Kiss of the Butterfly

“I sense it even now. People thirst for it; the entire country is mad with desire for it…”A dying man’s cryptic letter catapults California college student Steven Roberts on a mystery-shrouded quest into the labyrinth of the war-torn Balkans. Singled out for the task by an enigmatic professor, Steven overcomes his doubts and plunges into the maelstrom to uncover long-lost clues to an ancient Emperor’s deeply buried secret, a long-forgotten evil that slumbered for centuries only to reawaken … and a love that defies death itself.Meticulously researched and set against the background of collapsing Yugoslavia, “Kiss of the Butterfly” weaves together intricate threads from age-old Balkan folklore and modern events, to create a tapestry of passion and betrayal, obsession and desire, the thirst for life and the hunger for death.“Kiss of the Butterfly” is a literary thriller rooted in actual events. In the year of his death, 1476, the Prince of Wallachia Vlad Dracula committed a bloody massacre under the cloak of medieval Bosnia’s forested mountains in the town of Srebrenica. History repeated itself 500 years later in July 1995 in Europe’s worst massacre since World War Two. For most people, the two events seemed unconnected… Until now.“A fast-paced adventure into a modern heart of Balkan darkness… A truly original take on the blood-sucking undead.” –Publishers Weekly“No capes, no glitter: a vampire novel for readers who value sturdy mythology and a sophisticated understanding of history, along with warmblooded, human connections… skillful… authentic… fascinating… inspired… Lyon executes it perfectly… vivid… engaging…” –Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

James Lyon has over three decades of experience with the Balkans and the lands of former Yugoslavia: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia. Although he calls San Diego home, he has lived and studied in Massachussetts, Florida, Germany, Utah, the Soviet Union, and England. He has a Ph.D. in Balkan History from UCLA and has lived in the Balkans for more than 18 years, during which time he has worked for international peacekeeping efforts, civil society organizations, and as a business consultant. A well-known political analyst, he divides his time between Belgrade, Sarajevo and the Dalmatian coast. In his spare time he likes sailing through the Dalmatian islands and eating Sachertorte in Vienna at the old Habsburg Imperial Court's Confectionary Bakery, Demel. He lost his cat in the forests of Bosnia and can't find it. If you see a black and white cat that ignores you when you call the name "Cile II", a reward is being offered...provided the cat hasn't turned into a vampire.

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