Brighton, MA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 06/25/2014 --“Follow your dreams” is a common phrase that people use to encourage and motivate. Very few people, however, take these words literally.

Pratt Bennet, a Boston-area artist and author, is one of them. He has been studying dreams for the past 30 years, discovering ways to unlock their potential for creativity and inspiration.

His most recent project, Raising Sleeping Stones, is a middle-grade fantasy novel that explores the dreams of its characters and how the dreams can be used to make life more fulfilling. Instead of a hardcover book, Bennet is developing this work into an eBook and mobile app.

“I want this to be experienced in a way that readers can’t do with physical books,” he explained. “Readers will be able to explore the story more deeply through the music interwoven into the tale. There are musical clues that listeners can use to unlock hidden layers of the story.”

The book also features illustrations that have mysterious, cryptic meanings. “When a character makes a breakthrough in his or her dreams, it unlocks hidden layers of an illustration in an earlier chapter,” said Bennet.

Raising Sleeping Stones was inspired by Bennet’s two daughters, Juliette and Paola, who had nightmares as young children but learned to understand and improve their dreams by working with their father. “They were making amazing discoveries in their dreams,” said Bennet.

In the novel, the Stone sisters meet members of a dying culture, the DreamKeepers, who teach them how to remember and explore their dreams, and use them to develop incredible super powers.

Because Raising Sleeping Stones is a multi-media work, the creative and technical requirements are complex and costly. Bennet has enlisted the services of musical composers, editors, an illustrator and a technical consultant. The budget is estimated at $12,200 and Bennet has launched a Kickstarter campaign to generate funding.

The Kickstarter page, which includes video clips from the eBook/app, can be viewed at www.kickstarter.com/projects/2145783133/raising-sleeping-stones-make-time-for-dreaming . More than $4,000 has already been raised.

Donations of any amount are welcome. For just $10, backers can receive the full app that includes the story, music and art. Larger contributions are rewarded with music CDs, the complete iOS app, dream tracks and color prints.

“All through the ages, people have used their dreams as inspiration for film, literature, music, art and even science,” noted Bennet. “We need to acknowledge that dreams are there for a reason and learn how to explore these fantasies.”

For additional information, visit www.kickstarter.com/projects/2145783133/raising-sleeping-stones-make-time-for-dreaming ; the Raising Sleeping Stones website, www.raisingstones.com ; or the Raising Sleeping Stones Facebook page, www.facebook.com/raisingstones

Bennet can be reached directly at phtbennet@raisingstones.com

About Raising Sleeping Stones
Raising Sleeping Stones is the first book of a fantasy trilogy about the adventures of the Stone sisters. Kiva and DeeDee, who are 11 and 6, respectively, live in the small town of Solasenda. As they try to develop the skills and scores needed to fit in with one of the town’s trade guilds, they gain some surprising insights into the town's past and make some frightening discoveries about a mysterious plot against them. When they realize that they need to escape to survive, they are helped by the last members of a vanishing secret society of guardians of the ancient practices of DreamKeeping. As they flee up the Varruvyen River, these guardians teach the girls both about the real natures of the town and people they left behind them, and about Orora Crona, the Valley of Dreams, which legends say lies somewhere ahead of them.

Contact: P.H.T. Bennet
Company: DreamKeeper Publishing
City: Brighton
State: MA
Zip Code: 02135
Country: USA
Phone: 617-407-3044
Email: phtbennet@raisingstones.com
Website: www.raisingstones.com