Sarah Butland » Blogs http://sarahbutland.com/blog For Writers, For Readers, For You Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:37:43 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 No Excuses – We’re Going To Fly! http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/02/03/no-excuses-were-going-to-fly/ http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/02/03/no-excuses-were-going-to-fly/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:37:43 +0000 Sarah Butland http://sarahbutland.com/blog/?p=1606 [...]]]>

Are you too tired to think?
Have the sniffles
A lunch date?
Books to read?

We all do. At one time or another we could fill a book with excuses as to why we didn’t accomplish what we wanted to. I was about to succumb to life and the restriction of time permitted to blog and then I listened to Paul Brandt’s song I’m Gonna Fly.

I know, I hear your groans and laughter. It is a country song, a country singer and yes, I admit I enjoy some country – especially Paul Brandt! So when I discovered he was coming to Moncton I set out to be there and lo-and-behold the universe paved my way with World Vision.

A very good friend of mine now works for World Vision and asked for volunteers to be available for concert-goers to adopt a child. I was the first one to reply excited to take part and hear Paul Brandt live. An excellent cause, a great singer and a fabulous song-writer AND Canadian! I have a lot to learn from him and love that I’m able to go see him and support this wonderful cause.

So as his song I’m Gonna Fly says…

I’m gonna fly
defy space and gravity
I’m gonna fly
Makin’ my own destiny

Stop making excuses, stop listening to your dream killer and start living your dream however you want to. As you can see, despite the odds of my finding the time and energy this week to write a blog I did it, because I love to write and want to make a living doing it. Oh yeah, I already do!

So now it’s your turn to fly, to defy space and gravity and make your own destiny. Whether you’re a country or city dweller, single or have a family, you will live your dream once you decide your passion and convince yourself you can.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

PS: Don’t hesitate, never procrastinate – get it done!

For information on how you can adopt a child and Be the Difference – For Children, For Change, For Life visit World Vision right now!

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]]> http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/02/03/no-excuses-were-going-to-fly/feed/ 0 Family Literacy Day in Canada http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/27/family-literacy-day-in-canada/ http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/27/family-literacy-day-in-canada/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:40:40 +0000 Sarah Butland http://sarahbutland.com/blog/?p=1603 [...]]]>

Being Canadian is important to me for so many reasons, one of which being January 27th as it’s a day we mark to celebrate literacy and all it’s worth.

Being a writer of course I need readers so celebrate the essence of words and the importance of our education system in supporting ensuring a great and hopefully growing population can read, write and calculate.

In this information age where people were outraged by the idea of SOPA passing in the US it’s important we all realize not all of us can access information as easily as we should.

Tomorrow I’ll be taking my son and a friend with his mother to the local Riverview, New Brunswick library to hear the local mayor – Mayor Clarence Sweetland read stories in celebration of the written word.

Saturday morning we plan to continue the celebrations as I attend a writer’s group and my son and husband join others to hear Robert Munsch tell stories on a big screen.

Other Canadian authors to celebrate include myself, of course,

Canadian authors are magical when it comes to literacy! Support your local author today and every day.

as well as 10 listed below:

Sheree Fitch
Leonard Cohen
Alexander MacLeod
Chad Pelley
Deborah Carr
Wendy Kitts
Karen Dales
Jason Lawson
Jean Mills A.F. Stewart

As always, thanks for reading and celebrating literacy with me and these Canadian authors every day!

Sarah Butland

]]> http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/27/family-literacy-day-in-canada/feed/ 1 Are You Committed? 5 Ways to Tell http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/20/are-you-committed-5-ways-to-tell/ http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/20/are-you-committed-5-ways-to-tell/#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:24:25 +0000 Sarah Butland http://sarahbutland.com/blog/?p=1598 [...]]]>

Like Sidney Crosby to hockey, Stephen King to best selling books and James Cameron to incredible movies, most of us have a passion for something but it’s not enough to find it, a lot of us have to live it. And if we’re told we can’t due to a concussion, disability, etc it can be painful, debilitating or a challenge we’re born to overcome.

And even though you may have already gotten monetarily rich from doing what you love it doesn’t mean you need to stop enjoying life by doing what you want.

Commitment is key to achieving both happiness and greatness once you find your passion and the meaning of your existence and here are five ways I think you can confirm you’re determined enough to give it all you have.

  1. You make time, not excuses.
  2. You do at least one activity daily that involves your passion.
  3. It’s all you think about and still doesn’t drive you nuts.
  4. You soon find yourself befriending more people with similar aspirations who are doing something with them.
  5. Although you control when and how you take advantage of living your dream, the dream still controls you.

