Q&A with Evie Woods

  

 

 

Evie Woods is the author of the new novel The Violin Maker's Secret. Her other books include The Lost Bookshop. She lives on the West Coast of Ireland. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Violin Maker's Secret, and how did you create your characters Devlin, Walter, and Gabrielle?

 

A: The idea grew from a constellation of things, as my novels often do.

 

A few years ago, I was watching a TV show set in Dingle, Ireland, where singers and bands come from all around the world to play in a tiny church.

 

In an interview, one musician spoke about how he had inherited his instrument from another musician, which would then be passed on to someone else when his career ended. This got me thinking about the provenance of instruments, who they belong to and just imagining, what if they could tell their own story...

 

Then I read Gone: A Girl, a Violin, a Life Unstrung, a compelling book by the world-famous violinist Min Kym. It details the theft of her priceless violin from a cafe in London and the aftermath of that.

 

Finally, I heard an old ballad called "The Two Sisters," which is a story of betrayal, death and ultimately retribution. But you’ll have to read the book to see how that fits in, as I don’t want to spoil it!

 

Somehow, all of these elements came together in a story that explores music, mystery and magic.

 

Q: How did you research the novel, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?

 

A: I really enjoyed researching all of the violin lore and just when I thought I had everything I needed, I would find something even more spectacular!

 

I studied musicianship in school, so I relished revisiting some of my favorite composers and uncovering new aspects to their life stories. Documentaries are always a great source of information and I found some intriguing ones on unsolved art theft and the history of Cremona’s luthiers.

 

Of course online research can end up being the largest of rabbit holes, but that’s where I sourced much information on Paganini and the various violinists who I reference in the book.

 

I don’t like to read too much fiction when I’m writing, but The Lost Stradivarius by John Meade Faulkner was a wonderful jumping off point for me, as was The Weight of a Piano by Chris Cander.

 

I think what surprised me the most was discovering the existence of the “Irish Stradivarius,” a man called Thomas Perry, who had a workshop in Dublin. I never imagined that Ireland, struggling under colonial rule, was home to a luthier, so that was a wonderful discovery.

 

Q: What do you see as the role of magic in the book?

 

A: For me, magical realism presents characters with a catalyst for change by encountering something outside of their normal, everyday experience. As a novelist, it is my favorite element to write, because I get to truly play and let my imagination run wild.

 

In this book, the real magical moments in my books are when the characters see things differently, or from a different perspective for the first time and that can really change the trajectory of their story.

 

The magic of the violin is that she allows each character to see themselves and who they are, beyond their story. She helps them to find their true voice and ultimately transform painful pasts into a brighter future, not in spite of their experience, but because of it. And that is essentially a power that each of us can tap into.

 

I like to use magical realism as a device to spark that awareness within my characters and even though they might not be able to change what's happened to them, they can change who they want to be. They are the heroes of their own story.

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamics among your three protagonists?

 

A: Ah yes, I just love the interplay between these three! It was important to me that they were all rather reluctant adventurers!

 

As the reader, you can see that their lives aren’t exactly “thriving” and that they need some form of catalyst to change things, but how many of us actually volunteer for a challenge? Especially one that is bound to cause trouble. So I really enjoyed coaxing them along and watching them flourish as the journey goes on.

 

They are all quite different - age, gender and social class, so to have them united by one common goal allowed space for some interesting character development.

 

Ultimately, they are each bound by a primal fear and have become stuck in protection mode. With the magic of the violin, they (again, reluctantly!) allow strangers into their lives and this process of friendship begins to work in a cathartic way.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Next up is a new edition of my very first novel, The Heirloom. My publisher, HarperCollins, has been republishing my backlist under my pseudonym, Evie Woods, and it has been a wonderful opportunity to revisit my novels with fresh eyes and re-introduce them to the world.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I have just hit a major career milestone - my books have now sold over 2 million copies globally!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb