The Rain Gypsy: A Novel

“With one behind, you can’t sit on two horses.”—Old Romani Proverb

Eli Evans, a young, contemporary Romani traveling the backroads of Texas with his grandfather’s kumpaníya, has an epiphany in an abandoned field that has the potential to shatter the bonds of his traditional Gypsy life.

Ever a part of two worlds, he must choose which path to take: that of his own heart or that of his beloved family, who expect him to succeed his grandfather as leader.

Eli’s family is gifted with an ancient magical ability to invoke the rain, and the two parts of Eli’s life collide at the site of the latest Summoning—a small farming community desperate for life-sustaining rain. There he breaks one of his culture’s strongest taboos by falling in love with a non-Romani woman. When his lifelong nemesis shows up, hell-bent to destroy everything Eli holds dear, he must act to save those he loves and his own fragile dream.

Perfect for fans of a good underdog story, The Rain Gypsy is carefully researched and sensitively written. A heady mix of family drama, magic, sweet romance, and dark secrets, it will take you inside one of America’s most hidden cultures. Grab your copy now, and you’ll have something to read when the rain keeps you inside.

"As an illustration of the tension between maintaining traditional values and conforming to life in the twenty-first century--a challenge that speaks to so many individuals, families, and communities--The Rain Gypsy has the rare quality of universal resonance. Storytelling at its best."--E.J. Harper, author of Lazarus Remembered

"Smith's words call for healing, for the skies to open and rain down new appreciation for those we deem different."--Sharon Krasny, award-winning author of Iceman Awakens

"S. A. Smith's intelligent, heartwarming, and thoroughly accomplished debut novel should be on everyone's must-read list."--Michaelene McElroy, author of The Last Supper Catering Company