E787 - Linda Paul - The Last Gypsy Queen - Set in The Buckeye Lake Amusement Park, Ohio

Episode 787 - Linda Paul - The Last Gypsy Queen - Set in The Buckeye Lake Amusement Park, Ohio Author Linda Paul shares the story behind The Last Gypsy Queen, a historical fiction novel set in 1942 at the real Buckeye Lake Amusement Park in Ohio. Her research into Romani history challenged the stereotypes found in movies, television, and popular culture, and it shaped a novel that blends a compelling family story with overlooked history. From Memory to Manuscript Linda grew up hearing her mother talk about Romani families who visited Ohio and camped nearby. Those memories stayed with her for years. She began writing the story slowly, often in airports and hotel rooms during her long retail career. After her mother died from COVID, Linda set the manuscript aside. Grief made returning to it impossible. Instead, she wrote a contemporary novel, then came back to The Last Gypsy Queen a year later. The research and the story finally came together. Research That Changed the Story Linda expected to confirm what she had learned from books and films about Romani people. Instead, she found a much more complicated reality. Many Romani communities were largely oral cultures that kept records and traditions private, leaving room for outsiders to create damaging myths. One newspaper article claimed Romani people had taken a missing child. Linda’s research showed the claim contradicted Romani family values. She uses moments like this to question assumptions and invite readers to see history through a wider lens. Marisol’s Story The novel follows Marisol, a young Romani widow navigating prejudice, family duty, and limited choices. After a brief arranged marriage, she works as a tarot card reader at Buckeye Lake Amusement Park because it is one of the few ways women in her community can earn money. Marisol wants more. She hopes to become a doctor, even though she has received little formal education and barely knows how to read. A woman at the park becomes her mentor, teaches her to read, and helps her pursue a medical program. Their relationship gives the novel its emotional center. Buckeye Lake Comes Alive Buckeye Lake Amusement Park operated from the 1920s until the mid 1970s. Linda visited the local historical society, studied newspaper coverage, and sorted out which big bands, buildings, and attractions belonged to the novel’s exact time period. Only the park’s four tiered fountain and historical marker remain today. Linda uses those surviving details to recreate a place where families gathered, big bands played, and workers kept the entire operation running behind the scenes. A Story With Purpose Linda hopes readers finish the book thinking differently about Romani history and the people behind the stereotypes. She also wants the novel to feel enjoyable, with romance, mystery, and the lively atmosphere of an amusement park summer. The book uses a frame narrative. It opens with Marisol in her nineties, returning to Buckeye Lake to live with her son, and closes at her funeral. That structure lets her finally tell the full story of her life. What Comes Next Linda has signed a contract for her second novel, which draws on her own experience in retail and international manufacturing. It follows a young woman who travels to China in 2004 and confronts the realities of factory work and overseas production. Her third book is ready for developmental editing, and she plans to publish one novel each year. Research can overturn what we think we know. Linda Paul shows that historical fiction can entertain readers while giving dignity, context, and a fuller truth to people whose stories have often been distorted. Find Linda at lindaspaul.com and on Instagram as Linda Paul Author. The Last Gypsy Queen is available in print, digital, and audio formats through major book