Living in a thatched cottage in the countryside of County Mayo, Mikal O’Boyle is an Irish-American author who recently had her debut novel, Snake the Gypsy, published and launched by the Minister of Arts and Culture, Jimmy Deenihan. The book is a Young Adult fiction story that is enchanting, dark, and full of adventure. The narration, told by an elderly woman named ‘Snake’, is a recounting of her life as a young girl.
It begins with a lonely gypsy girl who is ostracised by her own nation and is neglected by her unsympathetic mother. Times seem very hard for her as she struggles to find happiness in life until she finally befriends an extraordinary snake who follows her, protects her, and even dances with her during her rigorous training sessions. When the time comes for Snake to enter into the Locé, the bi-annual gypsy festival, a horrible fate befalls the gypsy girl and her snake, deserting her in a place she is unfamiliar with, but she soon discovers that things have become even worse as she has stumbled into the midst of a war between two very unlikely beings. After nearly enduring a painful death, losing her heart for the first time, and sacrificing herself for a hopeless cause, Snake the gypsy continues on to become the elderly woman who narrates the story. The only question is, how true is a gypsy’s story?
Snake the Gypsy can be purchased on Amazon and Book Depository as a hard copy or on the Kindle. You can find us on facebook.com/snakethegypsy or
Originally from Indiana, Mikal O’Boyle studied abroad at NUIG where she met her Mayo-born husband. After graduating from Smith College in Massachusetts, Mikal and her husband moved to Knock, Co. Mayo where they now reside with their five month old daughter, Isabella Maeve, and Maggie their puppy. Mikal is currently working on her next story for children. It will feature various insects that engage in a war over their right to inhabit the backyard without the intrusion of humans. Reminiscent of her own childhood days, Mikal hopes that the new story will ignite the imagination of many children.