The Nightmarers Preview 4

"I'm Sam. I can help you."

5 days and counting. The 4th exclusive chapter of The Nightmarers. 3 short steps away from publication. The 2nd book in The Dreamers. 1 epic addition to the award-winning series. The next time I post, it will be for The Nightmarers' release. Who's excited?! (Other than yours truly, of course). 5...4...3...2...1...

Let's get this started! I'll present to you Chapter 4 of The Nightmarers, and then we'll party on. Look for the entire book in both print and eBook format on Amazon.com. You can look for its smoky blue cover to appear on my author page on February 12th. It will be $2.99 on kindle, and $9.99 paperback. I hope that if you enjoyed The Dreamers, you'll pick up its sequel, too. (And hey--even if you didn't like it!) Of the people I've heard back from about what they thought, I've heard only that The Nigtmarers is even better than its precursor. I think you'll feel the same way. So... Give it a whirl! For less than a coffee, you can get it on your eReader. Or less than Chicken McNuggets, if you don't spend money on coffee. Or, less than... something that's 3 dollars, if you don't buy either of those. If you haven't read The Dreamers yet, you can do so by clicking here.

Well, I'm getting distracted just like Sam does. You came for the excerpt, so let's have at it! Without further ado... Chapter 4 of The Nightmarers.

* * *

Still in shock from my new narcoleptic recruits, I was not yet ready for Sandi. I was in the middle of a lesson with Kris and Andromeda. I was explaining to them how other people dreamed, how they simply came to the Dream Realm in their subconscious form, and how injuries that happen here don't affect their physical bodies on earth. I was reading out of my newly published copy of The Dreamer's Handbook.

I was referencing this handbook, trying to answer all of their questions. (They reminded me of myself in that aspect), when I suddenly just felt... strange.

“Hang on,” I murmured. The twins glanced at each other, side-long, in that style that kind of irritates me, leaving me to wonder what they were thinking. I pursed my lips and vanished from the room, a copy of me, made in smoke, swirling into nothingness in my place.

I didn't know where I needed to go; but when I arrived, I knew I had come to the right place. There was just... this feeling in my gut, telling me that I was in the right spot.

I had rarely ventured here, so I knew very little about it, other than Thep's bad experience with the sand crabs.

I was in Paradisa, one of the seven different territories of the Dream Realm. Malfix, the villain of the Dream Realm, had owned it, previously, so I tended to stay away from it. Malfix had been bent on owning and controlling all of the Dream Realm. By having complete control, he thought that he would be able to take the Dreamers' powers and make himself master of the Dream Realm and Earth. You can see why I was reluctant to go there.

To my left was a jungle, thick with undergrowth and palm trees. To my right was another of the territories that made up the Dream Realm, the Ceruvian Sea, stretching with the sand and jungle for miles and miles.
I was standing on a perfect beach, the waves lazily tickling the soft, pale sand. On this particular stretch of pristine beach, there were dozens, maybe even hundreds of people soaking up the sun and surf. The breeze, billowing whiteclouds, barbecues, and sand castles added to the paradisaical feel of the place.

Everyone looked at peace, happy to be there. Everyone except a girl, not 15 feet away from me. Sandi. She sat numbly, looking out to sea, watching the sun set while wiping tears from her eyes. I approached her and introduced myself.

“I'm Sam. I can help you.”

She looked up at me. “You don't even know me.” She replied softly

“I may not know you, but I... I know what you're going through. Grab my arm, I want to show you something.”

Fortunately, she didn't need a lot of convincing. We vanished just as the sun slipped completely under the surface of the sea.

* * *

What do you guys think? Let me now in the comments! I always love reading each and every one of your responses. I usually get back to you, too. This is one of my favorite chapters in the book. I loved being able to describe such an idealistic scene, that was fake all along. It felt like a scene from Inception. :) I also love the way Sam extended his help to Sandi. We see that he's a nice guy, with others' interests at heart. He's just the kind of all-around-great guy that I aspire to be like. A fun fact for you: the name "Sandi" means "defender of others" or "defender of man". I thought this was interesting, because as Dreamers, that is their ultimate goal. No matter what the other trials are, it all comes down to helping mankind. Sandi is kind of the model Dreamer for their group as a whole.

Catch your interest? Buy The Nightmarers now on Amazon.com!

Comment prompt: I did this in an earlier post, but it never really took off. Paradisa, the paradise land Sam meets Sandi in, varies from person to person. Some see it as the tropical beach, others see it as a lake in the mountains, or a large mansion on rolling hills. What would your paradise be?

Again, I hope you liked it! Please feel free to ask any questions, tell me what you thought, and what your Paradisa would be! I hope you guys are looking forward to The Nightmarers!

Dream on!

Sam Kullen

&

Oliver Dahl