Once I dreamed I was this teenage girl that moved to a new world (Early America) with my parents. I was very wealthy and our home was ready for us when we arrived, built with the best materials of the day. Servants were carrying my large trunk inside our new home. I watched from the windows, looking out at this foreign, new land as a very handsome man rode up on a horse. I'm watching all of this out the wavy oval glass of our front door. A bear approaches and the man pulls out a knife and spars with it. I gasp and know right then and there that I will marry this man one day. Then I woke up. Ahhh! How disappointing! I immediately wrote the dream down. I usually don't dream of other time periods. This was really odd.
Another night I dreamed I was the member of a wedding party. This is the weird part..my ex husband was there too. After the wedding, there was a huge party in this hotel and we were all staying in two adjoined, very luxurious hotel suites. It was late night and everyone had crashed. In my dream, I wake up when I hear voices, whispers really and doors creaking open. I look over the shoulder of the person sleeping next to me..again, this was highly odd....I don't make a habit of sleeping with a herd of people...and I see all these men coming in, posing as waiters in white coats, pushing room service trays.
Very methodicallly, they go from room to room, executing people. They had come from the room adjoining where the bride and groom slept. I watched from the dark as they lifted sheets off of faces. Some they killed. Some they did not. When they finally, very quietly left, everyone is on their feet, screaming. The police are called and word spreads that the bride and groom are dead. I awake for real, shortly after and jot everything down. This dream was so real. I was shaking when I woke and remember the feeling of utter terror. I wrote the introduction to a story called Wedding Day Massacre but have not finished it. Maybe I'll dream the rest of it.
I had a very disturbing dream just a few nights ago. I was vacationing with all my family near NY. We rented a home on the water. It was summertime and we were swimming when we noticed all this debris blasting through the skies above her heads like there had been an explosion. There's total confusion and then we witness a hideous thing. The statue of liberty shoots way into the sky. Everyone is pointing and screaming. It was awful. I don't even want to write about that. **Shudder**
Dreams are fascinating. I remember once being terrified in a dream and I actually knew it wasn't real. I spoke to this ghost and said, "Hey, this is my dream. I'm in control, not you." I stuck my tongue out at the phantom and she disappeared. I always have ghost dreams. Very strange.
I once had a very vivid dream about moving into a new home and next door to a family of werewolves. For some reason these werewolves were all women. They came over to "sniff us". Uh..yeah..not kidding. They literally just walked into a back door and rushed up to me, pushed me down on the sofa and this she-wolf sniffed me and snarled. And this is the weirdest thing of all, she was multi-colored. Rainbow colored fur..lol! Still haven't written that into one of my werewolf books but that is the one and only time I remember dreaming about werewolves even though I write many books about the furry devils. :)
Has anyone out there studied dreams? I really should read more about them. In my opinion, they are our thoughts sifted. In other words, the stuff we think about but don't dare admit.
What about when you dream about someone you loved who has died? Now I'm not convinced those are real dreams. I think they're REAL, but
that's another topic all together.
Do dreams help you come up with new ideas? I'm dying to hear about your dreams!
I'm excited to announce the release of Deadly R&R, by Ruby Vines, published at Grapevine Press, on sale for .99! I'd love it if you'd read the blurb below and check out my cute cover. My cover artist is Tamra Westberry. Doesn't she do an amazing job? This book was the first book I wrote, written sixteeen years ago and has been literally collecting dust alongside a bunch of old Christmas ornaments. I revamped it and I'm thrilled to revisit my characters and see my baby come to life. If you like chick lit romantic thrillers, you might want to read a sample at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
Have a fun autumn! Happy Reading and Writing! ~ Alisha
Blurb for Deadly R&R: Shay Reynolds was raised solely by her father and abandoned by her mother at an early age. Old enough now to take the reigns of her father's business, R&R Advertisting in Palm Springs, Florida, she's about as happy and as successful as a modern woman can get without a mother. Engaged to handsome Chase McMillan, an anchor on the popular national morning television show in New York City with her ads regularly nominated for the prestigious Clio Awards, she's a woman accustomed to life handing her roses. Her good fortune takes a nose dive when her fiance dies mysteriously. Falling into a deep depression, Shay confides in her chauffeur, Tommy Smith and agrees to hire his father's private eye service to investigate. Afraid to be alone, Shay shares her thoughts and broken dreams with Tommy. A serial killer is on the loose. Bad timing for Tommy who has always had it bad for his boss. Hot on the trail of a sicko who enjoys the shock factor of cryptic messages and creepy packages sent to the object of his affection, Tommy fights to shield the only woman who has never treated him like a hired hand.
Alisha's Website: http://www.alishapaige.com
Alisha's Blog: http://alishapaige.blogspot.com
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Alisha's Twitter: @Alishawriter
37 comments:
Thank you for having me, ladies! I'm very excited to be here today! I just had to include my newest cover for my middle grade adventure novel, Tusk, soon to release.
So, who has crazy dreams? Does anyone write about their dreams?
~Alisha
Oooh, forgot to add...I'll be giving away reader's choice of any of my ebooks to one lucky commenter, winner drawn at random. :)
Alisha
Alisha, wow! I don't have many dreams, and when I do, they're just weird. Your dreams would scare the heck out of me.
Your new book sounds wonderful, and I wish you all the luck in the world.
And welcome to The Plotting Princesses.
Thanks so much, Liz! And you are so right, my dreams are spooky! I was one of those kids who had tons of nightmares. My poor parents..lol. :)
Alisha!!! Love your dreams. I'm a firm believer of using my dreams as a great starting point for writing. Mine can range from bizarre to scary to just off the wall crazy. For me, I've trained myself since I was a child to remember what I dream and even become quite good at lucid dreaming. There is nothing better than being in a dream, knowing it and being able to manipulate it some. Talk about a wild ride. :)
Your first dream sounds very much like a past life memory. The other I would have to think on for an interpretation. Mostly you need to think about what is going on in your life and what certain things symbolize to you.
My first serious attempt at writing came from a dream. The one I quit working on to work on my current WIP. It was just after 9-11 and the original 'bad guys' were terrorists. I changed them to aliens because I thought I had more freedom to write. I cannot see this book as sci-fi, but it has to be because of the aliens (I get that)! It's more a tale of survival against all odds and the need to avenge the deaths of loved ones.
I love all your books!
Alisha, welcome to the Plotting Princesses!
Funny you should mention writing from dreams. My current WIP is a novella that began when I woke up from a dream and thought, "Wouldn't that be a great story!" Of course, nobody else will see it unless I can get my backside in hte seat and finish the thing. LOL
Congratulations on your releases. For anybody who hasn't read Alisha's work, I've read several and they are fabulous.
Hi, Alisha! I've probably told this story before, but I wrote a story based on a dream and it's now published--I Believe.
I think it's creativity peeking out.
Thanks for posting today
I Love your post on dreams. I dream in color and in great detail. I usually remember what I dream. I daydream as well. In my dreams I tend to work out my stories or come up with new ones. I can also control my daydreams to some dergree. I use daydreams to play out the scenes I'm working on and it helps me get the action & dialogue down right. It's sort of like watching a TV show that I can control what happens. With my first book I couldn't get the images & dialogue out of my mind unless I had music playing or the TV on.This lasted until I finished the book. My muse was a lot kinder with my second book. I now am working on 6 stories.
G W Pickle
@Robyn..wow, your dreams are as crazy as mine! Thanks for stopping by, my friend!
@Cathy..I love hearing dreams analyzed. Thanks for you kind words about my books. I look forward to reading yours soon! ;)
@Kathy..LOL! Get your hind end in gear! Finish that story! I love reading books based on dreams. Thank you for your kind words about my books. :)
@Vicki..I haven't heard the story about your dream..tell us here for those who haven't heard! I love dream stories especially when they result in a book! Cool!
Wow, GW, talk about a lucid day dreamer! You have the coolest muse ever! Can I borrow her? Thanks for stopping by. Dreams just fascinate me.
Sure, Alisha! I was at RWA, rooming with the fabulous Ms. Essex, woke up and said, "I had a dream," told her and then repeated the poem I ultimately used in the story as the chant. She threw a notebook at me and said, "Write it down!" Since I excell at following directions, I did and voila! "I Believe."
I am a firm believer in paying attention to this stuff.
