Posts Tagged ‘contemporary fantasy’

The Psychic Realm: Clairaudience, Clairsentience, Spirit Guides and Apportation

Thursday, July 28th, 2011

The BEST part of my research for my new psychic proposal is learning about clariaudience and spirit guides. Both play key roles in the developing series about a new family evolving into a legacy of latent parapsychological gifts. If you’ve ever felt someone near you when no one was there, experienced an epiphany from out of nowhere at the exact moment that you needed it, had a stranger share the precise message or insight that will get you through a personal struggle, or avoided disaster at the last moment because of a random encounter with someone or something that diverted your from danger… Haven’t you wondered if there might just be more intent than whim behind what you’ve encountered?

spirit_guides woods

First, let’s back it up and talk about a spirit world theory that is the basis for new books in my Legacy series and the foundation of a philosophy that says that the energy of beings we can’t see coexists all around us, every second of the day.In a world such as this, spirits surround us but exist in a dimension that most of us are incapable of interacting with. Those most likely to see and hear them tend to be children, because they’re more spiritually conscious and less likely to dismiss an encounter, and animals (whom some believe are the most spiritual evolved beings on the plant).

So, whithout digressing into past life philosophy and a deeper discussion of whether higher/faster plains of existence that we can’t see are possible, let’s agree for the sake of this blog post that spirits of those most of us cannot see and hear do exist. Spirits, the theory goes, of those who’ve died before us and whose energy has passed on to another dimension.

A principle like this opens up a world like the one I’m drawing in my books to fantastic possibilities.

Why? Because what if these spirits were regularly trying to communicate with us, all around us, from wherever their energy has gone? If only we could hear them, what could we learn? How could these souls help (or in some cases) harm those they’ve left behind? In fact, how would they go about getting our intention, while we walk right by and ignore them.

Which brings us to the terms clairaudience and clairsentience–the gifts of being able to hear beings and information from another dimension, or receive and actually experience the physical and emotional projections of those spirits on the “other side” of your dimension, respectively.

Many say children are born with these gifts (that all children have at least one psychic gift). Have you ever witnessed a child talking to her imaginary friend, having a tea party with no one, or repeating something that’s been said to her that she should have no way of knowing? Have you ever wondered how they can be so engaged?  What if they were really hearing, seeing, and interacting with something?

spirit guide

These would be the gifts of people who tell us they communicate with the dead and can pass on information from spirits. (more…)

Dream Theories: Men have more naked dreams than women???

Sunday, July 24th, 2011

We’ve talked about examining, grouping, and interpreting your dreams. Now that I’m back from Summer break, let’s get specific and have a little fun. Starting with getting naked ;o) The most common take on being naked in dreams is that these images represent the dreamer’s fear of being vulnerable. Remember, dreams are all about emotions/feelings. Except, not every culture views nakedness as something to be ashamed of, and not every dream about taking our clothes off in front of other people is about exposing ourselves to ridicule…

naked exposure

Yes, in North America, nudity is most often forbidden, even illegal in some situations. So it’s a normal, literal interpretation to think your naked dreams are about being embarrassed or mortified. And, yes, studies have told us that men have more naked dreams than women. Which, metaphorically, could mean that men have a greater fear of being exposed.

Still, remember that dreams are often not quite as literal as we think they are. What if naked dreams are telling us we’re tired of covering up, and that we’re wanting people to notice something we’ve been hiding too long. What would that say about the men (and women) in our society who dream of letting it all hang out ;o)

In a lot of naked dreams, we discover ourselves standing in front of strangers, rather than keeping parts of ourselves hidden the way we often do in our everyday lives. So, if we feel anxious and cover up, or if we feel proud and confident in front of faceless or nameless onlookers in our dreams, what does that mean?

We’re all born naked and learn to feel embarrassed by our exposed bodies based on cultural and social norms . But in the right places, even in conservative societies, being without clothes is the goal–say when we’re having sex. Naked doesn’t always mean safe. Our naked dreams can be about no longer needing to protect ourselves so closely. They can be about wanting to experience a more natural lifestyle. Which would be a good thing, right?

naked newborn

The types of clothes you dream you’re taking off (or staying in) can be significant, too. Cool, huh? Okay, maybe it’s a girl thing, (more…)

Dream Theories: Examining Dreams–the work of self-development

Thursday, June 2nd, 2011

Modern dream interpreters base the work they do on techniques developed by others before them. They’re not inventing anything new, and they all agree that dreams are personal–they should be analyzed in terms of the dreamer’s life, not science alone. There are no universal meanings, in absense of the dreamer’s presence and reality. That said, let’s talk some turkey, then start getting busy with the nuts and bolts of the dream interpretation specifics so many of you have been clamoring for.

