Raven Oak's Blog, page 39
June 23, 2016
Locus Awards 2016
Hey folks! If you’re attending the Locus Awards Weekend this weekend, you should swing by the autographing room from 12:00-12:30 PM Saturday, June 25.
Besides me, other authors autographing will be:
Karen Anderson, Greg Bear, Simone Caroti, Eva L. Elasigue, Stephen Graham Jones, Daryl Gregory, Eileen Gunn, Randy Henderson, Nancy Kress, David D. Levine, Nick Mamatas, Julie McGalliard, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Paul Park, Malcolm R. Phifer, Michael C. Phifer, Adam Rakunas, Matt Ruff, Nisi Shawl, Juli...
TBT A is for Alibi
What I Love about This Cover: This was the original cover I read this book in before the covers were simplified to something like as simple as a letter. I like that it is blatantly obvious this is a mystery novel.
What I Don’t Love about This Cover: The 80’s have called and they’d like their book cover back. 
June 20, 2016
MNG: The Sims 4 Revisited
Back in September 2014, I reviewed the newly released The Sims 4, a game I was highly disappointed in due to EA/Maxis’s lack of…well, anything that made the game good. Recently, EA/Maxis announced that they were mostly doing away with binary gender in the game, which would allow for transgender and gender-fluid characters. Sims would no longer be limited to females wearing female clothing, men having manly frames, etc.
While they may b...
June 17, 2016
Clarion West
Recently, Neil Gaiman stuck his foot in his mouth when talking about Clarion West, a Seattle-based science fiction & fantasy writing workshop that has churned out a lot of EXCELLENT talent. While I don’t think he intended to insult authors, it did open up a discussion on what it means to be a REAL author.
Writing often and improving your craft are what I consider to be requirements, the latter of which can be done via writing workshops and conferences.
The Clarion West workshop isn’t for everyo...
June 16, 2016
Reading/Signing Saturday!
Just a reminder that tomorrow, Saturday, June 17th from 1-3 PM at the Barnes & Noble in Bellevue, I will be doing a reading and signing with several other local science fiction and fantasy authors. I’d love to see some of you out there! Details below:
WHO: Raven Oak, James R. Wells, Robert Slater, Jesikah Sundin, and Holly Cupala.WHAT: Reading, Q&A, and signingWHEN: Saturday, June 17 from 1-3 PMWHERE: Barnes & Noble 626 106th Ave NE Bellevue, WA 98004
The post Reading/Signing Saturday! appeare...
TT: The Thief Lord
What I Love about This Cover: Well, blue is my favorite color so that’s part of it, but I also love the architecture and styling of the buildings. I love the feel of the cover. You could be in Venice or somewhere else intriguing…
What I Don’t Love about This Cover: In some ways, the cover is too simplistic. It’s hard to get a feel for what the book is about.
Click here to view other Book Cover Throwbacks.The post TT: The Thief Lor...
June 10, 2016
Events This Weekend
The Teen Book Fest is a three day set of events to connect teen readers with YA and New Adult writers. There will be trivia contests, readings, signings, and even a writers’ workshop to help aspiring teen writers become better writers.
All Barnes & Noble stores in the United States are taking part in this festival so even if you aren’t in the Seattle area, check with your local B&N for store events.
Where will I be?
FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 6-8 PM: I will...June 9, 2016
TT: The Dragonbone Chair
What I Love about This Cover: There’s a level of tension in the characters’ faces–you just know something that arrow to the chest is bad news. Definitely more a hook for me than some hands on a black canvas holding some random object.
June 6, 2016
MNG: The Castles of Burgundy
If you haven’t heard, there’s a horrific heat wave sitting on top of the Pacific Northwest. While my friends in the south may laugh at folks complaining about a high of 95, you have to remember three things:
a) That is not a normal temperature up here ever
b) No one has air conditioning
c) Our houses are built to keep in the heat. That means if it’s 95 outside, it’s over 100 inside.
We won’t have screens for our windows until the end...
June 2, 2016
B&N B-Fest
My event calendar has gotten a bit complicated for the month of June, so I wanted to explain a bit more what I was doing at Barnes & Nobles’ first Teen Book Fest taking place June 10-12.
The Teen Book Fest is a three day set of events to connect teen readers with YA and New Adult writers. There will be trivia contests, readings, signings, and even a writers’ workshop to help aspiring teen writers become better writers.
All Barnes & Noble stores in the United States are taking part in this festi...
