Tell us about Dream Traveler.
The story centers on a seventeen year old boy who is confined to a wheelchair due to a back injury he received in a car accident. This same accident killed his mother. His father, a successful biochemist and researcher, is missing and feared dead. Now parentless, the boy lives with his uncle, who is suspiciously guarded about what he knows about his father. Before long, the boy begins dreaming of his dad, dreams so real he begins to suspect they are something more. Eventually, he learns that he is not “dreaming”, but actually “traveling” to his father’s hidden location. Confronted with this discovery, he forces his uncle to reveal secrets he has kept hidden about his father’s classified research and who might be responsible for his disappearance.

With the help of a parapsychologist, the boy’s “traveling” attempts become more successful. He soon learns that his ability is very special, and that his trips are made possible by a psychic energy network known as The Realm, a mysterious medium others like himself use (and mis-use) to project themselves to different locations. The Realm soon alters life inexorably for the boy, freeing him from his wheelchair, and opening up a new world of possibility and danger as he searches for his missing father.

What genre is it?
I’d put it in the Young Adult / Paranormal / Thriller category.

What kind of readers will it appeal to?
DREAM TRAVELER is directed at Young Adult readers (12 to 18), but I expect it to have a broader appeal to readers of all ages who are interested in the paranormal and who like a good thriller.

How long did it take to write?
It took a little over two years from start to finish.

What was the most challenging part of your creative process?
I spent a lot of time constructing the plotline, which is interwoven with a number of characters and situations. Time was also spent researching the fields of biochemistry and parapsychology, and using what I’d learned to inform without without being too dry and analytical. My goal is to entertain – not lecture.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am a former Californian who now lives in the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina. I have a degree in English Literature, belong to several writers groups, and work regularly with new and published writers. I have self-published two other e-books on Amazon – THE LITTLE ROCK MESSENGER and ELECTRIC HIGHWAY. Both fall into the suspense / thriller genres.

Have you got a blog where readers can keep up with your work?
Yes, I’ve got a blog. But I’m also on Twitter as @RobertRyland.

Where can we buy Dream Traveler?
It is available on Amazon –  from today! (5 October, 2012)

What’s next?
I am already writing Book Two in the DREAM TRAVELER Trilogy. My target date for completion is Fall of 2013.