So I ask you – do you know what you were born to do, are you doing it and how committed are you?

If you’re not doing it now – stop reading and get back at it! Actually, just one more thing…

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

author of Sending You Sammy, Brain Tales – Volume One and Arm Farm

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]]> http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/20/are-you-committed-5-ways-to-tell/feed/ 0 Growing the Arm Farm http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/13/growing-the-arm-farm/ http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/13/growing-the-arm-farm/#comments Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:34:07 +0000 Sarah Butland http://sarahbutland.com/blog/?p=1523 [...]]]>

Every farm needs three things to grow into a bountiful being, even my novel Arm Farm needed the seed, water and sunlight to blossom into sinewy arms which grew cases and possible case solvers. Just as each flower, animal and vegetable grow into something of value, worth and substance, Arm Farm needed all three elements to be what it is today.

The seed to how this all came to be: The Write-Brain Workbook: 366 Exercises to Liberate Your Writing

The water: each word I dropped to the page

Sunlight: you, my fans and future fans.

Take Hannah from UK for example:

She found herself lucky to be one of Arm Farm’s first reader’s and I was extremely lucky to have her do that for me. Since then I consider her my #1 fan. We met through her winning a copy of Brain Tales – Volume One through my friend Kelly Moran’s website giveaway site and have been friends ever since.

But I’m getting a head of myself and want to tell you how The Write-Brain Workbook: 366 Exercises to Liberate Your Writing planted the seed.

One of the many terrific exercises mentioned was to make a list of seemingly unrelated words that rhyme so I did. I actually followed this book in order and completely but what stuck was this image of an arm farm. With CSI and Bones being popular on tv and their discussion of body farms I decided to stick with the idea, using Arm Farm as the title.

And so Natalie Hartman was born and I was thrilled to get it in print and now ebook form for all to enjoy.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

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]]> http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/13/growing-the-arm-farm/feed/ 0 Meet Terry Odell, Author of recently Reviewed Deadly Secrets http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/10/meet-terry-odell-author-of-recently-reviewed-deadly-secrets/ http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/10/meet-terry-odell-author-of-recently-reviewed-deadly-secrets/#comments Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:41:17 +0000 Sarah Butland http://sarahbutland.com/blog/?p=1514 [...]]]>

I met Terry through her offer of a review ebook copy of Deadly Secrets on Facebook which both taught us a lot. In my haste I didn’t realize I was about to accept the Barnes and Noble Nook “gift” version and quickly discovered their ebooks are not available for download in Canada and, so appears, their customer service lacks in this area as well. Terry then tried to get a refund for the gift she gave me and finally, after some waiting and games, was able to get it resolved.

Short bio: Terry Odell was born in Los Angeles, moved to Florida, and now makes her home in Colorado. An avid reader (her parents tell everyone they had to move from their first home because she finished the local library), she always wanted to “fix” stories so the characters did what she wanted, in books, television, and the movies. Once she began writing, she found this wasn’t always possible, as evidenced when the mystery she intended to write rapidly became a romance. Now, she writes both romantic suspense and mystery. Her titles include the Pine Hills Police series, the Blackthorne, Inc. series as well as several stand alone novels: Nowhere to Hide, What’s in a Name? The first book in her new Mapleton Mystery series, Deadly Secrets, is now available from most e-tailers.

Thanks, Sarah, for inviting me to your blog.

You started writing by improving characters/ tv shows like MacGyver and Highlander. What shows catch your attention now and, out of all your favourites, what is one suggestion you have for it?

I have to be honest. I stopped watching much television. I’d rather be reading or writing. I do record shows so I can zip through them. Right now, my DVR records CSI (Las Vegas), NCIS (both series), Castle and a couple other related shows—and when I watch, it’s usually to see if I can pick out all the mistakes in police and forensics. But mostly I watch the Food Network and Cooking Channels shows. Love Iron Chef America and some of the other competition shows. I’ve been so busy writing my own books with my own characters that I rarely think of “fixing” these anymore.

Deadly Secrets (Mapleton Mystery) certainly is a mystery but with a touch of romance. Do you think you’ll always include a love story or two in your stories?

Most certainly. The only stories I’ve written without romantic elements were police procedural short stories, where a veteran cop does pair up with a female rookie, but there’s no relationship. I imagine if I continue that series, I’ll find a woman for him or a guy for her—or both. The basic difference between romantic suspense and mystery is that in a romantic suspense book, you’re expected to wrap up the relationship at the end of the book (but I didn’t care about that rule, so I brought Randy and Sarah back as the protagonists in Hidden Fire, even though they’d had their promise of a HEA in Finding Sarah). In a mystery, you can draw things out over several books, and I expect I’ll be revisiting Gordon and Angie, and even Megan and Justin in future Mapleton Mysteries.

