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	<title>Sarah Butland</title>
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	<link>http://sarahbutland.com/blog</link>
	<description>For Writers, For Readers, For You</description>
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		<title>No Excuses &#8211; We&#8217;re Going To Fly!</title>
		<link>http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/02/03/no-excuses-were-going-to-fly/</link>
		<comments>http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/02/03/no-excuses-were-going-to-fly/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:37:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah Butland</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[If I Had a Column]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://sarahbutland.com/blog/?p=1606</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tweet This! Blog this on Blogger Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on Facebook Share this on LinkedIn Get Shareaholic 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 <a href='http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/02/03/no-excuses-were-going-to-fly/'>[...]</a>]]></description>
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<p>Are you too tired to think?<br />
Have the sniffles<br />
A lunch date?<br />
Books to read?</p>
<p>We all do. At one time or another we could fill a book with excuses as to why we didn&#8217;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 <a href="http://paulbrandt.com/">Paul Brandt&#8217;s</a> song <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqQnmeTAVRU">I&#8217;m Gonna Fly</a>.</p>
<p>I know, I hear your groans and laughter. It is a country song, a country singer and yes, I admit I enjoy some country &#8211; 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 <a href="http://www.worldvision.ca/Pages/welcome.aspx">World Vision</a>.</p>
<p>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&#8217;m able to go see him and support this wonderful cause.</p>
<p>So as his song I&#8217;m Gonna Fly says&#8230; </p>
<p>I&#8217;m gonna fly<br />
defy space and gravity<br />
I&#8217;m gonna fly<br />
Makin&#8217; my own destiny</p>
<p>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!</p>
<p>So now it&#8217;s your turn to fly, to defy space and gravity and make your own destiny. Whether you&#8217;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.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading,</p>
<p>Sarah Butland </p>
<p>PS: Don&#8217;t hesitate, never procrastinate &#8211; get it done! </p>
<p>For information on how you can adopt a child and Be the Difference &#8211; For Children, For Change, For Life visit <a href="http://www.worldvision.ca/Pages/welcome.aspx">World Vision</a> right now! </p>
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		<title>Family Literacy Day in Canada</title>
		<link>http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/27/family-literacy-day-in-canada/</link>
		<comments>http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/27/family-literacy-day-in-canada/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:40:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah Butland</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[If I Had a Column]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Tweet This! Blog this on Blogger Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on Facebook Share this on LinkedIn Get Shareaholic Being Canadian is important to me for so many reasons, one of which being January 27th as it&#8217;s a day we mark to celebrate literacy and all it&#8217;s worth. Being a writer <a href='http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/27/family-literacy-day-in-canada/'>[...]</a>]]></description>
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<p>Being Canadian is important to me for so many reasons, one of which being January 27th as it&#8217;s a day we mark to celebrate literacy and all it&#8217;s worth.</p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>In this information age where people were outraged by the idea of SOPA passing in the US it&#8217;s important we all realize not all of us can access information as easily as we should.</p>
<p>Tomorrow I&#8217;ll be taking my son and a friend with his mother to the local Riverview, New Brunswick library to hear the local mayor &#8211; Mayor Clarence Sweetland read stories in celebration of the written word.</p>
<p>Saturday morning we plan to continue the celebrations as I attend a writer&#8217;s group and my son and husband join others to hear <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.ca/mn/search/?_encoding=UTF8&#038;search-alias=books-ca&#038;tag=ices-20&#038;linkCode=ur2&#038;camp=15121&#038;creative=390961&#038;field-author=Robert%20N.%20Munsch">Robert Munsch</a><img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.ca/e/ir?t=ices-20&#038;l=ur2&#038;o=15" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> tell stories on a big screen.</p>
<p>Other Canadian authors to celebrate include myself, of course, </p>
<div id="attachment_1604" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Sending-You-Sammy-Splash.jpg"><img src="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Sending-You-Sammy-Splash-300x300.jpg" alt="" title="Sending You Sammy" width="300" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-1604" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Canadian authors are magical when it comes to literacy! Support your local author today and every day. </p></div>
<p>as well as 10 listed below:</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.ca/mn/search/?_encoding=UTF8&#038;x=0&#038;tag=ices-20&#038;linkCode=ur2&#038;y=0&#038;camp=15121&#038;creative=390961&#038;field-keywords=sheree%20fitch&#038;url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&#038;sprefix=sheree%20%2Cstripbooks%2C215">Sheree Fitch</a><img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.ca/e/ir?t=ices-20&#038;l=ur2&#038;o=15" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /><br />
