Butterflies in the System received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Jane Powell.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Butterflies in the System (October, 2020)
What’s the book’s first line?
“System rats. That’s what they call us. Lost causes, fuckups, the unwanted. And they wonder why we run.”
What’s the book about?
Full of both laughter and sorrow, Butterflies in the System brings readers on a journey through a year in the life of Sam and her friends as they navigate group-homes, detention centres, and street life in Montreal. Sam is not your ordinary likeable protagonist. She’s complicated, deeply afflicted by past trauma, and desperately trying to survive in a youth “protection” system that has proven to be just as complicated.
After a short time on AWOL from a group-home, Sam is caught and sentenced to a detention centre for being a serial runaway. Here she spends her first few days in solitary confinement and the next month locked in a unit with youth offenders, and it occurs to her that her welfare is best kept in her own hands. After another great escape, she returns to the streets, where she is reunited with her best-friend, Gabe, and meets another runaway named Tig. Each person Sam meets along her journey through the system has a unique story and reason for not living at home, and Tig’s is especially heart-breaking. Although Sam, Tig, and Gabe hatch a creative business plan that turns into an adventure that will bond them for life, their path towards freedom is filled with potholes that they must learn to navigate around or risk disappearing within.
Butterflies in the System has been endorsed by award-winning journalists Victor Malarek and Gillian Cosgrove.
Read the first four chapters of Butterflies in the System on my website – https://www.janepowell.org
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
Butterflies in the System was inspired by my own experience as a teen in the youth protection system in Montreal. I wrote this book to help bring awareness to the need for systemic change in the youth protection system. Abusive practices, such as solitary confinement, as well as neglect, such as the lack of professional mental health care and the absence of an aging-out plan, have been present in Montreal’s youth protection system for over 70 years. Media has reported on it several times since the mid-70s, yet few changes have been made. With this book, I hope to give voice to all the kids who continue to struggle as adults because the youth protection system failed to do their primary job: to protect youth.
This book also coincides with a class action suit that has been filed on behalf of people who suffered abuse while in the care of Quebec youth protection services.
Read more about my inspiration for writing Butterflies in the System on my blog: https://www.janepowell.org/post/the-story-that-inspired-butterflies-in-the-system
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
Butterflies in the System will transport you to a world that is often hidden from the public eye. Many of us tend not to talk about the youth who aren’t “making it”, who are suffering – the rebellious, troublesome, the “lost causes”. We don’t really know what to do with them, so we quietly turn the other way and keep walking. Although this is an understandable reaction, as it’s an uncomfortable conversation with few answers so far, this reaction only works to silence a problem that our youth desperately need us to address. My book takes readers on a journey into the minds of ‘rebellious’ youth, the causes for rebellion, and the effects of positive vs. negative care in the youth protection system.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
Although Sam is in the youth protection system, her family history is quite different from the other characters in Butterflies in the System. Originally from an upper-class neighbourhood, she was brought up by very strict parents who had carefully cultured plans for their only child and little patience for “child play.” A traumatic event, along with her parent’s pressure to be perfect, breaks her at age 15 and she is admitted into the system for repetitively running away. Sam has obvious flaws and makes some cringe-worthy mistakes, but the most distinctive thing about her is her ability to adapt in uncertain situations and turn shit into gold.
If they made your book into a movie, who would you like to see play the main character(s)?
Sam: Michele Selene Ang (13 Reasons Why); Gabe: Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things); Tig: Sadie Sink (Stranger Things); Gini: McKenna Grace (I, Tonya); Tema: Amandla Stenberg (The Hate U Give); Dave (childcare worker): Mark Ruffalo (Avengers); Ms. Cohen (social worker): Kristin Kreuk (Burden of Truth).
When did you first decide to become an author?
As soon as I could read! But I only started to write my first novel many years later, while my youngest son was about a month old and taking long afternoon naps. As he was also a great night sleeper (lucky me!), I found myself with some free time and lots of energy to go with it. I’d been writing my book in my head for years, so I decided that now was the time to finally put my story down on paper. As life would have it, he stopped napping during chapter 3 and that was that for many more years. When I finally finished my first book, Sky-bound Misfit (2018), my heart was officially launched into the world of authorship. Since then, I’ve published short stories, opinion pieces, and my latest novel, Butterflies in the System. I’m now working on my third novel, and I’m sure there will be many more to come.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
Butterflies in the System is my second novel. My first is called Sky-Bound Misfit, which was inspired by my experience with sexual violence as a young teen. I’ve also published some short stories and opinion pieces, which can be located through my website and blog. I’m currently working on my third novel.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
I’m very active in the outdoors. I tend to plan my writing while I’m skiing, biking, or hiking. I’m also a writing consultant; I help new authors plan their writing projects and I give writing workshops. And, I’m a special needs support worker.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
1-2 hours per day planning & 2-3 hours per day writing
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
Marketing!
What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
Remember that we write for ourselves just as much as others. No piece of writing is a waste of time or effort. Our writing enriches our heart & soul.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
Yes, mainly because I’d love some professional help with marketing that doesn’t break the bank!
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
The possibility to Influence social change through my writing.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
Bryce Courtenay (The Power of One) is my favourite author.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger).