SleepFree Inc‪.‬ David Greaves

 



I've had a lot of people tell me over the years that they would "read" my book if I had an audio version. So here it is, one chapter at a time. The novel has changed and morphed so many times, that even if you've read it before, you will find something new in this latest edition. Thank you for listening. Comments welcome.

 



Decided to share the first 2 chapters together, although I would not recommend trying to record a curmudgeon voice late at night while experiencing allergies. John is going to need friends or at least an ally to survive sleeping life...enter Karl, a favorite among beta-readers. He's certainly a favorite of mine. Enjoy, comment. If you are a lucid dreamer in real life, let me know. I'll share with you the official lucidity matrix and you too can be classified for borrowed sleep and Guild membership.

 



I spent ten years thinking about lucid dreaming as I wrote this book and never experienced it myself except one time (was the inspiration for a much later chapter!). Then I really studied all the many ways to spark lucidity and I had a flurry of lucid dreams. These came when my baby would not sleep at all, so I was always very tired in the middle of night. Apparently that helps lucidity. Can't say I'm a 5C, but I'm no longer a 1A. Maybe a 2B or 3B. These chapters are a little slow to build the life of John before he grows up but worth the buildup. As for Chapter 4, I cut out most of the childhood chapters but could not part without some of the parables from his father. Enjoy, subscribe, comment, share. Thank you for listening.

 



I first visited Gettysburg at the age of 14. My sister and I went on perhaps a 10 mile walk with only an obscure walking guide, written in 19th Century jargon, and no GPS or phone. Our parents dropped us off and we started for the woods. That was my first experience visiting a Civil War site. Since then I have visited most major locations, dragging my wife and children across the country to see these sacred fields and hills. As I wrote The Sleepers, I was always drawn to my experiences at these battlefields, pondering the sacrifice it takes to preserve liberty, enact change, and heal a broken society. Seemed like the perfect place for Karl and John to concoct a new plan to fight SleepFree and find a solution for lucidity.

 



This is really the last reading with Karl before John heads off to school. Reading the part of Karl fills me with so many memories as I think about his inspiration, the man behind the story. I truly miss the real Karl. We saw some amazing places in the world together when I was young. And I got yelled at my fair share. But chocolates and pepperoni always brought our families back together. I'm grateful for his friendship and in terms of the story, no one could better mentor someone committed to bringing down the world's greatest company - SleepFree Inc - with his power of lucidity.

 



Chapter 10 is the start of Part 2: Samantha. The story takes a change in pace and focus as John and Ray enter college and start sleep studies. They'll be challenged by their professor, by growing up, and by love entanglements. Enter into the world of the Wizard as we grow closer to lucidity for all sleepers.