Guest Post: Red Haircrow (with giveaway!)

To help celebrate the release of his latest work, the wonderful Red Haircrow has stopped by with a lovely guest post on the beauty of dreams. While he's here, Red is also offering up a copy of The Angel of Berlin to not just 1, not just 2, but 3 (count 'em, 3) lucky readers. 

Before we get into things, please allow me to introduce you to the very intriguing The Angel of Berlin:

When Robin, a young university student, saves the life of a beautiful youth, he finds he's made a devoted friend. But without memory and voice, the newly named Angel is a mystery, occasionally exasperating with his child-like qualities yet with touches of darkness that make Robin wonder what kind of being he's really taken in.

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The Beauty of Dreams

Some of my stories or works in progress came into being through a kind of dreaming, in that I have an inspiration I build upon, or characters whose personalities occur to me and I write a tale into which they can comfortably fit.  

At other times, a story idea arrives complete: I know from the beginning who will do what, when and where, all the way to the end. I just have to write it down. It’s basically like observing the character’s life and describing what I see, how they relate to their world, what they love or hate, what troubles them or brings them joy. They have such interesting perspectives to present, and I want others to know about them.

Then, there are the times when my stories are literally a dream. Maybe it’s a side effect of being an insomniac, having a partially stripped amygdala or the gingko biloba combined with my heritage, but in the minimal hours I do sleep, my dreams are very intense, vivid and panoramic. 

It was around 9am when I first awoke with a sense of wonder, as The Angel of Berlin had been “playing” in my head as I slept. I was approximately half way through the story listed as a giveaway here on Bibrary Bookslut, but I knew it was special and I wanted it to continue. I wanted to know more about Robin and his Angel. That’s another anomaly about my dreams: I can wake up, even go to another activity then return to sleep…and continue with that same dream.

By 11am it was finished, and for once, eagerly rolling out of bed, I immediately went to my laptop and begin to type. I didn’t want to miss a nuance. And so, The Angel of Berlin came into being, whole and beautiful, just like the character in the story. I recorded the dream, but the dream had a life of it’s own, mysterious and fantastical. In it’s way, it is as new to me as it is to readers. 

Of my other stories on the market now, The House of Doom, Dreams and Desire was also a dream I had in its entirety. Unlike “Angel”, it delves into the main character’s personal fears and secret needs of sexuality he has refused to face. 

Other works are A Lieutenant’s Love, a historical fantasy, Night Shift, The Coat: Secrets of a Hatcheck Boy, and Convenience Store Romance, each are contemporary romantic dramas and finally, Katrdeshtr’s Redemption, book one in The Night Cat series, a vampire tale set in Russia. For more information about them, or to read more of my non-fiction writing including further accounts of dreams, please visit my website/blog Songs of the Universal Vagabond.

        

Thanks to Sally for hosting this giveaway on her site, as well as allowing me this guest post. I wish everyone good luck in the three winner giveaway of The Angel of Berlin.

          -- Red Haircrow

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GIVEAWAY: To help celebrate the upcoming release of The Angel of Berlin, Red has very generously offered to provide a copy to three (3) lucky readers!  Simply leave your name and email address in the comments section below to be entered, and then stop back next week when I post my review of The Angel of Berlin and leave your name and email address in the comments there for a 2nd chance to win! We'll be drawing the random winners Monday, June 13th.

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