Fifteen years after leaving the college where they first met as idealistic girls-becoming-women, they come back together for the funeral of one of their own. Tabitha has been found dead in her apartment after years in an abusive relationship. Her death forces the remaining five women to take a grief-induced stroll down memory lane. The women begin to remember what they had been to each other, how their relationships changed over the years, and how they allowed Tabitha to slip away. Upon learning of Tabitha's mysterious death, the remaining five women set about to reclaim their connection to each other, and in the process, must consider what if anything among them is worthy of salvage.

The women of A Violet Butterfly each tell their own story with humanized sensitivity, empathy, compassion, and an ever-present sense of humor. The novel also takes a look at some of the uglier aspect of interpersonal relationships (i. e., spousal abuse, infidelity, parental abandonment, addiction to gambling, jealousy) with an unvarnished honesty that keeps you wondering how it will all end.

Ms. Turner's writing is influenced by her upbringing in rural East Texas and living most of her adult life in San Diego, California. She attended East Texas State University (known as 'ET' back in the day, and Texas A & M - Commerce today) and moved to Southern California shortly after graduation. During her halcyon college days and in the years since, Ms. Turner formed enduring and life-transforming friendships with wonderful women who served as the inspiration for A Violet Butterfly. She currently resides in San Diego, California.