Cushla : Almost Magic, Reflections of a Reformed Gypsy Girl

Kathleen McKenna couldn t be happier. Just turned sixteen, she and her family have made a good life for themselves in Ottawa, anchored by friends, family, school, and work. There is no sign of the gypsy girl she had once been in Northern Ireland only a few short years ago. But the arrival of a mysterious package could change all that.

From across the ocean, Nora, the old gypsy woman who had once befriended Kathleen, has bequeathed Kathleen her tarot cards and rune stones. You will have two loves, she had once read in those same cards. The first will disappoint you, but the second . . .

Elizabeth Radmore was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and emigrated to Canada with her father, mother, and two brothers in 1951. As a child in Ireland, she and her father had to leave home in search of work. They tramped the land, often sleeping under bridges at night for shelter, before eventually joining a band of gypsies for survival. This experience formed the basis for her first novel, Cushla Memoirs of a Reluctant Gypsy Girl. Her second novel, Cushla Gypsy Spirit, recounts the McKenna family s eventful voyage across the Atlantic to Canada and the struggles they faced in a new and very different land. It, too, is based on the author s own experiences.

Cushla Almost Magic, Reflections of a Reformed Gypsy Girl, is the last novel in the Cushla trilogy.

Elizabeth s artistic talents also feature visual work, including oil and acrylic painting, silk scarves, and wearable art jewellery. A sample of her work can be seen on her web site: www[dot]cushla-gypsyspirit[dot] com. Elizabeth lives in Stittsville, Ontario, with her husband, Dave Norton, her beloved yellow lab, Sophie, and her calico cat, Cali. Her children, Jason Radmore, Natalie Travis, and Rachel Radmore, all live close by with families of their own.