You mentioned that your daughters have pointed out that your first mysteries were actually romance. Do you have any other children? And do they still all love your writing no matter what genre it takes?

I have an older son. He doesn’t read my books, although he did the cover for What’s in a Name? and designed my original website, and takes my head shots. He’s an accomplished photographer. As for my daughters loving my writing…they wouldn’t dare say otherwise. I just assume they’re being honest.

In your most recent blog (January 2, 2012) you mention a disagreement between you and your publishers about product placement. I think like you do, that it adds some sense of familiarity and is so briefly overlooked but adds to the story. Why do you think they discourage it?

They’re afraid of being sued. Some companies don’t want their products mentioned or associated with books for whatever reason.

On a side note, I read in writer’s magazine (Writer’s Digest) that branding was ok as long as it wasn’t slander. If you’re using something like “the character drank Pepsi and loved it!” – permission isn’t needed.

Again, that’s the publisher’s decision. Clearly, they’ll never let you say something bad about a product, but they make the rules, since they’re publishing the book and would be held liable.

Speaking of your blog, you seem to update very regularly; how do you find the time?

I make the time. And I really don’t blog that often, although I have 5 posts a week. However, my writing-based posts are on Mondays and Thursdays. On Tuesdays I host guests, and on Wednesdays I share a recipe, often provided by readers, and on Fridays I share pictures. Writing my posts makes me think about writing, and it’s another way to get into the writing groove, especially if work on my WIP has hit a wall.

Since Facebook, do you find you’re finding more fans or simply discovering new authors to read?

I’m finding authors, and I certainly hope some of them are finding me. But realistically, I’m sure it’s a tiny fraction of my Facebook “friends” who actually go out and buy my books.

I love your “Behind the Scenes” idea where you discuss how you came up with your idea’s/ characters stories. Do you have one planned for Deadly Secrets? If so, want to share a sneak peek of how you finally were able to focus on a mystery?

Sneak peek just for you and your readers. When I started writing Deadly Secrets, it was going to be a romantic suspense: Justin and Megan’s story. But then Gordon Hepler showed up (and he’s named for a real life person I know who begged to be a character in one of my books) and he took over. Once he hit the page, it became a mystery, although for a few draft chapters, I toyed with hooking him up with Megan.

Terry, do you prefer reading the best selling author you love or discovering a new-to-you author who’s book you can’t put down?

Yes.

When you offer review copies do you always get a review back? Are they always as glowing as mine was and how do you deal if you ever get a not so glowing one?

No, I don’t always get reviews. I think I gave away 30 or 40 free downloads of one of my books and maybe saw 5 reviews. I never know if the recipient hasn’t gotten around to reading it yet, or if they’ve posted their review on their own site and didn’t tell me, or if they didn’t like the book and felt it would be inappropriate to post a negative review. Or (and this is my guess) they just want to get free books. I’ve learned to accept that everyone has an opinion, and not all reviewers are going to like the book. I, for example, would be hard-pressed to write glowing reviews for some genres of books despite the fact that they’re humongous best-sellers. As a writer, it’s hard to turn off the internal editor, so things that don’t bother a “non-writer-reader” often bug the heck out of me.

And lastly, is there a question you always wanted to answer in an interview but never been asked?

Sure. What’s the author-reader relationship? After all, we write hoping people will read and enjoy our books, but we work in relative isolation. I love when readers take the time to email me and tell me they’ve enjoyed a book. As a reader, the nicest thing you can do for an author is to let them know they’re appreciated. Drop them an email, or comment on their blog, or write a review, or tell other people you liked the book. There are really only two things that sell books. 1. Writing a good book and 2) Word of Mouth.

As always, thanks for reading, and be sure to keep reading to enjoy some extra goodies and/or get in touch with Terry directly,

Website: http://www.terryodell.com
Blog: Terry’s Place: http://terryodell.blogspot.com
Twitter: @authorterryo
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/terry.odell
Buylinks: http://www.backlistebooks.com/author/terry-odell/

Blurb:
Mapleton, Colorado’s police chief, Gordon Hepler, would rather be on the streets than behind a desk, but he promised his late mentor he’d accept the position. And to Gordon, a promise is a promise, even if the person you made it to isn’t around anymore. However, doubts creep in, and he wonders if he was shoved into the job because his mentor thought he couldn’t cut it on the streets. 
Everything changes when a fatal traffic accident well outside Mapleton seems connected to the elderly Rose and Sam Kretzer, two of Mapleton’s most beloved citizens. When Gordon ties the car accident to a grisly murder in Mapleton—the first anyone in town can remember—he’s afraid he’s into more than he bargained for. 
The arrival of Megan, the Kretzers grown godchild, and Justin, their grandson, add to Gordon’s troubles when Megan is mugged and someone breaks in and ransacks the Kretzers’ home. Gordon’s fears that he’s in over his head are realized when his investigation seems to link the Kretzers to a Nazi war criminal. Can he work with the big-city detective brought in to assist? Will he be able to solve the crime without revealing the secrets of his citizens?

