Wales' Lost Kingdom of Llys Helig...

Atlantis isn't the only one you know...

According to a legend that began a very, very long time ago--the sixth century to be precise--a Welsh prince by the name of Helig ap Glanawg had a kingdom in North Wales. He built an opulent castle in which he lived and ruled his people. He and everyone in the principality lived well enough for the day and time, but then one day a raging torrential storm caused the sea to overstep its bounds and the massive waves swallowed the entire kingdom. People, buildings, castle, everything...just gone.

Ocean Waves by Amada44

This legendary lost kingdom is mostly thought of today as nothing more than a myth with no truth based in fact. No surprise there, right?  Except...

Several expeditions have been launched in the past to prove--or disprove--the existence of Llys Helig. One such expedition, undertaken in the year 1864 by Reverend Charlton Hall, Reverend Richard Parry, and a geologist (accompanied by two local boatmen), found a submerged ancient wall off the coast of Penmaenmawr that could date to the sixth century. The team, therefore, said it could very well be part of Helig's castle. Some scoffed over the discovery. They said it was nothing more than a natural rock formation which just happened to run a very straight, regular course 100 yards in length. I'm sure if we looked hard enough we could find hundreds of formations just like this one underneath the sea...no really, I'm almost sure of it.

Ahem...

The Famous Flying Dutchman

Now, most everyone knows that Wolfert Dircksen Van Ness, the handsome hero of Heart of the Storm is a 17th century sea captain from our world. However, after going through a tumultous storm in the Bermuda Triangle, he and his crew find themselves in another dimension altogether. Despite his change in venue, our dashing captain has discovered that he can cross back and forth between our world and his. But the thing is, during his visits, he, his crew, and his ship, appear as ghostly shadows of their former selves. Kind of like the Flying Dutchman...  

Yes indeed...The Flying Dutchman...almost everyone recognizes the name. But did you know the moniker refers to the Captain of the ship, and not the ship itself?

The Flying Dutchman by Albert Pinkham Ryder c. 1887

Sea Creatures and Solstice Island by Author, Mae Clair!!

I am so excited to have my dear friend Mae Clair, author of the very popular Weathering Rock and Twelfth Sun, drop by for a visit today! She is here to share a little bit about her current release, a book I've read and highly recommend...Solstice Island!

Thank you for inviting me to your blog today, Debbie. I’m delighted to be here to share my current release, SOLSTICE ISLAND, a romantic adventure novella that centers around the quest for an aquatic creature.

Sea beasts seem to come in two popular varieties: serpents and leviathans. There are exceptions, of course, (colossal squids, gargantuan octopi, and carnivorous mutant fish), but traditionally sea monsters tend to be classified as serpents or leviathans. When it came time to create a mythical oceanic creature for my latest release, SOLSTICE ISLAND, I tried to avoid using the word serpent as much as possible. I didn’t want the image of a snake-like creature.