Guest Post by Chani Lynn Feener + Giveaway

Introducing...

Chani Lynn Feener!

About Lynn

Chani is currently attending college up in Vermont as a Creative Writing major. She's very passionate about her characters, and loves to discuss them and her books with fans. For more information, like character bios and release dates, check out her blog.

She originally wrote the Dreamer trilogy when she was fifteen, and has begun to rewrite them. She openly admits to being torn between Larkin and Conall herself, and would easily fall for Ronan's charm. --From Lynn's Goodreads Author Profile

(Click on the book covers to go to their Smashwords.com page.)

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Dreams in Different Cultures

By Chani Lynn Feener

In my book, Where Thy Dark Eye Glances, the main character has the ability to connect with people through their dreams. Sadly for her, she’s not the only one with this talent, and an evil king stalks her via the dream realm. This got me thinking about how differently cultures view dreams and the meanings behind them. For some, dreams are harmless, but for others dreams are ways demons can get inside our heads, and even still there’s the belief that they’re divine gifts. My main character, Lily, fears dreaming because then she has to see Ronan. In this post, I’ve decided to take a look at the various ways four different cultures might view Lily’s power and the dreams that come from it.

Native Americans:

The Native Americans have always viewed dreams as messages from spirit guides. They believe that what one dreams about can be a message from a higher power giving instruction on how to live and what decisions to make. They also believe that people are more likely to express their true feelings in dreams, and that experiences taking place in one is actually happening to the dreamer not just a figment of the imagination. They would also use tools called dream catchers to trap the bad dreams. This was a way of keeping bad spirits from invading the mind.    

For Lily, her dreams with Ronan are very real. She feels his presence there like he was really standing before her. She’s also in a constant war with herself, trying desperately not to give in to her attraction to him. In her dreams, she often feels more comfortable expressing herself, saying things she never would in person. While she doesn’t use a dream catcher, Lily does have a Celtic knot which she wears that helps to keep away bad spirits. It obviously doesn’t work on Ronan, but it helps to protect her against many other types of evil. It also has a bunch on interlocking bands, kind of like a dream catcher.

Chinese:

The Chinese also believed that dreams brought messages. The soul was thought to be the guiding factor for every person, leading them to the correct path so long as they paid attention. Because of this, dream temples were created. These were places where a person could go to sleep with the specific task of dreaming. Anyone who had a high standing in their society were required to visit these dream temples. This was to ensure that they knew the right decision to make the next day.

While Lily’s never stepped into a dream temple before, she does often times receive dream visits from Ronan right before something drastic happens in her life. An example would be the night after she got her first tattoo. However, she probably won’t be taking his advice any time soon.

Greeks:

Like the Native Americans, the Greeks believed that dreams were brought to a person by a higher power. In this case, it wasn’t a spirit animal or guide, but one of the actual gods. It was thought that one of these gods would slip through a key hole into the dream world and visit a person there. The soul of the dreamer would physically be in the dream world as well. They weren’t the first culture to associate dreaming with soul traveling.

It’s almost impossible to wake Lily up from one of her dreams with Ronan, but it can be done. There’s the possibility that her soul really does travel to the dream realm where she meets up with him. He has the ability to summon her to sleep, after all, which gives the idea merit that he’s actually commanding her soul into a separate realm.

Egyptians:

It is believed that the Egyptians were one of the first cultures to interpret their dreams. To them, a dream could be defined as either a good or bad message/omen. They didn’t just take the dream as it was, but deciphered every little piece of it. A more modern day example of this might be seeing a black cat in a dream. To many, black cats are omens of bad luck, and having a dream of one might symbolize something bad is going to happen. These translations where used for everything from deciding where a building would be built to whether or not a person was a subject of the light or the dark.

Lily doesn’t just have dreams with Ronan, she also has a tendency to dream the future. For her, these messages come in flashes, bits and pieces of events that would later take place. However, her three best friends don’t have this same gift. While they’re also witches, their powers are very different and they need her help in order to understand the machinations of their subconscious.

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If you'd like to find out more about Lynn and her novels, you can find her at:

Her Blog | Goodreads

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Giveaway Time!

Lynn's generously giving away 2 ebook copies of her novella, WHERE THY DARK EYE GLANCES. Just fill in the Rafflecopter form below and you're good to go.

It's now only $0.99 at Smashwords.com!

Where Thy Dark Eye Glances

The Blurb

Three hundred years ago Lily Bryg was someone else. Now, she's dealing with demons from the past in the form of ghosts, fairies, and even a dream stalker bent on convincing her they belong together. As a witch, Lily has an advantage. But that all changes when she's summoned back to the third realm she she used to live. And where she died.

With the help of a Shade, a tattoo artist, and her three best friends, Lily tries to escape the faeries out to get her, and the evil king who wants to make her his consort. Ronan will stop at nothing to have her back, and she'll stop at nothing to keep that from happening. Too bad her life isn't the only one on the line, and returning to Bevain might be the only way to save herself, and the world.