SJ Byrne, Author MY BUTTERFLY |
Welcome fiction author, SJ Byrne, whose first
book MY BUTTERLY has been a bestseller on the Amazon Kindle British Drama list.
One reviewer said the novel “blew me away. The author takes the reader
on a very intense emotional journey in which you truly care about the
characters” However, SJ Byrne cannot
control her characters. Her lead character Katherine made SJ write her story, and
would not allow the author to change it.
SJ is now
preparing for a five-mile run, and warns us to expect more books later this
year.
Don’t miss the excerpt following the interview.
Don’t miss the excerpt following the interview.
Click the link at the end of this article to check out the First Love Blog Hop and learn about other participating authors and how to win a Kindle and many more prizes.
Q: You seem like such a nice person. What
inspired you to write a book described by one reviewer of MY BUTTERFLY as one
that: “delves into the depths of the darkest
aspects of the human psyche”?
S.J. Byrne: We all have different aspects to
us...much like a prism. You turn us one way you see something, but turn us
another way and you will see something entirely different. Katherine’s story
wrote itself. Or I should say, Katherine wrote her story and shared it with me.
During the process if I tried to add anything of my own she would shut me down
and leave me hanging until I removed the offending bit of writing.
Q: Scotland?
Why? How important is setting to telling your story?
S.J. Byrne: Why Scotland. Again, that was Katherine. I
was walking through Victoria Park in Glasgow, Christmas 2006, when I suddenly
noticed her presence in my head. She walked with me a long while, filling me
with her essence before telling me that she had a story that needed to be told
and I was going to write it. A bit hooey? Maybe - but I won’t argue with such a
feeling, especially if the story is a good one!
How
important is the setting? Very important. Scotland is a country divided,
fighting for her freedom from oppression - yes, there are those still trying to
free Her from Mother England. Scotland is much like Katherine in many respects
and the two find a mutual love during her time there.
Q: Can you imagine writing in an
alternative genre? If so, which one? Why?
S.J. Byrne: I actually do write in other genres.
I’m writing a YA with my daughter and a NA on my own, as well as paranormal. I
may try my hand at suspense or thriller when I find the courage to delve into
that scary pond!
Q: Do you write
purely for entertainment? Or are you trying to tell your readers something?
S.J. Byrne: I write because if I don’t I fall head first
into depression. Writing is my way of purging emotions. I am so connected to
creativity that if I don’t pull from it, it pulls from me.
Q: Why should
readers care about your characters?
S.J. Byrne: Because they all have a heartfelt story to be told - a lesson
learned that may help others if they are only willing to see.
Q: What traits
do you give your heroes? Villains?
S.J. Byrne: HAHA more like what traits do they give
themselves! My villains are my heroes. We are our own worst enemies and my
stories tend to center around dealing with one’s own personal demons.
Q: Why are you
a writer? When did you first know
that you wanted to be a writer?
S.J. Byrne: I write therefore I am. I have been writing since grade school. It’s
what I do and who I am. I may have a job that pays my bills but being a writer
is at my core.
Q: Tell us something about yourself, e.g.,
do you do stand up comedy? What are some of your favorites – books, movies,
plays etc.? What do you do when you’re not writing? Do you have a
muse? What's your favorite charity?
S.J. Byrne: Hahaha
I have been told I should do comedy - but I swear to them that it wouldn’t be
funny if I stood on a stage! When I’m not writing...I have begun training for a
5 mile run to the top of Grandfather Mountain. Look it up. It’s called The
Bear. I didn’t start running until May 2012, so that’s a pretty intense run to
be training for.
About SJ Byrne
Living
in the mountains of Western North Carolina SJ Byrne is just trying to make her
way through the insanity that comes with creativity. Writing
is her passion - life is her muse. Keep an eye out for new books due later this
year.
(This book
contains intense scenes of physical and mental abuse. It also explores sexual
themes of a taboo nature. Please do NOT purchase if you find such content
disturbing or offensive.)
Where do you
turn when love becomes twisted enough to kill and desire is darker than death?
Where do you go
when those you consider family blame you for the volatile episodes in your
relationship?
Far Far Away!
Grateful for her
aunt's generosity, Katherine Daniels leaves her failed marriage
behind and heads to Scotland.
Reconnecting
with an artistic talent she'd abandoned under the tyranny of her ex-husband,
Katherine begins a journey of healing and self-transformation.
Finding love
wasn't on her agenda, but what do you do when it finds you? Though she embraces
the man who quickly steals her heart, she's harboring a secret that just
may shatter her fragile new existence. Witness one woman's emergence from the
dark night of her soul in MY
BUTTERFLY.
Excerpt from MY BUTTERFLY
"Ah wud ne'er, E'ER hurt ye! Ah didnae mean tae
frighten ye wi' mah hunger. Am sae sorry, lass. Please say yer okay. Please
tell meh Ah havenae hurt ye."
The anguish in his eyes tore at her heart, and Katherine
hung her head, knowing there was no way he could understand the deep shame she
felt. Familiar tears filled her eyes as she stared at the floor beneath her
feet. He had a right to know the truth, but she didn't think she had the
strength to tell him. She had never told a soul, not even Jessup, though she
suspected he'd known and enjoyed it immensely. Gathering courage about her like
a wet, woolen blanket, she prepared to see the disgust and rejection in his
eyes once she revealed her dark secret.
"Katherine, please fergive meh." Remorse forced
him into silence, and it broke her heart to hear him full of self-loathing on
her account.
"There's nothing to forgive."
The whisper of words was as broken as her spirit had once
been, and with her chin lifted high, she avoided looking him in the eye as
tears streamed down her cheeks. Slipping off the stool, she crossed the kitchen
to where he stood and placed her hands flat against the center of his chest.
Leaning her forehead into the hollow of his throat, she was reminded how
perfectly they fit together and realized she would miss the feeling of symmetry
between their bodies.
Links
Twitter or @SJ__byrne (that
is 2 underscores not just one)
SJ
on Goodreads
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Great interview! I look forward to reading My Butterfly. I'm heading over to pick it up.
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