Sarah Butland's Blog, page 23

Athletics is For Physical Health As Arts is For…

Mental and emotional well-being?

With so much talk about mental anguish and outbursts lately, alongside the hype of our beloved sports teams – Go Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Blue Jays! – I have to wonder if suppressing art of any kind is really wise for the long term.

Don’t get me wrong, I do believe there is talent on the ice and athletes are following their dreams and passions and kudos to them, I say! Watching my own son fall in love with each sport he tries is thrilling to me and I admire his abilities on and off the ice. I will always support and encourage that for the sake of his health and simply because he has fun doing it.

And I’ll feed him the right foods and talk about moderation and empower him to know when he’s making the right decision so he’ll do so more often. His physical ailments will then be obvious to me while his emotional and mental well-being is dealt with more internally.

I’ll Also Support His Imagination, Too

As an author who has always found my way through written word, encouraging my son and others to use their local library, read and write a book, paint a picture, sing a song, etc is something I will always do. Though so many look down on following this through with a full-time career because our society doesn’t allow for the huge pay cheques to go along with it.

So we tend to focus more on ensuring our children get the required exercise they need, encourage them to get outside and be with friends playing some organized game instead of staying inside and getting out craft supplies. (Not all of us for I know there is a group who do the opposite.)

At What Cost?

Despite the lack of pay cheque to follow a dance recital or stage play I wonder if we’re actually losing out on a lot more by not balancing the arts with sports. Schools everywhere tend to cut the costs for music and art programs before an athletic one, putting more focus on group activities than being in solitude.

I wonder what the world would be like today if we let kids choose their subjects through all of school and let them decide to be alone for a day to work on a project of their choosing. If we rejoiced at the quietness of some kids instead of trying to make them be what we think they should be and if we let them choose pencil crayons instead of cleats. I suspect their persona would change completely.

We Say We’re Free

In comparison to so many we are free in all ways that we cherish while in others we are still behind the times. Our priorities are mixed up with pay cheques and pensions instead of passions and play. Would we save the people from the devastating mass shootings we hear about almost daily, I’d like to think so. I’m not saying we need to blame society for their actions though think if they were free to express themselves all through life it may not escalate to the point that so many have taken.

So while I’ll continue to pay the sports fees I’ll also keep my cupboard well stocked with tools to express ourselves as individuals and give my son the freedom to tell me how he feels. And if he wants to choose a career doing what he loves, no matter what that is, I’ll be right there to listen to him gloat about it and watch him deal with his frustrations.

What will you do to be creative today?

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

Let’s Celebrate a You Day!

It has come to my attention recently, in a bigger way then ever before, how important it is to just be yourself and follow your passion(s). I’ve listened to all the hype about just being yourself and got it but never really took the time to live it.

We celebrate Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day – Pie, Donut, Repeat, Thanksgiving and so many more and most (or all, depending on who you ask) have their right to be celebrated but we’re missing out on the most important one of all…

Just Be You Day!

The people I admire most are those who don’t have excuses. The mother’s who love being a mom, love their children immensely, and continue to be who they always knew they were. The father’s who live through passion and pass along their likes to their children through actions instead of words, the are everyday heroes in my eyes.

When I became a mom over six years ago I didn’t stop following my dream of being a writer/ author/ exception to the rule. I even finished my first novel (Arm Farm) on maternity leave despite the laughs I had about the idea. I’ve since published a couple of more books but it’s been a struggle.

Not Just a Parent

Becoming a mom is the greatest thing that ever happened to me, bar none. Throughout the struggles of learning with my child while balancing everything else it was definitely worth it.

Yet I keep using that as an excuse. “I have no time during the day.” (I homeschool him.) “I work at night.” (Opposite my husband to avoid day care.) “I’m exhausted, unfocused, the house is a mess, I have to get up early…” The list is always there and continuously growing but I’m more than a cleaner or an excuse. Wonderful parents everywhere are balancing it all and thriving!

My mentors, even if they don’t know it, are the men and women who are being true to themselves. I don’t care about their pay cheque or overdue bills, their methods for getting time alone or their shortcuts. I admire that they prioritize who they are and what actions they take to show their kids that they are people, too.

Skipping Rope

Teaching my son the other day to skip rope I found one for me and showed him a few tricks (nothing fancy, just straight forward skipping rope) and he was amazed. He wondered how I so quickly learned how to do that right before his eyes. In that moment it dawned on me – he doesn’t know who I was before he was born, not that I skipped too much before that.

We are a brand new person to our children, to each person we meet for the first time. It would take more effort to change for each one, to present a different skill set or interest level every time we said hello and yet a lot of us do. Sharing on tiny bits of who we think they would want us to be instead of who we are at just that moment.

Save time today by taking time to figure out who you are right now as a person and share that with the world. No one expects you to be anything you’re not, we all want truth and authenticity and if we don’t gel, so be it. We’ll have more time to find others who like us when we don’t spend so much time and effort changing to make everyone like us.

So please go forth today and feel a little more inside and share that with the world – for all of our sakes.