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.ca/mn/search/?_encoding=UTF8&#038;search-alias=books-ca&#038;tag=ices-20&#038;linkCode=ur2&#038;camp=15121&#038;creative=390961&#038;field-author=Leonard%20Cohen">Leonard Cohen</a><img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.ca/e/ir?t=ices-20&#038;l=ur2&#038;o=15" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1897231946/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=ices-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=15121&#038;creative=390961&#038;creativeASIN=1897231946">Alexander MacLeod</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.ca/e/ir?t=ices-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=15&#038;a=1897231946" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1550812653/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=ices-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=15121&#038;creative=390961&#038;creativeASIN=1550812653">Chad Pelley</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.ca/e/ir?t=ices-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=15&#038;a=1550812653" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0864926243/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=ices-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=15121&#038;creative=390961&#038;creativeASIN=0864926243">Deborah Carr</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.ca/e/ir?t=ices-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=15&#038;a=0864926243" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1551098652/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=ices-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=15121&#038;creative=390961&#038;creativeASIN=1551098652">Wendy Kitts</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.ca/e/ir?t=ices-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=15&#038;a=1551098652" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0986763322/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=ices-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=15121&#038;creative=390961&#038;creativeASIN=0986763322">Karen Dales</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.ca/e/ir?t=ices-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=15&#038;a=0986763322" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006R6BDHU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=B006R6BDHU">Jason Lawson</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B006R6BDHU" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051HHV9U/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=B0051HHV9U">Jean Mills</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B0051HHV9U" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;"<br />
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/mn/search/?_encoding=UTF8&#038;keywords=A.%20F.%20Stewart&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;field-contributor_id=B00653FUOW&#038;linkCode=ur2&#038;qid=1327642236&#038;camp=1789&#038;sr=1-2-ent&#038;creative=390957&#038;rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Ck%3AA.%20F.%20Stewart">A.F. Stewart</a><img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=ur2&#038;o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></p>
<p>As always, thanks for reading and celebrating literacy with me and these Canadian authors every day!</p>
<p>Sarah Butland</p>
<div id="crp_related"><h3>Related Posts:</h3><ul><li><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2011/12/16/my-review-of-in-leahs-wake-by-terri-a-giuliano-long/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">My Review of In Leah&#8217;s Wake by Terri A. Giuliano Long</a></li><li><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2011/05/04/big-burn-by-canadian-author-lesley-choyce/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">Big Burn by Canadian Author Lesley Choyce</a></li><li><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2011/03/28/kiss-the-joy-as-it-flies-by-sheree-fitch/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">Kiss the Joy As It Flies by Sheree Fitch</a></li><li><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/02/deadly-secrets-by-terry-odell/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">Deadly Secrets by Terry Odell</a></li><li><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2011/05/01/the-sentimentalists-by-johanna-skibsrud/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">The Sentimentalists by Johanna Skibsrud</a></li></ul></div>

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		<title>Are You Committed? 5 Ways to Tell</title>
		<link>http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/20/are-you-committed-5-ways-to-tell/</link>
		<comments>http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/20/are-you-committed-5-ways-to-tell/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:24:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah Butland</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[If I Had a Column]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Tweet This! Blog this on Blogger Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on Facebook Share this on LinkedIn Get Shareaholic 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&#8217;s not enough to find it, <a href='http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/20/are-you-committed-5-ways-to-tell/'>[...]</a>]]></description>
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<p>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&#8217;s not enough to find it, a lot of us have to live it. And if we&#8217;re told we can&#8217;t due to a concussion, disability, etc it can be painful, debilitating or a challenge we&#8217;re born to overcome.</p>
<p>And even though you may have already gotten monetarily rich from doing what you love it doesn&#8217;t mean you need to stop enjoying life by doing what you want.</p>
<p>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&#8217;re determined enough to give it all you have.</p>
<ol>
<li>You make time, not excuses.</li>
<li>You do at least one activity daily that involves your passion.</li>
<li>It&#8217;s all you think about and still doesn&#8217;t drive you nuts.</li>
<li>You soon find yourself befriending more people with similar aspirations who are doing something with them.</li>
