The Girl With The Sealskin Dress

Thirteen-year-old Mairi Elphinstone is becoming a woman, but nobody told her that meant growing webbed fingers and toes. 

Recently orphaned Mairi moves to her aunt and uncle’s croft on the remote Scottish island of Stromsay. En route, she finds a sealskin dress and a note concealed in her father’s old trunk. He stole the dress from her mother years ago, and his baffling confession urges Mairi to cherish it forever.

The mysteries multiply as Mairi settles into her new home. Why do the seals call above the waves, urging her to join them in the watery depths? Why does her uncle shy from the sight of her deformed hands and lock her up every full moon night? Why do Thurso sailors call Stromsay a ship’s graveyard, and who shines those mysterious clifftop lights on foggy nights?

Mairi wants answers, and her new friend Ellie does too. Trouble is, the truth could tear Mairi’s family apart and spell imprisonment, slavery or death for her and Ellie alike.

Set in 1839 and inspired by Daphne du Maurier, Enid Blyton and the selkie tales of Celtic and Scandinavian folklore, The Girl With The Sealskin Dress is a historical fantasy/mystery novel for children and grown-up children aged twelve and above.


You can buy Sealskin as an Amazon e-book here. It costs £1.99 and works on Kindles, Fires and the like. If you don’t have a suitable device, you can read it on any tablet, phone or computer after installing the Kindle app.

Want to try before you buy? Read the first chapter here, and lean more about the fictional island of Stromsay here. If you’ve finished the book and are keen for more, an exclusive bonus chapter lives here.

Want to read Sealskin but don’t want to give Jeff Bezos your business? Get in touch and I’ll see what I can do to help.

If you’ve read and enjoyed Sealskin, please consider leaving a review on Amazon. It’s the best present an author can receive…