Author Archives: Sj

Trust Train cube

A Year Into It…

Riding the Trust Train

It’s been over a year now since I hopped aboard the Trust Train.

What’s it been like? What have I learned?

Well, there’s too much to tell in one video, but here’s a place to start:

Thank you for taking the time to sit and be with me.

Aloha,

✫Sj✫

 

Jill's Dad LOVEs the book!

Have you gotten your copy yet?

A man I don’t know at all…

“…is reading the book and LOVES it.

He is laughing. I hope that is the appropriate reaction…”

Yes! It is! My Life as a Mule has been called light. Deep. And FUNNY.

Have you ordered your copy yet? You can get it from Amazon.

Happy reading!

xoxoxoxo

The Camp Eagle

The Camp Eagle

Why am I Where I am?

Why am I Where I am?

I have no idea.

And yet—I am.

So while I’m here,

I shall trust.

Trust—that I can only be where I am.

Trust—because I know that my soul would never steer me wrong.

Trust—because of my knowing.

A knowing that has been with me my entire life.

A knowing that I sometimes chose to ignore.

Looking the other way.

Convincing myself that I was doing the right thing.

All—in order to be a good girl.

Make my parents proud.

Fit in.

But—I’ve never fit in.

Ever.

So—when that little tap on my heart

shoved me out the door of my life—

I trusted.

Trusted—that all would be well.

Trusted—that I could never really make a mistake.

Not when I’m following my heart.

Not when I’m trusting.

Why am I where I am?

I have no idea.

But I know—that I am.

Sj Hylton LeHoven

Tracey, Sj and Jocelyne cropped (1 of 1)

1 Year Ago…

I met two friends from high school for dinner.

It was August 2017, and I had come to the mainland (from Kaua‘i) to write.

What was I going to write?

I had NO idea.

But I just knew that I had to write. I knew that it was time to rid myself of distractions. And make a commitment (to myself) to show up each and every day. Something was brewing within me, and I could feel that it needed to be shared with the world.

Yes, the world!

In time, I began to realize that it was simply a message of love. That you’re loved and perfect as you are.

Text from Tracey 8.15.2018

Written by Tracey, my beautiful friend on my right.

You can imagine how thrilled I was to receive this text and discover how deeply my expression of love (which revealed itself as my first book My Life as a Mule) touched my friend’s heart.

It still thrills me to the core of my being to know that something I wrote, OR more correctly, something that was written through me, brought joy to someone. A smile to their face.

Okay, Sj, that’s nice for you (you’re thinking), but what’s that got to do with ME?

I felt led to remind you that the world needs YOUR love as well! Yes, the WORLD!

No one but YOU can express the love that you are in the way that you do.

So, please, let your light shine! Show the world how very, very beautiful you are. We need you. Exactly as you ARE.

xoxoxoxoxoxo

✫ Sj ✫

And my beautiful friend on my LEFT is the illustrator of my book, Jocelyne Shiner!!!!!!

P.S. Wondering where you can order your copy?

Through Amazon.

You’re Invited!

Local Flagstaff Artist, Jocelyne Shiner, Chosen as the Illustrator in

Sj LeHoven’s New Book: My Life as a Mule.

Reception With Original Drawings, Book Reading & Signing to Be Held at Jocelyne’s studio on Sunday, August 26th from 4 to 7 p.m. Paso Del Norte Bldg, studio 12, 123 S San Francisco Street, Flagstaff

The author and illustrator graduated from high school together in Knoxville, Tennessee. They reconnected and enjoyed collaborating on this book. “From my perspective,” explained Jocelyne, “as eager as Sj was to release this story from her soul, I was as eager to bring her characters to life visually. Molly and I became instant friends, and it was an honor to draw her. My childhood came back time and again, and Sj had a good laugh when I revealed my inspiration for one of her characters! (our high school English teacher) Sj initially requested black and white ink illustrations; I quickly suggested graphite instead. The rich texture and layering of lines and erasure allowed me to give each character and scene much depth and history. May you enjoy Molly, her family and friends, as much as I did.”