<li>Although you control when and how you take advantage of living your dream, the dream still controls you.</li>
</ol>
<p>So I ask you &#8211; do you know what you were born to do, are you doing it and how committed are you?</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re not doing it now &#8211; stop reading and get back at it! Actually, just one more thing&#8230;</p>
<p>Thanks for reading,</p>
<p>Sarah Butland</p>
<p>author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978123808/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=0978123808">Sending You Sammy</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=0978123808" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0981159206/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=0981159206">Brain Tales &#8211; Volume One</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=0981159206" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0981159214/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=0981159214">Arm Farm</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=0981159214" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></p>
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		<title>Growing the Arm Farm</title>
		<link>http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/13/growing-the-arm-farm/</link>
		<comments>http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/13/growing-the-arm-farm/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:34:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah Butland</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[If I Had a Column]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Tweet This! Blog this on Blogger Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on Facebook Share this on LinkedIn Get Shareaholic 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 <a href='http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/13/growing-the-arm-farm/'>[...]</a>]]></description>
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<p>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.</p>
<p>The seed to how this all came to be: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1582973555/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=1582973555">The Write-Brain Workbook: 366 Exercises to Liberate Your Writing</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=1582973555" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></p>
<p>The water: each word I dropped to the page</p>
<p>Sunlight: you, my fans and future fans.</p>
<p>Take Hannah from UK for example:<br />
<a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Hannah-with-Arm-Farm-e1326493528241.jpg"><img src="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Hannah-with-Arm-Farm-e1326493528241-225x300.jpg" alt="" title="Hannah with Arm Farm" width="225" height="300" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1547" /></a></p>
<p>She found herself lucky to be one of Arm Farm&#8217;s first reader&#8217;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 &#8211; Volume One through my friend <a href="http://www.authorkellymoran.com/">Kelly Moran&#8217;s</a> website giveaway site and have been friends ever since.</p>
<p>But I&#8217;m getting a head of myself and want to tell you how <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1582973555/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=1582973555">The Write-Brain Workbook: 366 Exercises to Liberate Your Writing</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=1582973555" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> planted the seed. </p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>And so Natalie Hartman was born and I was thrilled to get it in print and now ebook form for all to enjoy.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading,</p>
<p>Sarah Butland</p>
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		<title>Meet Terry Odell, Author of recently Reviewed Deadly Secrets</title>
		<link>http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/10/meet-terry-odell-author-of-recently-reviewed-deadly-secrets/</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:41:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah Butland</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[Tweet This! Blog this on Blogger Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on Facebook Share this on LinkedIn Get Shareaholic 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&#8217;t realize I was about to <a href='http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/10/meet-terry-odell-author-of-recently-reviewed-deadly-secrets/'>[...]</a>]]></description>
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<p><strong>I met <a href="http://www.terryodell.com">Terry</a> through her offer of a review ebook copy of Deadly Secrets on Facebook which both taught us a lot. In my haste I didn&#8217;t realize I was about to accept the Barnes and Noble Nook &#8220;gift&#8221; 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.</p>
<p>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 &#8220;fix&#8221; stories so the characters did what she wanted, in books, television, and the movies. Once she began writing, she found this wasn&#8217;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&#8217;s in a Name? The first book in her new Mapleton Mystery series, Deadly Secrets, is now available from most e-tailers. </strong></p>
<p><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Terry-Odell.jpg"><img src="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Terry-Odell-229x300.jpg" alt="" title="Terry Odell" width="229" height="300" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1515" /></a></p>
<p>Thanks, Sarah, for inviting me to your blog. </p>
<p><em>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?</em></p>
<p>I have to be honest. I stopped watching much television. I&#8217;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&#8217;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&#8217;ve been so busy writing my own books with my own characters that I rarely think of &#8220;fixing&#8221; these anymore.</p>
