I’ve been asked many times if I had a dream which inspired the writing of my debut novel, In My Dreams, and the answer is …Yes. I did. But it wasn’t a frilly, happy, romantic dream about a boy and a girl, although I’d really wished it was. My dream was far from that. The dream I had was completely creepy and scary.
If you read the 1st part of Chapter 1 of, In My Dreams… well, that’s the dream. Yes, I did add Lizzy, Michael and some colorful words, but the rest was pretty much how it happened happened.
I was lost in the middle of a dark, eerie forest. I couldn’t see too much around me, but I could feel that something was watching, lurking in the darkness. I started to desperately search for a way out, but the trees were dense and I kept slipping and falling.
Then, I heard branches cracking behind me, and turned to witness a dark, hooded figure emerge from the trees. It was hovering just above the misty ground and it was coming for me.
I managed to find a small clearing and in the center was a cabin. When I got to the cabin, I realized that it had four doors - one on each wall. There were no lights, no windows, and no locks. I kept trying to slam the doors shut, but each time I moved, they would fly open again! It was completely frustrating! Then… I had that creepy feeling, the feeling that something was coming. I looked out one of the doors and noticed the creature exiting the woods. Crap! It was coming! As it hovered through the door, I noticed the smell. It was the smell of death. It then shot towards me… and I woke myself up.
I immediately shook my husband from his sleep and told him about my dream. He didn’t know what to make of it, but thought it was pretty cool and said it would make a great story. I remembered lying in bed, thinking about it. What did it mean? I’m not sure if the dream was triggered because we had watched some paranormal shows that evening, but I’m sort of glad that it did happen. Not while I was dreaming, of course, but after.
My husband was right. It did make a pretty cool story, and I’m glad he nudged me in the right direction. The very next day I sat at my computer, pulled up Microsoft Word and started to write. This was my very first novel, so I didn’t know what to expect. From that dream, I came up with the two main characters: Lizzy and Michael. Then I had to figure out how to work them into the dream, and weave it somehow into the rest of the story.
I must say that the process of writing this novel has taught me a lot. It was a lot like a puzzle; trying to fit all the pieces together so that the end product was clear. The characters in this book sort of popped up - like “Hey! I’m here! You better use me!” They each had a specific part and role in the story, and I was actually surprised at how it all came together in the end. It was amazing.
I had fun writing In My Dreams, and fell in love with the characters. I laughed, and even cried throughout the journey. Thank god my family was asleep while I did, or they’d think I’d finally lost my mind! (…and I’m pretty dang close!)
My hope is that the readers will get a chance to connect with and love these characters as much as I did. If you like the movie Ghost (which I do)… you’ll probably like this story. Maybe in the future I just might pick up and write a sequel. I did leave it open… just in case.
In the meantime, I’m writing a new YA Paranormal Trilogy. This one has a lot more characters, a lot more action, and dare I say… there will be HEADS that roll!!! It’s gonna be good! ;)
You can find Cameo at:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CameoRenaeFanPage
Blog: http://cameorenae.blogspot.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/CameoRenae
April, thanks so much for allowing me to visit your blog! You’re completely awesome! ;)
To read an excerpt of In My Dreams – go to my website at http://cameorenae.com.
Hi Apryl! Thanks for letting me visit! I had a blast! <3
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