  • There are some dreams, initiated by traumatic incidents in you life, that you should work through with professionals. They can cause to replay an event over and over, and feel threatening to yourself or others. “Playing” around with dream interpretation isn’t a fun game in these situations. Talk to someone about your fears, in and out of your dreams, and get whatever help you need to feel more in control of whatever you’re dealing with.
  • Drugs (especially sleep aids) and alcohol affect both natural sleep and your dreams. They (or stopping consuming either)  can cause you to sleep more deeply and dream more vividly, disrupt sleep, inspire more frightening dreams, and result in you more easily remembering/forgetting what you’ve dreamed. They can skew your emotions while you dream (too often toward self-hate or self-harm). Overall, the boundary between your sleeping and waking realities can blur entirely. DON’T “play” with either, or your dreams, while indulging.

Beyond these two caveats, looking deeper into your dream patterns and symbols and themes can be an amazing journey of self-discovery and growing understanding of what you find within. So, let’s discover together ;o)

dream interpretation

I’m dreaming more vividly than I have in quite a while, I suspect because I’m actively drafting a new novel. I’m bringing imagination to life in my waking reality. My sleeping mind’s not one to play second fiddle ;o) I love this place in my creative life, when I feel story moving through me, both consciously and subconsciously. It’s a lovely sign that the “gift” is flowing again. But what is it all trying to tell me? Or you, when you find sleeping images flowing just as freely?

Let’s begin with a common dream focus–being tested or challenged.

exam dreams

  • Feeling late for an exam, unprepared, or humiliated while taking a test beause you’ve studied the wrong thing, is about feeling anxious. And remember, the feeling of what you’re dreaming is the key to interpreting it’s reflection of your waking reality.
  • (more…)

Dream Theories: Group Your Dream Emotions and Learn…

Monday, May 23rd, 2011

Ever wake, overwhelmed by the emotion of what you’re dreaming? We’ve talked about feelings being the link between your sleeping and waking world. But how, exactly, does that happen, and what are we supposed learn from the residue of our fantasies, once we leave them behind?

Sheila English asked those very questions last week when, she interviewed me about Secret Legacy’s release for Blog Talk Radio. She LOVES talking about dream theory and lucid dreaming technique. So, naturally, we spent more time than we should have in the interview sharing our personal experiences. We just couldn’t help ourselves.

existential

We both believe there’s something there, when we close our eyes and escape this reality. We both have experienced the power of that “something” crossing back into our everyday lives. And when you connect with someone who’s felt and believed the unbelievable things that have impacted your life, you don’t pass up the chance to revel ;o)

But where, exactly, does this energy come from? How is it that a dream can be so emotionally consuming and meaningful that it impacts your waking life?

Understanding the details of how some scientists believe this emotional connection works can help you better remember and process your dream work. And the more you know about how your mind’s working for you when you sleep, the more you can do with the wealth of information and emotion it’s helping you deal with.

An important start is to recognize the categories of emotional dreams we tend to have. This gives us a frame of reference for the  powerful places we’re transported to when we sleep. And these places, remember, tell us a lot about the things in our waking lives, and within in us, which inspire them.

Don Kuiken, a Canadian researcher, found peoples’ emotionally intense dreams could impact their lives for days afterwards.

transcendental

He categorized the emotional content of dreams in five distinct ways:

  • Existential dreams, we’re told, are those where we’re dealing with feelings with separation and loss. These are emotionally distressing experiences that feel very real to the dreamer. They tend to contain strong sensations of sensory awareness (vision, touch and sound), as well as detailed references to the body, as you process the vividness of the emotions that you feel–feelings which often continue into waking, along with the knowledge for many that they were self-aware while they were dreaming. These are the dreams about dying or nearly dying, about losing something important and searching for it (a purse or a wallet), about giving birth or being born, etc.
  • (more…)

The Psychic Realm: Crossing Into Other Realms

Monday, May 16th, 2011

I’m talking psychic twins, paranormal phenomenon, and parallel realities–but also straddling different worlds in my career (writing both classic romance and psychic thrillers)–on Dorchester’s Community Blog today.

