BIO- Currently residing in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, Sarah Butland has tasted the waters of almost every form of writing. Sarah has had several previous pieces published in her local newspaper including fiction, poetry and non-fiction as well as had a poem published in an anthology. These works include Electric Shock, Wrong Shell and The Wolf Not Only Blew the Straw House Down. Her most current work is Brain Tales Volume One, a collection of short stories written for older readers, which followed her children's book titled, Sending You Sammy.
Thanks for being here again, Sarah. It’s a pleasure.
#1- Tell us a little about yourself outside of your writing career…
Different than last time, I'm now a mother of one beautiful baby boy. He makes me so proud and gives me yet another reason for reaching my full potential – I want him to know that when you have a dream and take action whatever you want will be yours.
I'm off to be with him for the year and am having a blast reading to him daily. I just can't believe what kind of junk is out there but am discovering that nursery rhymes I grew up with are not what I want to read to my own children.
#2- You are a new mom. Congrats! Has this slowed your writing down, or perhaps changed your ideas?
Being a new mom has actually given me more opportunity to write, believe it or not. When I was making plans at work to be off for the year of maternity leave (yes, a full year in Canada) I advised everyone I'd have my novel completed before I got back. They all mocked me, saying I wouldn't have the time outside of taking care of my son but he's a terrific sleeper and I'm learning how to deal with exhaustion but getting things done. Whenever I am able to check off something from my to do list I celebrate, take a break and tell the world about it.
Giving myself three months (after the Christmas holidays) to finish writing the first draft of my novel I did it in only one and a half months.
My son is also very inspiring and has me cooking up ideas on new classic fairy tales and nursery rhymes with a more positive twist. Knowing the law of attraction and believing that we're always influencing our children I figure it's only right for me to do what I can when I can.
#3- SENDING YOU SAMMY enlists a strong message to young readers. Can you tell us about that?
At a former job I was able to colour and read the newspaper when it wasn't busy. One day I was colouring Spiderman and ran out of red pencil crayon so I coloured him with what I had the most of – yellow and green. When I was done I looked over at the newspaper and read on one page a few headlines about the problem of childhood obesity and the paper had nothing about what people were doing about for a solution. Looking back to my piece of art I realized I created a superhero everyone will love – BananaBoy!!
BananaBoy was created from an every day boy to teach readers the benefits of eating healthy and being active. Vital aspects of health include a proper diet, exercise and reading and kids love reading this book and can't wait for the second installment of the eventual Adventures Of Sammy series to learn about diet and exercise.
North America is on the map currently for the highest rates of childhood obesity – BananaBoy and I want to remove us from that map and put us on the healthiest kids and most literate population statistics.
#4- What are the ideal writing conditions for you, and do you work from a timeline or as it comes?
My ideal writing conditions change with how I feel. Some days I need additional noise in the house and sometimes that just distracts me until my son wakes up. Getting on the laptop everyday I get distracted as I find myself on Facebook putting in marketing efforts or just reaching out for a little adult conversation (you mother's know what I'm talking about) so I sometimes find myself pulling out pen and paper instead of typing. It actually speeds up the process of my writing but then slows it down considerably as I have to get up the gusto to then print it.
I'm waiting for the perfect transcriber that will smoothly turn written word into type without the special paper. That would be my ideal condition as I'd be able to do it anywhere and not have to worry about having to type it afterwards.
I have to set up deadlines for myself. If I just think I'll get to it I don't. If I say I need it done by a certain date it takes half that time.
#5- Assuming you get any time to read, what authors do you like to read, and were there any books that stand out from your childhood as favorites?
Harlan Coben and Jodi Picoult are currently battling it out for my favourite author although Dan Brown is in a league all his own.
As a child anything Robert Munsch, the Beatrix Potter collections and CS Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia were what I loved best. I could still sit down and read them, appreciating them for all they are worth.
Surprisingly enough, I've been reading a lot more than usual with my son as I can read and feed him!
#6- Are there any upcoming releases we would like to know about, and could you give us your web site so readers can check it out?
Arm Farm is the novel I'm currently working on and I hope to have it out this summer. This novel is my first which follows a university student as she studies forensic sciences in hopes of solving a cold case and discovers that she's quickly becoming a victim herself. Mystery, romance, suspense, and thrill all mixed in this soon to be bestseller.
If you know any editors looking for a job please send them my way!
I have several websites, my own being www.SarahButland.com as well as two for Sending You Sammy and one for Brain Tales – Volume One, my collection of short stories as inspired by Kelly Moran herself!
Www.AdventuresOfSammy.com is the site where parents can go to learn about Sending You Sammy and events pertaining to that book as well as when future installments are coming out. Www.BananaBoyFans.com is more for the kids as it gives them the opportunity to sign up for newsletters which give them recipes, activities, puzzles and, perhaps most importantly, emails sent directly to them for them and about them!
Www.BrainTales.com is a work in progress as I continue to post reviews of the book and develop it into something more.
#7- This about concludes it. Thank you again for joining us. Is there anything else you would like to share?
I appreciate this opportunity very much, wish everyone luck in winning a copy of Sending You Sammy and look forward to seeing your comments and keeping in touch. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and basically anywhere you want me to be online I'm up for it.
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