I've been running a series of interviews with authors that are releasing new books. I hope you'll take the time to check out their work. Today, please welcome back author, Daniel Arenson.

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I interviewed you for both Flaming Dove and Firefly Island. Tell me about this new book.

The Gods of Dream is an epic fantasy novel. Here’s the description, as it appears on my website:

What are dreams? Some think they are figments of our mind. But what if they were wisps of a distant, magical world… a world you could visit?

Twins Cade and Tasha discover Dream, the land dreams come from. It is a realm of misty forests, of verdant mountains, of mysterious gods who send dreams into our sleep. Cade and Tasha seek solace there; they are refugees, scarred and haunted with memories of war. In Dream, they can forget their past, escape the world, and find joy.

Phobetor, the god of Nightmare, was outcast from Dream. Now he seeks to destroy it. He sends his monsters into Dream, and Cade and Tasha find their sanctuary threatened, dying. To save it, the twins must overcome their past, journey into the heart of Nightmare, and face Phobetor himself.

Discover a world of light and darkness, of hope and fear, of dreams and nightmares. Discover The Gods of Dream.

What inspired you to write this particular novel?

After writing my novel Flaming Dove, an epic of Heaven vs. Hell, I wanted another high premise. So I chose Dream vs. Nightmare. My land of Dream is where gods of sleep craft our good dreams. Nightmare is a kingdom where bad dreams are made. I researched Greek mythology and found many gods of sleeping and dreaming. Phobetor, the Greek god of nightmares, became my villain. There is also some Hindu mythology in The Gods of Dream; I tried to create a pantheon that has that sort of complexity and drama.

Which of your characters in this book was the most difficult to write about? Why?

The Gods of Dream features a large mythology of gods and goddesses.

Tam, the god of music, was difficult to write. He only appears in two or three scenes, but he was a challenge. The problem was that Tam was just too good, too pure. I find good, pure characters to be a little boring. I usually prefer characters who are flawed in some way. So Tam doesn’t appear much in the book, but he does have an epic battle scene I enjoyed writing.

I have a keen interest in dark fiction. Tell me how you would classify this book and what’s dark about it?

The Gods of Dream has two distinct halves. In fact, they are so distinct that I contemplated releasing the book as two short novels.

The first half mostly deals with Dream — the tone is enchanted, almost a fairytale. The second half is about Nightmare. This part is much darker. When the characters enter the land of Nightmare, they encounter monsters and horror that turn The Gods of Dream into a dark, surreal fantasy.

I was pleased when Michael Crane, a horror author, wrote that “the descriptions of Nightmare will stay with you all day.” That validated my efforts to create a creepy second half to the book.

Who is your favorite character in The Gods of Dream?

I enjoyed writing about Eliven, the Demon Queen of Nightmare, the wife of my main villain. Eliven is fiery, sexy, pure evil. She eats kittens and snakes, and spends her days drooling, snarling, and killing. She’s over the top. It was fun to write a villain who’s completely insane and vicious.

Tell me about your most recent experiences of being an indie author.

My first novel, Firefly Island, was traditionally published. Now, I like having the full control of an indie — to set my own prices (I keep them low), to release my novels when I choose (I release them quickly), and to have real-time acess to sales reports. The downside is that I do more work. I need to comission my own cover art, find my own editors, do all my own marketing. It’s sometimes overwhelming, but I’m having fun. I love ebooks and being indie is a great option for ebook writers.

This blog is called Random Musings, so give me a random quote from the book – something you’re particularly fond of.

Here is a short excerpt:

Moonmist surveyed the palace hall and could not recognize it. All that had once been here–suits of burnished armor, flowers, portraits upon the walls, benches, statues, joy–it was all gone. The spirals of Nightmare were now drawn across the walls with blood, and black candles lined the floors, burning with black flame. A great idol, shaped as a burning woman with bat wings, stood in the center of the hall.

It had become a temple. A temple to Eliven.

Moonmist tightened her lips. “Wait for me here, Redfur,” she said and drew the Dawnstone. The crystal blade hissed.

Redfur looked at her, eyes sad. “All who lived in this palace are dead, Moonmist,” the wolf said softly. “Eliven would not have let any live. Let us flee this place. We will continue the battle in the forests. This city has fallen.”

Moonmist looked toward the stairwell, whence came red light and heat.

“Eliven is up there, Redfur. Upon the tower of my city, and from her, nightmares flow across the land.” She looked at the wolf, and could not believe the words that left her throat. She could see her reflection in the wolf’s eyes. Her eyes were huge and haunted, her skin pale. “I must face her, Redfur.”

“I would advise against it, Moonmist,” he said softly. “Eliven is of great power, second in Nightmare to only Phobetor. Flee with me. Flee with me into the forests.” Moonmist looked at her Dreamblade. Its white light was soft, but beautiful to her. From above she heard the distant laughter of the Demon Queen.

“There will be no more forests, Redfur,” she whispered. “All the lands of Dream will fall to Nightmare. I will make my stand here. If I die, then I die upon the tower of my palace, overlooking my city, overlooking Dream. This is how I choose my last stand, my death.”

Redfur took a step toward her, baring his fangs. “Then I go with you.”

She smiled sadly, knelt before him, and hugged him. His fur was soft against her face, and her tears filled it. She kissed the wolf. “Go to the forests, Red Wolf. They are your home, your battlefield. Here is not your place to die.”

She left him there and stepped onto the staircase, where the heat of fire blasted her. She climbed all these old steps, moving toward the tower, between the black candles and through the flames, and memories filled her. Upon this step, she had given her cat Olive a haircut ten years ago. Through this door, she would play dolls with her handmaidens Onana and Lynk. In this wall, she had once etched her name; she could still see it there. All her childhood and memories were here, and she smiled softly. No better place to die.

Soon she was climbing up the tower, the tallest tower in the city.

The world roared and rumbled around her, and she looked above. Red firelight burned like a cruel sun. Moonmist tightened her grip on the Dawnstone. There burned Eliven, Queen of Nightmare.

At the top of the tower, she paused and whispered. “Goodbye, my home, my family. Ayendey, Eloria.”

Then she kicked open the window, shattering the glass into a million shards, and climbed out onto the roof of the tallest steeple in Dream.

What can we expect from you next?

I’m working on my fourth fantasy novel, Thistle and Sword. Look out for it in a couple months.

Where can we find you on the internet?

Here is my website, which offers writing tips, free stories, novel chapters, and more.

Any final comments or thoughts?

Thank you for this interview, David. I hope your blog’s readers enjoy reading “The Gods of Dream”!

Daniel

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Always glad to have you here, Daniel! Best of luck with all three of your novels and I look forward to hearing more about Thistle and Sword!

Purchasing information:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Smashwords