Saturday, February 25, 2012

FEATURED AUTHOR: "Edge of Dreams" - by DEBBIE BENNETT


EDGE OF DREAMS
by Debbie Bennett

About the Book
Review
Author Interview


EDGE OF DREAMS

What do you do when you realise that the bad guys might care more about you than the good ones? 

Ricky’s on the edge of a life of crime. Skipping college to steal cars in the aftermath of his father’s death in action, it’s not surprising that his dreams are vivid and seem almost real. 

Calith’s just on the edge of a life. Snatched from Ricky’s world to another place altogether, shaped and taught by a man who meant everything to him, Calith’s found out that when you’ve grown up with the enemy, it’s hard to make friends. 

Then Ricky dreams of Calith and nobody seems more real than the boy from another world, with his multi-coloured hair and temper to match. But are Calith’s motivations all they seem? Ricky’s not sure. Calith’s dark past is coming back to haunt him big time, and when you’re jumping worlds to escape the good guys, something must be wrong somewhere, mustn’t it? 

A contemporary fantasy, certified 100% vampire-and-werewolf-free. No elves, faeries, dragons or wizards. Not even any zombies. Anywhere. 

No, really – there aren’t.

REVIEW forEDGE OF DREAMS
by Ellen Fritz

“Edge of Dreams” is a fantastic 5 star read and the first in a series which promises to be highly exciting and truly unique.

It was refreshing to read a fantasy novel for a change, which only had humans in it and no other paranormal characters; albeit humans with a difference and very powerful magical and psychic abilities which allows them to travel into parallel dimensions and manipulate time with their minds.

When Ricky discovers that the people and places of his extremely vivid dreams are real, his attention is diverted from a possible life of crime to far more challenging adventures.  Enter Calith, with his colorful hair and equally colorful personality, and things for Ricky and his sister may never be the same again. Ricky is not the only one who faces change as Calith also has to deal with doubt and horrific betrayal from those he trusted most. Amid all the seriousness I had to smile at Ricky's smart mouth which often came close to getting him into trouble, as well as at Calith who can throw some impressive temper tantrums.   

The author expertly incorporates fantasy, magic, different plains of existence and psychic powers into daily life as we know it. The unbearable suspense builds up slowly as to give the reader an in-depth insight into the worlds and lives of these exceptional characters. Although this is a straightforward good vs evil plot, the reader is kept guessing until the very end as to who are the bad guys and who are the heroes in this story.

I enjoyed the friendship and close bonds shared between the characters, and it touched my heart how readily they would make sacrifices, including their lives, for the ones they love and to keep their worlds safe. The two main characters, although only seventeen, are remarkably grown-up and deal with their unusual trials and tribulations in a mature and intelligent way. A touch of romance between Calith and Ricky’s sister Louise, adds that extra sweet touch to this story.

“Edge of Dreams” was a real pleasure to read from start to end. I applaud the author for her originality in creating worlds that are so well portrayed, the reader can experience and appreciate every single detail of its beauty to their fullest. I strongly recommend this brilliant read to readers of all ages. It’s worth every penny!

 


READ more REVIEWS

“Edge of Dreams” by Debbie Bennett has another great review on GoodReads. 
Read it here – http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12751926-edge-of-dreams

MEET author DEBBIE BENNETT


Debbie is a middle-aged boring civil servant with a secret life as a writer... She's worked in law enforcement for over 25 years, in a variety of different roles, which may be why the darker side of life tends to emerge in her writing. If she makes enough money selling books, perhaps she'll be able to afford counselling instead.

INTERVIEW with DEBBIE BENNETT

Q: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

A: I’ve written since I was about nine or ten. I remember being giving homework at school to write stories and while everybody else turned in one or two pages, I’d hand in a dozen or more.

Q: What inspired you to write your first book?

A: I was 14 and I’d outgrown kids’ books. In the late 1970s, there was nothing for teenagers and young adults and while I’d read Lord of the Rings and Brave New World, I wanted something more contemporary, edgier maybe. So when I couldn’t find it in my local library I decided to write it instead and produced a handwritten teenage thriller. I think its only redeeming quality was the fact that it was finished! I still have it in a drawer somewhere and it’s truly awful and completely unpublishable.

Q: How many books have you written? Which one did you enjoy writing the most?

A: Two that are finished and of publishable quality. Another four that are in the bottom drawer and will never see the light of day – they were good training and I learned a lot while writing them, but I doubt there is anything I could salvage from any of them. Then maybe another two or three that are nearing completion or being edited. The one I always enjoy writing is whichever one I am currently working on – for a while I’m living the story and trying to do my day job with characters sitting on my shoulder whispering into my ear.

Q: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

A: I find it hard to get into the right mindset for writing sometimes. I know what I want to say but I can’t quite get the mood right for the words to flow. And then real-life will intervene and the washing needs sorting and the tea needs cooking and before you know it, the day is over.

Q: Are there any new authors who have grasped your interest?

A: I love Melissa Marr’s faery books. And I’m just discovering a whole crop of fabulous indie authors!

Q: Who are your favourite authors and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

A: I have an eclectic taste in reading. Authors such as Alan Garner and Susan Cooper inspired me as a writer. Then there are my fantasy favourites like Storm Constantine and Louise Cooper who create such amazing characters; techno-sf in Stephen Baxter whose grasp of physics and maths can keep me awake at night puzzling the mysteries of the universe and darker stuff with Stephen King. Then there are women’s fiction writers Jodie Picoult who aren’t afraid to tackle deep issues yet wrap them in fascinating stories. I also love all the conspiracy theory writers – I’m a sucker for lost maps, ancient symbols and secret societies – and can read Matthew Reilly until my eyes bleed.

Q: Do you ever experience writer's block and how do you deal with it?

A: Frequently. I try to move onto something else, or write a blog post – anything to skirt around the problem. Sometimes with short stories, it’s just a matter of finding the way into the story and once I’ve done that, the block disappears.

Q: What would your ideal career be, if you couldn't be an author?

A: My day job is a business intelligence analyst for the police. It made me realise that what I’d love to have done as a career is forensics, but unfortunately I’m way too old to go back to the beginning again and start at the bottom of the ladder.

Q: If you were to do your career as an author again, what would you do differently, and why?

A: I don’t think I’d do anything differently – except perhaps to believe in myself more and have confidence in my abilities.

Q: What do you like to do when you're not writing?

A: Read, a bit of interior design work (I did a 2 year course at night school a few years back) and mess around in my garden when the weather is amenable!

Q: What are your current projects and can you share a little about it with us?

A: I’m currently finishing off a sequel to Edge Of Dreams, plus another couple of thrillers

Q: Do you have any advice for other writers?

A: If I was starting out as an author today, I wouldn’t be sucked into amazon and e-publishing too quickly. It’s too easy to upload work that isn’t ready and lose your audience before you’ve even got off the ground. Take your time. Edit, edit and edit some more. Then put it away and write something else. Come back to it and edit again. Send it to your kindle, or even just reformat in a different font – when the words are in a different place on the page, errors you hadn’t noticed will leap out at you. Find a trusted writer friend and ask them to beta-read for you (do the same for them in return). A fresh pair of eyes will spot yet more errors. Then edit it again. Rinse and repeat until you are sure your work is as perfect as it can possibly be. Only then are you ready to query agents or editors, or self-publish.

PURCHASE LINKS


AUTHOR LINKS

Twitter - @debjbennett 

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