My dreams fuel nearly all of my stories. I figure, if I'm dreaming them, they are 'alive' - I must be doing something right if they 'get a life'. And by the way, that is one awesome cover. I'd pick it up if I saw that on a shelf, and the blurb would totally tweak my curiosity. I'd buy it if I saw it, and I don't usually buy romances (though I have read some good ones. I totally want to buy more than one of your books, given the chance. I have such a wish list.
Vicki..I am so glad she threw you that notebook! And a book came from that! Amazing! I'm a firm believer in those things too.
Wow, Anna! How neat that you write nearly all your work from dreams! You are definitely on the right path! Your muse talks to you in REM! Cool! Thanks for your kind words about my cover and blurb. This was a fun book to write, my first effort at writing 16 years ago...of course it had to be totally revamped and my editor sure did have to get a fine toothed comb! Ha ha!
Hi Alisha,
Wow, your dreams are so vivid and real. I get ideas sometimes right before I go to sleep. I've learned to jump up and write them down right then which may keep me up the rest of the night!
Good luck with your new book.
Hi, Pam! Thanks for stopping by. Weird that you say that you get ideas right before you go to sleep. I just asked Ruth Glick, aka Rebecca York today how she gets her ideas and she said the same thing. She's an amazing author so you must be on the right track! LOL!
Ladies!D'you mind if a "real life" Prince butts in with his humble two penn'orth?
From the age of about five or so, I had the same recurring snatch of a dream. It centred on a Chapel which was all that remained of a castle, on a small island in the middle of a lake.
Fast forward TWENTY FIVE YEARS, to the time I met a young lady,and we settled down. We'd been born about 2000 miles apart, in two different countries, and met in a THIRD country.
Another ten years roll by ... then, one day, a casual remark over breakfast and I discover that she had been experiencing THE IDENTICAL DREAM as me, and for about the same length of time ...
Solid detective work followed, and I discovered that the Chapel is REAL, it EXISTS ... and once belonged to my ancestors, who were the High Kings at Tara, in Ireland (modern day Roscommon + bits of other counties). Oh, and as I'm the first-born male of my generation of the family, technically I could claim the title "Prince of Coolavin" LOL
Ladies, you're in for a treat! This TRUE story is the basis for my debut novel "The Chapel of Her Dreams" which will be published later this year.
Best of all: I'm well over half through writing a second volume and aim to make it a trilogy.
Romance, mystery and legend combined - something for everyone, I hope!
Prince of Coolavin!! I don't think I've talked to a real prince..or...er...wrote to one online..lol! What a wonderful story! I got chills reading this! Congrats on your debut novel! How exciting! And what a PERFECT title! Thank you for stopping by today and gracing us with your royalness..tee hee! ;)
Paul, the chapel of her Dreams sounds really great. And of course, Princes are always welcome here at Plotting Princesses. After all, what would our Princesses be without their Prince?
Thanks everybody for dropping by and commenting today. Great to see so many new names here.
Hi Alisha,
I loved reading your post! Dreams have always fascinated me. I used to dream in color, but as I've aged, the color has faded to sepia. Occasionally I will dream in color, but I no longer remember them. :( And I've never dreamed anything that makes enough sense to write about it afterward! I have a dream book and would be happy to have you take a look if you'd like. :)
Hi Alisha,
Sorry for the late comment, just put in a 13 hour day.
I'd rather NOT use my dreams as a story starter. They are weird and I don't much care for the story lines they have to offer. I've had three very vivid - like real dreams. The first two came true and by the time the third came around, I did everything opposite than what I did in the dream. I was cop back then and I wasn't too keen on being shot. I was told those dreams were actually premonitions.
I've heard repeatedly that dreams usually involve what ever you were watching last on TV, videos or real life. I've found that to be true with my dreams.
Your blurb sounds intriguing and your covers are great!
Phyllis
Hi Alisha. Many of my stories come from dreams. I love to dream, maybe even more than living regular life. Even the terrifying stuff is awesome. I have a couple recurring places that show up sometimes. From an early age, my mother told me her dreams and I learned to interpret the three levels and symbolism on my own. I don't follow a Fruedian dream dictionary. Everyone is different. I've experienced a premonition while dreaming (car accident) that probably saved my life a month later, and I've interpreted and confirmed one highly symbolic dream that was sadly prophetic - came true. For me the three levels are: daily brain events, psychological, and hidden prophetic. Dreams are a writer's brain food. The subconscious rocks! -Kara
Hi, Karilyn! So happy to see you here! Wow, sepia! Now, that's cool. I always dream in color. I wondered if anyone really dreams in black and white. I'd love to take a look at your dream book. Dreams fascinate me.
