The story begins almost like a fairy tale in the upper realm where the
Collector called WHISPER, a frail, middle-aged, timid looking angel, is
sitting at the East Bank. He is approached by FLEETING THOUGHT
who has come to enlist his help in rescuing her little girl from a
tragically unfulfilling life. We soon realize that this is not a child's
fairy tale when we find out the little girl is a 37 year old named CARMEN; a single
African American woman who appears to have a very successful life. The only
problem is her life is void of passion, purpose, and personal power.
Whisper listens to Fleeting Thought's plea but is convinced that another
more powerful Collector would be better suited for the job. Fleeting
Thought announces that she needs the whispering one, the one who won't draw
the attention of the Slayers and by the time they notice, the other
Collectors, Faith, Passion, Purpose, and Vision will be poised for battle.
Carmen is submerged in her work life with her normal persona called
"attitude". Carmen has forgotten what makes her happy, she simply knows her
present life "ain't it". PVS Corporation is a workplace that has come under
the direct influence of Slayers. The company is going through accelerated
deformation rather than transformation. It has restructured and reorganized
itself in to a state of utter chaos. The moral and productivity is
continuously being eroded by bureaucratic policy and shallow
decision-making. As the impact of each bad decision becomes apparent, the
management reacts by implementing deeper budget cuts which result in layoffs
and additional workloads for the employees left behind.
The Slayers FEAR, PESSIMISM, DISTRACTION, and ANGER are present.
Even though they operate unseen by the human eye, just as the Collectors,
their impact on the human psyche is clearly evident. These four Slayers control
the work environment at PVS. Fear is the dominant Slayer in this region. At first,
Fear doesn't appear to be a menacing demon. This is the natural quality of all Slayers, but when
in full form, his long flowing black hair, dark eyes, leathery skin, gripping
claws, and unmerciful scowl will bring out the fear even in the other
Slayers. Pessimism is a male demon, a gentleman type who provides logic and
reason about why things will never get better, will probably get worse, so
why bother. Distraction is a femme fatale demon. She is beautiful,
seductive, and conniving. She offers every opportunity to forget, loose
focus, and enter into a state of perpetual procrastination. Anger is the
Slayer that lays low, simmering and then erupts into a raging fit.
Pessimism and Distraction are hanging around Carmen's office stirring up
sullen feelings of hopelessness. After awhile they get bored and return to
their home in the lower realm. Whisper and Fleeting Thought watch the enemy
at work and when the coast is clear they enter the time space continuum
where humans dwell.
LINGLING, Carmen's Chinese American officemate and WERNER, their
white co-worker, begin their first exploration of what makes them happy.
This conversation takes place under the whispering guidance of Whisper and
the intermittent impulses of Fleeting Thought. Dreams long forgotten find a way
to emerge in a conversation that just would not have occurred on an ordinary
day at PVS. At PVS there are four kinds of employees; the pissed-off, the
resigned, the happy-anyway, and the pretenders. The latter is where BLAKE
SMITH shows up in full effect. Blake has drifted up the corporate ladder by
riding the coattail of associates. He does god-only-knows-what and draws a
six figure income for doing it.
Each character has a different story constituted by something to be lost or
something to be won. Their stories are woven together over a period that
spans almost a year's time. The Slayers will do all in their power to slay
the dream and the dreamer while the Collector's will do all in their power
to help the characters reclaim their soul's dream. It is a fast paced adventure,
an emotional roller coaster, and much more. Once you have read their story,
you are motivated to begin to re-write your own. Also included is a dynamic
workbook, which takes you step by step through the process of reclaiming the
soul's dream and living an extraordinary life.
Robin Harris is the youngest of nine children. She has been writing since she learned to write, or so it seems. She has written poetry, prose, songs lyrics, fiction, non-fiction, movie scripts, etc. Her inclination to write was so innate, the gift long remained transparent to her and therefore underutilized. Robin spent a great part of her life searching for a niche that could contribute to the world at large and offer her a sense of personal fulfillment. Robin is currently completing a Master's Degree in Instructional Technology at Wayne State University. Her area of concentration is Human Performance Technology. Dream Catcher: The First Story, the book and workbook, was her first written work to merge her knowledge gained from her graduate studies with her natural ability to write inspirational stories. Dream Catcher: The First Story was birthed from her realization that our gifts, talents, skills, and inclinations intersect in a time and space that can open up the experience of living an extraordinary life.