
I think immersing myself in Laurell K. Hamilton's Princess Meredith series has had a slight impact on my dreams, because last night a new scene popped into my head, and it involved Dana actually coming face to face with Mother Danu. I never really planned to introduce any deity physically into the novel; since realizing who Dana and Bridget were, I had wanted to keep the metaphorical aspects in tact. However, the way it happened in the dream just could have been allegory in itself. I don't know what the goddess looks like; I've never seen her except in glimpses out of the corner of my eye. I always imagined her with auburn hair and hazel eyes, like my character of Dana (although when I first started writing the book, it was never my intention to match up Dana with Danu, or even Bridget with Brigid). I'd named Dana because I'd been a huge fan of The X-Files. But I realize now that unconsciously, I named her after my main goddess, and I did the same with her ancestor, Bridget. All the characters have their names for a reason. Ian and Dana as a couple have existed for a lot longer than this book, for example.
In college when I started the book, it was much different than it is now, naturally. But a lot of it remains the same. Most of the psychic, magical and astral scenes are based on real life, as are many of the dialogues. I didn't change those So it stands to reason that my subconscious might start blending old with new. I liked what the dream was trying to tell me.