When I first started writing, it was a sci-fi story. I started writing based on a dream I kept having for a week straight. The story became a trilogy which I am incredibly proud of. The third, Mirror Reformed, releases in January. As I was wrapping up the first in the series, Mirror Image, a new inspiration came to me. Mirror Image was a story I began from a dream. What if my character experienced visions through dreams? And The Color of Dreams was born.
Julie was in my head before I had a fully realized story. I had a clear picture of a feisty, beautiful redhead and eventually the blanks filled in. This was my 2013 NaNoWriMo winner. It was fascinating to me. I did research online about the different meaning of color in dreams, how people remember or retain their dreams, if we actually dream in black and white. It intrigued me. Julie doesn’t think much about it, because it has always been a part of her. It doesn’t occur to her to wonder why, nor does she consider it a gift. It’s just a dream.
But is it? Her past dreams varied from being pregnant with Mira to the ceremony when she was promoted to detective. But what woman hasn’t had pregnancy dreams? Who hasn’t dreamed of a promotion? Seemed very ordinary to Julie. But dreaming about finding your husband murdered? Well, that’s something entirely different.
Dreams have context, whether it is our subconscious thoughts or worries. There are a lot of theories about dreams which I hope to get into if I write a sequel.
Blurb:
Chicago detective Julie Carter has it all. A handsome husband, wonderful daughter, and a career she loves. She also has the ability to see things before they happen in the form of colorless dreams, sans one color. When her most recent dream comes true, and her husband Aiden is killed, Julie must work with a man from her past: homicide detective Scott Jordan. Julie must put aside the feelings she buried for the man who broke her heart years ago. As Scott and Julie clash, secrets start to unravel. Can Julie trust the man who abandoned her? Will they be able to find Aiden’s killer before her next dream becomes real … Julie’s own death? The answer will shake the foundation of the precent.
Here’s an excerpt for The Color of Dreams:
This is a dream. It has to be. For one thing, nothing in the house has color. Why am I seeing in black and gray?
That’s right. Because it’s a dream, I remind myself.
This feels eerily familiar to me. I wander the house, which is oddly quiet. Normally, Mira has music playing as she sleeps. I peek in on my sleeping daughter. There is no obnoxious music playing, but Mira is sleeping soundly. Her shoulder-length red hair frames her pretty, soft face. I can’t help but smile at her. Slowly, I back out of her room noiselessly.
At this time of night, Aiden is normally working in his study. I feel like I’m moving in slow motion as I walk down the stairs into his office. There Aiden sits in front of his computer, but he’s just staring at the monitor. I call to my husband, who remains motionless.
“Aiden, everything okay?” I ask, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Aiden gives me no sign that he’s heard me. He’s wearing a blank expression on his face. I glance back at the computer monitor, seeing a blank Word document. That’s strange. He’s been working on his book for a while now. I thought he was just about finished. I call his name again and shake him. Still, Aiden doesn’t move. He doesn’t slump when I let go of him. Something feels like it’s frozen his body in place. I wave my hands in front of my husband’s face, but he doesn’t even blink. Forcibly, I turn his computer chair around. Aiden is still staring off into space.
I can’t shake the feeling of dread as I leave the study and walk into the living room. As I stand in the center of our living room, my eyes scan every inch of it. Something feels off, but I can’t see anything out of the ordinary. The TV turns on by itself. Strange, nothing but static. I walk over and turn off the TV.
When I turn around, I see Aiden slumped down in his recliner. Blood is pouring out of his chest from multiple stab wounds. One of my kitchen knives is sticking out of his chest. I run over and call his name, not surprised when I get no response. I check his blood-splattered throat for a pulse, but there isn’t one.
“Oh, no. Aiden, no,” I cry.
Aiden’s dead! Everything around me is covered in his blood, which is the only color I can see. Red blood is dripping down the recliner. It’s all over the walls and the floor, pooling under me. I scream.
I wake up with a gasp and look around. Aiden is sleeping peacefully beside me.
Oh, thank God it was another dream. My heart slowly returns to a normal rhythm as I brush some of Aiden’s light brown hair off of his forehead. My husband sleeps soundlessly, completely unaware of the drama that had played out in my head mere moments before. I gaze down at him, thankful that he’s still slumbering. His classically handsome features rest comfortably against the pillow. Aiden stretches in his sleep, his muscles rippling under his white nightshirt. Once he settles back down, I lay my head on his chest, just to confirm the sound of his heart beating.
It was only a dream, I remind myself again.
I hope you enjoyed it! The Color of Dreams is now available! http://www.Amazon.com/dp/B00MR0N1V6 and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-color-of-dreams-lazyday-publishing/1120147329?ean=2940150508811
About the author:
K.G. Stutts is the author of two different sci-fi romance series as well as several romance stories. She has a degree in massage therapy. As a contributor to Independent Writers Association (IWA) her insights can be seen regularly http://iwassociation.com/ and on her own blog at kgstutts.blogspot.com and her website at http://www.kgstutts.com
When she’s not weaving words, she enjoys reading, playing RPGs, hockey, wrestling, and football, and is a big sci-fi nerd. Currently she resides in North Carolina, USA with her husband, Brad. Social media! http://www.twitter.com/KGStutts http://www.facebook.com/KGStutts
In honor of Amethyst Chronicles: Winter’s Kiss, a new sci-fi romance series launching on the 21st, I have a rafflecopter! Four lucky people will win an amethyst pendant.
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