A Sister to Butterflies

Not all fantasy is escapism. Some of it holds a mirror to the soul. A Sister to Butterflies is one of those rare books that mixes the surreal with the personal—and leaves you thinking long after it ends.

The story is framed as a kind of confessional lullaby. A strange, luminous being recalls the moment she crossed the veil into the human world—and the boy she found there. What begins as enchantment soon gives way to fear, love, and the ache of knowing that nothing this precious can last. Through grief and transformation, the story builds into a quiet crescendo—where myth, memory, and magic all collide.

Aaron Christopher Drown writes like someone who understands that stories can hurt—and heal. His body of work includes short stories, novels, and essays, many of which have won awards for their depth and originality. He is also a sought-after speaker on author branding and design, blending his visual sensibilities with storytelling skill. Based in Washington State, he continues to write stories that connect with readers on a deep emotional level.

🔗http://aaronchristopherdrown.com/

📸@aaronchristopherdrown

👍Facebook

My review

5 Stars

This one surprised me. It's a bit long, so the pacing is slow, and it takes a moment to show its true colors. It starts with a character born in the Fae realm as a "princess." She is very romantic, naive, and innocent at the start, and the melodrama is heavy (but the author is conscious of it, making the character call out her over melodrama as she narrates this story). We soon understand her choices, to whom she is telling the story to, and all that led up to that moment. Some scenes are quite visceral and garish, especially the nightmares, even if they are nightmares, they are described in detail. The book grabbed me when in one of these dreams, she sees her beloved one being mauled by evil fairies, and his eyes rolled to her feet. Now that is how I like my fae books. We get the story of generations past that baby in hands, and the politics and social conflict of the time is a war happening in the background, but has terrible consequences on the characters.

It is a great, grim, dark fae story.

Writing Process & Creativity

How did you research your book?

A Sister to Butterflies is steeped in my longtime love of folklore and old fairy tales, so I enjoyed getting reacquainted with some of those original stories and finding elements I could borrow and adapt to help lend the book a sense of grounded antiquity.

What’s the hardest scene or character you wrote—and why?

I tend to pull my punches with my bad guys, I think because of my natural fondness for moderation. So it takes some self-coaxing to allow my villains to be as unhinged as they may need to be. I still think a measured antagonist is more interesting, but there are some things the baddie in this book says and does that more than offset any politeness he may exhibit—but even still, I probably could have dialed it up another notch or two.

Where do you get your ideas?

Almost always where there’s nothing with which to write them down. In other words, everywhere.

What sets your book apart from others in your genre?

Well, hopefully just the fact that it’s mine. My goal is always to craft a story that satisfies my love of storytelling—meaning my love of being told a story, of immersing in a narrative. I’m a huge fan of Joseph Campbell’s work, and I like to flatter myself to think I bring some of that universal, mythological awareness to the page rather than be concerned with more topical tropes and trends. Which sounds pretty snobby, reading it written down like that.

What helps you overcome writer’s block?

Peripheral distraction. Rather than bear down directly on an idea that’s refusing to budge, I circle around it. Watch a movie. Listen to some music. Read another book. Move around. I find either applying creative leverage from different angles eventually dislodges the occasional sticky wicket, or just pretending to ignore it encourages it to emerge on its own.

What’s your favorite compliment you’ve received as a writer?

Years ago I got a handwritten rejection from Weird Tales magazine, the great-granddaddy of genre fiction rags. The note said they greatly enjoyed my story, and if they’d still been a monthly publication rather than quarterly they would have bought it. It’s been a favorite feather in my cap ever since.

Your Writing Life

Do you write every day? What’s your schedule?

I don’t put words to paper every day, but I do think about my writing every day and am constantly taking in and squirreling away words and phrases and concepts. Much of my process tends to be internal—once an idea is ready to set down, a little mental meat thermometer pops in my brain and it’s time to fire up Sancho, my trusty MacBook, and get to work.

Where do you write—home, coffee shop, train?

I have an office at home that’s basically my sanctum sanctorum. But I do like to get different blood into the work by switching up locations here and there. Coffee shops and libraries are nice, where people watching can aerate the process, but I’m incredibly lucky to be able to enjoy a bay view from my back porch, so that often wins out.

Any quirky writing rituals or must-have snacks?

I learned very early on that a day-old Twinkie with a single black candle stuck in the middle, surrounded by a scattering of fresh toenail clippings, really seems to conjure the muse. Which is a total lie. A steamy cup of coffee beside the computer is about as ritualistic as I get.

I’ll add that I can’t listen to music with any sort of melody or beat when I write. I prefer the tranquil drone of ambient music or binaural tracks, which makes for a nice buffer between me and would-be distractions.

Fun & Lighthearted

What’s your go-to comfort food?

Nothing beats a good bowl of cereal when you’re in between meals and wanting something a little indulgent, though I do miss digging for the toy at the bottom of the box.

What are you binge-watching right now?

Andor, baby. Andor (and Rogue One) are the Star Wars that my 10-year-old self imagined existing in the wake of The Empire Strikes Back, but never got to actually see. It’s masterful storytelling.

If you could time-travel, where would you go?

Back to when this box of cereal was unopened, because it’s empty now.

What 3 books would you bring to a desert island?

Ray Bradbury, Stories

Stephen King, The Gunslinger

Jon Meacham, The Art of Power

What’s something that made you laugh this week?

I rediscovered an old clip from The Carol Burnett Show, in which a woman in the audience who was mistaken for Bea Arthur was invited on stage to sing and brought the house down. Carol Burnett was television magic.