Monday 25 November 2019

Book Launched!

Very happy with my book launch for Imagining Violet Married,  held last Thursday here on Salt Spring Island. Delighted to have Susan Bull playing piano and hearing my grandfather's "Menuet" performed, perhaps for the first time in over a hundred years.
Imagining Violet Married  is for sale locally at Salt Spring Books or in the blue box on my front porch. Also available at Amazon.ca or by means of the Order Form on this website.
I'm reading, not singing, and I'm going to add a page of excerpts to this site.

Wednesday 2 October 2019

Imagining Violet Married Has Gone to Press

Part Two of The Violet Trilogy, "Imagining Violet Married" has just gone to press. Mark Hand designed the cover of this one too, and the library here on Salt Spring will sponsor a book launch for me on Thursday November 21st. 



Tuesday 10 September 2019

The Strad review

I was thrilled when The Strad, the most important magazine in the string world, accepted a review copy of Imagining Violet.  This is what they published in July, 2019



A few years ago, Canadian writer Mary Hughes acquired a copy of the flyleaf of her grandmother Violet Courtenaye's Bible in which had been recorded key moments of her early life. Hughes took these clues, along with the little she knew about her relation, as the starting point to imagine her story.

The resulting work of (mainly) fiction takes the form of letters written by Violet to her family and friends, covering seven years in the 1890s, and beginning when the 16-year-old sets out for Leipzig, aiming to study the violin at the conservatoire there. We hear of her trials in finding a teacher and auditioning for a place and the months of waiting before she is finally allowed to begin her studies.

...Through Hughes's diligent research into the language and preoccupations of the period, we gain a thoroughly credible insight into this 'imagined' life. Violet's streak of independence shines through as she negotiates her way in a Leipzig boarding house, complaining bitterly about her landlady's 'perpetual stew', working hard at her violin lessons, skating with friends on the frozen river and enjoying the city's vibrant music scene. Among the numerous concerts she attends at the famous Gewandhaus are Joseph Joachim playing Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto and an apparently underappreciated performance of Dvorak's Symphony no 9. 'Audiences don't care for it'.

Violet's musings on topics as the importance of votes for women and the fierce competitiveness of the German nation feel a little clumsy … but the book is not without charm, following Violet through her studies and back home to Edinburgh.

The Strad, “Essential reading for the string music world since 1890: - July 2019


Saturday 13 July 2019

Retired British Science teacher Reviews "Violet"

Perhaps this kind of review will help potential readers overcome their scruples about epistolary fiction:

This was not the kind of book that I like to read. A succession of letters without some real interaction between characters seems unexciting and lacking in intrigue. But “Imagining Violet” was both surprising and full of incident with a main character who was engaging and beautifully written; a mark of the talented author. Violet’s charming approach to life, together with her undoubted ambition to become a concert violinist, in an age of Victorian expected “proper behaviour” led to this reader rooting for her from the beginning. We see her burgeoning growth from a mild mannered, young English rose into a sophisticated woman.

The author has imagined the late-Victorian life of her own grandmother, with family photographs throughout the book, and with a collection of letters written by Violet to her family and friends. There are charming descriptions of Violet learning to ice skate, and when she plays at her first concert. There is the hoped-for romance, both suspected and real, with holidays filled with friends and acquaintances, and the smells, sights and sounds of Germany before the Weimar Republican era. This series of letters, written by Violet, who was born in Ireland and raised in Edinburgh, and who travels to Germany to advance her studies, are a fine example of the epistolary novel. It will appeal to anyone who enjoys historical novels with a difference and as I will in future.

Posted by G.J. Griffiths, UK based author of eleven books including The Quarry Bank Runaways and Fallen Hero

Friday 24 May 2019

Another kind review


What a beautifully written and clever way of documenting family history through an easy-read fiction story. The author imagines what her grandmother’s life was like and includes pictures that I assume are old family photos throughout the book. The entire book is compiled of letters that Violet writes to her family and friends. When I first started reading, I wondered if the letters would be tedious after awhile but they are so well-written that they capture your interest through the entire book. It was such a unique and interesting way to share Violet’s story. I found her life relatable even across generations because she traveled to a different country to study at the age of 16 which is something that I also did. This book inspired me to want to write about my experiences and my family’s history too. There are sequels to this story go into Violet’s later years after marriage and I hope to read those as well. Very fascinating reading. Well done Mary Hughes!
Brooke Bent, author of “If You Wake with the Stars”

Monday 22 April 2019

Imagining Violet now an E-Book







Hello friends,

I am pleased to announce the publication of my novel Imagining Violet as an E-book.

