From Mia's Desk…

Please welcome today’s guest, Sarah Lalonde, who is the author of both fiction and non-fiction. Welcome!

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Author Bio: Sarah Christine Lalonde is a natural born medium and author. Sarah has had the ability to connect with the other side since she was a child and offers in person and online readings. As a wildlife photographer, Sarah loves animals and is a vegetarian.

Author Site: http://www.sarahlalonde.com

You can find her books by visiting her website!

About the Writer

1. What five words describe you?
Five words I would use to describe myself are loving, compassionate, spiritual, vegetarian, and dreamer.

2. What was the first story you ever wrote? I mean the really bad one we all have that you’re trying to hide in the back of closet now that you’re published?
My first full length novel was called ‘Never Death’ and centered on the friendship of two girls who were inseparable. When one of the girls is murdered we go on a journey to her afterlife and see how her soul still interacts with her friend in helping her solve that murder. My English class had an event one night where I read a chapter where the living friend gets therapy to help her cope with the loss. There’s some humorous bits, but I made a few elderly women in the front row cry. They let me know later how inspirational it was for them and how it made them feel more connected to the other side. So, though I was going for light hearted humour- You never know how people will perceive your work I suppose. I ended up losing most of the manuscript after the class was over. I don’t believe I even got a great mark for the story either. I know it was full of errors. That was about 8 years ago. I am always learning and progressing. I’m sure it wasn’t as great as my unicorn story I wrote when I was 7. Nothing beats unicorns

3. What inspires you?
Nature inspires me so much. I love to go for walks with my boyfriend Jeff through hiking trails and discover new things. I will often find new animals to photograph and enjoy adding them to my book as a character. In True Form there are many animals like the beaver, moose or elk, which I’ve photographed out in the wild. Seeing the wild flowers and the blue birds’ starts to feel like its own fairytale.

There is absolutely magic all around us for those who are willing to stop and watch for it. My partner Jeff is also helpful, because he supports me unconditionally. I don’t know what I’d do without supportive souls around me.

4. What distracts you?
My cats distract me. I have two beautiful black cats named Echo and Jellybean whom we rescued at our local humane society. They are leashed trained and you can often see pictures of their walks to the park on my facebook. They both have a tendency to want attention while I write or decide to sleep on my keyboard. I had to make a special spot on the desk beside my computer for them. Echo sleeps there with her favourite blue blanket. This cuts down on distractions.

5. What’s your favorite story? This can be specific, as in a particular book or even story-driven movie, or general, like “I’m a sucker for a hero looking for redemption story.”
As a child my grade four teacher read the class ‘Where the Red Fern Grows’ by Wilson Rawls. It’s a story about a boy who wants nothing more than to buy two hound dogs. It’s such a heartwarming tale of love and the bond between the boy and his dogs, that I ignore the fact that its main storyline has hunting (something I am not fond of). That story had the whole class in tears. It inspired me to want to be a writer. I read it about 5 times on my own after that.

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About the Writing

1. Tell us about your currently available titles.
My first book is a non-fiction book about my life growing up seeing the other side. This book is a gentle reminder of the spirituality all around us and how others can connect. ‘Living With Spirits-My Life as a Spiritual medium’

My second book is fiction and full of magic and psychic abilities. I used a lot of my own wisdom and experiences when writing this first of a series. ‘True Form’

2. What’s your favorite part about writing these stories?
My favourite part of writing ‘Living With Spirits…’ was getting my experiences with spirits on paper. I’d like to pass on my wisdom to not only readers but my nephew who is showing many signs of being aware of spirits and to my own future children.

My second book on this topic (If I can ever get around to writing it) will be much more in depth and very interesting!

For ‘True Form’ I loved to be magical. There are no limitations, if I want a child who can speak to animals….I create one. It’s a magical and inspiring place to be.

3. What would your characters say about you? Be honest!
Bastet from ‘True Form’ would tell me to have more confidence. She has much more spine than I do. Lily, on the other hand, would say that as long as I’m loving nature and respecting wildlife, I am perfect. She’s a very patient and loving soul.

4. Who would play your favorite character if they made a movie of their story?
I would want to cast Eliza Dushku as Bastet (Can she still pass for an 18 year old ? hehe).

5. Do you have any projects currently in the works you want to talk about?
I am currently working on the second books to both ‘Living With Spirits…’ and ‘True Form’

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Thanks for joining us today, Sarah, and good luck with your writing!

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