Hi, 

Thank you for showing interest in my fantasy novel series, The Dream Traveller. If you have reached the end of book one, I hope you enjoyed the story.

Let me start by letting you in on a little secret. It’s taken me 34 years to write it. Book 1 being version seven. It did sit for ten years in a draw, but this lengthy process owes partly to the time it took for my storytelling skills to catch up with my imagination and partly to other career commitments.

For me, the allure of fantasy and science fiction is deeply rooted in their subtle power to illuminate present-day issues. As distinct genres, science fiction and fantasy originated as literatures of dissent, challenging bourgeois ruling ideology and capitalism. No clearer was that than in “The Matrix”.

I've always perceived the Dream Realm not merely as a spiritual or astral plane, but as a more ominous space where indulgence finds room. Bring in a portal and a sociopath, and along comes the carnage. 

I have spent most of my childhood and much of my adulthood in daydreams. I have a T-shirt that reads: Now is Now, but I dread thinking how many presents have been lost to fantasies. I see it as both a gift and a burden. Imagine if every daydream could materialise into reality. I think for my characters, the Travellers, at least, face the ongoing battle of self-restraint. Desire and shame fascinate me.

When I started, I was thinking of cloning Dolly the sheep and multiple identities. Now, it's digital copies, meta-verses, virtual realities, and, of course, AI.

It’s amazing what a pandemic can bring to an event photographer. I finished book three and five in lockdown and am halfway through a second rewrite of book two. I hope you are left wanting more. Rest assured, finding out what happens next to Girvyn and his friends is months away, not decades. Book 2 and Book 3 are scheduled for release in 2025.

These days, a coffee and a muffin cost more than an audible download, but I am truly grateful for the investment - your time. Having reached the end, I’m keen to hear what you think, so if you have a moment, I would be grateful if you could leave a review on Goodreads or Amazon and come along to my Discord community, where we talk all things fantasy.

Until next time,

John