Sarah Butland » Reviews

On Writing with Eileen Schuh

Sarah Butland — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:17:34 +0000

Eileen Schuh, a fellow Canadian author, is taking over today to promote her newly released version of The Traz. Please welcome her like you would me as I’ve read The Traz and know you’ll enjoy it very much.

Welcome, Eileen, thanks for coming!

The Traz: Book 1 of the BackTracker Series, in fact the entire BackTracker Series, was written during a very low and lonely time in my life. As with many artists, I found myself keenly creative during that dark time—and slightly insane.

I felt my characters were dictating their adventures and I was merely typing their stories. I did no plotting, no researching…in fact, I seldom knew what was going to happen next and often didn’t know why things were occurring as they were. I was unaware of my characters’ secret pasts and motives, just as the others in the story were. Writing the BackTracker novels was indeed more like reading a series than writing one.
Then, of course, came the work…

It would’ve been wonderful if the characters had dictated the stories to me according to the Chicago Style Guide. I wish they’d left out the irrelevances of their lives that, although important to them, had little to do with the main theme of the book and were, well…boring and/or repetitive. I wish they’d realized that my readers would not be able to see them and their actions in their head as I could and, therefore, they needed to dictate better descriptions about the setting, themselves, and each other.

I admit, I don’t think my characters had any intention of going public with their stories—after all, there are many humbling and humiliating and outright embarrassing episodes in their lives. However, I decided to take them public and their rights to privacy fell by the wayside and I became responsible for making the stories powerful and strong…and well-written.

It’s my understanding that having discovered that readers are not harshly judging them, but rather quite liking them, Shrug, Chad, Sergeant Kindle, and the rest of the BackTracker crew have begun enjoying their time in the limelight. So much so, that Katrina, the young protagonist, even opened her own Twitter account…
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THE TRAZ is available in paperback and ebook formats and in a special School Edition that includes a Teaching Guide. Click on the following links to purchase or sample THE TRAZ

Also available from other fine online bookstores.
If THE TRAZ is not on your local bookstore or library shelves, ask for it to be ordered in for you.

Eileen Schuh is also the author of the adult Sci-Fi novella Schrödinger’s Cat

For more information on Schuh and her books visit her at:
Eileen Schuh
Her Blog
Twitter
Facebook
Facebook Fan Appreciation Page
Follow Katrina on Twitter: KatrinaBuckhold

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

Forbidden Fruit by Erica Spindler is Unforbidden

Sarah Butland — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 19:45:40 +0000

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Read it!

Starts with a hook and then seems to slow down but catches up quickly and stays fast paced.

Following a daughter of a brothel house, her mother and daughter and how everyone is connected in New Orleans or any town for that matter, Forbidden Fruit touches on relationships in a complicated way.

What would you do if you lived amongst people who sold their bodies? Would you change your name, conceal your identity and marry someone of great wealth in efforts to change yourself? Believe your first, and only, child to be a curse based on her being a female in a long line of female heritage?

What would you do if at age 30 you discovered half of who you are and were meant to be was stolen from you? By your own mother?

Forbidden Fruit answers what Lily, the madam, went through when losing her daughter because of her wicked ways. But do your controversial choices in profession change or make you evil?

See how a young boy of a murdered mother who chose a similar path as Lily faces his own demons and connects three generations of lost soles, attempting to find his own but possibly finding more.

An outstanding book by a now best-selling and such a personable author. If you haven’t read Erica Spindler make sure she’s on your to-read list.

Erica Spindler is the author of:

Thanks for reading,

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

And Now Sheryl Steines Takes Over

Sarah Butland — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 23:40:12 +0000

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Please enjoy this guest post by Sheryl Steines, author of the urban fantasy novel, The Day of First Sun. Then read on to learn how you can win huge prizes as part of this blog tour, including $450 in Amazon gift cards, a Kindle Fire, and 5 autographed copies of the book.

The Strong Female

I am always amazed to hear that, in the year 2012, women are still talking about strong female characters. It’s funny that we’re always surprised when one comes along. Even in Hollywood, actresses still can’t find roles to sink their teeth into. As a reader, I look for characters that I can relate to in some way; a character who is more than a damsel in distress but less than an unfeeling, mean, witch. I’m putting it gently, but I’m looking for someone, who when facing a problem, doesn’t necessarily need a man to bail her out–a woman who can take care of herself in spite of her vulnerabilities. Because in reality, women are multi-layered and complex. We don’t fall to one end of an extreme or the other.

