Heather Sanderson's Blog

From September 9th, 2025:

It’s a couple days after the full moon and eclipse! Eclipses often shake things up and/or bring in quick (often unexpected) endings and beginnings. A time of release. They can be a threshold. 

There are so many kinds of thresholds that we work with consciously or not. While we think of them often as physical structures or places, they can also be intangible. The start of a new school year or a job, growth of a new skill, being able to be present with something unfamiliar within yourself like a new way of doing something or an uncomfortable emotion. Thresholds can be there for you to jump through with zeal and zest, no fear whatsoever, or they may have obstacles and blocks in front of them behind them, all around them, for you to move through. What are the current thresholds in your life? Where are you growing? What do you want to move through or leave behind? Embrace? 

This past winter and spring I worked on a major research and writing project for the thesis portion of my master of creative writing degree. When I started, I wasn’t in love with the idea I had first proposed. So I threw it out the window and started again. What came to me was looking at portals in three different literary works to see how they operated in relation to character transformation. Today that essay is available as a short book! 

I’m excited to welcome More Than a Threshold: Portals as a Function of Character Transformation in Fiction: A Writer’s Craft Essay into the world. Available wherever books are sold. 

When I stepped across the threshold into writing this piece (which was a process filled with many, many challenges and obstacles), I didn’t expect for it to become a book. I didn’t even know what my topic would be or what I’d discover. This, not having the answers at the beginning, was a somewhat new threshold for me to try. A practice in staying open to discovery and not having to figure everything out right away. How can we have all the answers at the start of a journey? And what fun is that? How can we embody enough safety from within to risk not knowing? That is part of the practice, I believe. And one for which there are only individual answers. 

While this book is a guide for writers, it may open unexpected doors for your own story and journey, simply by applying the same lens you might if you were writing a fictional story to your own life. See what your main character (that’s you!) is moving through, transforming, and what are the thresholds that will help you on your journey of discovery? 

Buy the Book:

Paperback book available:

Amazon: US, CA, UK, DE, FR, ES, IT, JP, AU, NL, SE, PL
Barnes & Noble (US)
Booksamillion (US)
Bookshop.org (US)
McNally Robinson (CA)
Powell’s Books (US)
Waterstones (UK)

And you can order from your local bookstore or online, wherever books are sold.

eBook available for Amazon Kindle (device, app or laptop):

Amazon: US, CA, UK, DE, FR, ES, IT, NL, JP, BR, MX, AU, IN
Apple Books
Barnes & Noble (US)
Kobo

And wherever eBooks are sold.

The most popular books in September 2025 were:

Thank you for reading and dreaming with the plants and The Future is Possible series. For a list of all available and upcoming titles, click here.

Majestic Wisdom Publishing books are now widely available at bookstores worldwide. Visit your local bookstore or check out any online retailer

The most popular books in August 2025 were:

Thank you for reading and dreaming with the plants and The Future is Possible series. For a list of all available and upcoming titles, click here.

Majestic Wisdom Publishing books are now widely available at bookstores worldwide. Visit your local bookstore or check out any online retailer

The most popular books in July 2025 were:

Thank you for reading and dreaming with the plants and The Future is Possible series. For a list of all available and upcoming titles, click here.

Majestic Wisdom Publishing books are now widely available at bookstores worldwide. Visit your local bookstore or check out any online retailer

The most popular books in June 2025 were:

Thank you for reading and dreaming with the plants and The Future is Possible series. For a list of all available and upcoming titles, click here.

Majestic Wisdom Publishing books are now widely available at bookstores worldwide. Visit your local bookstore or check out any online retailer

Every year to honor the approach of the summer solstice and a heightened time of solar energy, outward expression, and bursting plant life and creativity, I create the all-time top 25 Majestic Wisdom books list of all-time! This is to see what creative work has come before and feel into the potential of what is yet to come. And to provide a list of books for you to choose your next read! I hope they help you remember and tap into your magic and bring it out into the world.

Of the 1,450 copies that are now out in the world, the top 25 Majestic Wisdom books of all time are:

Thank you for reading–it truly is a dream come true to share these works with you.

For a list of all available and upcoming titles, click here.

The most popular books in May 2025 were:

Thank you for reading and dreaming with the plants and The Future is Possible series. For a list of all available and upcoming titles, click here.

Majestic Wisdom Publishing books are now widely available at bookstores worldwide. Visit your local bookstore or check out any online retailer

Gérome Barry and I had fun yesterday talking about writing, illustrating, learning, and collaborating together on our new kids book The Dog Who Wanted to Be a Butterfly!

There are so many more stories to tell about how this story came to be! Including how Franklin and I became best buddies! (And how I’m sure he told me this story on our many walks together). Stay tuned

This book is now available worldwide wherever books are sold! We hope you’ll get your copy and enjoy this whimsical tale of a dog who has big dreams.

Buy the Book:

Amazon: US, CA, UK, DE, FR, ES, IT, JP, AU, NL, SE, PL
Barnes & Noble (US)
Booksamillion (US)
Bookshop.org (US)
Foyles (UK)
Hatchards (UK)
Indigo Books & Music (CA)
McNally Robinson (CA)
Powell’s Books (US)
Walmart (US)
Waterstones (UK)

Buy directly from the printer.

Find an Independent Book Store Near You (CA)

Bookstores in Brooklyn, NY & NYC:
Books are Magic
The Center for Fiction
Greenlight Bookstore
McNally Jackson
The Strand

The Dog Who Wanted to Be a Butterfly by Heather Sanderson and illustrated by Gérome Barry is now available wherever books are sold!

