Category Archives: Authors and independent publishers

Life Created Just for You!

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“It’s not the circumstances that create joy. It’s you.” ~ Unknown

Have you ever stopped to consider your personality portrait? What makes you who you are?

Here are 16 personality portraits and each type has it’s own code:

ISTJ – The Duty Fulfillers        ESTJ – The Guardians      ISFJ – The Nurturers

ESFJ – The Caregivers      ISTP – The Mechanics   ESTP – The Doers

ESFP – The Performers   ISFP – The Artists  ENTJ – The Executives

INTJ – The Scientists    ENTP – The Visionaries   INTP – The Thinkers

ENFJ – The Givers    INFJ – The Protectors      ENFP – The Inspirers   INFP – The Idealists

Your personality type, in part, determines how you react to the world and people around you. When I read the profiles I find I am a little bit of this, and a little bit of that which makes for a complex mix of what fulfills me in life. Want to know more? Read this article and click on the description of each personality type.

Finding what makes us happy and what fills us up in life is the secret to personal fulfillment. The good news today is that we can take steps in our own lives to create a life that is filled with joy and happiness!

On May 21st, I hope you will join in the conversation because we will be talking about this very subject on blog talk radio  www.blogtalkradio/livingaricherlife.com. Call in with your questions and comments! #855-345-4714

ePost Card_Living a Richer Life_Sue Leonard_May 21, 2015

 

The Young Artists in Them

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Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up. ~ Pablo Picasso

On Friday, a number of nine and ten year old students, who are Junior Girl Scouts, expressed their love of writing during my presentation “One Day in the Life of a Writer.” When I admitted to my weakness of rising extremely early at 5:30am to 6pm to write and record what I have often been thinking in the middle of the night, a few said they, too, wake in the wee hours of the morning with ideas to put down on paper.
GS13 croppedSo, each junior Girl Scout was given a spiral-bound notebook to embellish with reflections of their own personality, design sense and color preferences. The notebooks are bound to hold up no matter where they travel and no matter how long it takes to fill the pages with words.They’ve been given a strong foundation backed with Duck© Tape! I never realized there are so many colors and patterns of Duck© Tape now available.

With a promise of returning to teach the Girls Scouts how to make paper roses, the group set about doing their own craft project after my presentation. The rest of today’s story will be told in photos – enjoy the colorful personal journal creations made by Girl Scout Troop #12622.

 

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Isn’t individual creativity a wonderful thing? Come back tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling, I’m looking for some opinions. And on Thirsty Thursday, you’ll enjoy a post called Spirit Not Withstanding!

Happy Cinco de Mayo from Sue Batton Leonard,  the award-winning author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and Short Stories: Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Fulfilling a Promise to Girl Scouts

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Good Morning! Happy May Day!

On March 24th I sent out a handwritten invitation to a very special group of youth –Girl Scout troop #12622. Here’s what the note card said:

You are cordially invited to “One Day in the Life of a Writer.” Join me at my writer’s desk in the Girl Scout meeting room on May 1, 2015  from 3:30 – 4:30 pm.

Well, the big day is here! I couldn’t be more excited to share my experiences of “One Day in the Life of a Writer.”  Here is what our program today looks like: 

  • A Peek into a Writers Day
  • A Tour of a Writers Desk
  • A Reading from an Authors Award-Winning Book

Girl Scout promise

Did you know the World Association of Girl Scouts is 10,000,000 “girl guides” strong and there are troops in 146 countries?I’ve asked each girl from troop #12622 to bring a question that they’ve always wanted to ask a writer but have never had the chance. On Monday, the questions and my answers will be published so Girl Scouts in other countries can learn more about what it’s like to be a writer.

I was a Brownie and a Junior Girl Scout in the 1960s where I grew up – in the heart of where north, meets south, on the Mason-Dixon Line in the State of Maryland. I can hardly wait to meet Colorado Junior Girl Scout troop #12622  – ages 9 and 10.

Do return to All Things Fulfilling on Monday because I promise to do my best to publish the girl’s questions to the author along with my responses.

This blog is brought to you by the award-winning author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and Short Stories: Lessons of Heart and Soul.

Girl Scouts where girls grow strong

 

 

 

 

Old Souls vs Young Souls

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 “Remember our souls are like snowflakes, all different and all beautiful.” ~ Unknown

I volunteer about six hours a week at a local consignment store called  Lift Up run by all the churches here in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. I love it! It’s so interesting to see what comes in to the donation center. We volunteers often talk about the differences between what people value.

Did you know there is actually a science behind why we like what we do and what gives us feelings of fulfillment? This article is interesting. To sum it up there seems to be a relationship between whether we are old or young souls to many of our preferences -such as the books we read,  perhaps what we writers chose to write about, art, music, fashion, food and maybe even our belief system.

