Guest Kathleen Coddington - Understanding Your Dreams

Welcome Kathleen. Thanks so much for visiting the Passion Sense blog. I just loooove the cover to Palace of Dreams and the story sounds so intriguing. Of course since I'm one of Kathleen's critique partners, I got a sneak peek and can vouch that it's a fabulously sexy and romantic story.

Understanding Your Dreams

Thanks for allowing me to visit today, Kathy to talk about my new book, Palace of Dreams. The book is set inside a dream dome on the planet Cereus Prime, sort of a Las Vegas planet of the stars. In researching sleep and the dream process I found some interesting information concerning dreams and their meanings that I think your readers would enjoy. I’ve also included a short excerpt from the book. So off to dream land.

We’ve all had them—dreams of flying, falling, being chased, or finding ourselves suddenly naked in front of our friends or colleagues. One of the most fascinating aspects of dreaming is exactly what do our dreams mean and what are they trying to tell us? Dreams can provide insight into our selves. Interestingly, regardless of our culture and language humans share many of the same dreams. Most of the common dreams like the ones I mentioned above stem from a feeling of anxiety. Fortunately, for Inari Rau, protagonist of my new book, Palace of Dreams, divining the dreams she guides isn’t something she needs to worry about. You on the other hand may be curious as to the meaning behind some of your dreams.

Running from danger is the instinctual human response to danger. If you’ve dreamt recently that you are being chased it may represent some aspect of self, anger, fear, jealousy is the pursuer. If you are the pursuer, it may signify you desire to attain something or some position in life that you see as desirable.

Losing teeth during a dream could indicate anxiety about your appearance or the consequences of aging. Or it could reflect a feeling of being powerless or possibly embarrassed. Flying dreams have both positive and negative meanings. If you are flying with ease you are on top of the situation. If you have difficulties staying in the air or flight is impeded by obstacles, most likely you feel a lack of power to control circumstances. Test dreams often express a sense of being judged or unprepared.

And what about those naked dreams? Metaphorically clothes are a means of concealment. When we dream that we are suddenly without them, it is a sign of feeling exposed, defenseless or caught off guard.

Whether you dream about these common themes or castles, butterflies, shopping on Rodeo Drive or sailing a yacht on a sunny sea, as the guides at the Crystal Palace would say, “Dream Well.”

Excerpt: Palace of Dreams

Inari yanked herself out of the man’s arms. What in the Lords of Cosmos had just happened? Somehow she had lost control of the dream. In all her years as a guide nothing like this had ever occurred. She looked around in bewilderment. Where were they? Three moons in different phases floated above her head in the night sky. A seemingly endless phosphorescent sea stretched out before her.

She caught the tang of salt on the breeze that caressed her skin. In the faint light of the triple moons she saw she was attired in a sheer sleeveless tunic that ended just above her knees. A belt of tiny sea shells surrounded her narrow waist. She held up an arm. Thousands of miniscule pale green scales glimmered softly in the moon light.

Sucking in another breath of salty air, she fought back a wave of panic. She glanced up at the three moons then out over the glowing aquamarine sea. She knew this place—had read about it in one of her many research sources. She was on Luvia, fourth planet of the Epsilon Delta system. She wrapped her arms around her and shivered despite the warmth of the night. She hadn’t just lost control of the dream. It was more than that. Someone else was controlling it.
She turned and looked at the man standing behind her. Green hair shot with silver brushed his broad shoulders. Like her he wore a sleeveless tunic that bared his muscular arms and legs, a belt of shells similar to hers around his flat waist. The deep v of his tunic revealed a considerable portion of his sleek muscled chest.

The corners of his mouth quirked upward in a slight smile, but the oval tilted sea green eyes that met hers were wary. He was the same man from the other dream, the one she’d been weaving, which meant she was still linked to her client, Kastel Fane.

“Incredible view, isn’t it?” His voice, deep and sensual sent a ripple of awareness through her.

Ignoring his question, Inari stalked across the pink sand and poked him in the chest. “It’s you, isn’t it? You’re the one doing this.”

He regarded her steadily, his expression guarded. “Does it matter?”

“Of course it matters.” She swung her arms wide encompassing the scene around them. “I’m not controlling this. And if you aren’t either we could become permanently locked in this dream cycle.”

The man folded his arms across his broad chest with a thoughtful frown. “According to what I’ve been told about the process, I didn’t think that was possible.”

She bit her lip struggling to decide how much she should tell him. Best to be honest. “It’s rare, but it has been known to happen.”

“And when it does? What happens to the participants?”

Anger made her blunt. “They survive in a vegetative state, until their brains burn out and they die. Of course, they don’t realize what’s happening. They’re happily living their final hours in their dream world. At least that’s the theory. No one really knows for sure.”

The man she was beginning to think of as Kastel nodded, but despite the seriousness of his expression she detected a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. Before she realized what he was going to do, he caught her in his arms and pulled her to him. “I can think of worst ways to die.” He bent and nuzzled the side of her neck.

Book release date: March 5, 2010
Ellora’s Cave: Aeon
Novel. You can purchase the book at http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8218-50-palace-of-dreams.aspx
Visit her at: http://www.kathleencoddington.com/ or http://www.kathleencoddington.wordpress.com/

Bio:

Kathleen Coddington has three books, a paranormal romance and two historical romances, published by Cerridwen Press and one erotic futuristic through Ellora’s Cave Publishing. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Pocono Lehigh Romance Writers and the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group. A retired school librarian, Kathleen enjoys reading and travel and is also, a member of two Civil War reenacting units. She and her husband and two cats live near their son in a small town in eastern Pennsylvania where she teaches a novel writing course at the local community college.