The Big Picture

Hello Everyone!

Boy, did October fly by or what? Hello, November! Northeast Georgia has had a wet, but colorful autumn so far. The crisp fall air makes me want to move my office outdoors. I find the autumn colors inspirational. The different hues on the autumn leaves draw me to the details of the landscape rather than just seeing the big picture. The big picture being that winter is soon approaching to leave the landscapes barren of bright colors; the air more bitter as the frost nips at the faces; and the holiday festivities to commence (can't wait for that part).

The Big Picture

The book world's big picture is much like the big picture of autumn. When publishing a book, the publisher can get carried away with the big picture and the goals and purpose of the book and away from the details of the project. This is why I am the publisher and not the author. <haha> I do see the big picture and goals that need to be reached to achieve the planned end result, yet fail to always see the details along the way. The recent season's changes challenged me to take my job day by day and to focus on every modest detail of my current publishing project.

New Blog Schedule

The kind of changes we make will decide what kind of results will be produced. As I continue to grow my experience as a publisher, the autumn season is a good time to make productive changes to my work. I've decided to blog on a more frequent schedule. The blog topics will still be about my experiences as a publisher and twenty-something entrepreneur. Follow along on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and of course here on Blogger!

Twitter: @PBPages or @GaPeach291
Facebook: Purple Butterfly Pages
Instagram: pbpublications
Blogger: The Purple Butterfly Purpose

Web: www.PurpleButterflyPages.com

Thanks for reading!

- Caitlin, Proprietor & Publisher 

And That Is Why It Is Butterfly

Hello all!

Happy Spring! 

Easter sunrise at Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds on Lake Chatuge

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter and spring break! Maybe you spent the spring break reading Their Inheritance? Hope so! I have had a lot on my mind the last couple of weeks and unsure what to write about and share with you all this month. For some reason the dawn of a new season brings with it a bundle of new things to try, do, and dominate. I have been blessed to be able to spend some office time working outdoors (thankful for my MacBook Pro) which led me to open up and share with you all in this blog the purpose of my choice in using "Butterfly" in my business' name . Out of all of the characters in the stories of spring, butterflies are my favorite.

Do I publish books about purple butterflies?

I have been asked many times why I named my book selling business Purple Butterfly Pages and my publishing company Purple Butterfly Publications. I chose butterfly to represent my business, clients, and products because I simply love butterflies, and I believe that butterflies are very similar to books in the way they come to life. From a pen and paper lying around to a manuscript to the publisher to the readers' lives, a book parallels a butterfly. A caterpillar is moving around for awhile, gets to the dirty cocoon stage, and magically turns into a beautiful entity to be seen throughout nature. Beautiful!

Every time I see a butterfly, it takes my breath away. A refreshing reminder of beauty and freedom and peacefulness in a moment. No matter what is happening in the office, if there is a butterfly fluttering by the window, I am reminded of the endless possibilities that lie before me. Like a butterfly drifting through nature, I believe a book is the same way. A book is able to be read by readers worldwide.

When a butterfly goes flying by, it is a drifting kind of way that is sure to catch your eye. No matter the size or how many different colors on a butterfly, you are gonna see it flying out of the corner of your eye. Once the butterfly has your eye, it draws you into its peaceful beauty. Butterflies have a stillness that persuades you to stop whatever you may be doing as it flutters by and just look at it and wonder. Wonder how something so beautiful came from a dark and dirty cocoon to a thing of beauty. When you stop and think about a butterfly's life, its freedoms are endless. The form is no longer bound to the ground as a caterpillar or bound to entombment by a cocoon. Instead, a butterfly is free to fly, explore, and BE wherever it wants to go while completely trusting its Creator to guide its path.

It is okay to have butterflies.

Whatever you are facing today, take a minute to step outside and look for that glimpse of color fluttering by! You might be reminded that after being through so much, the butterfly comes out the other side prettier, more peaceful, and more trusting than it ever was before. Ready to face endless possibilities and reach endless goals, the butterfly confidently flutters by. Believe in yourself and you can do the same. So the next time someone asks, "Do you have butterflies? Are you feeling nervous?", remember everything a butterfly is and know that having "butterflies" can be a good thing!

Every time my logo is seen whether online or on a book's spine, I hope it serves as a reminder of all that a butterfly is!

Believe.

