This tale began as a contest entry for Write on Wednesday, hosted by Newly Written Books in July of 2022. The task was to write a story of 503 words, including the prompt: "You spy something in the grass." This story is dedicated to Nabeela, who is NWB's overseer. Without that prompt, this would not exist.
I'm not certain how the decision to include both Julia Morgan (real-life American architect of Hearst Castle, among many other brilliant buildings) and the real-life town of Cambria, California came about. Months after the contest, this tiny tale stayed with me. I knew there was more to write. If you're a fellow author, I'm sure you know that feeling.
I was fortunate to be included in the roster of writers for Adult Fiction's 2022 Writer's Relay. When I proposed Hearst Castle as a location for my chapter, it was heartily accepted. This brought on even more research into Ms. Morgan and Cambria. I may be an atheist, but I do believe in signs. When I began writing the expanded tale, it was then that I learned that 'Cambria' is Latin for 'Wales' – chills went down my spine.
Most of the places in Cambria I mention are real; most named food items really do appear on their menus. Julia Morgan was a real person, as I've mentioned. About her private life very little is known: therefore, any assumptions made about said personal life are imagined, and not real. The house in Cambria is not real. It is the imaginary denizens of Cambria and the Tylwyth Teg – or the Sidhe, or Aos Si – who are my main characters.
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Lost and Found: A Tale of the Tylwyth Teg
FantasíaAn old diary is given to the new owners of a house in Cambria, California. Designed by famous architect Julia Morgan, it has some oddities - including a spiral staircase in the backyard, leading to nowhere. What they discover involves old Welsh magi...