Excerpt:
Gordon stood inside the doorway, taking in the scene, finding the detachment needed to keep from smashing his fist through the wall.

Betty Bedford was secured to her wooden desk chair. Her ankles were crossed in front of her, bound with duct tape. Another wide belt of tape went around her torso. Her arms, taped at the wrists, were behind the chair.

A nuisance, a pest, a thorn in his side she might have been, but she was a vital woman, barely into her sixties. She should have been pestering him for years to come. Her bright, eager eyes, now filmed with death, stared into nothingness.

He took three deep breaths, counted to ten, and called out to Doc Evans, who doubled as the city coroner.

Doc straightened from his crouch next to the body. “She’s been murdered.”

Yeah, that was a fairly easy call. The slit throat was a dead giveaway. Kind of hard to do yourself when you were tied up. Or tie yourself up afterward. And her shop was in ruins. Heaps of clothing in the center of the room, all her quirky ambience pieces broken and strewn helter-skelter. Cardboard boxes, contents spewed, lay upended amidst the debris.

]]> http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/10/meet-terry-odell-author-of-recently-reviewed-deadly-secrets/feed/ 6 National Letter Writing Week! http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/08/national-letter-writing-week/ http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/08/national-letter-writing-week/#comments Sun, 08 Jan 2012 02:01:00 +0000 Sarah Butland http://sarahbutland.com/blog/?p=1470 [...]]]>

Did you know that Sunday, January 8, 2012 marks the start to another National Letter Writing Week? It lasts, of course, until Sunday, January 15, 2012 and is awesome for a lot of reasons but I’ll give 5.

1) Everyone loves receiving something in their mailbox other than a bill – especially right after Christmas.
2) It gets you writing!
3) It gets your receiver reading!
4) It has them thinking of you unexpectedly and that is good for anyone’s spirit.
5) Revives the postal service. We’ve all been slacking with forming texts that Shakespeare would see as gibberish (you know, that author who is world famous but known for his lack of perfect English, only because the language has gotten out of control?)

Oh, and 6!

It only takes a minute or two to write and another to send but lasts at least a day!

Make it even easier and spread the word of literacy through my Fill in the Blank Letters and send an extra one to ensure you receive a reply!

Come on… how many chain emails do you receive now with 20 addresses shared with everyone? Ensure your address doesn’t get to a stranger this year by only sending to one person and make it extra special!

You’d love to receive a handwritten letter, wouldn’t you?

Thanks for reading and in advance for writing,

Sarah Butland
author of Sending You Sammy, Brain Tales – Volume One and Arm Farm

]]> http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/08/national-letter-writing-week/feed/ 0 Karma – Does It Exist? http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/06/karma-does-it-exist/ http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/06/karma-does-it-exist/#comments Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:25:41 +0000 Sarah Butland http://sarahbutland.com/blog/?p=1463 [...]]]>

Karma by any other name sounds complicated but it all comes down to ensuring that you’re doing something good for the sake of doing something good.

There’s been a debate, for years, in my head and in the world trying to decide if karma is actually something that exists and, if so, how long does it take to return the favour.

I’m a true believer in the law of attraction or “the secret” as many of you know it by, even if I don’t always follow it as closely as I should. This is the same principal as karma in that what you put out you’re sure to get back. Some people call this religion, their belief in God or another higher power rewarding them either now or later in life/ existence/ death for a good deed done.

You reap what you sew and I’ve been sewing a lot without obvious return. Some could even say, as I do, that I’ve been dishing out but only taking junk back in. And yet I continue to support financially and through sharing, believing and advising others despite their lack of recognizing that the universe is telling them something.

For example, I’ve recently bought a book, which wasn’t the recently launched and discussed Jason Lawson’s Recession Proof, despite it not being my preferred genre as well as having many books backed up on my shelf to read before it. I bought it only because I love supporting local talent, I know the author through friends and relatives and really believe we all have to celebrate each others accomplishments. I’d be untruthful if I didn’t admit I expected some courtesy in return. Instead it was like I was slapped in the face with a mere thank you which is typically enough for me but there’s more to the story that I won’t include here.

And so I support, believe, give, and juggle the finances to continue supporting those I believe need to succeed and pave a path for others to tread.

And I know, despite what some may say, that karma does exist for us all, I just wish it came with a clock or a calendar.

Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts,

Sarah Butland
author of Sending You Sammy, Brain Tales – Volume One and Arm Farm

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]]> http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/06/karma-does-it-exist/feed/ 0 Meet New Brunswick Author Jason Lawson http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/03/meet-new-brunswick-author-jason-lawson/ http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/03/meet-new-brunswick-author-jason-lawson/#comments Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:41:21 +0000 Sarah Butland http://sarahbutland.com/blog/?p=1509 [...]]]>

Jason Lawson is a fellow New Brunswick author who recently launched his first novel – Recession Proof – as an ebook. What better way to start off a year than launching your own novel and being on my site to answer a few questions?

I’m honoured to introduce you to my first 2012 author, especially since he’s a Canadian author, Jason Lawson!!

Welcome, Jason, and thanks for answering these questions so quickly.

You recently launched Recession Proof on Amazon, how does that make you feel??? Where do you plan to go from here?

I have mixed emotions about the whole thing. I’d hoped to get a book deal and almost did… The novel was well received by several publishers. A couple said they wished they were publishing that genre of novel and went on to praise the story and characters, not your typical rejection letters, which I’ve had quite a few. In the end I decided against looking any further and went ahead and published it myself. So far the feedback has been great!

Why such unusual male names for your characters and an usual female name? Any history behind each choice?

I wanted the main character’s names to reflect their personalities a little bit. Mortimer Binks is completely off the wall, hence the silly name, while Amanda Higgins, seemed like a normal enough name. Sometimes I scroll through the phone book, looking for odd names that jump out at me. It works.

Do you plan to have this available in print so you can sign your first autograph on your first novel?

I’d love to at some point. I guess that will depend on how strong the sales are of the ebook version.

When did you figure out that you loved writing so much and enjoyed having an audience?

I love telling this story. I have to thank my grade nine English teacher for that. Ms. Hopper. I walked into her class the first day and she told us that we would be participating in a new course, creative writing. The whole year we would have to write everyday. It didn’t matter if it was poetry, stories or just a journal, as long as we were writing. I was furious. At 14, all I wanted to do was read a book, do the report and goof off. I drug my feet, but got into it and that year I won an award for the best written composition in my school. So the seeds were planted. Actually, Ms. Hopper and I have remained close, she helped me tweak “Recession Proof.”

A writer, blogger, funny man, father… who IS Jason Lawson and why is it so difficult to find your history?

I used to be a farmer but I gave it up cause I was making so much money, the income taxes were killing me….okay that’s a bad joke. Now I drive trucks, mostly for construction sites and all the hours behind the wheel gives me a lot of time to dream up new ideas and stories. I have a great family, they’re all characters. I’m just the only one who writes stuff down. They’re very supportive of my writing and I usually run anything new by them first.

You received an Honourable Mention through the Writer’s Federation of NB last year with “The Date”, an excerpt I discovered, from Recession Proof. Do you have any other short stories you plan to turn into a novel? Did “The Date” start as a short story or was it always a portion of a novel?

The novel “Recession Proof” was already written. I just took the chapter of Frankie and company being kicked out of the Japanese restaurant and used it as a short story. It just seemed so crazy, even on its own. When I wrote this book I’d find myself laughing at it, which I found strange until I read a quote; “No tears for author, no tears for the reader.” Then I didn’t feel quite so nuts… I have a few short stories that are just that, short stories. Maybe they’re novel material, maybe not. The good thing is I always have a few ideas for a novel floating around in this noggin of mine.

You work for CBC Radio New Brunswick as a writer, how does working behind the scene’s with other writer’s help you?

There’s nothing better than sitting down with another writer and getting their view on things, their advice. There’s always something to learn. Everyone who’s helped me, every seminar I’ve attended I’ve taken at least one thing away from it. CBC radio is a little different. What happens is I write a commentary and send it to them, if they like it or have the budget for it they call me in and I record it. Then it goes on the air within a few days. Loads of fun, I just wish I had time to do more of them, trucking takes up a lot of my time unfortunately.

The Date was published on CommuterLit in February 2011 and it seems to be very well received. What do you hope your readers will get from reading your fiction?

Life’s too stressful. We all need a good chuckle now and then. It’s nice to be able to make people smile, giggle and burst out laughing. When people tell me the story kept them laughing all the way through, it makes me feel good. It’s also a great way to get a point across. Some of the tirades I launch in my blog towards politicans are downright ridiculous, but people get it.

