YvonneFebruary 1476 …
The victorious army followed the Drina River upstream, Serbia on the left bank, Bosnia on the right. As the host advanced, mountains rose along the river, their snowy forests thick and foreboding. Grey mists stretched forth their tendrils from the undergrowth, ascended from the emerald waters and tumbled down the mountain slopes in avalanches of billowing cloud.
The morning fog’s caresses gave way to a stronger embrace that drove the sun from the valley’s depths and brought twilight at midday. The vapor entered the soldiers’ nostrils and lungs, under their armor, beneath woolen undergarments, as it whispered that the valley belonged to no man, that evil awaited those who dared desecrate its precincts. But the army paid scant heed, blinded by greed.
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‘Kiss of the Butterfly’ sounds as though it has something for everyone and doesn’t fit into any particular genre. There is romance, adventure, and it is definitely a thriller. What is the relationship between vampires and butterflies? and what happens if a vampire bites you?. Spoiler alert – just any old stake won’t kill a vampire.
If those first few lines left you wanting to know more, you can click here to read the complete synopsis and say hi! to the author, James Lyon.
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WHAT IS ‘BOOK BEGINNINGS’ AND HOW CAN YOU JOIN IN THE FUN?
Would the first few lines of your book make you want to read on?
If so, would you like to share them with us, (without revealing too many spoilers of course) ?
Click here and visit Gilion @ Rose City Reader
You can then leave a link to your own book beginnings post, or just browse for some great reads, there are always plenty of new authors and titles to be discovered.
Don’t forget that Gilion and all the other contributors to this meme love to hear from you, so why not leave a comment or two at the same time.
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As this was an author invitation to read and review, a Kindle download of ‘Kiss Of The Butterfly’, was sent to me free of charge, by its author James Lyon.
This will in no way influence any comments I may express about the book, in any blog article I may post. Any thoughts or comments are my own personal opinion and I am in no way being monetarily compensated for this, or any other article.
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Yeah, definitely my kind of story.
Hi Tracy,
You are always enthusiastic about this book, no matter which post I mention it in, so I definitely think that it would be something you would enjoy.
Actually, until I was preparing this post, I hadn’t opened the Kindle file, so only had the synopsis on Amazon to go by. I was really captivated by those opening lines, with the feelings of stealth and menace which they evoke.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by, I appreciate it.
Have a good weekend.
Peter,
I hope you’ll find it has something to intrigue you. It deconstructs the modern pop-culture vampire and returns it to its roots in Balkan folklore. It starts off slowly, builds gradually while developing the characters, and then somewhere about the middle of the book, takes off on a mad dash that will leave you breathless. There’s a bit of everything in it. Although I call it Paranormal Literary Fiction, it has history (flashbacks to the 15th, 17th, and 18th centuries, is a mystery, scary horror bits, bits of Gothic romance, and philosophical ruminations about life, death, and the Belgrade night clubs.
I hope you enjoy reading it
Best
James
Oh, my goodness! Vampires and butterflies. There’s a lot going on in this one.
Thanks for sharing the opening on Book Beginnings on Fridays!
Rose City Reader
Hi Gilion,
Hopefully this won’t be too much of a spoiler … but in the words of the author James Lyon
“Suffice it to say that in Balkan folklore, vampires don’t turn into bats… There. I went and spoiled it. Heh heh. 🙂 There is also a connection in Balkan folklore between butterflies and the human soul as it leaves the body upon death. And to the hawthorne tree…whose wood plays an important role in killing vampires.”
Thanks for hosting and I hpe that you have a good weekend.
Dear Rose,
The print version should be out by the 1st of April. It will have two covers and two sizes. The mass-market version will have the Blue Butterfly-on-Maltese Cross cover, while the trade paperback will have the Red Butterfly on white background. You can see both covers at: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.567712753240267.127461.203838056294407&type=3
Best
James
Kiss of the Butterfly has intrigued me since you’ve been mentioning it. I like those first lines. The imagery the author is creating here is certainly foreboding. Happy reading and happy weekend Yvonne 🙂
Dear Bookworm,
the imagery has now come together, and hopefully by April 1st Kiss of the Butterfly will be available in print. Over the next two weeks I will be sharing one chapter illustration from the print version each day on the Kiss of the Butterfly web site. The album for the illustrations is at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.575406489137560.1073741826.203838056294407&type=3
Best
James
Hi Naida,
Sorry to have taken so long in replying to your welcome comment, but I declare it now official …. ‘Norovirus’ is the pits and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy …. 4 days in and I still can’t eat and certainly haven’t seen the light of day past my bed. I seem to be back in the land of the living today!!!
I hadn’t actually opened the Kindle copy of ‘Kiss…’, until I was preparing this post and even I was so totally unprepared for the descriptive intensity of those first lines, if the rest of the story is as good as this, then I shall be in for a real treat.
Hope to be up to speed again very soon, take care and thanks for stopping by.
Yvonne,
Get well soon. Any kind of virus is awful, but if I may suggest an old tried and true Balkan folk remedy… eat lots of raw GARLIC!!!
Best
James
P.S. It actually works. Garlic is one of nature’s superfoods with some incredible healing properties. And you might need it around once you get into “Kiss of the Butterfly”. 🙂
Hi James,
Thanks for your kind wishes, … five days in and the thought of any food is pretty awful at the moment … despite being a garlic lover (not the raw variety of course!).
I shall be sure to take your advice when I start reading the book though!
Yvonne.
Interesting! The name doesn’t give anything away 🙂
Dear Nikki-Ann,
For many villagers in the remote mountains of the Balkans, the name gives away quite a bit. Heh, heh. Fortunately for me, however, few people it is obscure enough that with the exception of a few Balkan highlanders, it doesn’t give away the plot to westerners.
I hope you get the chance to read it and discover the metaphor. It is old-fashioned and starts off slowly, but by the time you get to the half-way point, it’ll be hard to put down.
Best
James
Hi Nikki,
Sorry to have been so long in replying to your comment …. it’s now official ‘Norovirus’ sucks!! … 4 days in and not much sign of any improvement!!
I see that James has stepped into the void in my absence and done a fantastic job. It is always great to see an author take such an active interest in people who want to discuss his book, the sign of a writer truly passionate about his subject.
I hope to be back up to full speed very soon.
Yvonne,
A French vampire web site reviewed “Kiss of the Butterfly”!!! I was so excited…after all, there is something about the French language that can make anything sound so incredibly intellectual. 🙂
My wife said it made me sound intelligent. 😀
Thanks once again, and good reading.
Best
James
P.S. the print editions should be available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and others by April 1st (knock on wood).