It's available at Amazon.ca for $3.99 or $2.99 US at Amazon.com.

One reviewer, Pauline Sugar of chaptersandchances.wordpress.com wrote: This was amazing and fantastic and I really enjoyed it! This is a work of historical fiction which draws a lot of inspiration from actual events. … Although the story is set in the 19th century, it feels natural. Another great thing about this book is that unlike other “letter novels”, you actually understand the plot. Even though you only get to read one side of the story, namely Violet’s, it is still incredibly easy to imagine what all the other characters are feeling and their distinct personalities.

Written as a series of letters to friends and family, the book is also available as a paperback for $20 plus $5 postage from Amazon, or with the Order Form on this website.




Tuesday 16 April 2019

Another Interview - this one with Wayne Turmel


A Young Girl and Her Violin

with Mary Hughes

(Interview with Wayne Turmel, Author of Acre's Bastards and Acre's Orphans – posted 16 April 2019)

Historical fiction often deals with big themes: war, politics, violence and upheaval. But no matter the time period, there were also individuals living fascinating lives out of the view of most. These little stories can be as interesting, involving and intriguing as anything else. Mary Hughes took the story of a young woman with a dream to learn music in pre-WW1 Germany and turned it into “Imagining Violet.”

Mary, what’s your story and how did you come to be a writer?
I live on a beautiful small island off the west coast of Canada. Salt Spring Island, population around 10,000, is an amazing place to grow live, with its healthy moderate climate, a strong culture of volunteerism and an extraordinary enthusiasm for the arts. There are 117 writers here and just as many potters and painters.

Saltspring is a truly amazing place, and not for nothing it’s the home of my friend Howard Busgang’s deli, Buzzy’s Luncheonette so if you’re jonesing for Montreal smoked meat…. but I digress. What’s Imagining Violet about?

Imagining Violet is the story of a 16 year old Anglo-Irish girl who goes, on her own, to study violin in Germany in 1891. The 1890s were a period of tremendous change, with new technologies (typewriters, bicycles, sewing machines) affecting what women could do with their lives. My MC, Violet, is based on my grandmother’s life; I wanted to explore what her student life in Germany might have been like.
To give the book intimacy, I chose to craft it as a book of letters, an old-fashioned epistolary novel. I knew I could do it when I found a Guide Book for Northern Germany for 1892  on-line, complete with railway schedules. One of my favourite scenes is in one of the early letters; young Violet’s journey by train from Edinburgh to Germany.

You really got into the research for this, didn’t you?
My research was extensive. At one point I decided to take violin lessons in order to be able to write plausibly on that subject. Then Violet’s actual violin came my way – truly – and today I play it in a local amateur string ensemble.

Where can we learn more?
Imagining Violet is available through Amazon or through my website:https://imaginingviolet.blogspot.com. I am a Goodreads Author and I am on Facebook.

Wayne Turmel's latest, Acre’s Orphans is out in the world! You can order Paperbacks on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Chapters. The e-book is Kindle only Please help me launch it successfully by buying now. And any time you read a book like Imagining Violet (or one of mine,) please leave an Amazon or Goodreads review. It’s like applause for  the author.



Saturday 6 April 2019

A nice review for Imagining Violet




Review by Goodreads Author, Cathleen Townsend

Imagining Violet is an epistolary tale, which is something I have a cordial dislike for. Telling a story through a series of letters is very different from telling it as a straight narrative. It has a much different rhythm. People include things in letters, everyday details that wouldn’t make it into a typical three-act tale. I seem to have worn a three-act groove into my soul at an early age, so that’s a disadvantage for this book with me as a reader.

However, as an epistolary story it was exceptionally well done. The world may have had a great deal of non-narrative related detail, but it was all vivid and felt incredibly real and authentic. Judging it as the type of story it is, I would say it’s very successful. The line editing is flawless. The main character feels three-dimensional and her personality leaps off the page.

