To read author Kelly Layne’s tender memoir, The Heart of the Swallowtail (2025), is to undergo an adventure that leads to the very heart and soul of its author. While memories of events and people are presented in no particular order, the prose, poetry, and visual elements that comprise this book are woven together in such a way as to create a compelling narrative, and a complete and satisfying experience for the reader. The flow from one memory to another is effortless, and Layne’s authentic and unselfconscious voice create an immediacy that closes the distance between author and reader. This is how the magic of The Heart of the Swallowtail happens. We are not asked to understand Layne’s experiences; rather, we are invited to join with her in them.  

Heart of the Swallowtail by Kelly Layne feels like a quiet companion you didn’t know you were waiting for. These poems and stories move with gentle strength, holding heartbreak and hope in the same breath, never rushing the becoming. Layne writes with a tenderness that invites you inward, into memory, into grief, into the brave and luminous act of standing on your own two feet while becoming who we are. This book reminds us that transformation doesn’t arrive all at once; it unfolds, wing by wing, until we realize we are already in flight. 

When one thinks about love, loss, and finding a way home, it’s easy to feel lost or forgotten. “Heart of the Swallowtail” reminds us to continue flying, continue searching, continue dreaming. Each and every one of Kelly’s stories and poems helps us see that it is the memories along the way that make us who we are…and those pieces of our hearts are what always guide us home.

'The Heart of the Swallowtail' is a tale about loss, transparency, love, nature, courage, and surrender into death... and into life.
Through poignant storytelling, riveting photos, spirituality, art, and poetry, Kelly Layne takes the reader on a profound journey. This voyage is of deep contemplation, tears, and laughter that touches the heart of our shared humanity.

There is something almost sacred about reading an author’s first book, especially if it gives you a peek into their heart. That’s the way I felt reading Kelly Layne’s book. It was exciting to read, and then when you have finished reading, you have a sense of her life, distilled, and you know her…enjoy the ride!

Kelly Layne has written a unique + heartfelt memoir of personal stories + images in her one-of-a-kind voice.  I was quite taken with her humor, emotion + even confessions in her first published book, a goal that she has carried her entire life….and now she has accomplished it….I only hope there will be another book to follow ’Swallowtail”…I want her distinctive journey in words to continue!!

I just received my copy of “The Heart of the Swallowtail” by Kelly Layne and WoW! What an extraordinary collection of art, heart, photography, storytelling, and poetry beyond all expectations.

It’s a textured, literally tactile, experience with a light embossment to the rich glossy pages. It is chock full of love and humor and I’ve already cried a couple of times just flipping through it, astounded by its decoupage and drawings. I can already tell this is going to be one of those books I return to, in a brief moment or an afternoon retreat. Like a friend who draws you in, with entertaininment and laughter, and then breaks your heart with the bittersweet sting of a story telling the pain of a life well lived. Princess Kelly… extraordinary doesn’t begin to cover it.