“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 for “EDGE 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
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