<p><em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006HHWBK2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=B006HHWBK2">Deadly Secrets (Mapleton Mystery)</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B006HHWBK2" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> certainly is a mystery but with a touch of romance. Do you think you&#8217;ll always include a love story or two in your stories?</em></p>
<p>Most certainly. The only stories I&#8217;ve written without romantic elements were police procedural short stories, where a veteran cop does pair up with a female rookie, but there&#8217;s no relationship. I imagine if I continue that series, I&#8217;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&#8217;re expected to wrap up the relationship at the end of the book (but I didn&#8217;t care about that rule, so I brought Randy and Sarah back as the protagonists in Hidden Fire, even though they&#8217;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&#8217;ll be revisiting Gordon and Angie, and even Megan and Justin in future Mapleton Mysteries.</p>
<p><em>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?</em></p>
<p>I have an older son. He doesn&#8217;t read my books, although he did the cover for What&#8217;s in a Name? and designed my original website, and takes my head shots. He&#8217;s an accomplished photographer. As for my daughters loving my writing…they wouldn&#8217;t dare say otherwise. I just assume they&#8217;re being honest.</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006HHWBK2/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=B006HHWBK2"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&#038;Format=_SL110_&#038;ASIN=B006HHWBK2&#038;MarketPlace=US&#038;ID=AsinImage&#038;WS=1&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;ServiceVersion=20070822" ></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B006HHWBK2" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></center></p>
<p><em>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?</em></p>
<p>They&#8217;re afraid of being sued. Some companies don&#8217;t want their products mentioned or associated with books for whatever reason. </p>
<p><em>On a side note, I read in writer&#8217;s magazine (<a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/">Writer&#8217;s Digest</a>) that branding was ok as long 	as it wasn&#8217;t slander. If you&#8217;re using something like “the character drank Pepsi and loved it!” &#8211; permission isn&#8217;t needed.</em></p>
<p>Again, that&#8217;s the publisher&#8217;s decision. Clearly, they&#8217;ll never let you say something bad about a product, but they make the rules, since they&#8217;re publishing the book and would be held liable.</p>
<p><em>Speaking of your blog, you seem to update very regularly; how do you find the time?</em></p>
<p>I make the time. And I really don&#8217;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&#8217;s another way to get into the writing groove, especially if work on my WIP has hit a wall.</p>
<p><em>Since Facebook, do you find you&#8217;re finding more fans or simply discovering new authors to read?</em></p>
<p>I&#8217;m finding authors, and I certainly hope some of them are finding me. But realistically, I&#8217;m sure it’s a tiny fraction of my Facebook &#8220;friends&#8221; who actually go out and buy my books. </p>
<p><em>I love your “Behind the Scenes” idea where you discuss how you came up with your idea&#8217;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?</em></p>
<p>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&#8217;s story. But then Gordon Hepler showed up (and he&#8217;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. </p>
<p><em>Terry, do you prefer reading the best selling author you love or discovering a new-to-you author who&#8217;s book you can&#8217;t put down?</em></p>
<p>Yes.</p>
<p><em>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?</em></p>
<p>No, I don&#8217;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&#8217;t gotten around to reading it yet, or if they&#8217;ve posted their review on their own site and didn&#8217;t tell me, or if they didn&#8217;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&#8217;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&#8217;re humongous best-sellers. As a writer, it&#8217;s hard to turn off the internal editor, so things that don&#8217;t bother a &#8220;non-writer-reader&#8221; often bug the heck out of me. </p>
<p><em>And lastly, is there a question you always wanted to answer in an interview but never been asked? </em></p>
<p>Sure. What&#8217;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&#8217;ve enjoyed a book. As a reader, the nicest thing you can do for an author is to let them know they&#8217;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. </p>
<p>As always, thanks for reading, and be sure to keep reading to enjoy some extra goodies and/or get in touch with Terry directly,</p>
<p>Website: http://www.terryodell.com<br />
Blog: Terry&#8217;s Place: http://terryodell.blogspot.com<br />
Twitter: @authorterryo<br />
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/terry.odell<br />
Buylinks: http://www.backlistebooks.com/author/terry-odell/</p>
<p>Blurb:<br />
Mapleton, Colorado&#8217;s police chief, Gordon Hepler, would rather be on the streets than behind a desk, but he promised his late mentor he&#8217;d accept the position. And to Gordon, a promise is a promise, even if the person you made it to isn&#8217;t around anymore. However, doubts creep in, and he wonders if he was shoved into the job because his mentor thought he couldn&#8217;t cut it on the streets. <br />
Everything changes when a fatal traffic accident well outside Mapleton seems connected to the elderly Rose and Sam Kretzer, two of Mapleton&#8217;s most beloved citizens. When Gordon ties the car accident to a grisly murder in Mapleton—the first anyone in town can remember—he&#8217;s afraid he&#8217;s into more than he bargained for. <br />
The arrival of Megan, the Kretzers grown godchild, and Justin, their grandson, add to Gordon&#8217;s troubles when Megan is mugged and someone breaks in and ransacks the Kretzers&#8217; home. Gordon&#8217;s fears that he&#8217;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? </p>
