In a windswept Scottish village in 1815, a Romani storyteller faces a deadly curse and a hostile community. Can she save herself and her love from a genie’s wrath and the villagers’ hate?

Mairead has always longed for a home and a family. But when she marries Lachlan, a Scottish fisherman, she is met with suspicion and scorn by the people of Auchenmeall, who despise her Gypsy heritage and her stories. Her life becomes even more perilous when her husband pulls a bottle from the sea that contains a genie, who gives Mairead a year to choose her own death. As the genie’s curse looms over her, Mairead must also deal with accusations of witchcraft, betrayal, and murder, as well as the secrets and lies that threaten to tear her family apart.

A Gypsy’s Curse is a historical fiction novel with a twist of fairy tale and fantasy. It is inspired by the Scottish folktale The Fisherman and the Genie, and explores the themes of identity, prejudice, and destiny. If you enjoy stories of magic, romance, and mystery, you will love this book.

Emma won the silver medal in the Just Imagine Short Story Competition, for the Traveller’s Daughter (aka ‘casting a story to steal a husband’) an extract from this novel, where it was described as ‘a tale full of whimsy and vivid description’.

Don’t miss this captivating and emotive story.