When I was younger, I started reading Danielle Steele, but I couldn’t read her for long. Her female characters were far too needy and always put themselves in a position of requiring a savior. Even as a child, I couldn’t help but wonder why these characters always needed a man to improve their lives. Why couldn’t they simply take care of themselves? It seemed as though female characters fell into two camps, and only two. They were either villains, witches, someone to be hated and despised, or they were weak, pathetic, your classic damsels in distress. Why is fiction lacking real women, women who can simply be human and celebrate all that they are?

As I got older, I found myself drawn to shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I saw in Buffy a strong character. Yes, she could kick ass, kill the vampires and fight the demons. She also had a brain, could plan, and could save the world each week. But she wasn’t uni-dimensional. She also has a side that liked clothes, shoes and boys, a side that was feminine, a little vulnerable; a side that, okay, sometimes needed to be saved. She was a complex female character, real and human, a character with whom I could definitely relate.

The strong female character isn’t a caricature or stereotype. She’s not a total wimp like Snow White, and she’s not a total monster like the evil queen. She falls somewhere in the middle. She’s reactive, emotional, human, sexual, confident and sometimes unsure of herself.

When I originally wrote my character Annie Pearce in The Day of First Sun, I wrote her as a no-nonsense person, strong and smart, the girl who could survive on her own. But she didn’t feel genuine. As the story unfolded and changed, I rewrote her, gave her friends and family with whom she could interact. I gave her feelings, gave her stress. I let the other characters take charge once in awhile and offer some support. I melded two halves into one woman–a strong woman, who can take care of herself and ask for help when necessary. We’re not perfect, so why should our characters be? Instead, why can’t we make them simply authentic?

Charlize Theron made a really compelling comment regarding her character in the movie Young Adult. She said, “Women are usually either really good prostitutes or really good mothers. Maybe women are finally getting the chance to play more honest characters,” Theron said. “We usually don’t get to play bad hookers or bad mothers — or anything in between.”

Maybe it’s time to be a little more real and a little more honest.

As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of the Day of First Sun 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. The prizes include $450 in Amazon gift cards, a Kindle Fire, and 5 autographed copies of the book.

All the info you need to win one of these amazing prizes is RIGHT HERE. Remember, winning is as easy as clicking a button or leaving a blog comment–easy to enter; easy to win!

To win the prizes:

Purchase your copy of The Day of First Sun for just 99 cents
Fill-out the simple form on Novel Publicity
Visit today’s featured social media event

Help my blog win:

The tour blogger who receives the most votes in the traffic-breaker poll will win a $100 gift card. When you visit Novel Publicity’s site to fill-out the contest entry form, don’t forget to VOTE FOR ME.

About the book: A vampire, a rogue wizard and an army of soulless zombies are par for the course for Annie Pearce and Bobby “Cham” Chamsky of the Wizard’s Guard. But when the non-magical princess, Amelie of Amborix, is murdered by magical means, a deeper plot unfolds. Get it on Amazon.

About the author: Behind the wheel of her ’66 Mustang Convertible, Sheryl is a constant surprise, using her sense of humor and relatable style make her books something everyone can enjoy. Visit Sheryl on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.

Thank you for reading and thanks to Sheryl for writing today’s blog,

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

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Meet Sheryl Steines, Author of The Day of First Sun

Sarah Butland — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:09:25 +0000

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Please enjoy this interview with Sheryl Steines, author of the urban fantasy novel, The Day of First Sun. Then read on to learn how you can win huge prizes as part of this blog tour, including $450 in Amazon gift cards, a Kindle Fire, and 5 autographed copies of the book.

If you could travel in a time machine, would you go back to the past or into the future?

I would go to the past, meet famous people, see history as it happened. I’d be afraid to go to the future. I’m not sure I really want to know when I die.

If you could jump into a book, and live in that world, which would it be?

This might be to expected, but I would love to live at Hogwarts, stroll through Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, play with all the magical stuff, and visit the Weasleys at their house. I saw the Harry Potter exhibit at the museum a few years ago, and it just seemed so fun.

If a movie was made about your life, who would you want to play the lead role and why?

Sandra Bullock. Since she became a movie star, people all over the place tell me I look like her. She’s also funny. I can only imagine how much more interesting and funny my life would be if she were the lead.

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I always knew I wanted to be a writer. There were times that I thought I wanted to be an interior decorator, but in the end, I was always much happier writing and creating.

Who are your favorite authors of all time?