You have a history of supporting Laubauch Literacy in New Brunswick, your home province, are you surprised by the low literacy rates of the province while author’s can be found throughout? Besides attending awareness and raising money, do you plan to do anything more to increase literacy rates?

The first year I attended Mill Writes, which helps raise money for illiteracy, I was dumbfounded that such a large amount of people in this province can’t read. What scares me even worse are comments that are written by young people on social networks like facebook. A lot of them can barely spell. Is there something wrong with our schools today? There’s something wrong somewhere. Last year I was a guest speaker at Mill Writes and had a lot of fun doing it. I’ll certainly do it again if they wish, or anything else that would help the cause.

I’ve been finding a lot of your Letter’s to the Editor for our local newspaper, do you read a newspaper with the intention of finding something to write about or does the material just entice you to write?

Writing letters to the editor was something I started doing years ago. It was a good way for me to get some experience. I learned pretty quickly what you could say and what you couldn’t. And I’ve always been a news junkie, especially when it comes to the deranged officials we elect to run our province and country. I still shoot a letter off now and again, just to keep them all straight. Years ago,when I sold my first commentary to CBC radio, the producer at the time asked me, “Do you support any political party?” “I’m completely neutral,” I answered, “I hate all of ‘em.” Thank you so much for the interview! I’m totally flattered.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland
author of Sending You Sammy, Brain Tales – Volume One and Arm Farm

]]> http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/03/meet-new-brunswick-author-jason-lawson/feed/ 4 Excerpt of Farsighted Before the Anticipated Review http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2011/12/29/excerpt-of-farsighted-before-the-anticipated-review/ http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2011/12/29/excerpt-of-farsighted-before-the-anticipated-review/#comments Thu, 29 Dec 2011 01:43:16 +0000 Sarah Butland http://sarahbutland.com/blog/?p=1466 [...]]]>

Announcing the Farsighted  Social Media Whirlwind Tour!

As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of the Farsighted eBook edition is just 99 cents this week.

What’s more, by purchasing this fantastic book at an incredibly low price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes, including lots of Amazon gift cards (up to $100 in amount) and 5 autographed copies of the book. Be sure to enter before the end of the day on Friday, December 30th, so you don’t miss out.

 

To Win the Prizes

  1. Purchase your copy of Farsighted for just 99 cents on Amazon or Barnes & Noble
  2. Fill-out the form on Novel Publicity to enter for the prizes
  3. Visit today’s featured event; you may win an autographed copy of the book or a $50 gift card!
  4. BONUS:  If you leave a comment on this blog post, you have another chance at $100!

    5. Thursday, Facebook sharing contest! Stop by Novel Publicity’s Facebook page and share their latest post (you’ll see the Farsighted book cover included with it). It’s ridiculously easy to win! On Friday morning, one lucky sharer will be $50 richer. An autographed copy of Farsighted is also up for grabs.

    Friday, special contest on the author’s site! Are you ready for some more fun? Take a picture of yourself with your copy of Farsighted either in paperback or on an eReading device, then post it to Emlyn Chand’s Facebook page or email a copy to author@emlynchand.com. You just way win one of three Amazon gift cards! A $100 prize will go to the photo with the most interesting setting (so put your holiday travel time to work for you). Another $50 will go the funniest photo, and one more prize of $50 will go the scariest photo—this is a paranormal YA book after all. An autographed copy of Farsighted will go to one randomly selected entrant. For more details about this contest, please visit www.emlynchand.com.

     

    Remember, it’s all about the books!

    About Farsighted: Alex Kosmitoras may be blind, but he can still “see” things others can’t.  When his unwanted visions of the future begin to suggest that the girl he likes could be in danger, he has no choice but to take on destiny and demand it reconsider. Farsighted is the winner of the 2011 Dragonfly eBook Awards. Get it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

    About the Author:  Emlyn Chand has always loved to hear and tell stories, having emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). When she’s not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm, Novel Publicity. Emlyn loves to connect with readers and is available throughout the social media interweb. Visit her on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.

     

    Now please enjoy this exciting excerpt from Farsighted…

     

    “Did Dad tell you? A new tenant moved into the old pharmacy next door.”

    “Really?” I ask, not letting on I already know. If I feign ignorance, Mom’ll divulge all the details. “What is it?”

    “It’s a psychic shop,” Her voice crackles with excitement like a fire that’s just beginning to burn. “The All-Seeing Miss Teak. Isn’t that cute? Miss Teak, Mystic. Ha, I wonder if that’s her real name.”

    I laugh. “That is funny. Never had a psychic in town before. What’s she like?”

    “Oh, she’s very friendly. Why don’t you go over and say ‘hi.’  I’m sure she’d like to meet you.”

