Through one illicit sexual encounter between a stepfather and his stepdaughter in the 1950s, a baby is conceived. In a desperate attempt to keep the encounter and conception a secret, the baby’s mother plans to starve the child in her womb and then kill the baby upon its birth. But what no one knows is that little Lily-Butterfly is determined to stay connected to life. Lily-Butterfly eventually enters the world in a small village on an island. She is deformed, underdeveloped, and near death. After her mother abandons her, Lily-Butterfly’s grandmother brings her back from death’s door by resculpturing her deformities and nurturing her soul. When Lily-Butterfly is six, her mother returns. In an effort to deal with her secret, she attempts to destroy Lily-Butterfly, mentally, spiritually, and physically. Still, Lily-Butterfly’s strength of spirit and soul keeps her in harmony and balance. As she matures into a woman, Lily-Butterfly embarks on a journey of self-discovery where she demonstrates the beauty of a woman’s power, despite her challenges. Lily-Butterfly is the moving tale of a woman’s quest for knowledge, compassion, and healing as she overcomes personal obstacles to awaken to her spirit, soul, talents, destiny, and life’s purpose.

Elegance and wealth. Privilege and politics. The extravagance of the Butterfly Palace overwhelmed Lily’s senses and nearly smothered her painful memories. She pushed away her misgivings . . . She was perfectly safe in this huge house. Austin, Texas—1904: Abandoned by the love of her life and still mourning the loss of her mother, Lily Donaldson has turned her back on the pain and come to Austin for a fresh start, working for the Marshall family as a kitchen maid in their luxurious mansion, the Butterfly Palace. The tasks before her are legion, and her mistress less than pleasant, but at least Lily’s new life will be, if nothing else, distracting. But one night, while serving at a dinner party, Lily recognizes the man who abandoned her, Andy, her liaison from the livery stable, the blacksmith’s son . . . sitting among the distinguished guests. Though he recognizes her, Andy does not acknowledge her aloud, and Lily is left reeling, flabbergasted, and irate. But before she can get an explanation, the path of the Servant Girl Killer swerves very close to the Butterfly Palace, sowing terror among the maids. Having come to Austin to start anew, Lily suddenly feels trapped in a spider web. How can she know who to trust in a house where lies come dressed in fine suits and deceit in silk gowns the colors of butterfly wings? “This story about the importance of having faith, especially in your darkest hour, is recommended for fans of Amanda Quick and Sandra Brown and for readers who enjoy romantic suspense and historical fiction.” —Library Journal

Already a Butterfly is a gentle picture book tale about self-soothing practices and self-confidence beliefs. With so much to do in so little time, Mari is constantly on the move, flitting from flower to flower, practicing her camouflage poses, and planning for migration. She’s the busiest butterfly around. But does being productive mean she is happy? Mari couldn’t say. The only way she feels like a butterfly is by acting like one. Little does Mari know, the secret to feeling like herself is simply to focus her breath, find her quiet place, and follow her instincts. With the guidance of a thoughtful flower bud, Mari soon learns to meditate and appreciate that she was a butterfly all along. Acclaimed author Julia Alvarez extolls the importance of mindfulness, reflection, and self-care for young children in this gratifying picture book, stunningly illustrated by award-winning artist Raúl Colón. Christy Ottaviano Books

In a village where the flowers grow as big as trees, lives a brave little girl named Lily Huckleberry. As a member of the Worldwide Adventure Society, Lily has a magic globe that takes her on whimsical adventures around the world. In this third book of the series, Lily uses her magic globe to travel to Mexico and help a little monarch butterfly find her family. Lily embarks on a whimsical journey where she meets new friends, explores Mexican culture, and discovers what "home" means.

LILY-BUTTERFLY – And The Path Of Life’s Experiences – The story began on the island of Kawomaya, in a remote valley village named Yaj. In part one of the story Lily-Butterfly was created from a onetime sexual encounter between her birth mother Gina and her step-father Ivan. Gina denied the pregnancy from beginning to the birth of Lily-Butterfly and beyond. At birth Gina gave Lily-Butterfly to her mother Leila, who was Ivan’s wife. Six years later Gina returned to demand that Lily-Butterfly come to live with her for her own secret and unresolved negative intentions. Lily-Butterfly’s birth mother Gina saw her as her secret shame and tried to demolish her spirit, soul, mind, body, and life. Throughout Gina numerous attempts Lily-Butterfly refuse to be destroyed. Lily-Butterfly survived regardless of the negative things her birth mother Gina did to her. Lily-Butterfly was successful in overcoming abuse, her passion for learning, and in all areas of her life. Part two of this story continues on with Lily-Butterfly moving from the island of Kawomaya to Somerville, Massachusetts in the United States of America to first live with her grandmother and mother; whom she decided to call Manana Leila. The journey continues with Lily-Butterfly improving her life, education, and professional career. Parenting her two daughters, and discovering her chosen destiny and life’s purpose career. To this day Lily-Butterfly uses her talents to serve as tools to assist mother and father-nature and humanity. Read LILY-BUTTERFLY – AND THE PATH OF LIFE’S EXPERIENCES – PART ONE AND TWO. They are like an entertaining movie series, and ancient visual oral tradition storytelling. These books can inspire, motivate, improve awareness on unconditional love and compassion, assist with positive transformation, transcending suffering, and teach patience. LILY-BUTTERFLY JOURNAL – PERSONAL LIFE STORY REVIEW is another book in the Lily-Butterfly series. This book can assist with your personal life story review. Enjoy.

Fiction. The simple act of a butterfly flapping its wings, and our journey begins. A tracing modern day mythologies, PARABOLA weaves through genres, mathematical formulas, and photographs, all while following the curve of a parabola, stopping at various points to pick up strands of intersections or stories. Lily Hoang's debut novel offers readers tender snapshots of an Asian-American girl coming-of-age juxtaposed with the Pythagorean belief in numerology placed right beside a physical manifestation of dark matter contrasted with interactive IQ, personality, and psychological tests. Smart, challenging, sad, and kind, by the end of Parabola, you will have moved through every emotion, and you will end right where you began, with that simple act of a butterfly flapping its wings.

Elly MacKay's luminous paper-cut illustrations and enchanting story encourage community, friendship, and wonderment in the beauty of everyday life.