I have two. The first would be Stephen King. I was always amazed by the detail and imagination he used in his books, especially the earliest books. I watched him on an interview many years ago and he was talking about the things he was afraid of, one of which was sleeping with his feet outside the covers at night. He would always cover his feet so that the monsters under the bed wouldn’t get him. I laughed so hard because I do the same thing. J.K. Rowling is also a favorite. Her life story and Harry Potter reminded me that I wanted to be a writer when I was seven. She reminded me of the genre that I loved. It got me thinking about what stories intrigued me. I watched her interview on Oprah and cried through the entire thing. It got me thinking of ways to take my personal experiences and hide them in the fantasy world.

What do you do in your free time?

I read, a lot. In the winter, I spend time at museums and go shopping. In the summer, I love to go to flea markets. You could never have too many fleas. I love to travel. I spend most of the summer driving my 1966 Mustang convertible.

What is your guilty pleasure?

I’m a huge fan of Ninja Warrior. Yeah, the Japanese obstacle course. On one side, it’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen. On the other side of it, the obstacles are so challenging, and the participants are so revered for making it through each stage that it is a huge honor to win.

Favorite places to travel?

I love Europe, London being my favorite city. I’ve been to Scotland, France, Italy, Germany and Austria. The Austrian/German Alps are some of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen.

Favorite way to spend a rainy day?

In front of the television watching my favorite movies. Who doesn’t love Ferris Buehler’s Day Off and Sixteen Candles.

If you could have a superpower, what would you choose?

Telekinesis! Then I could clean my house without actually having to do anything.

All the info you need to win one of these amazing prizes is RIGHT HERE. Remember, winning is as easy as clicking a button or leaving a blog comment–easy to enter; easy to win!

To win the prizes:

Purchase your copy of The Day of First Sun for just 99 cents
Fill-out the simple form on Novel Publicity
Visit today’s featured social media event

Help my blog win:

Thanks for reading,

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

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A Deeper Darkness by J.T. Ellison

Sarah Butland — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:20:02 +0000

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Wow! This book had me rushing through to see who did it while taking my time to enjoy every morsel of brilliance. As a writer myself I expect a book, every book, to have a spelling error, grammatical error or typo of some sort, and this “uncorrected” advanced copy was positively impressive.

A Deeper Darkness takes the reader between difference characters but in a seamless way that only adds value to the story and made me keep reading to get back to some of my most loved characters to see if their secrets were revealed. I admit, I had my suspicions early on of who was committing the crimes but there were so many other mysteries entwined that it didn’t matter if I was right or wrong with this one aspect.

J.T. Ellison’s story followed the lives of soldiers who recently returned from war and were re-establishing life on their home land, finally able to enjoy their lives and family while still having freedom and protection on their mind. Although I sympathize with every soldier and family member of a solider I am not that close to anyone who has served but this story gave me real insight of the emotional hurricane such a situation can cause. The story left me wanting more and yet concluded in a way that left nothing unanswered, except, of course, what’s next.

Romance, mystery, thrills, A Deeper Darkness has it all and written so well I was addicted to it from the very first scene and trust you will be, too.

Thanks for reading,

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

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Romance Author Tells the Truth, At Least What’s Remembered As True

Sarah Butland — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 04:00:19 +0000

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You Never Have to Remember the Truth: The Nick Gugliatto Story by Dominic Gugliatto and Kelly Moran

I’ve read Kelly‘s fictional work and thoroughly enjoyed it but was skeptical when she told me she was writing a biography. I was also worried that I knew nothing of Nick Gugliatto I needed to know to understand it. I shouldn’t have been.

Kelly Moran composed Nick’s story so simply and with compassion that I feel into it immediately. Never hearing of Lawrencia Bembenek’s case I honestly trusted justice and thought her guilty as she was convicted of murder in 1981. Nick, I assumed to be one-sided, a foolish man who helped a convict escape and should be punished till death for it. He will be, in a way, just not behind bars.

Moran helped me realize how true it is that there are many sides to every story by sharing Nick’s or now Dominic’s story of trust, compassion, mistakes and regrets in a way that had me wondering just how corrupt a system can be.

Yes, Nick was guilty of helping a convicted murdered escape but the waves and droughts amidst this tale should make any sane, law-biding citizen wonder what really goes on inside sealed briefcases and the heads of those we trust to serve us well.

Thanks for reading,

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

Recession Proof by Jason Lawson

Sarah Butland — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:14:28 +0000

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This book is proof that humour can still be had in a world enduring financial hardship and it was the laughter I needed the weekend I read it. Seriously, Recession Proof helped me escape some of the turmoil of being exhausted and having a sick child to care for.

While in the emergency room I needed some relief and way to keep my eyes open and I began Jason’s novel hoping for a distraction. Well, I immediately fell in love with Frankie and Mortimer and wondered about Amanda. We all have Jason’s characters in our lives and it was interesting to relate them to who we know personally.

Although there were some editing issues within this story I was able to easily overlook them as the content was fast paced and something different. Comedic and wise without forcing humour or intelligence, Recession Proof is a must read for any person at any time in their life.

Recession Proof may be happening in your town or city but so is laughter – what would you rather catch?

And of course it’s awesome that Jason Lawson is an author from New Brunswick, Canada like myself.

Thanks for reading and be sure to check this book out for a light and funny read.

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

Deadly Secrets by Terry Odell

Sarah Butland — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:51:05 +0000

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Facebook has been an amazing way for me to meet and learn from new authors. Most recently, I connected with Terry Odell and am so very grateful for the opportunity.

2012 is my year for writing and making a name for myself so I’m honoured to start it off with my review of Terry Odell’s mystery novel – Deadly Secrets (Mapleton Mystery).

Her first “true” mystery after many well-received romance novels, Deadly Secrets (Mapleton Mystery) tells the story of several characters in a beautiful way that doesn’t have the reader confused. Switching from Megan’s vacation and return home to Chief Gordon’s search for the criminal and then his feelings for Angie, Justin’s story is the one I actually connected with most. Mixed with all of them was Oma and Opa and their sordid past that they never discussed.

My connection to Deadly Secrets (Mapleton Mystery) first came with the introduction of Oma and Opa as I have grandparents from Holland who went by that. Although this Oma and Opa came to America from Germany their stories were interesting, offering the same comfort as my own grandparents.

But Justin went through some life changes, struggled with expectations and being the outcast but came out on top, or so it seems. His story of overcoming personal grievances and being accepted for what he had to offer made me root for him and his innocence but you’ll have to read it yourself to know who he actually turned out to be.

A must read for any mystery fan!

Thanks for reading,

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

PS: Stay tuned for my interview with Terry in the coming weeks!

Farsighted by Emlyn Chand

Sarah Butland — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 01:39:31 +0000

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Farsighted is brilliant in that it had me understanding what it was like to be without sight! While I was reading it I stumbled over a few paragraphs as it seemed I was trying to find instances where this author slipped and was truly impressed when I didn’t find even one example!

Not reading anything about this book prior to diving in I was welcomed by wonderfully warm water in both the character end and the plot side. I related mostly to Alex, even though I have my first sight and that alone, as I was transferred to a new school mid-way through the year and felt blind by all the possibilities. Only Alex had a cane for guidance and luckily enough, for protection.

Perfect read for teenagers, both male and female, it’s also relevant to adult readers of almost any type.

Farsighted

The mystique of the fortune telling, the psychic powers, seeing into the future, all seemed like a subplot to me. A way to spin the tale of a “special” boy who was special in so many ways people were blind to.

Written expertly in present tense impressed me as well as I often struggle with staying in that tense. Emlyn Chand is certainly an author to keep an eye on, whether you’re using your first or second sight.

Thanks for reading,

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

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My Review of In Leah’s Wake by Terri A. Giuliano Long

Sarah Butland — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 12:50:04 +0000

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Although I found In Leah’s Wake slow to get into the brilliance in the heartbreaking window pulled at my heartstrings and kept me reading. Further into the book these situations got closer together and ever more hauntingly real.

Although I haven’t ever been in Leah’s position I’ve felt like she did many times and her sister Justine, in many ways, was me.

In Leah’s Wake follows a family who could be your neighbour, your friend, or you as two loving parents question their child-raising decisions as when their oldest turns 16 it seems everything they knew about their life alludes them. A soccer pro in the making, Leah excels at school and knows right from wrong until she falls madly in love with the wrong type of guy.

You’ve been there. Thinking you had your life together and then you fall in love.

Fall in love with In Leah’s Wake, then hate it and love it again for all it reveals about yourself, your decision and the cause and effect of all you do.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

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

Sarah Butland » Reviews

On Writing with Eileen Schuh

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Forbidden Fruit by Erica Spindler is Unforbidden

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And Now Sheryl Steines Takes Over

The Strong Female

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Meet Sheryl Steines, Author of The Day of First Sun

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A Deeper Darkness by J.T. Ellison

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Romance Author Tells the Truth, At Least What’s Remembered As True

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Recession Proof by Jason Lawson

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Deadly Secrets by Terry Odell

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Farsighted by Emlyn Chand

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