Book Review

From the depths of Lucifer’s office to the heights of heavenly solace, this quartet of vignettes offers snapshots into intimate moments in the lives of three souls and one demon. Sean C. Wright’s A Gathering of Butterflies shows a masterful command of succinct language while creating vibrant characters with whom we can understand on the most basic of human levels, even when one is God’s fallen angel himself: Lucifer, a fun-seeking devil; Hazel Hogan, an overweight woman who is befriended by aliens; Fan Nealy, a 12-year old on her special day, and Genie Slayton, an accountant who does the world a favor.

Each story captures an “encounter” that addresses quiet triumphs of justice in a threatening world. “Devil Does Dallas” is a playful jab at the challenges a seemingly righteous Lucifer faces when dropping in (or up) on mortals to collect the souls of the sinful (Sadam Hussein makes a cameo appearance). “Hazel Hogan” relates the pitiful and purposeless existence of a mistreated compulsive eater, Hazel, who is raised to greater heights of confidence through a clandestine exchange. “Bubble Bath 12” is afloat in the innocence and wonder in the power of kindness from a stranger and the sharing of the small things in life that can make a lifelong difference.

Finally, Wright closes the collection with “Heaven’s Halfway House” that shakes off earth’s mortal coils to explore the pauses in life that propitiate reflection and recognition of our purpose in the world.

There is a Sandra Cisneros-like voice in the style of Wright who exacts a character portfolio without unnecessary flourishes in the writing. Her resourceful use of figurative language, “…his voice didn’t have the feathers and bubbles that were in the voice of the other boys his age,” and “Question marks sprouted on the bushes of their brains…” for example, provides an effective balance between pointed storytelling and imaginative imagery.

Unpredictable and entertaining, A Gathering of Butterflies delivers four stories, which like the errant paths of butterflies, entrance the gaze of the reader until the final page!

Book Description

Tales of steely but vulnerable women of color will melt your heart while lifting your spirits… A fierce grandmother keeps her grandson from the clutches of Old Scratch in Devil Does Dallas. An alien abduction transforms a large, miserable woman in Hazel Hogan. A country girl meets a city girl on her birthday, and struggles to decide if the girl’s heart is dark or light in Bubble Bath Twelve. And methodical

Genie forms an unlikely relationship in Heaven’s Halfway House while in a coma.

Link: Amazon

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About the Author

Sean C. Wright is native to Dallas, TX, and earned adegree in English from University of North Texas. She is the author of the short story collection A Gathering of Butterflies, the novella Honey Riley. Actress Jessica Biel directed a short film based on her winning essay in 2010: Sodales (18 minutes).

For more information about her writing skills and how she can assist you with yours–for business or consumer needs–visit http://www.iwrightaway.com/

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