Myths to Adore–Top 5 with Gloria Craw, Plus Giveaway!

The Atlantis Rising Series takes inspiration from the myth of Atlantis as Plato wrote it. He described the island as lush with vegetation, meadows, and streams. The original inhabitants lived simple lives. They were unique because of the equality in their economics, government, and justice. Seeing this as a virtue, the gods rewarded them with a wide understanding of science, architecture, and engineering.

In time, this advanced technology made the people of Atlantis rich…and wealth corrupted them. Plagued by selfishness and greed, they sent warriors to fight and invade other nations. The gods who had once shown them favor were angered. They helped the Athenians defeat them in battle and then sent fire, floods, and earthquakes to shake Atlantis. When the beaten warriors return home, the entire island sank into the sea.

With Plato’s story as historical background, I envisioned a small group of people escaping before Atlantis disappeared under the waves. The Atlantis Rising Series is about the adventures of their modern‐day descendants.

Because I love the myth of Atlantis so much, here are five more myths I adore.

1. Finvarra’s Kingdom 

According to folklore, a magical people once lived in great cities underneath the trees of Ireland. A group of those people were led by King Finvarra. King Finvarra was a pretty decent guy. He was a good listener and willing to grant favors to people so long as they agreed to assist him when he needed it. His biggest character flaw was a tendency to kidnap pretty human women. Something that was always getting him into trouble.

 

 

2. Camelot 

If you want to start an argument at a dinner party full of historians, all you have to do is bring up King Arthur Pendragon. Though the myths of King Arthur are colorful and rich, his historical existence has been the subject of debate and dispute for centuries. The stories built around the myth of Arthur’s castle in Camelot include a common set of elements. Camelot was Arthur’s capitol city, he married his wife, Guinevere, at a chapel within its walls, and he held court with his Knights of the Round Table there.

 

3. The Isle of Avalon 

Avalon is the legendary island where King Arthur’s sword Excalibur was made and where he was later taken to heal from his wounds after the Battle of Camlann. In some accounts, Avalon was the original home of Morgan le Faye, a healer, enchantress, and the eldest of nine sisters with like abilities. She and Arthur may have been half‐siblings, but they never really got along. She tried to kill him several times.

 

4. El Dorado 

It was said the streets of El Dorado were paved with gold. For more than two hundred years after the first recorded mention of it in 1535 AD, the myth continued to seduce European explorers. Greed and misguided attempts to find it, cost the lives of hundreds of people along the way. In actuality, El Dorado seems a reference to rulers of the Muisca Empire and one of their initiation ceremonies. Each new ruler had to undergo a rather unique ritual wherein he was covered in honey and gold dust… becoming the gold one.

 

5. Xanadu 

Samuel Taylor Coleridge popularly described Xanadu in his poem, Kublai Khan, as a stately pleasure dome, where every fantasy could be indulged. The ideas in his poem were unique for the early 1800s when it was published, but they didn’t spring forth from Coleridge’s imagination like Athena from Zeus’s forehead. He was inspired by writings based on the travel accounts of Venetian explorer Marco Polo. 

 

Meet Gloria’s books: Atlantis Rising and Atlantis Quest

Atlantis Rising (Atlantis Rising, #1):

I am different. I have always been different, but no one can know or my life will be in danger. So I hide in plain sight, wearing drab clothes and thick glasses and trying to be invisible. I’m so good at hiding, no one has ever noticed me. Until Ian…the mysterious and oh‐so‐cute boy I know I need to avoid.

Now I have been seen. And more terrifying still, I am wanted‐by those who would protect me and those who would destroy everything and everyone I love. But if they’re all terrified about who I am, wait until they see what I can do… 

Atlantis Quest (Atlantis Rising, #2):
Get ready for the exciting follow up to Atlantis Rising, dubbed “An enchanting debut from a promising new author of paranormal YA” by Kirkus Reviews.

After all they’d cost me, I thought I was done with the Truss clan. I was wrong. Nikki Dawning, my mortal enemy, has been kidnapped, and I’ve been asked to spy on the Truss to find her. The pull between Ian and I has never been stronger, but he can’t help me this time. I have to rely on Theron, a bad‐tempered cousin I didn’t know I had. To make matters worse, the people I trust have been keeping secrets.

I’m starting to feel like a weapon in a war I don’t understand. How far am I willing to go to protect the descendants of Atlantis and the common good when I’m not sure what the common good is anymore?

Only one thing is certain. If I’m the next Laurel clan chief, I can’t let myself be manipulated…by anyone. 

 

Meet Gloria Craw

Gloria Craw grew up in the desert southwest, inspired every day by the wide skies and rich colors around her. She attended the University of Utah where she earned a degree in anthropology. These days, she lives in the ‘burbs’ just outside of Seattle, Washington, where she is the shepherd of a husband, four daughters, and a very hairy dog. 

 

Atlantis Quest

By: Gloria Craw

Release Date: March 1, 2016

 

*GIVEAWAY DETAILS* 

One winner will receive a copy of both Atlantis Rising and Atlantis Quest (US only)!

 

*Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway*

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