The Shadow of Atlantis
By Wendy Leighton-Porter
Before setting off on my new career path as a children’s author, I was a Secondary School (ages 11-18) teacher of French, Latin, and Classical Studies for many years. I always dreamed of writing a book one day but, with a busy teaching career, I never seemed to find the time. Years later, when I no longer had the excuse of being too busy, one day it suddenly hit me (during an international flight) that I should stop procrastinating and do something about making my dream a reality. As I began to ponder what I should write, an idea popped into my head out of nowhere… and it wasn’t the plot for just one book, but for a whole series! By the time the aeroplane landed, I’d worked out exactly what I wanted to do.
My jumping-off point was influenced by the advice of “write about what you know”. Although no longer in the classroom, I still wanted to educate as well as entertain, so I set out to create a story filled with adventure but one that would also give young readers the opportunity to learn something new. With a background in teaching Classical Studies, I decided to begin my time-travelling journey in the Ancient World and my first three books are based on well-known tales from Greek mythology. Everyone has heard of the legendary lost city of Atlantis, so it seemed like a good place to start. There is plenty of history for young readers to learn in this story, as well as a section at the end of the book where they can find out more information.
I originally had a literary agent and an independent publisher for my first three books, but the publishing company folded before anything went to print and the agent changed careers. Luckily, I still had the rights to my work and so, along with a group fellow authors who had also been with the same agent, we decided to band together as Silver Quill Publishing, a co-operative through which we all self-publish. It seems to work for us!
James and Isabel Lancelot have disappeared in mysterious circumstances, leaving behind their children, 10-year-old twins Jemima and Joe. Nobody has a clue what’s happened to them, except for the family cat who was the sole witness to their disappearance. Using the portal of an old book – Shadows from the Past – the couple have travelled back in time but, having left behind the key to bring them home, they are now trapped somewhere in the past. With their parents missing, the twins are sent to live with their Uncle Richard, a professor of ancient history and archaeology, where they soon befriend their new next-door-neighbour, Charlie, a super-brainy boy who is the same age as them.
At the start of the school summer holidays, the three children decide to investigate the old book that had belonged to the twins’ father. Finding the book locked, they’re unable to open it until Jemima discovers she has the key. It was on her mother’s necklace, left abandoned on the attic floor after their parents’ disappearance. And there’s more… The children find a small pouch inside the wooden chest that contained the book and, inside the pouch are four golden charms shaped like owls.
With the book unlocked, an astonishing series of events begins to unfold. The youngsters hear whispering voices carried by a strong breeze that comes out of nowhere and then, a strange cloud fills the room. Through the mist, they see tantalising glimpses of an ancient city. Joe is the first to discover that if they step inside this cloud it will take them to another place. Jemima is surprised to hear her mother’s voice calling to her, reminding her to pick up the all-important key. Then, holding Max, her beloved Tonkinese cat, in her arms, Jemima follows the two boys into the mist. Arriving in the lost city of Atlantis, the children are astounded to find that it was no myth, but a real, historical place. And so their adventures begin…
It doesn’t take them long to realise the owl charms are mini translation tools, enabling them to communicate with the Atlanteans, but when Jemima attaches one to Max’s collar, the large cat begins to speak. The children can’t believe their ears, especially when Max tells them the truth about their parents’ disappearance. The twins are overjoyed to learn that their parents aren’t dead but simply lost in time, and now their quest begins in earnest. They must find and rescue James and Isabel, searching throughout the pages of history. But, first, the youngsters have an important mission – to warn the people of Atlantis about the disaster that will soon destroy their city. Will they succeed? And can they find their way back to the safety of their own time before it’s too late?
PURCHASE LINK: Amazon
After teaching French, Latin, and Classical Studies for almost twenty years, Wendy’s career took a new direction when she turned to her first love – books – and decided to devote herself to writing children’s fiction. With the old adage “Write about what you know” in mind, when she first came up with the idea for her series of time-travel adventures, she jumped head-first into the ancient world of classical history and mythology which formed the backdrop for her first three books. As the series moves forward in time, she sets each story in historical periods that have always fascinated her. Although no longer in the classroom, she seeks to entertain her young readers, to engage them, to foster a love of reading, but also to educate. As she takes them on a thrilling journey into the past alongside her three young time-travellers and their talking cat, Wendy hopes that her love of history, myth and legend will rub off on them along the way.
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