Jocelyn Adams | How a Book Changed the Way I Dream
March 11, 2014
Is there one event in your childhood that changed who you became as a grownup?
One interaction with someone that changed the way you saw the world? One mistake
that opened your eyes to new possibilities? One moment in time that shifted your
path left or right? Mine came by way of my sister who took time out of her busy teenaged life for
her snot-nosed little sister. Sitting on the porch of our old farm house on a
summer day, she began reading a chapter book to me that changed the way I dream.
Not the night kind of dreams that are random and weird, but those that dominate
my mind in every quiet moment and eventually led me to put those dreams down on
paper to entertain others. The book was FOLK OF THE FARAWAY TREE by Enid Blyton. Although I'd
watched television and gone to the movies once or twice, I hadn't understood
just how far away from reality a person's imagination could take them until I
met Moon face, Dame Washalot, Mr. Watizisname, and Saucepan Man. Other worlds
that appear at random at the top of a tree? And each of those worlds was full of
wonders and possibilities I could hardly comprehend. Wow. Mind. Blown. I
thought...I could do that, create worlds. Totally. My daydreams left reality at that point and bloomed into Technicolor,
otherworldly life. Instead of characters interacting on the farm where I grew
up, they began venturing into new places full of sentient buildings and dragons
and clouds that could carry me away to castles in the sky. At that point, it was
simply a means of entertaining myself while I sat on a tractor under the July
sun, cutting or bailing hay with nothing but the deer and the wind to keep me
company. It wasn't until I was in my late 30s that it finally occurred to me that some of
the stories I'd dreamed up could be arranged on paper, and maybe, just maybe,
other people might enjoy reading them, too. It was those first worlds I dreamed
up that eventually led me to create living houses in my first published novel.
Once I spilled out my first story, more ideas consumed me, and the well grows
ever-deeper as I experience life's rollercoaster of trials and triumphs. Had my sister chosen to do something else that day summer day, I might never
have wandered down the incredible path that led me to the world of writing.
Maybe I'd have been an accountant, like Addison in DARKSIDE SUN was supposed
to be, and never found my calling. Or maybe it was my destiny all along and the
pull would have caught me eventually at some point. We'll never know, but I'm
pretty happy with how things turned out. Addison Beckett tries hard to pretend she's normal, but she's far
from it. Since she was six years old, she's seen the world around her
unraveling, as if someone is pulling a thread from a sweater and it's all slowly
coming undone. When she ignores it, it goes away, so that's what she does. Enter her arrogant-but-hot professor Asher Green. He knows all about her special
brand of crazy. In fact, he might be just as nuts as she is. Asher insists that
the dead from a parallel dimension are trying to possess the living in this one.
And since Addison seems to be the only one who can see these "wraiths," she just
might be the key to saving the world. Addison wants nothing to do with Asher or his secret society, The Mortal
Machine. But as their animosity grows, she finds it harder and harder to ignore
the chemistry between them. And when she discovers that Machine laws forbid her
from touching him, she realizes that's all she wants to do. Stop the wraiths. Break the rules. Save the world. All in a day's work. Normal was overrated, anyway. One commenter will win DARKSIDE SUN, just tell us
about an event or book that changed your life
Comments
18 comments posted.
Re: Jocelyn Adams | How a Book Changed the Way I Dream
This sounds so interesting!!! Thank you for the giveaway opportunity! (Kalynn Dresser 4:42pm March 1, 2014)
Really excited to participate in the giveaway!!! The book has a beautiful cover :D (Maria Margarida Pires 7:12am March 2, 2014)
I love paranormal stories. This sounds very good! (Kelly Powell 5:23pm March 2, 2014)
My moment was when i was 16 years old, i met this guy that was like a guru for me, he changed my point of view in a lot of things, before i met him i was a terrible daughter to my mother and a terrible sister, a liar and i loved to fight. I'm so grateful of what he helped me to become :) now i can't even keep a surprise cause if anything happens i have to tell, at least to my mom. Thank you for posting this giveaway :) (Sarah Hansrote 3:59am March 6, 2014)
it looks like a good read so far and would love to read the rest thank you for the oppurtunity of this giveaway (Marlene Smith 2:38am March 11, 2014)
I finished reading this last night and it was very good! Very original idea too! I'm looking forward to reading the next installment! (Linda Townsend 8:26am March 11, 2014)
I really enjoy reading paranormal stories and look forward to this one as well!!! Great giveaway!!! Thank you!!! (Bonnie Capuano 8:30am March 11, 2014)
I can't really think of an event or book that really changed my life. But the book sounds great. (Pam Howell 9:09am March 11, 2014)
the book sounds great thanks so much for the chance (Denise Smith 9:16am March 11, 2014)
It started when I was a young girl and saw the movie "The Miracle Worker" on tv. It moved me so much, that I went to the library, and took out the Autobiography of Helen Keller, because I wanted to learn more about her. She was such an amazing woman, that I tried to pattern my life after her. She was my role model. Little did I know, that a few years later, I would suffer from some health issues myself, that would affect me in ways that were unimaginable. I remembered that book, and have still tried to pattern myself after her, and tried not to let things get me down. As for your book, it's not my normal genre, but the story line has me so intrigued, that I'd really love to read it to find out how it unfolds!! Thank you for the chance to win a copy of your dream!! The cover is amazing, too!! (Peggy Roberson 11:23am March 11, 2014)
This book sounds very interesting. Can't wait to read it. (Ikia Hennings 9:09pm March 11, 2014)
What a mix! Romance and paranormal...sounds like interesting reading. (Richard Burr 10:42pm March 11, 2014)
Sounds like a book that I would be interested in reading! (Marcia Berbeza 10:58pm March 11, 2014)
There are so many events that are the turning points to my life. Some of there are a bit personal to share. Thanks for the giveaway. (Kai Wong 1:16am March 12, 2014)
As a child, I read the "Little House On The Prairie" books, and my first romance book was the one where Laura first falls in love with Almanzo. (Donna Holmberg 9:12pm March 12, 2014)
A great many events changed my life. Having children for one. (Mary Preston 4:50am March 13, 2014)
My changed moment was when my older sister got her first job, made me dinner and helped me with my homework and still put herself through school. I so love the book idea (Niki Edwards 3:25am March 17, 2014)
What an intriguing book! Thanks for the great giveaway. (Bonnie H 10:30pm March 26, 2014)
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