Check out the amazing invitation that Jocelyne made!!!!

There will be PRINTS of some of the drawings on hand that you can purchase (and Jocelyne will sign : ) as well as books. AND…we have some super groovy mugs for sale!

See you there or at another event soon!

Jocelyne’s pictorial version of the book in a 18×24″ poster. : ))) She’s soooo talented!!!!

Pedrata reading My Life as a Mule

One Review at a Time…

Creatures of all shapes and sizes are reading My Life as a Mule.

I don’t know what sspokes looks like or what kind of animal s/he is, but I do know that she connected with Molly. Deeply.

Have you met Molly yet?It’s time. She’s patiently waiting and will greet you with a smile whenever that perfect time for you is. : )

I have no doubt that this book was brought to me as a Divine gift. There is a message somewhere in this book for everyone whether it is as simple as laughing at some of the experiences of life that Molly encounters or deeply feeling a heart-felt connection with her at the turning points in her life. I saw many aspects of my life’s lessons and experiences mirrored back to me in a most affirming way. I am so grateful to have found this book at this time in my life and I know it is a wonderful read for anyone at any age. Besides I love horses and Molly is a wonderful voice for the equine family. Enjoy the story.

sspokes on Amazon, July 20, 2018

Taj Juré Transformational Tea

Radio Interview with Taj Juré Now Available

Taj Juré is an amazing interviewer!

On Sunday, June 24th, 2018 she interviewed me regarding my book My Life as a Mule (in her radio program Transformational Tea).The interview was loads of fun. My bit starts around 20 minutes into the show and goes for about 35 minutes. BUT I highly recommend listening to the entire program. Taj brings such wonderful insight to a life filled with peace and harmony.

You can enjoy her show Transformational Tea on the first and last Sunday of each month from noon to 1 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time on KKCR.org.

Geoff's Review 6.28.2018 picture

My Life as a Mule – A Review by J. Geoffrey Jones

My Life as a Mule – A Review by J. Geoffrey Jones

I’ve been reading a book by a writer with the elegant name Sj Hylton LeHoven. The content of her book, as well as some of her other writings I’ve seen, make me feel a bit the way *Emerson must have felt when he wrote the letter Walt Whitman quoted on the back of the first edition of Leaves of Grass. It’s a great pleasure to be able to help in any way possible to bring good literature to its audience.

I’m finding My life as A Mule to be a remarkable group of stories. The writing concept is, by turns, reminiscent of Charlotte’s Web, Aesop’s Fables, and Alice in Wonderland. It uses talking animals to tell human truths just as the above classics do. Through her human spirited characters she tells the story of the passage from childhood to adulthood of her main character, Molly, with many seemingly simple but actually much deeper insights. Young people will enjoy this book but adults will as well. It is well illustrated with drawings by Jocelyne C. Shiner.

A lot of the writing, it appears, was scoped out during the bravely ambitious traveling Sj has been doing in her custom camper ( ala John Steinbeck’s Travels With Charley or Robert Louis Stevenson’s Travels with A Donkey). She considers herself “Riding the Trust Train,” a rare wording in these times. Her adventurous inquisitiveness has paid off both in new friendships as well as new self-realizations.

I am glad she found a copy of The Reader as she passed through Murfreesboro (Tennessee) and wrote mehttp://www.rutherfordreader.com/ an enthusiastic note at the time. ( I had just published an article about the full solar eclipse that week) From then on I followed up on her Odyssey. Which has led me to this book. I’m glad to have learned of Sj’s creative journey. And to share the news with you. Find a copy of this well written group of stories. You’ll be glad you did. J. Geoffrey Jones, The Rutherford Reader ld_byron37086@yahoo.com

Published June 28, 2018 in The Rutherford Reader.

My Life as a Mule is available at Amazon. Click on the title for the link to purchase your own copy. : )

*Curious about the story about Whitman and Emerson? Click here to learn more. And click here to read Whitman’s letter dated August 1656.

