Myth? Meet the bunyip: Guest post Virginia Taylor

When my children were young, one of our favourite bed time stories was THE BUNYIP OF BERKELEY CREEK. The bunyip is one of the most endearing creatures of Australian Mythology and I am thrilled that my guest this week, VIRGINIA TAYLOR has managed to include this mythical beast in her latest book... ELLA.

Virginia Taylor, former midwife, former theatre set designer, and now full time author sold her first two romantic comedies to Random House and a series of three historical romances to Kensington Books during the past two years. She is working on the next three in the series and a new series of romantic comedies. Apparently, she never sleeps.

Is It A Fish or a Beast? . . .
Every country has its own legends and, in Australia, we tell tales of a mythical water-dwelling, flesh-eating beast called a bunyip which apparently lurks in order to lure unsuspecting travellers to their doom.

​Ask anyone what a bunyip looks like and you will be given a different answer, ranging from an octopus with wings to the description I found during my research and used in the passage below for Ella, #2 in my South Landers series of historical romances published by Kensington Books:
 
. . . she set her quivering jaw. “Your stupid dog almost drowned me. That wretched animal shouldn’t be roaming free, as I...” Suddenly aware of her skirts hitched over her crinoline, she shook the drenched black fabric to her ankles, shamed by the display of the cage and most of her wet underwear.

Mortified that more than her fear showed, she hauled in a shuddering breath. “I’m sure I can have you arrested for trespass and willful destruction,” she muttered, wanting to weep.

He stepped back, his expression amused. “Destruction? I don’t suppose you noticed I saved your life.”

“After your dog attacked me.” Pushing back the curtain of hair dripping over her nose, she began to shiver, a reaction she couldn’t control. “I thought she was a bunyip.”

“A bunyip?” He raised his eyebrows at Girl, who shook off a halo of water droplets, stretched full length, and grinned at him. “A mythical monster?”

She glanced at the hills, backlit by the endless blue sky. “If a jet-black, hairy creature attacked you in a billabong, you might believe in mythical monsters, too.” She swiped her wet sleeve under her nose. . . ABOUT ELLA... Ella Beaufort knew better than to rely on a sexy stranger. But with two sisters to support on the modest earnings of the family sheep station, she accepts shearer Cal Lynton’s help—along with his intoxicating kiss. The most Ella can hope for is an affair. Something a woman in her situation wouldn’t dare—or would she?
 
Heir to his family fortune, Charlton Alfred Landon Lynton abandoned his privileged life to prove his independence. He doesn’t have time for a woman, but once he woos the lovely Ella into his bed, he is ready to make her his wife…until she shocks him with her refusal, claiming she can only marry a rich man! Angry and brokenhearted, the heir in disguise leaves the beautiful golddigger behind…
 
But amid the breathtaking landscape of South Australian, Ella and Cal are destined to meet again. Will their heated reunion lead to cruel confrontation—or the kind of passion that lasts a lifetime? BUY ELLA:
 Apple, Google,Kobo, Nook