Character Interview: Eliven of The Gods of Dream

Please welcome today's guest author Daniel Arenson and special guest Eliven from Daniel's new book The Gods of Dream!

Daniel:  Today I'm interviewing Eliven, one of the deadliest creatures
from fantasy novel The Gods of Dream.  She's a demon.  She's evil.
She's sexy.  She's married to Phobetor, the God of Nightmare, and
plans to help him destroy the land of Dream.  Welcome, Eliven!

Eliven:  Where are the kittens?  I was told there would be kittens to eat.

Daniel:  Sorry, no kittens.  We only told you that so you'd agree to
the interview.

Eliven:  How delightfully evil and conniving.  I'd kill you on the
spot, were I not so impressed with the ruse.  I might still kill you
later.

Daniel:  Tell us about yourself, Eliven.

Eliven:  What do you mean?  I'm Eliven!  I'm the Queen of Nightmare.
I'm a legendary terror.  Everybody knows me.

Daniel:  Everybody in the lands of Dream and Nightmare, yes.  But
we're doing this interview for humans on Earth.  They're still
unfamiliar with you.

Eliven:  Oh, the earthlings will know me soon enough.  After my
husband and I destroy Dream, we'll go after Earth.  Soon all the
mortals will dream of me every night… and wake up drenched in cold
sweat, screaming in terror.  Dream will fall in no time, don't you
doubt it.  And Earth is next.  But for now--fine.  I will tell you
about myself.  I'm thousands of years old, but I don't look a day over
twenty.

Daniel:  You've aged well.

Eliven:  A diet of kittens does wonders.  For those who haven't yet
seen me in their nightmares, I'll describe myself.  I have deep red
skin.  I have sharp claws and fangs.  My wings are wide and leathery,
and when I flap them, they cause storms. My hair is woven of
dragonfire, and my tail can knock over a mountain with one flick.

Daniel:  You're very powerful.  But you're still only
second-in-command of Nightmare.  Have you ever wanted to rule
Nightmare yourself?

Eliven:  Oh, I love my husband.  You know him as Phobetor, the God of
Nightmare.  To me he's Phobey, my beloved.  I worship him, as will all
of you soon.  Soon you will all know his strength, as I do.

Daniel:  You're a devoted wife.  Is Phobetor a devoted husband?

Eliven:  Well… I love my Phobey.  But I admit that when he talks about
Moonmist, that girl from Dream that he loves, I get jealous.  So
jealous I could kill him and her!  Why can't Phobetor love only me?
Why must he also love another woman?  Why?!  Moonmist is even on the
cover of The Gods of Dream.  I would have made better cover art.  I'm
much more beautiful, aren't I?  Excuse me.  I need to go… smash a few
boulders now, and kill a few defenseless animals.

Daniel:  You seem upset.  So Phobetor is not loyal to you.

Eliven:  Look.  Why are you talking so much about my husband?  This
interview is about me.  Let's talk about how beautiful I am.  Or how
deadly I am.  Or… let's talk about how soon, I'll be the Queen of
Dream as well as Nightmare.

Daniel:  Why do you want to rule Dream, too?  Isn't Nightmare enough?

Eliven:  Dream has always belonged to us.  Did you know that Phobetor
is from Dream?  He was banished.  They tossed him out.  But Dream is
his birthright.  I, as his queen, will rule it beside him.  Dream will
be ours.  Once we take over, we'll get rid of their trees, and
waterfalls, and sandy beaches.  We'll kill all the fairies and
animals.  Dream will become a province of Nightmare, our empire – a
land of fire, ash, and terror.  A land that will worship me.  And then
earthlings will have no more good dreams.  They'll dream about nothing
but me – beautiful and terrible.

Daniel:  I certainly hope that doesn't happen.  Is there no way to stop you?

Eliven:  Well… the gods of Dream think those kids Cade and Tasha can
stop us.  But really.  Cade and Tasha?  They're only humans.  They're
weak.  They're scared.  There's no way they can defeat me and
Phobetor.  So let them try.  Let them go on their little quest against
us.  It'll be fun to kill them.

Daniel:  Readers will have to pick up The Gods of Dream to see if Cade
and Tasha succeed.

Eliven:  No point.  There's no way Cade and Tasha can stop Nightmare.
But sure.  If any readers want to find out what I already know, let
them read The Gods of Dream.  They'll only read how I'll kill Cade and
Tasha, probably right on the first page.

Daniel:  Would you also like to read the book?

Eliven:  Read books?  I eat books.  And kittens.  They're delicious.
Now I'm hungry.  I'm going to look for food.  Goodbye, weak mortal.
See you in your nightmares.

Daniel:  Goodbye, Eliven, and thank you for this strange but
enlightening interview.

The Gods of Dream by Daniel Arenson.

Discover the world of dreams and nightmares....

What are dreams? Some think they are figments of our mind. But what if they were wisps of a distant, magical world… a world you could visit?  Twins Cade and Tasha discover Dream, the land dreams come from. It is a realm of misty forests, of verdant mountains, of mysterious gods who send dreams into our sleep. Cade and Tasha seek solace there; they are refugees, scarred and haunted with memories of war. In Dream, they can forget their past, escape the world, and find joy.  Phobetor, the god of Nightmare, was outcast from Dream. Now he seeks to destroy it. He sends his monsters into Dream, and Cade and Tasha find their sanctuary threatened, dying. To save it, the twins must overcome their past, journey into the heart of Nightmare, and face Phobetor himself.  Discover a world of light and darkness, of hope and fear, of dreams and nightmares. Discover The Gods of Dream. 

Thank you Daniel and Eliven for joining us here today at From the Shadows!

To learn more about Daniel Arenson and his books, please visit his website and don't miss his recent author interview here.