Beacon Student Publishes Her Debut Thriller Novel

By Gabrielle Russon

Caroline Butler immersed herself in the dark story she created as an escape from the stresses of college and the pressure of deciding what to do with her life.

The central character in Butler’s novel is a serial killer with the good looks of a young Leonardo DiCaprio and the personality of Ted Bundy. The killer targets young mothers as FBI agents pursue him, deciphering clues in a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game.

“Being able to write and create your own world is such a unique way to express yourself,” says Butler, 24, a junior psychology major at Beacon College. “I find it to be really, really rewarding to have this outlet to use.” After six years of writing, Butler is celebrating the release of her debut novel, “The Viper: Birth of Chaos.” Published by Indigo River Publishing, the book is available through major retailers.

“She’s done something that a lot of us only dream about in actually writing a book and having it published,” said James Borden, an adjunct criminal justice instructor. “And I couldn’t be prouder. Here’s a kid who has a learning difference and has managed to publish a book on a major market. It’s on Amazon.”

Butler began writing the book while attending high school in Pensacola.

“To me, writing is an escape from reality. When you’re writing, you create what happens,” Butler said. She wrote some chapters quickly; others took months. Her favorite writing spot was her desk at home, where her white cat, Luna, often sat beside her. Butler would pet Luna whenever writer’s block set in. She eventually finished the book as a Beacon College student, writing in her dorm room and jotting down ideas during class whenever she had a spare moment.

“At any time of the day, you would see her sitting there with her laptop just typing away. But it never really dawned on me that this kid that I’ve known for three years now was writing a novel,” Borden said.

“The Viper” is set in a small Appalachian town in North Carolina during the 1990s and is not for the faint of heart. A lifelong fan of horror, Butler has always loved scary stories. She wasn’t afraid to craft graphic scenes, visualizing each chapter as a movie playing out in her mind.

“The hardest part for me was writing out the violence scenes and making sure they sounded like they made sense,” she said, adding that the book’s opening “is probably the most gruesome chapter in the book because it’s a crime scene.”

It helped that her father is a physician, giving her access to help nail down the medical facts when she described a crime scene or the coroner’s office. “I said, ‘Hey dad, I’m writing a book about a serial killer and I just want to make sure I have the anatomy parts right,’” Butler said.

Butler said her book carries an important mental health message about the lasting effects of abuse and untreated trauma. She also hopes the novel serves as a reminder for women to remain vigilant.

Butler has begun writing a sequel. “The Viper” will always be a part of Butler — literally. With her high school graduation money, she got a tattoo of the cover art on her left forearm. “I wanted to get something meaningful, and ‘The Viper’ means a lot to me,” Butler said. “It’s a big accomplishment.”

Butler is expected to sell and sign copies of her book on campus later this academic year.