Thanks for reading and being,

Sarah Butland

***Sarah Butland is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.***

Forgotten by Canadian Author Louise Boulter

Forgotten by Louise Boulter by Louise Boulter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A very powerful account of what life could be like living on the streets. With characters I found I could easily bond with and feel for, I was intrigued by T’s story from beginning to end.

Waking up in an Albertan hospital, T depends on a picture in a found wallet to help find himself. With nothing but a once nice brown suit and shoes, the wallet is given to him in hopes of providing answers. It was almost empty except for a photo that would change his life forever.

Boulter’s first book written out of inspiration and completed through motivation, I know the story has a lot more to offer but sure did pack a punch. I am eager to read the sequel and hope it covers the before and after of Forgotten!

View all my reviews

Heart Dancing: A Story Alchemy Adventure

This story is a great example of how perspective alone changes where we are.

Savanna, a young teenager, has her world turned upside down with a situation that doesn’t directly have anything to do with her but alters her feeling of security. The separation of parents always shakes life up and children often feel responsible, as Savanna did. Instead of taking the time to understand the situation, Savanna blasts through her own path by cheating on a test she felt she had no time to study for and getting into an altercation at school.

After a few days the young girl escaped from the sadness of her emptiness and visited a park she loved to visit with her father. It’s at this park her world does alter completely and she opens herself up to acceptance.

Savanna heard the quiet through all the noise and welcomed her mother in only to be rejected. But with time and patience, worlds can and do change and with the steps of alchemy Eriksen reveals throughout the story, even you can find the peace in the now.

Written in a way that would catch the attention of young adults, Heart Dancing is a worthwhile for adults as well. Whatever you feel you’re struggling with, get up and dance to change your own story.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

[image error] [image error]

***Sarah Butland is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.***

Would You Work For Free?

I’m torn about a topic that is popular among artists of all kinds. The urge to do what you love as much as you can while receiving the credit you deserve while doing so.

I get it!

You wouldn’t hire a plumber to snake your pipes and because that makes him happy you don’t expect to pay him (or her). And if one does it for a friend for free, why would you be expected to pay for a different one when you can rely on someone else who is just passionate enough to do it for the love of it. And this goes for everything -a construction worker wouldn’t be expected to build your dream home just for the love of it, a dentist wouldn’t fix your teeth because it’s their dream to do dental work, and so on.

Yet people do continue to ask painters to pass on a piece they love so they can display it in their home with the promise to send admirers who will pay their way. Photographers are asked to take a picture of a family or to give their picture to someone to use for their own purposes with the promise of a credit. And writers are asked to make appearances, give tips and inspiration to aspiring writers by people who cannot afford to pay.

I’m torn because I’m still one of those authors who says yes to most opportunities. Asking to be paid for an appearance still seems foreign to me as I love to do what I do and be recognized for it. Doing so sets the expectation that they won’t have to pay for another author to do the same work for them.

I Do Have Hope

People may think it’s silly but I do still have hope these opportunities will lead to wonderful connections and opportunities. Not everyone knows yet who I am or what I do so I say yes to these changes to do what I love and be who I am.

Bills need to be paid but I need to be me, really me, every chance I can. I know it irks others that I will do such things for free but without the publishing contracts and deadlines, or history of freelancing I want to start somewhere. Of course I’d much prefer to be paid for my time and expertise and am hopeful that’ll change for me soon.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks for reading, and some of you for paying

I’m Switching to Singing – April Fools!

After much consideration and not being able to find time to write I am switching my passion to music. I used to play trumpet and shy away from singing but recently discovered my son and I make the perfect duet.

I signed up for singing lessons and they want to know what songs to focus on so here’s your chance to help. Please let me know what genre to start in as I love all types of music – yes, including country, and willing to try anything.

For those who have read my books, reviewed them and followed me in my writing career thus far – much appreciation to you!

Please subscribe to my youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHjR... and stay tuned for lots of new videos.

Thanks again for bearing with me as I find and reinvent myself.

Thanks for listening,

Sarah Butland

**I am not a singer, writing is my passion so that’s what I’ll stick with!**

Descent Had Me Falling for Canadian Author Kristina Stanley

If I hear of a contest I’m eligible for I enter it, especially if the prize consists of books so when I heard of Imajin Book’s contest celebrating their Canadian success and authors I had to enter.

A few days later I found out that I won the ebook by Kristina Stanley, Decent (A Stone Mountain Mystery Book 1) and I was thrilled! Only it got buried in another pile of downloads, projects and my own writing and then I was reminded again and went searching for it.

With a much more pleasant winter than last, I was delighted to read of a fictitious, but very likely, blustery mountain and ski resort.

Downhill Skiing While you Sit!Much like I imagine a mogul run would feel like, the mysteries of Descent had my heart racing with all of its bumps in the road and twists on the path. Filled with a lot of characters, each one seemed as real and honest as the next, which made me care for each and yearning for their innocence in all the guilt.

Littered with enticing openings into a whole new level of many of their lives, I was delighted to discover this novel was only the first of its series. There are still many characters I want to know more about so will be picking up Blaze (A Stone Mountain Mystery Book 2) in the very near future!