Hello, Phyllis! So nice of you to stop by! I didn't know you were a cop! I bet you have plenty of stories to tell. Yikes! That one dream would have scared me to death. I too have had dreams that came true even as a child. One of my favorite great aunts died right after I had a dream that she did, however she was very old so I'm thinking I was worried about her death, so I dreamed about it. You must have been going through some intense stuff to dream about getting shot!
Thank you for your kind words about my blurbs and cover art. I have a very talented cover artist. She amazes me with every cover :)
Kara! First off, I love your hat! Cute!
Okay, I really need to learn more about dreams. You seem to know a LOT about them as so many of the other ladies who have commented today. I'd be interested to hear how the one dream saved your life. I've had some strange dreams lately and now I really want to understand them as you do.
Thank you so much for sharing and feel free to comment more or email me at alishapaigewilson@yahoo.com. You are so right! Dreams are a writer's brain food! :)
I want to thank the Plotting Princesses for having me today! This has been the most fun I've had as a guest blogger in a long time and I really do mean that! I've been so happy too see some of my old friends pop in to say hello and to meet other writers. I'm going to wait until the morning to draw a winner from all the commenters in case there are some night owls out there. ;)
Nice cover!
And I've long been fascinated by dreams - there's usually an emotion in the dream that expresses the emotion you're going through. This all started when I told a co-worker that I had a recurring dream where my cat got out of the house. She said I had fear of loss issues and thst started me down the road to finding my father. I've paid attention to my emotions in dreams since then and they really do express what I'm feeling.
Two of my novels came from dreams. In fact, one of them weaves my recurring dreams all through the novel. The ending is one of the dreams only it isn't a dream.
Kathy, thanks for stopping by. I agree. Our emotional state has so much to do with our dreams.
Tricia, so happy to see you stop by, my friend! I have enjoyed your books, dreams or not. You always know how to weave a wonderful tale :)
I'm a day late, but enjoyed your post, Alisha! I have "story" dreams, lucid dreams, prophetic dreams, and dreams that are plain old mishmash.
I love it when I story dream, and I'm beyond impressed with yours! Deep dreaming and writing, woman. You're awesome!
Light,
Nancy Haddock
I've heard of other people who have dreams that they can turn into books. Very helpful when your subconscious works while you sleep, right? Not for me. My dreams are all anxiety related and worthless as plots. Lucky you!
Nancy! So good to see you here! I'm so glad to hear others like you have very vivid dreams like me. And now more than ever I'm determined to study dreams and learn their meaning. I promise to keep dreaming and writing if YOU promise to keep doing the same. Your books have brought me such joy! Thanks for saying hello. A big fat virtual hug to you!
Caroline, you are so right. There were a few times in my life because of stress that I was like a dry well and had no more story ideas. Those were the times that I could count on my dreams to help nudge my muse awake. But make no mistake, I have very silly dreams that make no sense too...those dreams where certain things seem perfectly normal but I wake up and think, now why in the world would that be normal? I might dream that I had a pet monkey who made me coffee every morning and there would be nothing weird about it. I'd wake up and say WHAT? Thank you so much for stopping by. :)
I'm late to the party. I've had dreams that came true and it always scares me. Most days I don't remember my dreams and I think I'm glad. I have a recurring Tornado dream that no matter which direction I run, the twister follows me. I tell myself in the dream that this is just a dream and to wake up!
I enjoyed reading your posts and the idea of writing from dreams. Kind of scary.
Hi, Sylvia! I've done the same thing in a dream when I was so scared that I told myself to wake up and it worked. Very scary and weird when you wake up to a quiet, dark house. Thanks for stopping by!
About to draw for a winner! Will post in a sec! :)
Alisha
The winner of the drawing is Karilyn! Congrats! Karilyn, please go to my website to choose any ebook. Also, I have print copies of Canyon Wolf Bride and Nocturnally Vexed on hand if you would like me to mail you a print book!
Thanks to Plotting Princesses for having me! I had a blast chatting with all the ladies and our one prince..lol!
And a very happy birthday to Vicki! What a wonderful lady!
Happy Reading and Writing!
~Alisha
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