Farish's Freehold: Brunette Sonya can sleep, Bryony “Bryn” Winters can't sleep, and you can help cure cancer

No real updates on The Vampire of Rome, between Reserve duty, the lovely Dr. Farish's birthday, work actually expecting work out of me, and my Advanced Operations Course (Colonel's school), I've not been able to spend much time with Brother Sebastian and crew.

In the good news column, do have a short story that will be out soon, AOC is almost over, and Bat girl, AKA Brunette Sonya is sleeping through the night, or at least most of it.

Also this Saturday, 30 July, I'll be in Mananas along with a bunch of local authors raising money for cancer research. Buy a copy of my book, and a dollar goes to charity. I'll also be doing that for anyone who orders a copy of any of my books online. So I'm giving away my profits, but it's for a good cause.

Speaking of good, what happens when you want to be good but you inadvertently hurt people every time you fall asleep? Molly Fenning explains -

Bryony “Bryn” Winters can harm people by dreaming. With no control over whom she hurts, a condition called Somnus, Bryn can’t even be sure she won’t kill her own family. Protecting them means running away and trusting a mysterious company that possesses as much authority as amorality. And when Bryn meets Cedar Blackthorne, a Somnus with captivating eyes, she can feel he’s hiding something. So why can’t Bryn help trusting him? And what if she’s making a deadly mistake?

Excerpt:
Unlike most high school students, Bryony Winters hated sleeping more than anything in the world. Spiders, germs, and heights included. Mrs. Adams slouched over the podium in front of her class. The students stared blankly at the sheet in front of them as her monotone voice read it verbatim.

Having managed to skim the paper at least three full times before Mrs. Adams finished droning out the first paragraph, Bryony propped up her head with her arm. Dark, curly hair fell across her face as her eyelids slowly slunk shut.

Having been Bryn’s best friend for more than four years, Caleigh Everest should have known this was not a good sign – even after countless sleepovers, Caleigh had never actually seen Bryn sleep.

Unfortunately, as with most dull teachers, Mrs. Adams had a sixth sense that alerted her
the instant a student’s eyes closed. She peered up from her diminutive spectacles, lips pursed. “Bryn? Please continue reading.”

Bryn replied with a soft snore. Caleigh shook her, whispering, “Wake up!”

Mrs. Adams harrumphed, throwing down her glasses before prowling toward Bryn’s desk. She dropped the weighty textbook with a slam. Bryn let out another snore.

Suddenly, the collar of Mrs. Adams’ white blouse grew crimson. Color seeped down
the front as if it were dripping. She gasped. Her hand flew to her eye as it swelled like a balloon under a faucet. Dark, blobby bruises appeared across her face and neck. Nobody was within reach to harm her, and nobody had moved a muscle.

Nearby, Erin Archer jumped up as if she had been bitten. She yelped as a rip cut through
the back of her jeans, exposing a newly formed laceration. Shrieks erupted around the room. Blood squirted and splattered everywhere. Tables and chairs crashed over, spewing red-stained papers as the students tried to get up.

Someone passed out in the back, their colorless lips letting out a moan before they fell with a fwump onto the floor.

Scratch marks suddenly emerged all over the students’ exposed skin. Their hands clamped onto wounds oozing blood and pus. Despite the cacophonous yelling, no one came to help them. Mrs. Adams leapt for the door, fingers shielding her face. But as soon as the lever was in grasp, she doubled over, coughing up scarlet liquid.

It was only when Bryn’s chair was knocked over and her eyes opened, that the
mutilations stopped.

She was the only one without a scratch. And, somehow, she had managed to sleep through everything.

Links: mollyfennig.com
Twitter.com/@mollyfennig
Facebook.com/mollyfennigauthor
Instagram.com/mollyfennig

Main Character's (Bryn’s) motivations

Bryn wants to find a cure for her Somnus, a condition that causes her to harm people in her sleep. Part of her desire for a cure stems from a desire to protect her family, especially her little sister Lynea.

What is Bryn’s secret strengths/ weaknesses

Bryn is smart, protective of those she loves, and has a powerful Somnus. At the same time, she struggles with germophobia, clumsiness, and loneliness.

Any philosophical issues in this story? If so how do you address them, how does MC live and over come them?

Some philosophical issues include discerning the nature of reality (especially in regards to dreams), how sensation and perception play into knowledge (or perceived knowledge), and how to determine if someone else is trustworthy.
To find out how Bryn overcomes these issues (and to look for more), you should read my book.

Any offbeat obscure or 80s references?

There are Star Wars references in the book. I'll let readers see if they can find them.

When did you start to write this one and why?
I started to write InSomnus in January 2015 because when I was little and had trouble falling asleep I told myself stories. I figured that if sleep was so hard to obtain, something wonderful (or horrible) must happen once I finally fell asleep. I was also frustrated at not being able to control when I fell asleep and the dreams that I had. This prompted the idea for InSomnus.
I wanted to write a book because I have always loved reading and wanted to be able to create stories like the ones I loved to read.

What's next in this series or in your next book?

I'm working on a companion novel with the same setting but different characters and storyline.

When will it be available?
InSomnus will be released at the beginning of August. (Check for updates at http://mollyfennig.com/insomnus)

Excellent concept and sounds like it'll be interesting, I think you should horde your money and get ready to order a copy when it comes out in a few more days.

However if you have cash burning a hole in your pocket maybe give my books a gander, and if you do it this weekend you'll be helping fund cancer research as well?

Good stories and helping eradicate cancer?

That's a twofer my friends.

Junior Inquisitor Book One