Title: The Butterfly Project
Author: Emma Scott
Release Date: Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Tagline: "Where you are is home..."
Links:
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2lkj8ZY
Amazon Universal: myBook.to/TheButterflyProject
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/TheButterflyProjectES
The Butterfly Project Blurb: 
At age fourteen, Zelda Rossi witnessed the unthinkable, and has spent the last ten years
hardening her heart against the guilt and grief. She channels her pain into her art: a dystopian
graphic novel where vigilantes travel back in time to stop heinous crimes—like child
abduction—before they happen. Zelda pitches her graphic novel to several big-time comic book
publishers in New York City, only to have her hopes crash and burn. Circumstances leave her
stranded in an unfamiliar city, and in an embarrassing moment of weakness, she meets a guarded
"Where you are is home..."
young man with a past he’d do anything to change...
Beckett Copeland spent two years in prison for armed robbery, and is now struggling to keep his
head above water. A bike messenger by day, he speeds around New York City, riding fast and
hard but going nowhere, his criminal record holding him back almost as much as the guilt of his
crime.
Zelda and Beckett form a grudging alliance of survival, and in between their stubborn clash of
wills, they slowly begin to provide each other with the warmth of forgiveness, healing, and
maybe even love. But when Zelda and Beckett come face to face with their pasts, they must
choose to hold on to the guilt and regret that bind them, or let go and open their hearts for a shot
at happiness.
The Butterfly Project is a novel that reveals the power of forgiveness, and how even the smallest
decisions of the heart can—like the flutter of a butterfly’s wings—create currents that strengthen
into gale winds, altering the course of a life forever.
The Butterfly Project Excerpt:
“Why do you stay if it’s so hard to live here?” I asked.
Beckett took a drag from his cigarette, as if he were buying time before answering.
“Brooklyn, born and raised,” he said finally, still not looking at me. “Where else would I go anyway? Different city, same struggle.” He finally brought his gaze to mine. “So you’re getting out?”
“On the bus, tomorrow,” I said. “I can’t stay. I was here for a job interview—sort of—and it fell through.”
“What was the job?”
“You’ll think it’s stupid.”
“Yeah, I probably will.” His smile was dry.
I laughed a little. “Smartass. I draw graphic novels.”
He stared at me blankly.
“Long-form comic books that tell one continuous story,” I said. “Like The Walking Dead?”
“Exactly. I have one mocked up and I came here to pitch it to a few publishers. They all rejected me. Well, one half-rejected me, but it doesn’t matter. I can’t stay in the city long enough to make any changes, and I wouldn’t know what changes to make if I could.”
Beckett studied the cigarette between his fingers. “Why can’t you stay?”
“Where do I start?” I ground out my cigarette under my boot heel. “My poor planning? My dwindling funds? The fact I was robbed today? Or that I was naively hopeful the publishers would adore my work and sign me on the spot? Take your pick.”
Beckett shook his head, his mouth turned down in his grimace. “Wait, go back. You were robbed?”
I nodded and waved away the last of the smoke, wishing my failure could be as easily dissipated. “I came here like a wide-eyed twit with a dream, and I crashed and burned.”
“You tried. That’s more than most people do.” “Tried and failed.”
“So try again.”
“I wish,” I said, letting my gaze roam over the dingy back alley. “I feel like I’m so close to breaking through. That last publisher gave me some hope. If I could pull a few weeks out of my ass, I’d have a chance. But it’s impossible. I have to go back to Nevada.”
“You don’t have friends or family nearby?”
Yes, and only two hours by train.
“No,” I said, and decided I’d said enough to a total stranger. The last thing I needed was the terrible homesickness to well up again. I stood and brushed off the ass of my pants. “Anyway, it is what it is. Thanks for the smoke.”
“Were you hurt?”
I turned, glanced down at Beckett. “What?”
“You said you were robbed,” he said, his voice low, his eyes holding mine as if he were forcing himself to hear this. “Did they hurt you?”
“No, I... No. I wasn’t there. It was a break-in.”
He leaned against the wall and his sigh plumed out in front of him in the cold air. It sounded relieved. “I’m sorry, Zelda.”
I frowned. “Not your fault. Like I said, the city kicked my ass. The sooner I get the hell out of here, the better for
all involved.”
Beckett ground out his smoke and got to his feet. He was at least six-two, yet it didn’t feel imposing to stand in his shadow. It felt...
Safe. I feel safe with him.
“Do you know how to get back to wherever you’re staying?” he asked.
“The same way I got here, only in reverse,” I said, covering my unsettling thoughts with sarcasm.
Because that was safe for me.
My Review
Oh my heart. It's light and full and brimming with emotion all at the same time. It's unique and completely engrossing. It's a favorite and a must read. The Butterfly Project is Emma Scott proving once again that her talent is boundless.
Zelda is chasing her dream after having spent the last decade running from guilt she can't get over. Writing and publishing a graphic novel is her life's ambition so moving to New York makes sense. At least until it doesn't. Leaving Vegas and her job as a tattoo artist behind she finds herself in a rundown hostel with no money and a slim to none chance at getting her novel published. Running into Beckett may just be the unexpected answer she needs.
Beckett is drowning in guilt too. He may have satisfied the State of New York after spending 2 years in prison, but he's going nowhere fast. Working two jobs, he can barely afford to keep his tiny apartment much less any sort of future. Meeting Zelda is a unanticipated surprise. She's everything he's not and even after a their first short encounter, something about her makes him smile for the first time in a long time. Zelda and Beckett soon become allies in life and work which leads a friendship neither expects with the possibility of so much more if they could only forgive themselves and choose the future over the past.
The Butterfly Project was written with a unique bent that I've never read before. Zelda's graphic novel and it's heroine were the perfect foil for Zelda and her own story. It was a powerful story with a empowering message that really resonated with me. I appreciated the way in which Ms. Scott layered each story within the other giving depth to the characters and the idea that one small event can create an impact felt far beyond was is imagined. I loved how strong Zelda was even in her weaknesses. And Beckett. My sweet Beckett. His story simultaneously broke me and made me so very hopeful. He was strong but in a way that kind of simmered under the surface giving him a quiet calm that soothed my soul. They were both multidimensional characters that grew and matured and left me wanting slow down as I read so I could hold them in my heart and feel everything for a just a little while longer before I closed the last page.
Reviewed by Paige
★★☆ 5 "All the 'nesses" Stars ☆★★
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Author Bio:
Emma Scott writes romances with flawed characters, characters with artistic hearts: builders, poets, and writers of various makes and models. Emma loves to write book lovers; those who have found refuge, companionship, and escape in books, much as we all do in real life. She digs realism, honesty, authenticity in storytelling. She also loves to write about enduring love, soul- deep love, in as real a setting as possible, but with big smooshy HEAs. Emma believes in diversity, open-mindedness, and inclusion. She adores sweetness mixed with steam, love conquering all, and above all, hope. Love always wins.
Where to find Emma:
Website: www.emmascott.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmmaScottwrites
Twitter: @EmmaS_writes
Instagram: @EmmaScottWrites
Amazon: http://bit.ly/EmmaScott
Signed Copy of The Butterfly Project & $15 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway:
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