    “Okay, I think I will.” I’m incredibly intrigued, because first off, it’s a psychic shop—how weird is that?—and second, its presence made Dad super uncomfortable—also very cool. I waste no time heading next door to check out the scene.

    As I step cautiously into the new shop, a recording of soft, instrumental music greets me. I can make out chimes and a string instrument I don’t recognize but for some reason reminds me of snake charmers. The smell of incense fills my nostrils, which explains the burning I detected earlier.

    “Hello?” I call out into the otherwise quiet room.

    Nobody answers. I walk in deeper, sweeping my cane out in front of me in a metronome fashion. This place is new to me, so I need to be especially careful while moving around.

    Thump! Despite my precautions, I stub my toe on something hard, big, and made of wood. Just my luck to stub the same toe twice in one day. I reach down to press my fingers into my throbbing foot to alleviate some of the pain. Something teeters before rolling off of the chest and across the floor; the sound it makes indicates a curved path. Suddenly, the object stops. Somebody’s stopped it.

    “Hello?” I call again.

    “Hello,” a deep, feminine voice responds, placing more emphasis on the first syllable than the second.

    “I- I’m sorry I knocked that thing over. I didn’t mean to…” I hope she’s not angry. Probably not a good idea to get on a psychic’s bad side.

    “That wasn’t just a thing, it’s a crystal ball,” she says as she walks over, sending my blood pulsing through my veins. I sense her looking at me for a moment before she places the ball back on top of the chest.

    “Can it see the future?” I ask, allowing my curiosity to outweigh my uneasiness.

    “No.” After a pause lasting several beats, she continues. “But I can see the future sometimes when I look into it.”

    “Oh, okay.” I tighten my hand around my cane and turn to leave. It may not be the most polite thing to do, but all of this hocus-pocus stuff is freaking me out more than I would’ve guessed.

    The psychic lady speaks again, stopping me cold. “Don’t run away, Alex Kosmitoras.” She must’ve spoken to Mom earlier today. That must be how she knows my name.

    “I’m not running away,” I say meekly. “I’m just going back over to Sweet Blossoms.”

    “Don’t run away,” she repeats—this time she speaks louder and with more energy. “Don’t run away from your abilities. They are gifts.”

    “What?” I ask in confusion. What abilities is she talking about?

    “You already know. Watch. Listen. Be open to your gifts.”

    I turn to face Miss Teak, but find she’s already gone, returning to wherever she was before I got there.

    Is it safe to leave? I trail my fingers across the wooden box I ran into earlier; a thick coat of dust clings to the tips as I pull away. If this shop just opened, why is it already so dirty? I wipe my hands over my shirt to get the gritty substance off. Shivers rock my whole body. Something about this place is wrong, and I’m not sticking around to figure out what. Tapping my cane along the floor, I’m able to find the exit without knocking into anything else.

    You will LOVE this story, I am sure!

    Thanks for reading,

    Sarah Butland
    author of Sending You Sammy, Brain Tales – Volume One and Arm Farm

    Unlike
    ]]> http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2011/12/29/excerpt-of-farsighted-before-the-anticipated-review/feed/ 2 Emlyn Chand Takes Over With My Appreciation http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2011/12/28/emlyn-chand-takes-over-with-my-appreciation/ http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2011/12/28/emlyn-chand-takes-over-with-my-appreciation/#comments Wed, 28 Dec 2011 03:52:39 +0000 Sarah Butland http://sarahbutland.com/blog/?p=1457 [...]]]>

    As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of the Farsighted eBook edition is just 99 cents this week.

    What’s more, by purchasing this fantastic book at an incredibly low price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes, including lots of Amazon gift cards (up to $100 in amount) and 5 autographed copies of the book. Be sure to enter before the end of the day on Friday, December 30th, so you don’t miss out.

     

    To Win the Prizes

    1. Purchase your copy of Farsighted for just 99 cents on Amazon or Barnes & Noble
    2. Fill-out the form on Novel Publicity to enter for the prizes
    3. Visit today’s featured event; you may win an autographed copy of the book or a $50 gift card!
    4. BONUS: If you leave a comment on this blog post, you have another chance at $100!
    5. DOUBLE BONUS: If I receive more comments than any other blogger, *I* win $100.

     

    …And I can win too!

    Over 100 bloggers are participating in this gigantic event, and there are plenty of prizes for us too. The blogger who receives the most votes in the traffic-breaker poll will win a $100 gift card as well. So when you visit Novel Publicity’s site to fill-out the contest entry form, don’t forget to say that I referred you, so I can get a point in the poll.

