Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Spotlight with Excerpt: John Dreamer by Elise Celine

John Dreamer is a compelling and inspirational young adult novel by Elise Celine that was published on February 1, 2014.

“There are eight characters in the story, and many of them play a very important role, but it all comes down to Andy and John,” says Elise Celine. “Andy is a troubled soul. She is very compassionate, but she’s so afraid of getting hurt that she guards her feelings and shuts people away. John is an enigma, a good-looking natural leader, who observes and learns, who waits quietly before speaking his mind.”

Andy wasn’t usually sure about much, but she was absolutely certain this was the weirdest day of her life as she stood stranded in the middle of a great white room with six strangers. Well, they were mostly strangers. She could have sworn she’d seen the guy with the green eyes before, and maybe that was why he kept staring at her. When a man calling himself the Guardian appeared and said they had come to make their deepest dreams come true, they embark on an adventure none of them ever imagined—where anything is possible—and the consequences of their actions would change them forever.


“Many of us have found ourselves in a place (our "Great White Room") where we question the path we should take in life and I would have loved to have a "Guardian" like this to guide me through the process... This is what I like the most about this book, anyone can relate to it… it is heart warming, emotional and so much fun to read!” – Amazon Review

John Dreamer is about overcoming your fears, your obstacles, and your demons to go beyond what you think you are capable of to find love and happiness. It’s about changing your life for the better and living your dreams.


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EXCERPT:

Everything around us transformed before our eyes. The ground turned from solid into mud, and I could even feel faint rain falling over my head. Overgrown grass made every step more difficult and trenches dug themselves in the ground, surrounded by barbed fence, making it hard to stay together. We were in almost complete darkness, the sound of machine guns filling the air. The only light came from torches thrown into the sky. Olivia started screaming and wouldn’t stop while Roy looked for refuge behind 
Matty, and Marcus hollered orders that we couldn’t hear. 
My heart was racing. This wasn’t a dream, it felt more like a nightmare. 
Out of nowhere, a company of seven soldiers swept in, pointing their guns at us. They were shouting but I couldn’t understand a word. A helicopter flew close to the ground, throwing us off balance, Linda even fell to her knees. The soldiers kept aiming at our chests so we threw our hands in the air, all except Olivia who was busy trying to keep her skirt from flying all over the place. 
“What do these men want with us? Where are we?” Olivia shouted, but she never got a response when an officer pulled her aside, as she screamed at the top of her lungs, desperately trying to get away. 
Matty tried to stop them, but was quickly thrown to the ground next to where Linda was still lying, too scared to look up. 
The helicopter flew away and the machine guns went quiet for a moment, so we could finally hear ourselves think. I was confused and terrified, not knowing what to do but stand there with my arms held high. No one had said anything about a war, or about leaving the strange, but comfortable, white room. This was surreal, but the fear was definitely real. 
“Down on the floor,” one of the guards yelled, and when we hesitated he yelled even louder. “All of you! Now!” 
One by one we got to our knees, while Olivia kept shouting and trying to bite the hand of her captor. 
“Could someone please tell us what’s going on?” I pleaded, putting my hands behind my head, but no one paid attention to me.


About Elise Celine:

"I’m no princess. I never played with dolls. Climbing a tree was my idea of fun. When I was a little girl I lived on an estate owned by my maternal grandparents where all my aunts and uncles lived. The garden was immense with no boundaries other than a wire fence that we kids easily jumped over. It wasn’t fancy, but it was gorgeous. My best friend in the world was my cousin who lived a close walk away. Between oaks and walnuts and roses and pets and bugs, I had the idyllic childhood. The possibilities were endless, the adventures new every day. That changed when I turned 9 and my grandfather sold his property. Everyone had to leave, except for my family.

A big, ugly fence was constructed to separate us from our new neighbors. In a moment’s notice, the view from my window changed from a beautiful green field to a poorly-made concrete wall. I used to climb this wall and just sit there, looking for the childhood I had lost on the other side. This is when I became a writer. Fantasy became my way of escaping the grey, so I could continue to live in a world full of color and beauty. Then fantasy became life and life became writing."

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