Today we’re doing a spotlight on author Luke Wood and discussing his newest novel, Dream Awake (now available on AMAZON). Luke began writing at the young age of 13. He releases his books under the nae of C.L. Williams. Luke’s first poetry book was released when he was 20-years-old. He currently has several poetry books available on Amazon, along with some short stories as well.
If you would like to connect with Luke online, you can do so through the links below:
Before we get into questions about Dream Awake, here is the story’s premise:
I keep having nightmares. They begin different, but they all end the same, a man shows up and kills me. Recently whatever happens in the nightmares also happen in the real world. Now I’m at a coffee shop and the man killing me in my dreams is sitting across from me at my table. He tells me his plans to kill me once and for all. The worst part about all of this, this is no dream, I’m wide awake.
1. To start off, Luke, can you tell us a little bit about your inspirations to write Dream Awake?
As far as what I tend to read and watch on TV, I’m a big fan of comic book adaptations and horror. I knew after writing my novella Three Crowns I’d eventually want to write something in the horror genre. As far as this book specifically, I liked the idea of something attacking from somewhere in addition to the real world and dreams felt like the best place as the means of coming after the main character
2. Dream Awake is mainly a horror thriller, which is different than your other published works. What made you want to try your hand at this genre?
After getting positive responses from Three Crowns I knew I wanted to continue expanding my writing to be more than just poetry. I came up with various ideas for a horror book and of the ideas I had. I chose to try my hand at horror because I’m a fan of the genre and I wanted to write something in a genre I felt I could be considered knowledgeable. It was also a book I knew I could play with the ending and various scenes in the book and I knew I could experiment and know the reader will be given the satisfaction needed for the needed reading experience.
3. What are some things about Dream Awake that make is different than other stories in this genre?
I made this a shorter read because I wanted to hit the ground running. The first paragraph is the main character waking up in a cold sweat from another bad dream. Usually there is build up. I open the book in the middle of what is going on and what has been going on for some time.
4. This novel is written from the first-person point-of-view. How much of your protagonist’s voice mirrors your own voice as a person?
I had initially chosen to write this in first person because I wanted whoever was reading it to feel that they are the main character. I would say there are some parallels between myself and the main character. We’re both introverts, we both need privacy, and we both tend to not tell anyone about our problems until we’re neck deep in the problem.
Below in an excerpt from the book’s first chapter:
The nights without sleep have gotten to me. Now, before I go to work, I stop by the local coffee shop, Caffeine Buzz, and get a large coffee. That’s considering I usually drink a pot of coffee before leaving my house. This dream killer has gotten to me and I do my best to stay awake at all times. As I am sitting there, drinking my coffee, Liz, the barista, makes a quick stop at my table and hands me another coffee. I tell her this is my only coffee for the day and she tells me it’s from another customer who would like to meet me. I say yes and she signals for him to come over. I nearly choke on my coffee because I think my eyes are deceiving me. The man who has been killing me in my dreams is about to take a seat across from me in this coffee shop. The worst part about what is happening, this is no dream. The man who has been killing me in my dreams is sitting across from me and I’m wide awake.
Thriller Magazine 