<p>Excerpt:<br />
Gordon stood inside the doorway, taking in the scene, finding the detachment needed to keep from smashing his fist through the wall.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>He took three deep breaths, counted to ten, and called out to Doc Evans, who doubled as the city coroner.</p>
<p>Doc straightened from his crouch next to the body. &#8220;She&#8217;s been murdered.&#8221;</p>
<p>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.</p>
<div id="crp_related"><h3>Related Posts:</h3><ul><li><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/02/deadly-secrets-by-terry-odell/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">Deadly Secrets by Terry Odell</a></li><li><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2011/05/10/meet-a-f-stewart-author-of-fantasy/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">Meet A. F. Stewart, Author of Fantasy</a></li><li><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/13/growing-the-arm-farm/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">Growing the Arm Farm</a></li><li><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2011/11/15/meet-uk-author-lynne-north/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">Meet UK Author Lynne North</a></li><li><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/03/meet-new-brunswick-author-jason-lawson/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">Meet New Brunswick Author Jason Lawson</a></li></ul></div>

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		<title>National Letter Writing Week!</title>
		<link>http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/08/national-letter-writing-week/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 08 Jan 2012 02:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah Butland</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[Tweet This! Blog this on Blogger Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on Facebook Share this on LinkedIn Get Shareaholic 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 <a href='http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/08/national-letter-writing-week/'>[...]</a>]]></description>
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<p>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&#8217;ll give 5.</p>
<p>1) Everyone loves receiving something in their mailbox other than a bill &#8211; especially right after Christmas.<br />
2) It gets you writing!<br />
3) It gets your receiver reading!<br />
4) It has them thinking of you unexpectedly and that is good for anyone&#8217;s spirit.<br />
5) Revives the postal service. We&#8217;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?)</p>
<p>Oh, and 6!</p>
<p>It only takes a minute or two to write and another to send but lasts at least a day! </p>
<p>Make it even easier and spread the word of literacy through my <a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/fill-in-the-blank-letters/">Fill in the Blank Letters</a> and send an extra one to ensure you receive a reply! </p>
<p>Come on&#8230; how many chain emails do you receive now with 20 addresses shared with everyone? Ensure your address doesn&#8217;t get to a stranger this year by only sending to one person and make it extra special! </p>
<p>You&#8217;d love to receive a handwritten letter, wouldn&#8217;t you?</p>
<p>Thanks for reading and in advance for writing,</p>
<p>Sarah Butland<br />
author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978123808/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=0978123808">Sending You Sammy</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=0978123808" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0981159206/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=0981159206">Brain Tales &#8211; Volume One</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=0981159206" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0981159214/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=0981159214">Arm Farm</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=0981159214" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></p>
<div id="crp_related"><h3>Related Posts:</h3><ul><li><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/20/are-you-committed-5-ways-to-tell/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">Are You Committed? 5 Ways to Tell</a></li><li><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2011/12/30/farsighted-by-emlyn-chand/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">Farsighted by Emlyn Chand</a></li><li><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/02/deadly-secrets-by-terry-odell/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">Deadly Secrets by Terry Odell</a></li><li><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/06/karma-does-it-exist/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">Karma &#8211; Does It Exist?</a></li><li><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2011/10/07/impulse-buying/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">Impulse Buying</a></li></ul></div>

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		<title>Karma &#8211; Does It Exist?</title>
		<link>http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/06/karma-does-it-exist/</link>
		<comments>http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/06/karma-does-it-exist/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:25:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah Butland</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[If I Had a Column]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://sarahbutland.com/blog/?p=1463</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tweet This! Blog this on Blogger Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on Facebook Share this on LinkedIn Get Shareaholic Karma by any other name sounds complicated but it all comes down to ensuring that you&#8217;re doing something good for the sake of doing something good. There&#8217;s been a debate, for years, <a href='http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/06/karma-does-it-exist/'>[...]</a>]]></description>
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<p>Karma by any other name sounds complicated but it all comes down to ensuring that you&#8217;re doing something good for the sake of doing something good.</p>
<p>There&#8217;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. </p>
<p>I&#8217;m a true believer in the law of attraction or &#8220;the secret&#8221; as many of you know it by, even if I don&#8217;t always follow it as closely as I should. This is the same principal as karma in that what you put out you&#8217;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. </p>
<p>You reap what you sew and I&#8217;ve been sewing a lot without obvious return. Some could even say, as I do, that I&#8217;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.</p>
<p>For example, I&#8217;ve recently bought a book, which wasn&#8217;t the recently launched and discussed Jason Lawson&#8217;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&#8217;d be untruthful if I didn&#8217;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&#8217;s more to the story that I won&#8217;t include here.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts,</p>
<p>Sarah Butland<br />
author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978123808/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=0978123808">Sending You Sammy</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=0978123808" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0981159206/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=0981159206">Brain Tales &#8211; Volume One</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=0981159206" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0981159214/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=0981159214">Arm Farm</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=0981159214" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
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		<title>Meet New Brunswick Author Jason Lawson</title>
		<link>http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/03/meet-new-brunswick-author-jason-lawson/</link>
		<comments>http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/03/meet-new-brunswick-author-jason-lawson/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:41:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah Butland</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[AuthorInterviews]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Tweet This! Blog this on Blogger Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on Facebook Share this on LinkedIn Get Shareaholic Jason Lawson is a fellow New Brunswick author who recently launched his first novel &#8211; Recession Proof &#8211; as an ebook. What better way to start off a year than launching your <a href='http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/03/meet-new-brunswick-author-jason-lawson/'>[...]</a>]]></description>
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<p>Jason Lawson is a fellow New Brunswick author who recently launched his first novel &#8211; <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006R6BDHU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=B006R6BDHU">Recession Proof</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B006R6BDHU" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> &#8211; 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?</p>
<p>I&#8217;m honoured to introduce you to my first 2012 author, especially since he&#8217;s a Canadian author, Jason Lawson!!</p>
<p>Welcome, Jason, and thanks for answering these questions so quickly.</p>
<p><em>You recently launched <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006R6BDHU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=B006R6BDHU">Recession Proof</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B006R6BDHU" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> on Amazon, how does that make you feel??? Where do you plan to go from here?</em></p>
<p>I have mixed emotions about the whole thing. I&#8217;d hoped to get a book deal and almost did&#8230; 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&#8217;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!</p>
<p><em>Why such unusual male names for your characters and an usual female name? Any history behind each choice?</em></p>
<p>I wanted the main character&#8217;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.<br />
<em><br />
Do you plan to have this available in print so you can sign your first autograph on your first novel?</em></p>
<p>I&#8217;d love to at some point. I guess that will depend on how strong the sales are of the ebook version.</p>
<p><em>When did you figure out that you loved writing so much and enjoyed having an audience?</em></p>
<p>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&#8217;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 &#8220;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006R6BDHU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=B006R6BDHU">Recession Proof</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B006R6BDHU" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />.&#8221;</p>
<p><em>A writer, blogger, funny man, father&#8230; who IS Jason Lawson and why is it so difficult to find your history?</em></p>
<p>I used to be a farmer but I gave it up cause I was making so much money, the income taxes were killing me&#8230;.okay that&#8217;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&#8217;re all characters. I&#8217;m just the only one who writes stuff down. They&#8217;re very supportive of my writing and I usually run anything new by them first.</p>
<p><em>You received an Honourable Mention through the Writer&#8217;s Federation of NB last year with “<a href="http://commuterlit.com/contributing-authors/lawson-jason-2/">The Date</a>”, an excerpt I discovered, from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006R6BDHU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=B006R6BDHU">Recession Proof</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B006R6BDHU" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />. 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?</em></p>
