Tell us about My Butterfly?
It’s the healing journey of one woman who has left a destructive marriage to her high school sweetheart. It’s about being true to self and honoring the heart, facing our darkest fears and having the courage to fly when more than anything we want to curl up and cry. It’s a love story with a dark twist - Katherine Daniels has secrets she hasn’t shared with anyone and they are coming to the surface to be healed.
What sets your most recent release, My Butterfly, from other books of the same genre?
It doesn’t skirt around the dark side of sexuality, it goes into it and heals the cause of the pain. It’s also set in Scotland. The real Scotland. Not the shortbread and heather most people think of when they read Scottish romance.
How is the book doing so far?
The book is doing fairly well. Of course I’d love for it to hit the NYT or USA Today’s bestsellers list - who doesn’t - it has been a bestseller on Amazon’s Drama list for kindle.
Any future releases reader should be aware of?
Right now I’m working on a NA novel with a working title Lily’s Song. It’s about a twenty-something girl who becomes paralyzed in a car accident. Through the process of healing her body she learns to become responsible for her life in a way she’s been avoiding since her teens.
Are you reading anything right now, or have you read anything recently that is worth mentioning?
I have a lot of books I’d love to be reading, but I seem to have submerged myself into a marketing campaign that is taking all of my attention. I struggle making time to write, let alone read. Though I hear reading in the bathtub is a great way to find time and multi-task!
Does music inspire or motivate you to write? If so, what kind of music?
I used to be able to write with music playing. Then I began writing in public places like Barnes and Noble, or Starbucks. Lately I can’t write unless I’m at home in silence. Kinda boring actually.
Who are some of your favorite authors? Favorite novels?
I love Karen Marie Moning and her Fever Series, Diana Gabaldon and the Outlander Series...I’m a sucker for paranormal.
Are you one of those people who don’t own a TV? Do you have any favorite TV Shows? Favorite movies?
HA! I own a TV, just don’t have channels! We watch A LOT of movies. It keeps us from watching the telly mindlessly.
At what point in your life did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve always known I was a writer, I just got distracted for about a decade and put down my pen. So much lost time. However, the difference in my writing style is immense and I often wonder if it would have evolved if I’d been writing all this time.
Tell us about your writing process.
It’s more like channeling. If I’m not connected to what I call creative source, it’s like pulling teeth. But when I am...it flows so easily. For the most part I have no idea what’s coming until it’s on the page in front of me. Imagine my surprise when someone dies! Eeeek!
Are the names of the characters in your novels important?
Yes, and no. Some of them are. Some are so important that I hunt them down. Some just are there like white noise.
How do you define success as a writer? Have you been successful?
I keep defining it - every time I get caught up in the sales game! Then I remember that being successful to me is sitting down and writing, finishing that piece of work, and putting it out there to be read. Of course I want it to sell and be read, but just getting it out there makes me a success!
Do you have words of wisdom about writing that you want to pass on to novelists and writers out there who are starting out?
It’s not easy and it’s not getting any easier. I love the freedom of self-publishing, but so do millions of others who are now in the market. Do it because you love it.
What should readers walk away from your books knowing? How should they feel?
Hopefully they learned something about life and themselves they didn’t know before. Connected with the heart in such a way that it’s wide open. I don’t tend to write books that are downers, they may have down moments - but on the whole they are pretty uplifting.
What is your End of the World Playlist?
LOL Sooo cliché - "It’s the end of the world as we know it." I have been singing that song since high school.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Thank you for sticking with me and reading what I put out.
Bio: 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.
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Thanks for having me on Dan! Look forward to coming back when my next book is released! =)
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