Caitlin Ayers, Publisher

Purple Butterfly Publications

www.PurpleButterflyPages.com

Christmas Celebration: Parade Memories

Hello everybody!

December has proved to be a diligent week so far. Earlier this month, I excitedly announced that my business was going to have a float in my town's parade! A lot of thought, creativity, and preparation has gone into the making of the Christmas parade float.

The Toccoa Christmas Parade has been an event that my family attends each year and we always talked about participating, but we never did. My sister owns a baking/catering business, Dazzling Sweet Treats. My parents have recently started an estate auction company, Remember When Estate Auctions LLC. This fall, an email describing the 2014 parade information and application was sent out to all local Chamber of Commerce members. After reading through the rules and information, I determined that this year was the year for us to be a bigger part of our town's Christmas festivities; and not just as local citizens celebrating Christmas, but as local businesses who want to share a special Christmas message.

This year's parade theme is 'Christmas Miracle'. There are many miracle's surrounding Christ's birth. My first thought after reading the theme info, was a child's first Christmas with their forever family! Foster care and adoption is very familiar to me and my family. My parents were house parents at a children's home in the early '90s and my family served as a foster home for many babies and young children in the early 2000s. A few of those young children and babies became my brothers and sisters! Not my "adopted siblings" but my siblings. Christmas has always been a special festive time to me, but one Christmas I will never forget: when a little red headed seven-year-old foster child spent her first Christmas with her soon-to-be forever family. I had met "Red" when she spent Thanksgiving with my family one year. No other home was open for her to spend the holiday with. At seven-years-old she had been through many foster homes already and was legally waiting to be adopted. With prayer and love, my family decided that "Red" was supposed to be a part of our family. So, she spent Christmas holiday with us instead of her current foster family. Her reaction to Christmas Eve and Christmas morning were unforgettable. She had so many questions and had no idea what it was like to feel such love. The next summer, she officially became my younger sister! It is nothing short of a miracle when God puts a family into the life of a broken child; or a child into the life of a loving family. So, there is a doubtless personal meaning for our float theme choice!

“There are no unwanted children, just unfound families.”
The National Adoption Center

I presented my idea of our float theme to be centered around a child's first Christmas with their forever family. We did a bit of brainstorming to tie it to the parade's theme. We discovered that there was an adoption story right int the middle of the Christmas Story. Joseph took Jesus to raise, and love and care for even though the Child was not biologically his. I encourage you to listen to "Raise Him Up" sung by Randy Travis. This is the PERFECT song for our float's theme! I will be posting photos from the parade later this month in the "recap" blog.

I also encourage you to be accepting, loving, and understanding of any adoption miracles happening in your life!

Make it a peaceful and joyful December.

Caitlin Ayers, Publisher
Purple Butterfly Publications

**Visit downtown Toccoa Georgia on Saturday, December 6th. The parade starts at 4PM. Come early to visit the local shops and even some brand new businesses; and share in the celebration of the Christ's birth!**

1940s Flashback!

Hello Everyone!

Although October is almost over for this year, it is finally fall in my corner of the world. Pumpkin and cinnamon everything is everywhere it seems. However, I don't want to add to the pumpkin spice craze. Instead, I want to share about an event that takes place in my town during the first weekend of every October: Currahee Military Weekend. I was blessed to have taken part in the festivities celebrating the paratroopers who trained during WWII at Camp Toccoa, just a few miles from where I live now.

The annual Currahee Military Weekend took place October 3 - 5, 2014. The Vintage Hangar Dance took place on Friday evening at the Stephens County Airport. Purple Butterfly Publications' featured author, Stephanie Townsend Ayers, and I attended the 1940s themed hangar dance. Mrs. Ayers and I both dressed up in our best '40s attire for the evening. I even got a surprise delivery of flowers from a thoughtful friend to wear to the dance! I had an absolutely fantastic time participating in the Costume Contest during the evening where I finished as a semi-finalist. Great competition in the hangar! We all had a swell time of dancing (yes, I learned a few steps), fantastic live music, learning, and seeing new faces from all around the globe including from France and Texas! After the fun evening, I couldn't help but think of the brave men and women who were a part of our nation's defenses during World War II. The hangar dances must have meant so much to them.  

Featured author, Stephanie Townsend Ayers, and I ready for the Vintage Hangar Dance

Had a blast!