     

    The Featured Events include:

    Wednesday, Google+ sharing contest! Yup, there’s yet another awesome opportunity to win a $50 Amazon gift card, and this time it just takes a single click! Visit Google+ and share Emlyn Chand’s most recent post (you’ll see the Stay Farsighted book cover included with it). On Thursday morning, one lucky sharer will be $50 richer. An autographed copy of Farsighted is also up for grabs. Two chances to win with just one click! How about that?

    Thursday, Facebook sharing contest! Stop by Novel Publicity’s Facebook page and share their latest post (you’ll see the Farsighted book cover included with it). It’s ridiculously easy to win! On Friday morning, one lucky sharer will be $50 richer. An autographed copy of Farsighted is also up for grabs.

    Friday, special contest on the author’s site! Are you ready for some more fun? Take a picture of yourself with your copy of Farsighted either in paperback or on an eReading device, then post it to Emlyn Chand’s Facebook page or email a copy to author@emlynchand.com. You just way win one of three Amazon gift cards! A $100 prize will go to the photo with the most interesting setting (so put your holiday travel time to work for you). Another $50 will go the funniest photo, and one more prize of $50 will go the scariest photo—this is a paranormal YA book after all. An autographed copy of Farsighted will go to one randomly selected entrant. For more details about this contest, please visit www.emlynchand.com.

     

    Remember, it’s all about the books!

    About Farsighted: Alex Kosmitoras may be blind, but he can still “see” things others can’t. When his unwanted visions of the future begin to suggest that the girl he likes could be in danger, he has no choice but to take on destiny and demand it reconsider. Farsighted is the winner of the 2011 Dragonfly eBook Awards. Get it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

    About the Author: Emlyn Chand has always loved to hear and tell stories, having emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). When she’s not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm, Novel Publicity. Emlyn loves to connect with readers and is available throughout the social media interweb. Visit her on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.

     

    Hello 2012. Goodbye World!

    A Guest Post by Emlyn Chand

     

    The New Year is upon us. And if the Mayans were right, so is the apocalypse. Oh, man… Just when Earth was getting good.

    Well if I’m going to go by flame, flood, meteoric collision, or zombie uprising, I think it’s best to be prepared. No, not with a flame retardant unitard or a well-equipped cross bow, but with mental resolution—with a calm acceptance of humanity’s plight.

    Consider this a combo suicide note/ Dear John letter to the world. I might as well get a few final words in (just in case those Mayans knew what they were talking about). Pfffhew, here goes…

     

    Dear World,

    I wish I didn’t have to write this letter. We’ve been together some twenty-seven years, and that’s a long time. Sure, we’ve had our clashes. You’ve sent a fair share of inclement weather my way. Remember that thunder storm when the tree almost broke through the window of my apartment? I was so scared. That was totally not cool on your part. And tornados? I mean what’s that about. Control your temper!

    But I know I’ve hurt you too. I’ve been frivolous with your resources and have sometimes even—gasp—littered. I bought a V6 when I could’ve bought a hybrid. In fact, I think my carbon footprint is a size 12 at least—and that’s a size you have to special order at the shoe store. Yeah, I’m not saying I’m perfect. We all do things we regret, but Earth, you know I love you, right? That’s why it’s so difficult saying what I have to say…

    We can’t be together anymore. I’ve heard talk of a major problem. They say you’re going to die a horrific death, and since I count on you for protection, I’m gonna die too. I’d like to say we’ll be together in the next world, but do planets go to Heaven? I can’t say for certain, so I think I should say goodbye instead.

    We’ve had a good run, you and I. And I never regret having loved you. How I wish I could save us both, but who am I to interfere with an ancient prophecy?

    I’ll miss the way you spill light through my closed blinds in the early morning, gently telling me it’s time to start my day. And I’ll remember fondly the way the ground smells after a restorative rain shower—the way the pitter patter on my skin prickles like teensy weensy fingers giving me a massage, the way the earthworms come out of the ground and dance on the pavement. The songs of birds in the morning are my favorite; they always sound so happy. I wish I understood the lyrics to their upbeat symphony so that I could join in with them. And ice cream? I’ll give you credit for that, because the cows are yours, the vanilla bean is yours, the sugar is yours. The taste is magnificent! To never feel that icy sensation arouse my taste buds again is such a great shame.

    I’m tearing up now just thinking about all our good times together. I hope you’ll remember me with the same fondness. No matter what happens, I will ALWAYS love you.

    Now it’s time to say goodbye. Go out with a smile,

    Thanks for reading!

    Sarah Butland

    author of Sending You Sammy, Brain Tales – Volume One and Arm Farm

    Unlike
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