here is a little bit about myself:
How would I describe my personality? Sensitive, caring, determined, sometimes downright stubborn, ambitious, kind-hearted, and I believe in myself. I’m an optimistic dreamer who has lived a life of joy, love and laughter with the odd bit of good luck thrown in.
Professionally, my background to date is in sales, new business development and business to business – meeting targets, trying to make money, living hard and fast, until the day arrives when you say to yourself, ‘Is this it? Is this my life? Where is the fulfilment, the joy?’ There is this feeling that your mind, body and soul is craving something else.
And my hobbies …
The beauty of writing fulfils my creative art of expression, helping to expand on my intellectual thoughts, and has brought me to write this book.
Gardening and jogging connect me with nature and contribute to my physical, emotional and ecological wellbeing.
The arts have a significant impact on the quality of my life by providing emotional and cultural enrichment.
The joy of reading opens up new worlds, enriching my knowledge and sharpening my ability to connect with others with understanding and compassion.
FootNotes is a magical tale of powerful goddesses, legends and mysticism. What inspired you to write this fantasy novel?
I wanted to pay homage to my mother and father. This is my way of demonstrating my supreme love for them and a testament to their majesty.
They taught us that it is the simple things in life that matter, that the best things in life are free, and to always have morals and values – to be polite, have good manners, take nothing for granted and always be honest.
They built a fortress around us for us to explore, to be ourselves, to run riot and to have an uninterrupted childhood. I can still remember as a child the times of happiness, chaos, joy, celebration and some pain and sadness.
My parents were honourable. They loved their children, were stern when they had to be, kind, funny, loving, helpful, caring and happy, and they always wanted the best for their children.
My childhood was an adventure filled with laughter, a lot of mischief and unconditional love.
My book honours my parents’ remarkable feats. It will be part of our family’s legacy, and we will always remember the sacrifices our parents made for us and their morals and values: honesty, respect, generosity, charity, good manners, politeness, perseverance and never ever giving up.

The main characters are Goddess Lusa annd Goddess Mulcapan. Are your characters based on observations of people you’ve come across in the past, places and incidents you’ve experienced? Who was the hardest character to portray? And the easiest?
You could gain inspiration from lifelong friends or from a stranger you’ve met on the train, but I’m not sure any of my characters are based on people I’ve met in the past. But then again, when writing, you dig deep within, and who knows what’s down there? But I would add that I believe the book will resonate with all of us, as we can see ourselves in these characters; this could be moral standards, principles, or how we respond to difficult situations, setbacks and failures, but also how we celebrate success, glory and victory.
The easiest character to portray was Goddess Lusa – until the moment came when it was time to kill her. This sent shivers down my spine, as I had built a strong relationship with her. I had total admiration for her and the journey she had set out upon, and when the time came to dispense with the character, I chickened out. I refused to write her out of the story, and then, from nowhere,inspiration came my way. I made her a goddess, and that move singlehandedlypropelled the story forward.
Goddess Kimuel was the hardest character to portray, simply because she played a bit part in the story. Initially she only featured in the first few pages, but, call it divine intervention, I found a way to make her a central feature, and I must give credit to my editor, who pointed out that we have a new voice but we don’t hear from her again, and it dawned on me that I have some great characters – now’s the time to develop them and their stories.
Being a male author, how did you prepare to write from a female perspective?
WOW, what a compliment!
I must start with my mother, who was and still is an inspiration to me, for this was the woman who gave me life, who saw me safely into this world, who breastfed me, showed me love and allowed me to find myself. My mother had her own opinions; she would always follow her instincts, and she lived by her own morals and values. When push came to shove, my beautiful mother was unafraid to stand up for what she believed in. This lady was a true inspiration to me, and her ways still resonate with me to this day.
I might add, I come from a family of women. My parents had five children and I’m the only male – yes, four sisters and each and every one of them winds me up!

Were there any aspects of writing your book that surprised you, either by being harder or easier than you expected?
The hardest part was ignoring my inner voice and staring down my fears – the fear of what others would think and say about my efforts, the fear of being harshly judged, of being ripped apart, the fear of rejection – but if you don’t ask the question, you will never find the answer.
For me it was a journey of the mind, to challenge myself, to put everything on the line – a way to express my supreme love for my mum and dad, to take myself on, to go to war with myself; the chance to stare down my fears and to do something that was totally out of character.
It was a way to dig deep into my soul and the emotions that surrounded it, a way to be open and honest with myself, an exploration of who I am and what I might become, and the chance to recreate myself.
I found the experience cathartic, cleansing; it enabled me to release my emotions and feel free and in harmony with myself.
Have you always wanted to have a career in writing or did you have other aspirations?
There is a rage within me that finds no peace, and the only way I can soothe its soul is to write.
My aspiration has always been the same – to live life freely, to be creative and to be myself.
Are you a bookworm? What is your favourite genre and/or authors? Kindle or actual book?
My preference is for autobiographies of people who have achieved meaningful things and lived their lives to the fullest. It allows you to see further because of what these people have achieved.
I feel it can promote and encourage self-discovery as well as offering new ideas and approaches to life.
One of my favourites was Nelson Mandela’s autobiography – a tale of courage, resilience, belief, hope and a better day for humanity – truly inspirational. I also like to read books on the different peoples of planet Earth; for me, this is a way for us to understand each other and gain an appreciation of different cultures,faiths and perspectives – an understanding that this world is a mosaic whose beauty lies in all its colours.
Can you remember who you were before the world told you who you should be?
And my answer is yes, because I’ve never listened to anyone except my mum, my dad and myself in regards to who I should be.
If I was to point to one author, it would be Ursula K. Le Guin, and for the life of me, I’m unable to remember where I saw this particular quote, but it had a profound effect on me, and it’s simply this: ‘The creative adult is the child that survived.’
I recently reread a couple of her books, The Word for World is Forest and The Dispossessed.

Is FootNotes available to purchase worldwide?
It’s available worldwide through bookshops, internet booksellers and my website, and it’s also available as an ebook.
Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?
I like to create a relaxed yet stylish look – T-shirts or shirts with a casual jacket, jeans, and finished off with Church’s or Barker’s shoes, always polished.
Do you have any favourite shops or websites?
My favourite is charity shops; you never know what you might find!
What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?
A whole new wardrobe!
Boots or shoes, and why?
My mother would say the first thing people look at is your face, then your shoes, and nothing comes close to our British shoemakers: Church’s, Loake’s, Barker’s –craftsmanship and quality, and they last forever.
I adore boots, but I’m not sure they’re practical for everyday wear.
Any links you would like to share, e.g. website, Facebook, etc.?
My website: www.pagwayla.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/fondleytennerpalmer
Instagram: www.instagram.com/fondleytenner
Thank you for your time, and my wish is for members of the public to allow these characters a home within their imagination.
I would like to express my gratitude to Catherine Dunn, Elena Kale. Dunkan Norber. Elly Donovan, Rebecca and Andrew Brown and my daughter Olivia Palmer Creigg. Without you all there would be no Footnotes.
Thank you so much for joining me on the blog, Fondley. I definitely enjoyed allowing the goddesses to take up residence in my imagination and I thank you for my review copy of Footnotes.
Linda x
All photographs have been published with the kind permission of Fondley Tenner Palmer.