On Saturday evening, we returned to Camp Toccoa at Currahee for the Currahee Military Weekend Banquet. The guest speaker was Jim “Pee Wee’ Martin, 506th G. Company PIR.,
a Camp Toccoa veteran. Mr. Martin shared with us his jump into Normandy in 1944 and recently this year, 2014, during D-Day Events in Normandy. It was a special honor to hear Mr. Martin speak about his life experiences during and after the war. If you don't know who he is already,  please look him up and watch his experience in video. You won't regret it! After listening to Mr. Jim "Pee Wee" Martin speak, I got to help a local auctioneer, Christopher Ayers of Remember When Estate Auctions, with the live auction to raise money for the Currahee Military Museum and the veterans attending the Currahee Military Weekend. Haha! Happy to help look for bids! A memorable night indeed. 

Playing "Vanna White"

It is so important to remember and respect the sacrifices of America's history makers: our veterans and their families. I'd like to take a moment and encourage you all reading this blog to learn more about your local veterans. Learn from them. Also, learn about YOUR local history. You just might be surprised at what part your town has played in history making moments. Without the preservation of our history, Christian historical-fiction novels like Their Inheritance would not be written! 

Check out Currahee Military Museum for more information about the 2015 Currahee Military Weekend. I hope to see you there!

**Look for an early November blog with exciting first-ever holiday news from Purple Butterfly Publications!** 

Remember. Preserve. Read.

Caitlin Ayers, Publisher
Purple Butterfly Publications

Book Adventures This Summer

Hey everybody!

I hope everyone had a great summer! To those of you still living on "summer time"- count your blessings. 

I am wondering what books you read this summer?? A classic or a new author's works? Maybe even my first publication, Their Inheritance? What genre have you spent your summer delved into- suspense, sci-fi, or possibly fictional romance? 

I made it a personal goal this summer to get some reading done myself! It happened to be the day of Maya Angelou's death that I decided to visit my local library. I browsed the shelves looking for a novel into which I could really dive. I came across Ms. Maya Angelou's works. After reading several dust covers, I decided to check out Gather Together In My Name. Whether it was in between work, times at the lake, or movies, with friends or with family, I became lost in Maya Angelou's life's struggles as a young single mother, daughter, granddaughter, and sister. Also, how she never fit in to society's rules- I was drawn in. The woman was a genius with ink and paper! She has inspired me to steadfastly continue my goal of reading at a steady pace throughout the year. I will let you all know what and when I finish the next book! 

Comment in the blanks below to share what you have been reading! 

Happy reading!

Caitlin Ayers, Publisher
www.PurpleButterflyPages.com

2014: Adventures Part One

Hey everybody!

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, a 2014 recap:

January and February were months of transitioning and growth for me. They were all about transitioning from splitting my time between college and business to utilizing all of my time into my business, Purple Butterfly Publications.  Time is a gift that is shared with others. I have learned that fact during my transitioning time. I found that I can not control everything, but I am firm in my belief that God is in full control of all things.  

“Nothing is secure but life, transition, the energizing spirit.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

I am going to call March 2014 “Milestone March”. With a desire to be more involved in my community and to learn from other local business owners, I joined the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce as a business owner of Purple Butterfly Pages. Joining the Chamber of Commerce had been a professional goal of mine since 2010. Check mark: Goal reached! 

                                 above: Chamber of Commerce monthly networking lunch

In April, I was blessed to be able to be a sponsor of the Power House for Kids 3^rd Annual Race. The race raised funds and awareness for the child advocacy center which serves  families in Habersham, Rabun, and Stephens counties in northeast Georgia. Child abuse in your community affects you whether you know it or not. Please be informed on how you can help YOUR community in the fight against child abuse today. 

May was the actual race day. I had an absolute blast joining over 100 runners for the 5K run in support of the Power House for Kids! A race with perfect weather, a serene location, and an organized coordination, all led to bounding success! My personal goal was to FINISH the race no matter how long it took me. I finished in roughly thirty-seven minutes and without injury. Yeah! Next year, Purple Butterfly Pages will have a FULL TEAM participating in the 4^th annual Power House for Kids Race! 

June has found me counting the many blessings the year has brought me so far (including another birthday).  

hello 23!

I promise to not wait so long in the month to post July’s blog, but just in case…..
I hope you all have a very happy Independence Day on July 4!!! Celebrate the freedom to read whatever you want! 

above: my brothers committed to defending our freedoms.

Thanks for reading!

