Title of Post: Romance, Moonless Nights,
& a God of the Sea
I love Welsh mythology, so it always surprises me that a lot of
people have never heard of the Sea God Dylan. His story begins with his mother,
Arianrhod, the Goddess of the Wheel of the Year. The Celts believed in
reincarnation and Arianrhod carried the souls of the dead on her ship
Silver Wheel from earth to the Emania (also called Moonland) where she helped
them transition to their next lives.
Her uncle, God Math, needed to find a virgin so he could lay his
feet in her lap as that was his tynged (a curse or taboo). God
Gwydion told Math that Arianrhod was a virgin, so Math tested her virginity by
having her step over a magic wand. As soon as Arianrhod stepped over the wand
she gave birth to one son and then as she crossed the doorway on her way out, she
gave birth to a second son.
The first boy had golden hair and was a creature of the sea. Math
name him Dylan, which means son of the wave. He plunged into the sea and swam
like a fish. He's a Welsh sea god.
The other twin was just a lump of flesh. Gwydion kept him in a
chest where he grew into a beautiful boy named Lleu, also with golden hair.
He's the Welsh sun god.
Arianrhod put a tynged on Dylan that on moonless
nights he lost all his godly powers and was as mortal as any human. On such a
night, his uncle Govannon, the Welsh Blacksmith god, accidentally killed him.
All the waves of Britain, Ireland Scotland, and the Isle of Man wept for Dylan.
And the sound of the sea rushing up the mouth of the River Conway, in north
Wales, is called Dylan's Death-Groan.
Book Information:
Moonless Night, set in pre-roman Britain, is based on this
mythology. It’s my 35th book and my 2nd young adult
fantasy romance, which can also be read as a sweet adult romance. I used to
work with several publishers but this book like all my books now is
self-published so I can have control over every aspect of my work.
The premise of Moonless Night is that no one has to
carry any shame for the wrong doings of others. The
heroine, Vevay, which means a white wave in Welsh, is abused by her
parents. But, she escapes, survives, and rediscovers herself with
the help of Dylan. Though the story has dark elements it is uplifting
throughout and intermingled with Welsh magic.
The blurb:
Hope Swims In the Darkest Seas
Vevay can't escape her parents or see her future ending any
other way than by dying at their hands. Then hope swims up to her in the form
of a seaman. His legs look normal but he has two small fishtails instead
of feet, and his forearms are covered in silver scales.
But Dylan's more than a seaman...he's a god. He understands the
pain of not having a mother's love. Born an unwanted child and a sea creature,
his mother, goddess Arianrhod, dropped him into the ocean to survive on his
own.
By helping Vevay face the truth that she bears no
responsibility for her parent's crimes and cruelty, they both have a chance to
heal through love, hope, and freedom.
But Vevay's mortal and can't live with Dylan in the depths of
the ocean. And she can't stay on earth with her parents. The only place he
knows where they can be together is the Otherworld. But what dangers await a
lonely sea god and a scared human girl in the home of the gods?
Excerpt:
She couldn’t turn her gaze from the stranger or
she would have swum back to shore. His eyes were brighter than the sunlight
that glistened on the waves as he flashed her a whole-hearted smile. Without
warning, he ducked headfirst into the water. His long, muscular legs shot up,
splashing her.
She clasped her hand against her chest. Her
breath caught in her throat and she gasped. She’d never expected this. She
blinked her eyes, then looked again.
By the gods, the man had no feet, no ankles, no
heels, no toes. His legs extended in normal fashion from his body, but two
small fishtails took the place of his feet. When he came up for air, she
noticed that his forearms were covered in what looked like silver bangles.
Scales. He leapt from the water and into the air like a flying fish. The
sea-creature was bare, except for an unusually large merman’s pouch, which hung
between his legs like a loincloth.
She must be daydreaming again. That explained
what she thought she saw. The tightness in her neck and shoulders eased as her
muscles relaxed, stretched slightly. Her mind must have drifted off to her
fondest wish, for her patron god, Dylan of the sea, to come to her rescue. It
seemed so real, it always did. But this isn’t Dylan. It couldn’t be.
Why would a god want anything to do with me?
Something pushed her from behind, and Vevay
shrieked. She turned around, shaking, and she saw a seal. The sleek, dark
animal was barking at the seaman as if speaking to him. Laughter spilled out of
Vevay. Taking a deep breath, she mustered her courage and slid her head
underwater. Pushing off with her feet, she swam as fast as she could to catch
up to him.
Pulling her arms through the water and gently
kicking her feet, she glided through the sea. Her lungs strained with the
effort, she needed air. She opened her eyes, and the salty water stung. Where
had he gone? Her lungs burned and she pushed off of the ocean floor.
Vevay broke through the surface and took a
satisfying gulp of air. The seaman’s tail fins hit the surface with a large
splash. She slipped below the water’s surface and swam in that direction until
she reached his side. The seal swam up, gliding beside her.
Gently, the seaman grasped her shoulders. She
jerked away from the contact, inwardly filled with an icy chill. She cringed
and shivered in fear, reliving her most recent memory of her father’s
treatment. Then, she instantly felt different. A warm, soothing sensation
flowed through her as the merman cupped her shoulders. Swimming with him to the
surface, she broke through and took a deep breath. He smiled at her, and she
forgot about her father.
Buy links:
Barnes & Nobles - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/moonless-night-cornelia-amiri/1129286414?ean=2940155715610
Bio:
The Celtic Warrior Queen inspired Cornelia Amiri to write
professionally. While reading a book about the dark ages, she came across the
rebel queen and started jotting down notes, but they were fiction, visions of
Cornelia involved in the Boudica revolt. Before Cornelia knew it, she’d
accidentally written the first draft of a novel. And she’s been writing books
on purpose ever since. Drawing on her love of a happy ending she’s currently
penned over 35 published fantasy and sci-fi romance books. Now, for the more
mundane stuff. She and her muse, Severus the Cat, live amid the hustle and
bustle of humid Houston, Texas, as does her wonderful son, daughter-in-law, and
granddaughter. When not writing, she loves to read, watch movies, and attend local
comic cons. She’s currently working on the next book in her Druidry and the
Beast series and on a sci-fi comedy romance novel with a Celtic goddess as the
heroine.
My links:
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2 comments:
What in interesting read, Cornelia :) And, like so many others you referred to, I knew nothing of this lore :) Darting to Amazon to find a copy! :)
Lo
Hi Cornelia,
I enjoy writing for YA too. Celtic mythology seems like a great background for a YA novel. Congrats on the new novel and best wishes for your continued success.
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