Jocelyne drawing Molly

How to Order Your Copy of “My Life as a Mule” ???

It’s simple.

Click on the title, My Life as a Mule.

It will take you directly to Amazon and where you can order your own copy.

Want to get one from me personally?

Come to Flagstaff, Arizona on Sunday, August 26th (2018) to meet both the illustrator, Jocelyne Champagne Shiner, and myself, Sj Hylton LeHoven.

Her original drawings will be on display; I’ll do a reading and then book signing.

Where & When?

That’s to be determined. Stay tuned to this Bat channel for updates. Or, subscribe and you’ll automatically be notified.

In the meantime:

May each day fill you with peace and joy.

Even in the midst of hardship, may you remember

that everything you’re seeking

resides deep inside Yourself.

Peace is found

by being still

and going

inside.

<3

✫Sj ✫

My Life as a Mule cover

KKCR’s Taj Juré Interviews LeHoven June 24

Tune in tomorrow at KKCR.org.

Interview to take place at noon Hawaii Standard Time (6 p.m. EST)

Sj Hylton LeHoven has published her first work of fiction, My Life As A Mule. The unusual title is a precursor to a troupe of refreshingly innovative characters who deliver philosophical truisms about the complexities of life and living, seeded with delightful humor and unexpected simplicity.

What makes LeHoven’s (she prefers the familiar “Sj”) story so readable are the human qualities she assigns to her carefully curated family of animals as they interact, discuss, and examine different challenges.

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined,” said Henry David Thoreau. LeHoven’s main character, a Mule named Molly, epitomizes the essence of that wisdom.

My Life as a Mule is Sj’s first published work of fiction but she has been writing informally for decades starting with journals as a young girl. For more than two decades, she wrote hundreds of scripts for the video production company that she co-owned and operated throughout the Hawaiian islands. Hollywood producers also tagged that company as their first choice for filming and production of trailers and promotional footage.

Sj’s first independent step onto the public stage was a radio play she wrote, Now Who Are You? produced in 2014 by Kaua‘i’s Women in Theatre.

In a recent review of My Life As A Mule, J. Geoffrey Jones of The Rutherford Reader in Murfreesboro, TN, praised LeHoven’s work, comparing it to some of the best known and most distinguished literary masterpieces.

“I’m finding My Life as A Mule to be a remarkable group of stories,” Jones writes. “The writing concept is, by turns, reminiscent of Charlotte’s Web, Aesop’s Fables and Alice in Wonderland. It uses talking animals to tell human truths just as [those] classics do.”

Jones, whose column is called “Days Gone By” continues, “Through LeHoven’s human spirited characters, she tells the story of the passage from childhood to adulthood of her main character, Molly, with many seemingly simple but actually much deeper insights. Young people will enjoy this book but adults will as well. It is well illustrated with drawings by Jocelyne C. Shiner.”

LeHoven said she did not have a choice about writing or not writing the book. She describes the reason for putting words on paper as “an inexorable force.”

“I simply had to write what I was feeling. I didn’t know what it was going to be and was often surprised by what I saw my fingers typing.”

She dedicated close to a year for preparation and physical writing of the book, stepping away from her life on Kauai and deciding to travel around the country, camping and sometimes staying with friends.

“Traveling solo,” she added, “helped me to stay focused and write what I now describe as a fictionalized memoir or a memoir with a twist.”

“Most writers draw on their own life experiences, so of course there are nuances of my life in Molly’s stories, but in a completely different way. I never had a Pig as a teacher, or a Toad.”

My Life As A Mule will be available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

LeHoven’s interview with Taj Juré is scheduled for Sunday, June 24, 2018 from 12:00 Noon to 1:00 PM, Hawaii Standard Time.

Join Taj and listen to  “Transformational Tea with Taj – Ways to Inner Peace.” You can also listen to her program online at www.kkcr.org.

Update June 25, 2018: My Life as a Mule is now available at Amazon. Click on the title for the link to purchase your own copy. : )