278 ratings | 28 reviews | avg rating:3.79

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Hadena James

Goodreads Author

Born

in Columbia, The United States

August 14, 1980

Twitter

hadenajames

Genre

Mystery, Thriller, Fantasy

Influences

Everyone in my life

Member Since

December 2012

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Hadena James began writing at the age of eight. As a teenager, she had several short stories published in literary magazines. She completed writing her first novel at the age of 17.
Hadena graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in European History with minors in German and Russian studies. She has always wanted to be a writer so she also took several classes in creative writing.

Hadena’s primary literary genre is action/thriller. She currently writes two series, both use action/thriller. “The Brenna Strachan Series” uses fantasy and the “Dreams & Reality Series” uses murder mystery as its secondary genre. She continues to explore and expand her writing and hopes to soon produce a comedic action/thriller.

When she isn’t busy ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

You have created some colorful serial killers. How do you come up with the characters? How do you dive into the minds of the serial killers you create?

Hadena James That's actually the first step on any Dreams & Reality novel. Sometimes, they just come to me (Explosive Dreams, I was actually at the Marion County F…moreThat's actually the first step on any Dreams & Reality novel. Sometimes, they just come to me (Explosive Dreams, I was actually at the Marion County Fair in Missouri, waiting for the event to start and I was looking at the fair, which looked sad and pathetic because it was still daylight and there were only a handful of people with little kids running around and the inspiration for it was born). Sometimes, I have a method for the killing, but not a killer and the killer evolves from the method. Sometimes, I think "I want to have a young female killer, what would she do?"

I also read a ton of psychology books, sociology books, and true crime to help keep my characters "honest" to the psychology of their killer personality and that's how I get into their heads. What people don't realize is that my imagination is much worse than what I put in the books, so sometimes, I find their heads very disturbing places to be (it was so bad, I couldn't do it for Cannibal Dreams).(less)

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Hey Hadena! I just started reading your books & I am hooked. I've only read Tortured Dreams & just started Elysium Dreams. These killers you invent are beyond creepy. In your opinion, which of the Dreams series is the most brutal in terms of both the act of killing & the mentality of the killer?? Which book in this series did you need to do the most research for? Thanks, signed A New Fan!!!

Hadena James Fortified Dreams is the most brutal book I have ever written. It has multiple killers who are definitely enjoying themselves. However, if I had to pic…moreFortified Dreams is the most brutal book I have ever written. It has multiple killers who are definitely enjoying themselves. However, if I had to pick the most brutal killer I've ever created, it would hands down be Aislinn Cain. Her mental justifications are sometimes scary and the fact that she doesn't have a preference for how she does it, makes her a force to be reckoned with. If she were a bad guy, it would be hard to link her kills together.

As for research, the one I'm currently writing; Flawless Dreams, has required the most. I have a history degree and can put it to good use in the D&R novels, but Flawless has required me to really understand the insect world and insect farming. There was a lot I didn't know about either. It has been fun to research though and I'm learning all sorts of new things.(less)

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Hadena James’s books

Average rating: 4.37 · 11,031 ratings · 905 reviews · 45 distinct works • Similar authors

	Tortured Dreams (Dreams and Reality #1) 4.06 avg rating — 1,950 ratings — published 2013	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Elysium Dreams (Dreams and Reality #2) 4.24 avg rating — 1,454 ratings — published 2013 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mercurial Dreams (Dreams and Reality #3) 4.40 avg rating — 654 ratings — published 2013 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Explosive Dreams (Dreams and Reality #4) 4.54 avg rating — 522 ratings — published 2014 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cannibal Dreams (Dreams and Reality #5) 4.51 avg rating — 502 ratings — published 2014 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Summoned Dreams (Dreams and Reality #7) 4.50 avg rating — 464 ratings — published 2015 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Butchered Dreams (Dreams and Reality #6) 4.55 avg rating — 457 ratings — published 2014 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Battered Dreams (Dreams and Reality #8) 4.55 avg rating — 440 ratings — published 2015 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Fortified Dreams (Dreams & Reality, #11) 4.63 avg rating — 398 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Belladonna Dreams (Dreams and Reality #9) 4.57 avg rating — 387 ratings — published 2015 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Hadena James's Blog

Where Has The Year Gone

Where has this year gone? I feel like every time I look at the calendar another week has passed in a maddening sprint towards the end of the year. There aren’t enough hours in the day, which is really weird, because that’s never been an issue in the past. My to-do list doesn’t seem to get shorter either.

I continue to revise Chaotic Dreams. And I still hope to publish it before 2025 is gone.

Series by Hadena James

Dreams and Reality (16 books)
by

Hadena James (Goodreads Author)

4.37 avg rating — 8,894 ratings

Brenna Strachan (4 books)
by

Hadena James (Goodreads Author)

4.36 avg rating — 522 ratings

Nephilim Narratives (5 books)
by

Hadena James (Goodreads Author)

4.42 avg rating — 447 ratings

The Dysfunctional Chronicles (7 books)
by

Hadena James (Goodreads Author)

4.29 avg rating — 438 ratings

Hadena is Currently Reading

Hadena James is currently reading

30 Days of Worldbuilding: An Author's Step-by-Step Guide to Building Fictional Worlds (Author Guides Book 1)

by A. Trevena (Goodreads Author)

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Jun 09, 2021 11:46AM

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Buried Dreams (Dreams & Reality Series Book 18)

by Hadena James (Goodreads Author)

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Dec 31, 2020 12:40PM

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Confessions of a Curious Bookseller

by Elizabeth Green (Goodreads Author)

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Dec 27, 2020 09:55AM

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Hadena’s Recent Updates

Hadena James wrote a new blog post Where Has The Year Gone Where has this year gone? I feel like every time I look at the calendar another week has passed in a maddening sprint towards the end of the year. The Read more of this blog post »
Aug 19, 2025 01:53AM · 2 likes · like
Hadena James has read Demons of Cortanis (Cortanis Trilogy Book 2) by C.J. Weiland (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 24, 2024 01:50AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Demons of Cortanis by C.J. Weiland. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Demons of Cortanis by C.J. Weiland <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by Hadena James (?)

“It was becoming a habit that wasn’t totally unwelcome.”
― Hadena James, Explosive Dreams

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“Summoning the devil or any demon was turning out to be harder than Bell expected.”
― Hadena James, Summoned Dreams

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“Do you know the exact number of hours it requires before you can be considered an expert on any subject? 10,000 hours.”
― Hadena James, Tortured Dreams

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