Find out what people are saying about the book:

“The Dog Who Wanted to Be a Butterfly is an absolutely delightful read. Sweet, imaginative, and full of heart, this book beautifully captures the magic of dreaming big and embracing who you are. Heather Sanderson’s storytelling is gentle and uplifting, and Gérome Barry’s illustrations bring the journey to life with charm and whimsy. It’s the kind of story that stays with you — whether you’re a child or just young at heart. A lovely reminder that even the smallest dreams can take flight. Highly recommended!” —Nina G.

“This is one to add to your kiddo’s book collection for sure! Heather is a gifted writer, and this sweet book is no exception! You’ll want to add this to your kiddo’s collection and get a copy for your school’s library as well. The illustrations are also lovely! 10/10 recommend!” —Courtney O.

“Love this book! It encourages the reader to reach for their dreams while also staying grounded in family. I bought it for my granddaughter. I’m sure she’ll love it too!!”—Donna Cleary

“Kids need more positive stories with hope, dreams and happy endings. And this book was “paws”itively awesome.” —Marie V., Children’s Librarian

“The Dog Who Wanted to Be a Butterfly by Heather Sanderson is a sweet, beautifully written story about Franklin, a lovable dog with an unusual dream—to become a butterfly. Kids will adore his creative attempts and the touching message about embracing who you are while still reaching for something more. With charming illustrations and a heart-filled ending, this book is perfect for ages 4–8 and a wonderful reminder that there’s more than one way to fly.”—Tracey M.

“This is a delightful story about a dog who wants to be a butterfly and his adventures as he metaphorizes into his dream. I’m looking forward to sharing it with the young people in my life.”—Peter Nosalik

Get your copy and join in the conversation:

Amazon: US, CA, UK, DE, FR, ES, IT, JP, AU, NL, SE, PL
Barnes & Noble (US)
Booksamillion (US)
Bookshop.org (US)
Foyles (UK)
Hatchards (UK)
Indigo Books & Music (CA)
McNally Robinson (CA)
Powell’s Books (US)
Walmart (US)
Waterstones (UK)

Buy directly from the printer.

Find an Independent Book Store Near You (CA)

Bookstores in Brooklyn, NY & NYC:
Books are Magic
The Center for Fiction
Greenlight Bookstore
McNally Jackson
The Strand

And you can read more of the book’s story here too!

It’s here! The official launch day for The Dog Who Wanted to Be a Butterfly! Saying that brings me so much joy and excitement.

There are so many ways to tell the story of how this book came to be. If we go way back, my childhood Self wanted to be a writer and had, even then, a dream of writing a kids book. If we fast-forward to June of 2023, I was sitting in my room and felt a desire to write something. I had no plan. I did have a constraint: to choose three items from around my room and include them in a story.

The first three things I saw were: a photo of Franklin (a dog who lives down the street who I met in 2021 via the Wag app and have been walking regularly ever since), a butterfly magnet a former colleague had given me, and a ceramic pink pineapple candle I had found on the street a day or two before.

I jotted down these items and started to write.

As I did, it became clear that this was a story about Franklin’s dream to become a butterfly. The rest of the details came fast–as if he had been whispering this story to me for our entire relationship and showing me clues along the way–including his constant stops to smell flowers and why he has such a strong desire to eat chicken bones on the street. Since Franklin and I live in the same neighborhood Daphne the Dachshund (another neighborhood pup) also made her way into the narrative.

I emailed the story right away to Franklin’s mom who loved it. This encouraged me to keep going.

More friends read it, and liked it…

I started dreaming of it becoming an illustrated book and immediately knew who to ask: my friend Gérome Barry.  Gérome is a filmmaker who had done some drawing to incorporate into his feature film Swing-Rendezvous. We met years before, at a dance at Brooklyn Swings, when he was making the film and something in me just knew he was the perfect fit for this story.

He and I had a call and, I asked if he was interested. As it turned out, Gérome had just bought a new drawing table and wanted to draw more. After he read the story, and figured out if he could draw a dog, he agreed! And, I must say, I love all of his hand-drawn artwork that brings the story alive on the pages of this book. It’s truly special!

Fast-forward again, through all of the stages of editing with the amazing Deanna McFadden, copyediting by Nina Varano and Pollyanna Macchiano, my learning how to use InDesign and text design to lay out the words with Gérome’s art, trouble-shooting and receiving help from James Leonard with some late-in-the game design issues, then figuring out digital marketing with Emily Ritter, and publishing strategy, printing, and distribution and here we are! (And thank you all of these wonderful humans and to many others for all of the support along the way!).

To me The Dog Who Wanted to Be a Butterfly is a new fairy tale that weaves its magic in many ways. It’s a story that helps kids (and grownups) know that multiple dreams can come true and that sometimes the unexpected is an even better dream than you could have imagined!

That this book exists in the world is already a dream come true for me! Another is that people will get a copy to read and, I hope, find ways to live out their own dreams.

The Dog Who Wanted to Be a Butterfly is available wherever books are sold. Some links of where to purchase your copy are below:

Buy the Book:

Amazon: US, CA, UK, DE, FR, ES, IT, JP, AU, NL, SE, PL
Barnes & Noble (US)
Booksamillion (US)
Bookshop.org (US)
Foyles (UK)
Hatchards (UK)
Indigo Books & Music (CA)
McNally Robinson (CA)
Powell’s Books (US)
Walmart (US)
Waterstones (UK)

Buy directly from the printer.

Find an Independent Book Store Near You (CA)

Bookstores in Brooklyn, NY & NYC:
Books are Magic
The Center for Fiction
Greenlight Bookstore
McNally Jackson
The Strand