Violet is a young woman in 1892. She describes herself as born in Ireland, living in Scotland, but really an Englishwoman. She takes up studying music along with other liberal arts in Germany, a very demanding course of study that has her relying on tutors for months to get up to speed.

We see pre-Weimar Germany through Violet’s eyes, and it’s a fascinating glimpse, with the education of a young violinist, social experiences of upper-class young women, ice skating on the canals, celebrating holidays—all filled with youthful exuberance, and eventually disappointments. Should appeal to historical fiction fans who enjoy the Victorian period. Or possibly Jane Austen fans who like epistolary formats. For these groups, I would highly recommend this book.







Tuesday 26 March 2019

Review by Pauline of chaptersandchances.wordpress.com

March 26, 2019

This was amazing and fantastic and I really enjoyed it! More at 8

When Violet is 16, she travels to Leipzig to study music there. She will spend the next four years there and return home eventually. But even then, she still corresponds with the friends she met in Leipzig.

This is a work of historical fiction which draws a lot of inspiration from actual events. We follow Violet on her adventures in Leipzig, her return to England and end the book with Violet getting married. Her story is told through letters Violet writes to her friends and family.

Although the story is set in the 19th century, it feels natural, in a sense. Fortunately, this was very easy to read as well as really enjoyable. I have found it to be quite difficult to read books set in the past if the author just overdoes it with the writing, but this book walked the very fine line between being unrealistic and just plain overdone.

Another great thing about this book is that unlike with other “letter novels”, you actually understand the plot. Even though you only get to read one side of the story, namely Violet’s, it is still incredibly easy to imagine what all the other characters are feeling and their distinct personalities.

On that note, allow me to freak out for a short while.

OOOOOOHHHHHHH MYYYYYYYYY GOOOOOOODDDDD!!!!!! THIS BOOK INVENTED SLOW BURN!!!!!! (and yes this calls for all caps)

The year of Violet and Frank writing letters to each other while Violet was unsure of his feelings for her???? Absolutely killed me.

Now, back to being a #professional lmao.

Minor spoiler alert: I found it very refreshing to read about someone figuring out that maybe they don’t really have an exceptional talent and that’s okay! Violet starts out wanting to be a performer but comes to realize that, compared with others’ , her talent just isn’t that extraordinary. She tries her hand at a couple of other things and comes to the conclusion that even though she does not have a grand undiscovered talent, she may still have a life she enjoys.

This is one of the many themes that are as relevant back then as they are now. Going to live in a new city (and a new country!), making a life for yourself and just finding yourself are things pretty much everyone has to deal with today and I find it reassuring that even people 130 years ago had the same struggles.

Overall, this is definitely a book worth reading in any case and I would recommend it to everyone, even if they don’t particularly enjoy historical fiction as this book really is one of a kind! (less)


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Tuesday 22 January 2019

Florence Dewey

Florence Dewey 1955 

Violet was not the only violinist in my family.  On my mother's side, the "Dewey" side, my aunt Florence, born in 1888, also played the violin. And she managed to make a career out of her music.

I've been dividing my time lately between promoting "Imagining Violet" - trying to expand my market beyond family and Salt Spring Island - and digging around finding out what I can about Florence.

Turns out, there's quite a lot of neat information to be excavated.  She did spend four seasons on Chautauqua tours, as my mother had always intimated. She did do an MA at Columbia University in 1942 when she was 54 years old. She did have a diploma from Juilliard. 

And she never married. 

Tuesday 8 January 2019

Since the book launch

"Violet" has been been selling very well ... to friends and family ... as predicted. My initial print run of 100 copies is nearly sold out. Our wonderful local book store, Salt Spring Books, has also sold four copies.
But here's the dilemma.  Do I order more paper copies?  And if so, how many?  The flurry of friends and family is finished. 
My focus now is to a) generate some reviews on Goodreads and Amazon and b) sell "Violet" to libraries.  That's because in Canada, the Public Lending Right Commission pays authors a small stipend when their books are found in libraries.
And for something completely different, I must report that one of the benefits of the book launch was the realization that red carnations last a very long time - nearly three weeks, in fact.  So at Christmas, instead of the usual poinsettia plant, I bought a small bunch of red carnations - gathered some salal from our property, and for $4.00 I had a charming bouquet that has survived, with frequent snipping and water changing, until now, January 8th!