With an opening of a bit of romance, this novel was a whirlwind of enticing looks into lives so complex I had a hard time putting it down. Stanley had a way of enveloping me in the beauty that is a ski resort amid many thickening plots of characters and their family.

Kalin, the main character, was easy to relate to with her honesty about accepting a new position without feeling overly confident as well as her practical approach to attire versus attractiveness. While she felt she had a lot of competition and wasn’t sure who she could trust, Kalin did her job to the best of her ability and stayed true to herself.

Always Enter

Some of you may think it’s not worth the bother a contest but I can tell you from experience, it always makes sense to try. Not only are some of the prizes completely awesome, like this one, but the potential long-lasting connections are even better!

So go out there and enter some and tell me what you win!

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

Descent Had Me Falling for Kristina Stanley

If I hear of a contest I’m eligible for I enter it, especially if the prize consists of books so when I heard of Imajin Book’s contest celebrating their Canadian success and authors I had to enter.

A few days later I found out that I won the ebook by Kristina Stanley, Decent (A Stone Mountain Mystery Book 1) and I was thrilled! Only it got buried in another pile of downloads, projects and my own writing and then I was reminded again and went searching for it.

With a much more pleasant winter than last, I was delighted to read of a fictitious, but very likely, blustery mountain and ski resort.

Downhill Skiing While you Sit!Much like I imagine a mogul run would feel like, the mysteries of Descent had my heart racing with all of its bumps in the road and twists on the path. Filled with a lot of characters, each one seemed as real and honest as the next, which made me care for each and yearning for their innocence in all the guilt.

Littered with enticing openings into a whole new level of many of their lives, I was delighted to discover this novel was only the first of its series. There are still many characters I want to know more about so will be picking up Blaze (A Stone Mountain Mystery Book 2) in the very near future!

With an opening of a bit of romance, this novel was a whirlwind of enticing looks into lives so complex I had a hard time putting it down. Stanley had a way of enveloping me in the beauty that is a ski resort amid many thickening plots of characters and their family.

Kalin, the main character, was easy to relate to with her honesty about accepting a new position without feeling overly confident as well as her practical approach to attire versus attractiveness. While she felt she had a lot of competition and wasn’t sure who she could trust, Kalin did her job to the best of her ability and stayed true to herself.

Always Enter

Some of you may think it’s not worth the bother a contest but I can tell you from experience, it always makes sense to try. Not only are some of the prizes completely awesome, like this one, but the potential long-lasting connections are even better!

So go out there and enter some and tell me what you win!

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

Touch of Gold

Everyone needs to start over at some point in their life, some do so unwillingly and others with commitment. Jamie, the main human character in Touch of Gold, balanced both as she moved to a new community in Nova Scotia when her parents divorced.

As a shy girl, Jamie struggled to find new friends at school but befriended a horse and cat fairly quickly. Visiting them regularly and offering treats and care, this thirteen-year-old girl immediately dreamed of taking her first lesson on this strange horses back. She decided to call the horse Peach before she knew the palomino already went by Touch of Gold or Goldie in jumping competitions.

Through the tale of a young girl finding her way in a new community, we meet many other characters but Gorham was masterful at keeping them all straight for the reader. She was also brilliant at making each easily related to and with flaws you’d hope they outgrow.

The descriptions of the horses and well-written scenes made me feel like I was right inside the stables, smelling the sweat of horse and riders. With this being Gorham’s first book, I am eager for her to write many more.

You can learn about the author and more about her book by visiting her site: Vivien Gorham.

As always, thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

Editing Your Year

As 2015 comes to a close I feel the need to reflect on what has happened, what I have accomplished and the things that stood out for me. As a writer, I want to edit out all the bad things that have happened to strengthen the positive aspects of 2015 but I can’t.

The year was particularly hard, having to deal with some experiences I never had to face before and those devastating blows still linger. I know the effects were like ripples in a pond when a boulder is dropped into it and then I feel selfish for feeling the way I do and I hide deeper within.

Being afraid of talking it out can be just as dreadful as keeping it all in so I promise myself to write about it all. Planning a regular entry in a journal or seeping it out through characters in a next novel helps me to look forward to my own healing process. Each word I write replaces a tear I would have shed otherwise but has something to show for it.

Healing, loss, conquering fears and living through passion are all personal processes we need to discover on our own. Death and financial hardship don’t pale in comparison at all to the glories of life and success, they are completely different colours. Like a garden you’ve planted, tended to and watched grow, weeds can creep in but also the most gorgeous flowers and vegetables you’ve ever seen. Both you want to pick out while both are crucial to the overall plot of your story.

All in all, my wish for you, Dear Reader, is that no matter what kind of year 2015 was for you, I want your 2016 to be stupendously better in all ways. You have the power to make it so, by learning from your full story of yesteryear and discovering who you are both while standing in the middle of your garden and running the city streets.

Rejoice in your life as you’re the only one who can live it.

Thanks for being part of my year, past and future.

Sarah Butland