Book Chat: An Excerpt from Gaia Dreams by Pamela Davis

 

I'd like to welcome Pamela Davis today! I had the honor of proofreading her novel Gaia Dreams a while ago. Take it away, Pamela!

Hi, my name is Pamela Davis and I’m the author of Gaia Dreams and Gaia Lives. I'm happy to have the opportunity to share my passion with you all here on Cherie’s blog. I'd also like to thank Cherie for being a gracious host and providing this platform to share that which we all love to do: READ! I have always been a fan of disaster novels, and once the story idea for the first book came to me, I knew I had to write it.

The inspiration behind the Gaiaverse came from studying environmental issues, as well as an anthropological view of cultures and how they are created and destroyed. The first book in the Gaiaverse was written over the span of ten years, with many interruptions. Originally, I thought that Gaia Dreams was the complete story, but once it was finished, I couldn’t let go of the characters. And so, Gaia Lives was born, written in a burst of writing that consumed me for three months.

Here’s an excerpt from Gaia Dreams, when people begin to realize the world is changing:

Jessica looked up, startled. This white-haired old lady was always surprising her. She was nothing like any older person Jessica had ever known. "This is about Sam, but not about the illness. Last night she gave John and me quite a fright. Woke us up in the middle of the night with a bad dream."

Mrs. Philpott gave a start and then continued rocking, albeit at a faster pace.

"She's never been that upset by a dream before. And it was weird--I can admit that now in the light of day, even though I told John--well, anyway, the more I think about it, the more strange it seems. You see, it wasn't just that the dream had such an effect on her, but also that Harry acted so peculiar."

Mrs. Philpott waited, thinking, this is what it means to wait with bated breath.

Jessica continued, "I swear that dog acted as if he had the same dream as Samantha! He was shaking uncontrollably, just like Sam, and seemed to be gasping for air, like Sam was when we first went in the room. I'll be honest the whole thing was pretty creepy. Especially when Sam started describing how it felt to drown!"

Mrs. Philpott stopped rocking and said sharply, "Drown? She dreamed about water last night? About drowning? Are you sure?"

"Well, yes, I'm pretty sure. That was what it sounded like. Why? What's wrong?"

Mrs. Philpott had risen from her chair and was pacing in front of Jessica muttering to herself excitedly. "I knew it! I knew it wasn't just me, why would it be? Why would it just be one old lady and a cat? Of course not! It's bigger than that--the cat was right! He was right!"

Jessica got up and stood in front of Mrs. Philpott, grabbing her arms to stop the pacing.
"What are you talking about? What do you mean 'not just you'--and what cat?" Jessica demanded in a loud voice.

Harry nudged the legs of the two women and whimpered softly. They understood his message when he nodded at Sam asleep on the couch. Both sat down again, and this time Harry sat next to Jessica so he wouldn't miss anything.

Mrs. Philpott began, her voice quiet, but excited. "First of all, I want you to know I'm not a crazy old woman. At least, I'm fairly certain I'm not. I had planned to visit you and John tonight to discuss all of this. Where do I begin?"

Harry listened as Mrs. Philpott described the first dream she'd had, the one about the earthquake and how it had happened just like in her dream. Then he was almost as stunned as Jessica to hear about Mrs. Philpott's cat, who talked to her on a computer. Harry had never thought of doing that. In fact, Harry had never really tried to read, much less learn to spell. He figured he might learn when Sam did, although he hadn't solved the problem of actually getting into the classroom. He decided that this was one smart cat. Harry had seen him around the neighborhood, of course, but there had been no reason to ever talk to each other. When Mrs. Philpott described her dream about the hurricane, Harry forgot himself enough to give two short barks before looking sheepishly at the still-sleeping Sam.

When disasters begin occurring around the world, a widely-dispersed group of people begin to make their way to what they hope is a safe place. A family tries to deal with the knowledge that their young daughter is having prophetic dreams of the disasters, unaware that others are beginning to have the dreams as well. As the pace of the disasters accelerates, and the end of the world looms, it becomes apparent that the dreams might be the beginning of something altogether different. A new form of communication with the world around the dreamers emerges to their astonishment and wonder, and a young girl may hold the key to the future. 

  

To Purchase: Gaia Dreams, Book One of the Gaiaverse on Amazon
Gaia Lives, Book Two of the Gaiaverse on Amazon 

Author Bio: I remember writing my first story in second grade. It was about riding into space in a rocket ship. Writing is the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done. Gaia Dreams was my first novel. My studies in Anthropology have greatly influenced my writing. I have worked as a web designer, a life insurance claims analyst, a medical case manager and a funeral home make-up artist. I am currently at work on the third Gaiaverse novel.

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