Join us for your chance to win a trade paperback or digital copy copy of Dark Legacy AND Secret Legacy!

Secret Legacy front cover

Dream Theories: The Hidden Gold of Dream Interpretation

Friday, May 13th, 2011

Dream Interpretation… NOT an exact science. But there’s so much our minds are trying to do and tell us while we sleep, we can’t afford not to listen. Look at it as work. How well do you understand the issues you’re consciously and subconsciously dealing with? Your sleeping world(s) might just know more than you do.

Since my psychic twins’ books launched and their dream adventures become fan favorites, I’ve gotten a good bit email and questions about dream interpretation.Now first, a disclaimer. I’m not a dream scientist, but I do play one on TV… No, I’ve been studying and fascinated with dreams my whole life, and I’m fascinated with my own and others’ dream worlds. I’m happy to chat with anyone about what they’re remembering of what their sleeping minds explore, and about how to use and access even more of that valuable insight.

It’s hidden gold, what we don’t see until we turn the rest of the world off. This is the first of three Dream Theory posts about some of the ways that I look more deeply into my own and others’ dream memories.

treasure

Anna Faraday, in her 1970’s books, Dream Power and The Dream Game,  pioneered much of modern dream work. She believed dreams have three potential meanings, on three different levels of understanding, that all should be explored.

Level 1, Looking Outward:Does the dream and its symbols or setting or actions tell you anything about the dreamer’s world? I’ve talked about this a good bit in Dream Theory and Psychic Realm blog posts and comments. If we don’t deal with external events while we’re awake, they (or some symbolic reflection of them) are likely to show up in our dreams. Voila! There you have the simplest explanation for the basis of my first to Legacy books.

The key? Looking outward from a dream, especially when the outward meaning is a direct one, can serve as a warning or a reminder. (more…)

Dream Theory: Your Emotional Connection

Tuesday, May 10th, 2011

The emotion in our dreams is the key. Not what you see, or even what you remember when awake, but what you feel. Emotions are the common thread between the waking and the sleeping worlds. In my psychic fantasy novels, this is how scientists and psychics develop the brainwashing techniques that threaten to become global weapons. In real life, this is merely the power of our minds leading us through the work we need to do.

emotion image

I’m on an emotional rant this week–most of my posts will touch on the psyche, I’ll just be coming at you from different directions. So be warned ;o)

Longing and disappointments and fear and hope and anxiety and excitement…and all of that is all of who we are, in our waking an sleeping worlds. 

Think about it–what’s the one dream you can remember most? Why is that dream so easy for you to recall, when others have slipped away?  Was it frightening? Special and supremely happy? Were you seeing someone again for the first time in a long time, or travelling somewhere meaningful, or facing your sworn enemy or struggling through your worst nightmare come true, etc.?

All of that is about the emotion still lingering, and bout how it was  still scaring or thrilling you when you woke.

It’s been largely accepted by scientists that dreams are a method for us to process emotional information (among other things).  Some go so far as to suggest you write a dream report immediately upon waking–and that you focus on feelings and emotions first, before getting to the lingering visible sights and symbols that remain.

The most common emotion experienced during a dream?

Fear.

Does this mean we’re being threatened by either the sleeping or the waking world. Not at all. (more…)

The Psychic Realm: The Madness of Being “Gifted”

Monday, May 9th, 2011

Our gifts are amazing opportunities that come to us with high expectations and the weight of entering the world differently. If we’re different, then “normal” won’t always understand. Or accept. Or be our home.

My psychic twins in the Legacy series understood this earlier than most, when as little girls their mother convinced them to hide their gifts and with that dictate set into motion a lifetime of confusion and near-insanity for her beautiful, powerful girls. Because “different” meant danger and the kind of persistent anxiety that their mother couldn’t handle.

If we hide our gifts, we suppress part of why we were created (whether you’re empathic and telepathic like my characters Maddie and Sarah Temple and don’t claim your destiny as warriors, or you lose yourself in music that others don’t understand alone, or nature which others won’t see without your unique perspective, or teaching that would open the the world for students that won’t learn as deeply without you).

Hiding denies the positive energy that is waiting to be released. We dilute the effectiveness of our unique abilities in both our lives, and the reality of those waiting for us to open our minds to who we are. 

And this is madness.

insanity

It’s a damaging path that so many everyday people travel, living half-lives that are never fulfilling or even a shadow of what they were meant to be, because the owner of what’s been hidden away is more comfortable with pursuing the “normal” they’ll never achieve, than he/she is embracing how truly remarkable their differences are.

I’ve received several reviews for Dark Legacy that complain of the beginning of the novel being too disjointed and fast paced and confusing. And, yes, that’s to be expected from some readers because I penned a psychic thriller that was then marketed as a paranormal romance. But the true discord that some have picked up on is that the primary point of view for the story was a woman whose mind was unravelling.

(more…)

I’m ScifiGuy Guest Blogging Today…Chris Keeslar will be HERE tomorrow!

Thursday, May 5th, 2011

I’m psyched (pun intended) to be guest blogging at SCIFIGUY today. I’m equally psyched to have Chris Keeslar joining us in Publishing Isn’t for Sissies  here tomorrow. I’m getting to talk about a creative passion and a passionate colleague the last two days of this week. Excellent!

Secret Legacy front cover

Here’s a bit of the scifiguy post to wet your appetite. Come out, come out, wherever you are and hang over there with me a bit today… Then PIFS with Chris and me tomorrow, before we all hang with the mom’s this weekend.

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Sci-fi/Fantasy…I’ve had more conversations about the term in the last few years than I did in my entire geeky, Trekkie youth. On KindleBoards, on fantasy forums, through GoodReads networks, in person etc. Everyone has an opinion. Some are purist. Some enjoy variety. But everyone who digs what’s now considered speculative fiction is searching for more of what they love, and there so much variety on the market there’s little chance of the genre boring you.

Coming from a romantic suspense background already makes me an odd duck in many circles, including my growing involvement with International Thriller Writers. Especially there, since my thrillers are more psychic fantasy than mystery/suspense.

Well, they’re contemporary fantasies with a strong scientific basis for my world building that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Three-fourths of the action in my latest release, Secret Legacy, takes place in dream sequences shared between the protagonist and the scientists and psychic warriors battling for control of her mind. Think of the movie Inception, and you’ll get an idea of how the lucid dreaming and shared dreaming science behind these books plays out. Though, let me just say that Dark Legacy was written and published long before the movie hit theaters ;o)…

Read more here!

The Psychic Realm: The Temple Twins’ Gifts REVEALED

Monday, May 2nd, 2011

Since Secret Legacy’s out today (Yay!) and Dark Legacy’s a FREE EBOOK ALL WEEK, let’s get down and dirty about what makes this Psychic Fantasy series so different from other thrillers you’ve read. Yes, you’ll experience more of the dream theory you loved in Inception. But more than that, my psychic twins are being hunted and haunted by and eventually must stand and fight against covert government scientists who’re determined to turn their family’s Legacy of gifts into a direct-strike psychic weapon. How? Well, that’s the really cool part!

Secret Legacy front cover

Long before Inception hit theaters, I turned my life-long fasciantion with dreams and the very real possiblity that lucid dreaming can be a learned technique into the beginning of a series of mainstream novels built around psychic talents. Of course I’ll write about other gifts, but the first two Legacy books were destined to spook me and everyone who read them about the potential and power of dreams.

What if dreams could be harnessed and programmed and ultimately harvested, triggered at exact moment in which they could do the most harm? What if psychics could train us through our dreams, unbeknownst to our conscious minds, to behave in uncharacteristic ways in our waking lives? What if, once that training was triggered in say a daydream state, there was nothing we could do to stop ourselves from carrying out our programming?

How exactly are the Temple Twins’ minds and psychic talents being manipulated to accomplish this? In case you haven’t had the chance to read Dark Legacy yet, let me catch you up:

  • Sarah and Maddie Temple are powerful empaths.
  • More than merely feeling others’ emotions, they can take on all the emotions of that person, to the point of taking over the person’s subconscious and through it their reactions/actions to the world around them. As their powers have grown over the years, they’ve unknowingly developed the ability to project emotion and associated behavior/perception as well as receive it.
  • Pair that with advanced training in mind and body modeling using lucid dreaming techniques, and you’ve got a psychic who can design, embed, and target dream realities (which aren’t remembered by the “host” mind once it wakes) that prepare the dreamer to perform waking tasks when triggered.
  • (more…)