Shout Out to Indies - Wide Awake in Dreamscape by Georgi Bond

We here at The Paperback Princesses often receive emails from Indie authors requesting reviews and are blessed with free book copies. Often we are unable to get to so many titles before our mass market published books take over our TBR shelves. That doesn't mean there aren't plenty of great reads though! We want to give back to those Indie authors and are declaring EVERY SECOND SUNDAY our SHOUT OUT TO INDIES MEME. For those of fellow bloggers, please feel free to add our meme to your regular schedule. We only ask that you quote and link back to us as a courtesy. For all of you Indie authors, we invite you to contact us at the contact link to your top left. We will select 1 - 3 titles (each time we post) that sound interesting. Lastly, for you readers, this is a bit of a test so please do comment and let us know what you think. We will also be offering up giveaway copies whenever we can! So without further ado, here are this week's pick:




Afer a young girl’s brother is brainwashed by the sinister video game he’s obsessed with, she finds herself trapped inside a wide-awake nightmare with her brother’s life in her hands in this exciting debut for middle school readers.
“It’s not a game if it’s real.”

Unlike her brother Alfie, 12-year-old Lily is not at all interested in video games. But when she wakes up in

the middle of the night trapped in another world where monsters from nightmares are real, Lily has no

choice but to immerse herself in a world far different from anything she knows. Lily must learn the rules

and play the game. An unsuspecting Lily is suddenly transported into the Dreamscape, which is overrun by

monsters from Colony, the latest online gaming craze which Alfie is entranced by.  Why does this

shimmering, digital dreamland feel equally familiar and strange to Lily, as well as extremely dangerous?

Inside the Dreamscape, Lily meets twins Felix and Serena, who are also prisoners of the game and have lost

their brother to Colony. The threesome learns that Colony lures players in and takes over their minds, filling

them with horrifying nightmares. Their brothers are possessed by “dreamons”, cunning and evil monsters

from Colony. Lily realizes that it might be possible for video games to shatter the boundaries of time and

space in order to invade the deepest recesses of the human mind. If Lily and the twins can’t find a way to

defeat the dreamons, millions of Colony players, including their brothers, could soon find themselves

enslaved to the game they set out to enjoy.

Wide Awake in the Dreamscape pits human friendship and courage against the dark fusion of nightmares

and technology in a way readers have never seen before. This fresh, action-packed story for older children

questions the ethics of technological progression and further explores our modern fears over the exposure

of our young people to bullying. Georgi Bond’s ambitious narrative serves as a necessary warning to

children and adults alike that the Internet can prove to be just as treacherous as it is revolutionary, and

reminds us that one unkind act might be all it takes to breed very real and terrible consequences in both

our world and the digital realm. Wide Awake in the Dreamscape is a must-read for kids looking for an

intelligent, thought-provoking sci-fi fantasy novel.

We asked Georgie:

Why I write for a YA audience

I’m an avid reader of children’s fantasy fiction, so it was natural for me to write for this genre.  I’ve never been comfortable with gritty or character-based adult themes, and writing for adults felt much too serious and restrictive for me. I much prefer to immerse myself in a younger fantasy world where my imagination can run free. It’s infinitely more fun and exciting!

I’ve always been interested in dreams, spiritual and paranormal ideas, supernatural powers and sorcery, and these themes fit perfectly into children’s stories. With Wide Awake in the Dreamscape, I wanted to create a modern, fast-paced fantasy adventure, something fresh, colourful and vivid. I felt that young readers would be interested in a story which successfully integrates modern themes such as online gaming and chat rooms, with traditional fantasy themes such as magic and monsters. I also wanted to touch on issues very relevant to young people, such as friendship and sibling relationships, bullying and its consequences, and finding the inner strength and courage to continue when everything seems hopeless.

I would love for children to feel exhilarated and excited by my story, whilst also feeling inspired and motivated to feel brave and courageous in their everyday lives. 




About the Author: Georgi Bond was raised in rural Devon, England before going on to study archaeology and conduct postgraduate research at Durham University. Bond has worked as a technical writer, marketing copywriter and copy editor. Her current home is the one she built for herself in Riga, Latvia, where she lives
with her family. Wide Awake in the Dreamscape by Georgi Bond (published by Clink Street Publishing, RRP $9.99 paperback, RRP $3.99 ebook) is available online at retailers including amazon.com and can be ordered from all good bookstores. For more information, please visit: www.GeorgiBond.com.