In the first story of this absorbing collection, Margarita—sixteen and married to a soldier who has gone off to fight in the first great war—meets and falls in love with Federico Garcia Lorca. He calls her “Margarita Petita,” and then turns her name into a poem. When he refuses to marry the widowed gypsy girl after a tryst at the river leaves her pregnant, her mother curses both Lorca and his offspring: “May they all die before they see the light of day.” And so Lorca is killed by fascists and his child dies in Margarita’s womb, where it remains—petrified—for 80 years. Mysteries and furtive desires pervade the enthralling stories in this group of ten the author calls a “deconstructed novel.” Rich in imagery and language, they chronicle the gypsy’s life, including banishment from Andalusia by her mother, marriage to a famous Mexican bull fighter and the lives of numerous descendants who ultimately leave Mexico for El Paso, Texas. In one of the final stories, “Calaveras in the Closet,” the gypsy’s extensive family comes together for her funeral, where several long-guarded secrets will suddenly come to light. Also included in this volume is a historical novella, Liberata Wilgefortis: The True and Tragic Story of the Bearded Female Saint, a mystical retelling of an ancient legend about the first bearded female saint of the Catholic Church whose cult was removed by Vatican II in 1969. Expertly weaving poetry, historical events, myth and legend into intriguing short fiction, Alicia Gaspar de Alba confirms her place as one of the leading contemporary Latinx voices.

Fans of the Lady Julia Grey Mysteries will love these Georgian historical mysteries. Finally home in Kent after her recent adventures in Yorkshire and Cornwall, Lady Anne Addison is shocked to spy her erstwhile suitor, the Marquess of Darkefell, skulking around the gypsy camps near her property. Outraged that he has followed her there, she writes a scathing letter to him and his family, which brings Darkefell—and his denials that it was he—to Kent. Despite Darkefell’s arrival, Anne is preoccupied with the troubles that plague her family and loved ones. Is it the old gypsy woman’s curse that is making her friends ill, or something far more sinister? One by one, Anne and Darkefell must unravel the troubling mysteries, and then travel back to Yorkshire, where their love story began, to finally solve the murder that threatens the very heart of his family . . . This book was originally published under the name Donna Lea Simpson. Praise for the Lady Anne Addison Mysteries: “If you are looking for a historical mystery with romance, suspense, and a suggestion of paranormal, then read Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark.” —Fallen Angel Reviews “[Hamilton] excels at imbuing her realistic characters with subtle depths . . .” —American Library Association “[The author] has set up a well-drawn Gothic horror setting here, so the atmosphere is fantastic, what with it being chilling, mysterious, and menacing all at once.” —Mrs. Giggles

I was totally inspired by RL Stine's One Day in Horrorland. I loved the idea of a scary amusement park for kids. I also liked the idea of someone being cursed Thinner style. Bobby Blaine thinks his visit to an amusement park will be fun. Well, he's cursed and it's going to get terrifying.

A riveting, scandle-filled biography of the most famous nude model in America, Audrey Munson (1891-1996) whose beauty brought her extraordinary success and great tragedy. Many readers will recognize Audrey Munson, even without knowing her name. She was America's first supermodel. Munson's beauty, though, was also her curse, exactly as a fortune teller predicted in her youth. Her looks won her entry to high society, but at a devastating cost. In 1919 she became a recluse, eventually being admitted to an asylum whre she remained until her death. This is her story.

When Jack Edmunds, a reporter for the Daily Tribune visits the quiet backwater village of Ellsworth, North Yorkshire he gets a little more than he bargained for. Witness to the casting of an ancient gypsy curse following allegations of corruption by the authorities- Jack along with Suzie Brown, his accomplice, are drawn into an ever increasing maelstrom of events and strange happenings beyond belief. Cut off from the outside world the village of Ellsworth rapidly descends into a bizarre blood-bath of demonic possession as friend turns against friend in a frenzie of unstoppable carnage. Can the realms of superstition be as tangible as they seem or are they merely a form of self-imposed psycho-babble that preys upon the mind? Either way their journey won't be easy as they confront an ever increasing maelstrom of sinister events, exposing them to the darker side of human nature at its worst.

Back in print: a stylish fantasy thriller from two bestselling masters of the form

In the fourth installment in the Adam Fletcher Adventure Series, a gypsy family sets up camp on the edge of town peddling tinctures, potions, magic, and fortunetelling. And like a moth to a flame, Adam Fletcher is drawn there. He decides to pay the mysterious Madame Endora a visit, just for fun — or so he thinks. Soon after, a series of worrisome circumstances begin to unfold, one after the other, sending the sleepy port town of Beaufort into a hysterical frenzy. Is there really a curse, or is something more sinister to blame?