<p>The novel &#8220;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006R6BDHU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=B006R6BDHU">Recession Proof</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B006R6BDHU" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />&#8221; 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&#8217;d find myself laughing at it, which I found strange until I read a quote; &#8220;No tears for author, no tears for the reader.&#8221; Then I didn&#8217;t feel quite so nuts&#8230; I have a few short stories that are just that, short stories. Maybe they&#8217;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.</p>
<p>You work for <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/radio/">CBC Radio</a> New Brunswick as a writer, how does working behind the scene&#8217;s with other writer&#8217;s help you?</p>
<p>There&#8217;s nothing better than sitting down with another writer and getting their view on things, their advice. There&#8217;s always something to learn. Everyone who&#8217;s helped me, every seminar I&#8217;ve attended I&#8217;ve taken at least one thing away from it. <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/radio/">CBC radio</a> 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.</p>
<p><a href="http://commuterlit.com/2011/02/tuesday-the-date/">The Date</a> was published on <a href="http://www.commuterlit.com">CommuterLit</a> in February 2011 and it seems to be very well received. What do you hope your readers will get from reading your fiction?</p>
<p>Life&#8217;s too stressful. We all need a good chuckle now and then. It&#8217;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&#8217;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.</p>
<p><em>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&#8217;s can be found throughout? Besides attending awareness and raising money, do you plan to do anything more to increase literacy rates?</em></p>
<p>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&#8217;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&#8217;s something wrong somewhere. Last year I was a guest speaker at Mill Writes and had a lot of fun doing it. I&#8217;ll certainly do it again if they wish, or anything else that would help the cause.</p>
<p><em>I&#8217;ve been finding a lot of your Letter&#8217;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?</em></p>
<p>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&#8217;t. And I&#8217;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, &#8220;Do you support any political party?&#8221; &#8220;I&#8217;m completely neutral,&#8221; I answered, &#8220;I hate all of &#8216;em.&#8221; Thank you so much for the interview! I&#8217;m totally flattered.</p>
<p><center><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&#038;bc1=000000&#038;IS2=1&#038;bg1=FFFFFF&#038;fc1=000000&#038;lc1=0000FF&#038;t=monezine-20&#038;o=1&#038;p=8&#038;l=as4&#038;m=amazon&#038;f=ifr&#038;ref=ss_til&#038;asins=B006R6BDHU" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe></center></p>
<p>Thanks for reading,</p>
<p>Sarah Butland<br />
author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978123808/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=0978123808">Sending You Sammy</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=0978123808" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0981159206/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=0981159206">Brain Tales &#8211; Volume One</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=0981159206" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0981159214/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=0981159214">Arm Farm</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=0981159214" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></p>
<div id="crp_related"><h3>Related Posts:</h3><ul><li><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/27/family-literacy-day-in-canada/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">Family Literacy Day in Canada</a></li><li><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/02/deadly-secrets-by-terry-odell/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">Deadly Secrets by Terry Odell</a></li><li><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/06/karma-does-it-exist/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">Karma &#8211; Does It Exist?</a></li><li><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2011/12/30/farsighted-by-emlyn-chand/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">Farsighted by Emlyn Chand</a></li><li><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/20/are-you-committed-5-ways-to-tell/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">Are You Committed? 5 Ways to Tell</a></li></ul></div>

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		<title>Deadly Secrets by Terry Odell</title>
		<link>http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/02/deadly-secrets-by-terry-odell/</link>
		<comments>http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/02/deadly-secrets-by-terry-odell/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:51:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah Butland</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://sarahbutland.com/blog/?p=1478</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tweet This! Blog this on Blogger Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on Facebook Share this on LinkedIn Get Shareaholic 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 <a href='http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/02/deadly-secrets-by-terry-odell/'>[...]</a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[

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<p>Facebook has been an amazing way for me to meet and learn from new authors. Most recently, I connected with <a href="http://terryodell.com/">Terry Odell</a> and am so very grateful for the opportunity. </p>
<p>2012 is my year for writing and making a name for myself so I&#8217;m honoured to start it off with my review of Terry Odell&#8217;s mystery novel &#8211; <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006HHWBK2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=B006HHWBK2">Deadly Secrets (Mapleton Mystery)</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B006HHWBK2" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />.</p>
