Raven Oak's Blog, page 14
November 1, 2022
Halloween 2022
For some people, it’s Christmas. Others, Thanksgiving. For me, my favorite holiday is Halloween. Part of the reason I love this holiday so much is because it gives people the opportunity to be whatever and whoever they want to be. That’s important. Exploration is part of our identity, and it’s part of how we learn.
Part of our skeletal family in the side yard, including a dragon, two cats, a dog, a crow, a turtle, a frog, and a duck. In the background, a human skeleton pretending to be a tree fo...
October 19, 2022
Tasting Colors
The main word I have today is WOW. Also, COLOR. All the colors.
Yesterday, I had “Eye Surgery #1,” which removed the white cataract in my left eye and restored my sight. (Right eye aka surgery #2 will come in late November.) When I tell people that for the last year, I’ve been blind in one eye, they don’t always understand what I mean. I’ve created an image to help you understand.
My left eye was *that* bad. Everything was dark gray with occasional lightness if I stood in front of a lamp.
MY LE...May 18, 2022
New Interviews and such!
We’ve been slowly ramping up to the release later this year of Amaskan’s Honor, Book III in the Boahim Trilogy, and with this has come quite a few interviews and author spotlights on a variety of blogs, podcasts, TV shows, and so on. Rather than individual posts about this first batch, I’m going to list them all below for you. I talk about a lot of new stories, books, ideas, and life so be sure to check them out!
First off, my story “Weightless” featuring a multi-disabled female character is bei...
April 3, 2022
The March from Hell
March has been…chaos.
2020 was hell. 2021 was heller. 2022 said, “Hold my beer!” in the worst way possible, especially last month.
For those following along on social media, you know that Riley’s heart meds are killing his kidneys. Nothing we can do about it other than let the two organs fight and see who wins. You also know that DiNozzo may have cancer and gets his biopsy tomorrow. You might also know that I got diagnosed with steroid-induced cataracts, for which I need surgery in both eyes. (T...
March 8, 2022
How I Outline
Recently, a friend and colleague asked me to share more in-depth details about my outlining process, so here goes. 
I’m what they call a plotser, meaning I do a mix of plotting and pantsing when I write. Plotting suggests that I outline what’s going to happen (plot, character arcs, etc.) and pantsing suggests that I write “by the seat of my pants” without any outlines.
THREE-ACT STORY STRUCTUREWhen I outline, I usually use a three act story structure, meaning I outline the major themes/arcs/eve...
December 17, 2021
Winter Promo!
If you’re looking for some great holiday reading in just about every genre, I’m part of a winter reading promo you should check out!
You can click the image above or head on over to: https://jaedawson.com/christmaspromo/
Happy Holidays and Happy Reading!
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December 15, 2021
Need a Critique?
Are you a writer? Do you need some of your work critiqued? Perhaps by another writer?
Do you want to help those less fortunate get the livestock they need at the same time?
Then help back the WorldBuilders’ Charity this year!
You can read more about it and see all the authors participating here:
https://fundraise.worldbuilders.org/fundraiser/3614511
Happy Holidays and Good Luck!
The post Need a Critique? appeared first on Raven Oak.
December 13, 2021
New titles!
I’ve got some new titles available! YAY!
For those interested in my holiday works without reading stories by others, we’ve released Ol’ St. Nick and The Ringers as standalone books, both eBook and paperback.
We’ve also released Peace Be with You, Friend and The Loss of Luna as ebooks.
If you’re holiday shopping or just in the mood to read some stories yourself, check them all out. Clicking on the links below will give you links for purchasing. (P.S. The Ringers should be available in paperback...
October 20, 2021
99 Tiny Terrors
Hey folks!
I’ve got a new horror short story called “Drip” in an anthology from Pulse Publishing called 99 Tiny Terrors. There are 99 short stories in this anthology, just in time for your Halloween season. 
Pulse Publishing kicked it off on Kickstarter yesterday and in under 24 hours, WE ARE FULLY–FUNDED!
On the Kickstarter, you can also get some of my eBooks as add-ons and stretch goals, along with Cat Rambo, Jennifer Brozek, and other awesome folks–99 of them!
I’d love for you ...July 23, 2021
Christmas in July!
Been a while since my last post. Life has been…chaotic. All three cats almost died. I’ll make a post about it later, I promise.
For now, Joy to the Worlds: Mysterious Speculative Fiction for the Holidays has been included in a Christmas in July listing along with a bunch of other books fitting for the topic. Feel free to check out the list and grab yourself some great reads!
Head to https://jaedawson.com/christmasinjuly/ for the list!
The post Christmas in July! appeared first on Raven Oak.