Have you ever read characteristics of what defines an old soul as opposed to what defines a young soul? Personally, I think this concept does play into many of our choices, right down to the things that we chose to share on Facebook.

Old soul, new soul or somewhere in between  I am not sure there is a preferred way of being to navigate this world in which we are living. I’d have to delve much deeper into the research in order to decide that for myself. However, as I read the description of “an old soul” there is a there characteristic that can’t connect with. It has been said that “old souls feel old.” I am on the opposite side of the spectrum of that feeling.

Thank heavens for favors, big and small.

Have a nice day
This blog is brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard. The author of Short Stories: Lessons of Heart & Soul and Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.

 

Thirsty Thursdays: Literary Spotlight

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“Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light.” ― Vera Nazarian

Back in March 2012 I posted on All Things Fulfilling a blog about 29 cities around the world who have UNESCO’s Creative Industry designations behind them. It was a highly read piece.

Baltimore, Maryland is a city that is a hub for literary reasons. In part, due to notable authors such as F. Scott Fitzgerald,  Anne Tyler, Edgar Allen Poe and Tom Clancy who spent significant time in Baltimore or were born there. Back in the 1980s there was some controversy when the Mayor dubbed Baltimore “the city that reads.” No matter, “the city’s literary heart beats as strongly as ever,” says the Huffington Post.

Reading-and-Writing-293x300The good news today is there are other cities across America who can call their place home to writers, too. In the remote northwest corner of Colorado, in a place called Steamboat, there is a network of writers who are both traditionally and independently published. On Thursday afternoons at the “Eleanor Bliss Art Center” aka “The Art Depot” is where they’ve gathered, read and critiqued writing for more than 30 years.

Today, on All Things Fulfilling, I’d like to put the literary spotlight on Steamboat Springs, which is quite different than literary hubs in big cities.  In a more intimate setting, people come here to write and drink in the beautiful scenery to inspire their writing.

Stay tuned to All Things Fulfilling – we will be posting more details about an upcoming writers workshop a month from today on May 23rd sponsored by the Steamboat Springs Arts Council. Members of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association will be providing the educational experience.

Want-to-be writers and publishers, who are within reach of Steamboat,  I’d encourage you to sign up – a real deal at for a morning full of valuable information!

This blog is brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard.

Worthiness in Writing

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Friendships begun in this world will be taken up again, never to be broken off.  ~Francis de Sales 1567 – 1622

A few people have asked me how many books I’ve sold and my response is “I don’t know. I’m not paying much attention.” Truthful statement. Believe it or not.

To me sales figures are irrelevant compared to the fulfilling feelings of accomplishment that have come with knowing I completed what I set out to do – tackle writing a memoir and publishing it independently. No one can relate to the process unless they have been through the paces.

Secondly, when I get feedback from readers, it makes publishing the story all worthwhile. People that I hadn’t heard from in decades, that I thought were gone from my life a long time ago, have come climbing out of the woodwork.

education2For instance, a college math professor from my days at Johnson State College in Vermont sent me an e-mail that I will always treasure. His comments after having read my memoir made me feel that I was not just another one of his thousands of students that passed through the halls of that higher institution during his life-long career of teaching.

Here is some of what he had to say after reading Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected:

Sue, I just finished your book and “shared” it via e-mail.  Of course, it brought many tears to my eyes being exposed to your early, early years.  And, it nearly goes without saying that Fanny has made an indelible mark on my mind, having known both you and Jan.  It is a wonderful story filled with the joy of life and living.

I wish you all the best in whatever writing you undertake in the future.  It surely is not a simple task and I thought this effort very well done!

My very best to you and Terry ~ J. Davis

Since rekindling our teacher/student connection, we have had many meaningful back and forth e-mail discussions on various different blogs about life that I have posted on All Things Fulfilling.

The point of this blog is to say “the  value of writing a story is not in book sales. The true worthiness comes in what writing feels like to the author’s heart.” ~ Sue Batton Leonard

 

Book Covers and Fonts

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Like all forms of design, visual design is about problem solving…~ Bob Baxley

So, an author friend of mine is getting ready to have her next release published. Last week, she posted images of several cover designs that she is considering. I let my opinion be known only because she asked for some feedback and I understand the value of feedback with regard to publishing.

It got me to thinking of the cover design of my 2nd publication, Short Stories: Lessons of Heart & Soul. I decided that it was time to make a change to the cover. I love the cover image but the font of the title has been problematic in a digital format. I didn’t foresee the kinds of problems I am having with it. For the title I had chosen a font that is in script. Esthetically it looked good with the cover image but it was not a good decision on my part because it is not very readable digitally.

So there has been a slight revision to the appearance of the e-book cover of Short Stories: Lessons in Heart & Soul. Here is a before and after.

