Completing My Fantasy Trilogy

As I release the final part of my fantasy trilogy—The Dream Tamer Chronicles—at the end of this month, I feel like taking a moment to look back at my journey and reflect. It’s a bittersweet feeling, I must admit. On one hand, I’m beyond excited to share this new story with the world, wrapping up all the previous plots in the first two books, and providing the readers with some sort of closure.

It’s a great accomplishment. I have written three books in three years. There are readers looking forward to this last instalment in the series, impatient to find out what happens with the characters they grew to love. And it’s amazing. I’m so grateful for that.

On the other hand, it means that I have to say goodbye to my characters, too—and that makes me sad. I’ve been living in that world for three years, and now it’s time to pack up and go. A part of me will stay there forever, though.

It all started with an idea. A story about a young widow who struggles to cope with grief, and despite having the most supportive and loyal friends anyone could wish for, she’s ultimately lonely and lost. She’s so unsure about everything that happens in her life that when she starts having extraordinary dreams that feel way too real, she quickly blames it on her depression and is initially reluctant to share her experiences with anyone, fearing they’ll think she’s losing her mind. 

As I wrote Tina’s story, certain side characters started demanding more attention. They wanted their stories to be told, too. This is how the second book was born. When I was writing book one—which originally I thought would be a standalone —after completing the chapter where Alice, Tina’s friend and mentor, leaves her an old diary with a story of her life and her dream-traveling adventures, I immediately knew what the next book would be about. Alice’s story needed to be told. I wanted to read it myself.

Book two lets us take a peek into Alice’s past—tragic and heartbreaking at times, yet full of hope and life. As Alice’s world is on the verge of disappearing, Tina is desperate to find clues that would help her save her friend. She opens Alice’s old diary and dives into her fascinating life story, while searching for ways to help her in the present, because after everything she’d been through, Alice deserves her happy ending more than anyone else.

Meanwhile, the friendship between Tina and Kate is growing stronger. Kate lost her husband in the same car accident, and she is searching for her own ways to deal with grief, all while being crushed by a destructive feeling of guilt. In book two, we find out that Kate might be one of the dream-travelers too, just like Tina, and she’s getting obsessed with the idea of finding her late husband in the other realms and getting the much-needed closure.

Except it’s not as easy as it may seem. Kate’s first dream-traveling experience goes wrong, and she gets lost in the dream worlds, while her physical body goes into a coma.

Tina has to rescue another friend. In book three, we follow Kate’s journey in the other realms, and Tina’s search-and-rescue mission at the same time. They both change and grow, and they both need to learn to let go of the past and move on. 

I love all these stories. Sometimes I feel tempted to say “this was my favorite” about one of them, but it’s wrong, and it’s not accurate. It’s like comparing which of your kids you love more.

All these stories, despite being a part of a trilogy, are different. They’re written in a different style, and they have different vibes. Which makes perfect sense because they are written from different points of view. Even the same main character in all three books—Tina—doesn’t stay the same throughout the trilogy. She learns. She changes. Just like we all do in our lives. We stumble, we fall, we make mistakes, we learn from them—or at least attempt to. We get up again and force ourselves to move on, filling our hearts with hope and faith. Sometimes we fail. Sometimes we succeed.

These stories are about giving yourself a chance to be happy. About letting go, and moving on. About opening your heart and mind, and focusing on your inner light. 

Just like Tina, Alice, and Kate, I’ve been through a lot. I’m still learning, still changing and evolving. Struggling at times to see that flicker of light in the darkness. To try again. To trust again. To hope again. 

I’m so grateful to these characters for all the lessons they’ve taught me. Saying goodbye is sad. I’ve always hated goodbyes. But I’m completing this journey with gratitude in my heart. After all, it’s not really a goodbye. It’s not the end. It’s just the beginning of something new.