<p>Her first &#8220;true&#8221; mystery after many well-received romance novels, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006HHWBK2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=B006HHWBK2">Deadly Secrets (Mapleton Mystery)</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B006HHWBK2" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> tells the story of several characters in a beautiful way that doesn&#8217;t have the reader confused. Switching from Megan&#8217;s vacation and return home to Chief Gordon&#8217;s search for the criminal and then his feelings for Angie, Justin&#8217;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.</p>
<p>My connection to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006HHWBK2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=B006HHWBK2">Deadly Secrets (Mapleton Mystery)</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B006HHWBK2" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> 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.</p>
<p>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&#8217;ll have to read it yourself to know who he actually turned out to be.</p>
<p>A must read for any mystery fan! </p>
<p>Thanks for reading,</p>
<p>Sarah Butland<br />
author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978123808/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=0978123808">Sending You Sammy</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=0978123808" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0981159206/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=0981159206">Brain Tales &#8211; Volume One</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=0981159206" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0981159214/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=0981159214">Arm Farm</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=0981159214" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></p>
<p><center><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&#038;bc1=000000&#038;IS2=1&#038;bg1=FFFFFF&#038;fc1=000000&#038;lc1=0000FF&#038;t=monezine-20&#038;o=1&#038;p=8&#038;l=as4&#038;m=amazon&#038;f=ifr&#038;ref=ss_til&#038;asins=B006HHWBK2" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe></center></p>
<p>PS: Stay tuned for my interview with Terry in the coming weeks! </p>
<div id="crp_related"><h3>Related Posts:</h3><ul><li><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/20/are-you-committed-5-ways-to-tell/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">Are You Committed? 5 Ways to Tell</a></li><li><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2011/12/30/farsighted-by-emlyn-chand/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">Farsighted by Emlyn Chand</a></li><li><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/08/national-letter-writing-week/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">National Letter Writing Week!</a></li><li><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2012/01/06/karma-does-it-exist/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">Karma &#8211; Does It Exist?</a></li><li><a href="http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2010/08/07/cross-by-james-patterson/" rel="bookmark" class="crp_title">Cross by James Patterson</a></li></ul></div>

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		<title>Farsighted by Emlyn Chand</title>
		<link>http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2011/12/30/farsighted-by-emlyn-chand/</link>
		<comments>http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2011/12/30/farsighted-by-emlyn-chand/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Dec 2011 01:39:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah Butland</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://sarahbutland.com/blog/?p=1392</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tweet This! Blog this on Blogger Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on Facebook Share this on LinkedIn Get Shareaholic 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 <a href='http://sarahbutland.com/blog/2011/12/30/farsighted-by-emlyn-chand/'>[...]</a>]]></description>
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<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005WXFG54/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=217145&#038;creative=399373&#038;creativeASIN=B005WXFG54">Farsighted</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=B005WXFG54&#038;camp=217145&#038;creative=399373" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> 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&#8217;t find even one example!</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Perfect read for teenagers, both male and female, it&#8217;s also relevant to adult readers of almost any type. </p>
<p>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 &#8220;special&#8221; boy who was special in so many ways people were blind to. </p>
<p>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&#8217;re using your first or second sight.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading,</p>
<p>Sarah Butland<br />
author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978123808/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=0978123808">Sending You Sammy</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=0978123808" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0981159206/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=0981159206">Brain Tales &#8211; Volume One</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=0981159206" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0981159214/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=monezine-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=0981159214">Arm Farm</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=monezine-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=0981159214" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></p>
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