Below – Initial Font Used in Title on Cover Design

Lessons of Heart V4 Cover

Below: Revised for Better Readability of Title in Small-form Digital Formats

V5 Cover revised font 4 15 15

You’ve gotta love e-books, it’s so easy to make changes. Download a new version of a cover or revised text and you are all set. Not much more than a click of a mouse and very little expense.

Chalk up this necessary revision to lessons learned in digital publishing! Since e-books are still undergoing tweeks in development I’m not the first to encounter this problem. Here is a good article about e-books and fonts. 

See you back here tomorrow. This blog is brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard.

Thirsty Thursday: Going Dutch

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“Looking at things through the eyes of people who have very different experiences and assumptions than you do can be like food for the brain,” ~ Tom McBride

I happened upon a story that I like a lot. So, on this Thirsty Thursday, a day of the week dedicated to good news, we are going to visit a story from the Netherlands. It is about a creative living arrangement for the elderly and college students.

In short, there is an eldercare facility in the Netherlands who is letting college students live free so long as they agree to one condition – they must do their part in volunteering 30 hours a month to help the elderly. All sorts of unexpected benefits come out of the arrangement for both parties.

The six college students who have entered into the agreement have found the arrangement to be fulfilling. They like being around the seniors cooking for them, doing projects and teaching them about new things to keep the seniors interested and engaged in life.

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“Perhaps,” I think, “this intergenerational partnering will be a testing ground for the college students who are considering whether a career in eldercare is what they’ll want to put their hearts and soul into in the future.”

The senior citizens benefit because they do not feel so isolated, and it keeps them feeling young having the students around.

Other countries in Europe are beginning to look at this example as a viable option to help out both generations – college students and seniors. Read the entire article.

Senior care is changing in many ways to benefit the mind, body and spirit. Thanks to research on aging, many countries are providing a better quality of life for those in the final years. That’s good news!

See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling. This blog is brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard.

 

 

May Day, May Day

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“Each of us has a spark of life inside us, and our highest endeavor ought to be to set off that spark in one another.” – Kenny Ausubel

I’ve got a big responsibility ahead of me for Friday, May 1st. I’ll be speaking with  Junior Girl Scout Troop #12622 about my memoir Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected. For a couple of weeks I have been churning ideas over in my mind about how to creatively engage a group of  9 & 10 year olds. After all, it’s been decades since I was a Girl Scout and I want to make sure what I share is engaging, age appropriate and relatable.

I’ve been wrestling with several approaches. Finally, I decided to say “May Day, May Day” and call on two former Girl Scouts, baby boomers just like me, to help me come up with some suggestions. Their spark of an idea has given me something to really build on and I can’t wait to share “One Day in the Life of a Writer” with the youth.

I am so looking forward to connecting with the Girl Scouts and sharing my heart and soul about my passion for writing. Thank you former Girl Scouts, Sharon & Caryn, for your excellent suggestions.

I have three weeks to refine and polish up my act. From now until May 1st ,  I need to remember to:

Keep Calm and Eat Girl Scout CookiesP.S. I hope they are still selling them on Sunday mornings at the United Methodist Church of Steamboat. If not, I have an idea where I can find some – from a lady who says “she has been hording them in her freezer. She said she likes to bring them out on July 4th.”

This blog is brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard. Her books include Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and Short Stories: Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Re-Enactment of a Sacred Time

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All of spiritual practice is a matter of relationship: to ourselves, to others, to life’s situations. – Jack Kornfield

As you will come to understand when you read my memoir, Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected, our parents sometimes allowed my brothers, sister and me to do things unconventionally.

Mom recently found this memorabilia in her hope chest. She had forgotten she had tucked away these writings nearly fifty years ago when my sister and brothers and I were little children.

I will leave it up to the readers imaginations as to what my sister Jan, my brother Rick and a dear neighbor named Margy and I were planning. If you wish to fully understand what we were up to, there is a poignant chapter in my memoir that goes with this program. Even though I did not have these writings before I published my memoir they were not needed for my storytelling because I so vividly remember this day and others just like it. It would have been nice however, to have been able to include these writings in my publication.

My youngest brother Scott was not mentioned in this program. But as the years went on, we planned other similar events and Scott became an active participant.

church service we wrote for around the pool page1 - right position

 

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During this week of holy celebration of Easter, I thought it would be an appropriate time to  share this treasure from my mother’s hope chest. When I read this, it warms me to the depth of my inner being. It’s a reflection of many fulfilling times that I had as a child with my siblings.

So as not to give anything away to those who haven’t read my award-winning anthology of stories yet, try to imagine in your mind where this event may have taken place. Read the book and see if you were right.

This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, the author of the award-winning book (an anthology) Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.