Caitlin Ayers, Publisher

Purple Butterfly Publications

www.PurpleButterflyPages.com

Make a Difference in America's Future: Be Aware

Hey everybody!

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. This is a cause that is close to my heart. I want to share with you my experience with our countries’ abused children. My own parents were foster parents, thus making me a foster sister, to many abused children over a fifteen year period.  For most of those years, our foster home specialized in extreme cases of physical and sexual abuse toddler and infants under the age of four-years-old. These children did not know the first thing about being loved. It was my privilege to be a small part of introducing love and kindness into their broken young lives.

I know that none of us like to think about innocent children of any age being mentally, sexually, or physically abused. Yet we must face the facts in we are to change them. The reality is that there are children abused. Child abuse occurs at every socioeconomic level, across ethnic and cultural lines, within all religions and at all levels of education. More than four children die every day as a result of child abuse. This is why community supported organizations like the Power House for Kids, located in Stephens county Georgia, are so important to our big cities and small towns. 

The Power House for Kids was established in 2002 as a Child Advocacy Center serving kids in Habersham, Rabun and Stephens Counties (Georgia) who are alleged victims of abuse. Power House for Kids offers a child-friendly environment for a child and non-offending caregiver to tell his/her story of abuse and/or neglect to trained professionals and to receive the services necessary to reduce trauma to the child. Powerhouse for Kids is a child advocate throughout any legal proceedings.

“Child abuse does not go away, but 90 percent of child abuse is preventable.” –Karen Adams

I am really excited to announce that Purple Butterfly Pages IS A SPONSOR IN THE 3rd Annual Power House for Kids 1K/5K/10K happening May 10, 2014!! Representing my company, I will be running in the 5k!!! I have been trying to get in running shape. Haha! For motivation, I use the memories of all those innocent battered children that came through our door. I am REALLY looking forward to this event supporting the fight AGAINST child abuse. 

Pictured above: Me, Caitlin, on the left and to my right is Nadine Scott, Forensic Interviewer at Power House for Kids

Pictured above: the front of the Historic Stephens County Courthouse. There are 264 pinwheels; each representing a case of child abuse in 2013 which occurred in Stephens, Habersham and Rabun Counties (Georgia). 

I believe it is our responsibility as neighbors/citizens/human beings to report any suspected child abuse. To learn the signs of child abuse, please visit the www.childwelfare.gov and be an educated child advocate. If you would like to join me in the fight against child abuse, please learn more on how you can help in your own community! 

Know the signs. 

Prevent child abuse. 

Make a difference in America’s future!

Caitlin Ayers, publisher

Purple Butterfly Publications

www.PurpleButterflyPages.com

The Importance of My Chamber of Commerce

Hey everybody!

Purple Butterfly Pages reached an exciting milestone this week!

Back in 2010 at the beginning of my college journey, I was given an assignment by my small business class instructor to list and explain different ways to network from the view point of a business owner. This assignment was particularly inspiring to me as I had just begun my own small business! I began my list with a goal to join the local Chamber of Commerce. I detailed that as a grass-root sole proprietor business, I was not in a position to join the Chamber at the time. 

Becoming a member of one’s local Chamber of Commerce would provide any business with networking opportunities, offer support and resources for the business, and provide a network of support from other local business owners. Becoming a member of the Chamber of Commerce was especially important to me, even as an individual member prior to joining as a business owner. 

My connection to my local Chamber of Commerce began in 2007 when I had just turned sixteen-years-old. I was an intern at the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce while my uncle, being a British antique store owner in the historic downtown area, was a member. After my internship of almost one year, I finished high school with plans to attend college. I always knew I would go to college, but had not yet quite figured out my major. As I thought more and more about a major, I remembered the work and all the experiences that I had been exposed to at the Chamber of Commerce and knew that I wanted to pursue a degree in business. I signed up for classes majoring in Applied Business Technology. I went to work with my studies and a few months later an opportunity came before me. I took the risk and started my own business. 

Throughout my college experience, I held a student membership with the Chamber of Commerce. I did this to stay informed about and involved with my community and its businesses. After graduating college, with business growth at the forefront of my business plan, I knew I had to be more involved in my community and know the local business owners on a more professional level. This would also introduce my own business-that has now expanded- to my community on an entirely different level. 

So, on March 13, 2014, I joined the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce as a business owner!! 

Another goal on my list checked off!

Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce President, Wendi Bailey (whom I have known since I was a teen), shared my excitement as I met with her and completed the paperwork. The tradition at the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce is to ding a silver bell every time a new member joins the Chamber. It was a very exciting and proud moment when that bell rang for me as my business, Purple Butterfly Pages, joined my local Chamber of Commerce!

I am thankful to Chamber President, Wendi Bailey (pictured here on the right) and Executive Assistant, Vicky King (not pictured) for the knowledge they have shared with me over the years. I feel blessed to know these two professional women!

Be involved.

You never know where it may lead!

Believe! 

Caitlin Ayers 

Owner, Purple Butterfly Pages

Facing the Odds

Hey all!

Over these past few weeks since my college graduation, I have been thinking a lot about my current job as owner of Purple Butterfly Pages and Purple Butterfly Publications.  By definition, entrepreneur  is  a person who organizes and operates a business or businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so.

The main reasons a person starts a business is to either sell or provide a service to the public, service or retail. As for me, I saw a need from book readers for new respectable books to purchase. A passion was stirred in me to provide the public with a novel or book that not only entertained a reader, but also encouraged and inspired the reader through its story as well. So, I found an avenue to do just that and a new entrepreneur was born!  I began working to organize a business where I could sell such products online as well as at special events, thus Purple Butterfly Pages  was created! 

Some people have described me as an optimistic realist. I interpret that to mean that I am optimistic about the things I do, but understand that everything does not always work out as I imagined or hoped. Here is where the risks-taking part of being an entrepreneur comes in. As a business owner, I need to take risks in order to gain more of what I want and need. If you don’t go after something you want, guess what…you won’t get it!  Take the risk!

“Entrepreneurship isn't for everyone, and not everyone is going to be an entrepreneur, but women who turn to business, turn to economics, because there are people depending on them, I think that their creativity, their resilience, their spirit, embody what's best about entrepreneurship.”

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

Another reason I chose to be an entrepreneur- to do my part to help raise the economic stability of my city, my state, and my country. Maybe the United States of America does not have the best economic stability at the moment, but I believe it can and will get better if its citizens support our country’s businesses especially the small ones.

Believe.

Caitlin 

www.PurpleButterflyPages.com

What's Stopping You???

Hey!

Hope the week is going well for you so far. 
While washing dishes this morning after a yum breakfast of pancakes and turkey bacon, riskiness came to mind. Yes, very odd thought for washing dishes. Probably thought about it because I was risking getting the electric outlet wet when washing the electric griddle. ANYWAYS, it got me to thinking the risks I have taken in life and the ones I have NOT taken...but I think you should focus more on what you have done and not what you should have done. Learn and move on!

“Why not go out on a limb? That's where the fruit is.” - Will Rogers

Growing up I was not much of a risk taker at all (I left that up to other siblings), but when I turned eighteen something clicked. I realized the teen years were not going to last forever and the risk taking needed to be stepped up! I started college with no idea, what I'd be doing when it was over. The next year, a few days after my nineteenth birthday and a few months after I had started college, the idea of Purple Butterfly Pages was alive. 

THE BIGGEST RISK I HAVE EVER TAKEN. 
I faced fears of inexperience, rejection, and failure. BUT I worked hard anyway making phone calls, meeting new people,  doing what I knew I could do and stretching myself to do what I knew I couldn't do.  It is very true, the saying, "No risk, no reward"! I have grown and continue to grow so much as a person, mentally and spiritually, learning so much from being the owner of Purple Butterfly Pages!
I encourage you to take a risk today. You NEVER know what you are capable of, so find out!

"Do not be too timid and squeamish. ... All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

What's stopping you?

Caitlin :)

Hello All!

Well, hello all!

Welcome to the 2014 blog of Purple Butterfly Pages. Caitlin here. I am the owner at Purple Butterfly Pages and Purple Butterfly Publications! I will be blogging about what is new with Purple Butterfly Pages AND Purple Butterfly Publications as well as other randomness that comes around.

Although Purple Butterfly Pages has been in business since 2010, I just graduated college last semester.  Yes, I was nineteen when I started my own business. It has been quite the journey! I have learned so much about the industry and business since then, and I continue to learn everyday. I love meeting new people and finding the best qualities in my products to promote. I strive to meet the needs of the people through answered questions and with a smile.

Follow my blog and learn what it has been like being a college student and business owner!