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.
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 wrongdoings 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?
