Raven Oak's Blog, page 47

Book Tour Review

Two weeks ago, four authors kicked off a regional tour for a holiday speculative fiction book. And what did they learn?

Well, I can’t speak for my co-authors, but…

Touring is exhausting. Driving, signing, smiling. All things hard to do with a migraine, as I discovered the last tour event.Touring is fun. Lots of new people to meet and chat with.Touring is expensive. What they don’t tell you is that new and mid-list authors pay all the expenses of a tour (gas, hotel, food, etc.). And if you have...

Throwback Thursday: Olive the Other Reindeer

This week’s Throwback: Olive the Other Reindeer.

What I Love about This Cover: It’s a neat style of art. I like the animated look.

What I Don’t Love about This Cover: The top half of Olive’s body doesn’t match the bottom. She’d have a broken spine and/or shoulders moving like that.

Click here to view other Book Cover Throwbacks.

The post Throwback Thursday: Olive the Other Reindeer appeared first on Raven Oak.

Joy to the Reviews Part 4

Here’s the weekly wrap-up of reviews on Joy to the Worlds, or as I like to call it–Joy to the Reviews Part 4!

Important!

If you missed it, you can read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Joy to the Worlds is a wide-ranging mixture of SF, Fantasy and Horror that made me wish for snowy weather and a good hot drink. [It] reminded me of Connie Willis’s collection Miracle and Other Christmas Stories.

SFF World (You can read the full review here)

…a spunky alternative to traditional holiday fare…If you’re a dy...

Flashback Friday: A Christmas Carol

This week’s Flashback Friday: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

Some folks are probably asking what in the world does A Christmas Carol have to do with science fiction and fantasy?

This classic is so deeply rooted in our literature that it is its own trope at this point. Everything from The Muppets and The Flinstones to Mickey Mouse and Epic Rap Battles of History has adapted this book. Even children know who Scrooge is. Even SF/F has retellings and adaptations of it, including Doctor Who:...

Portland Event Cancelled

Unfortunately, we are having to cancel our Beaverton, OR event at Barnes & Noble as more rain is on the way, and it isn’t safe for us (the authors) to travel by car from Seattle to Portland at this time. Besides the current risk of mudslides, flooding, and random tornadoes, the delays and closure of I-5 would make it difficult for us to return to Seattle for our Saturday noon event.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and will look to scheduling something for another time.Thank...

I Should be Writing Interview

Earlier this month, the fabulous Mur Lafferty interviewed me about the release of Joy to the Worlds and other writing things on her podcast I Should Be Writing.

You should check it out–Episode # 357–which you can find here:

https://audioboom.com/boos/3926796-isbw-357-anniversary-with-raven-oak-interview?t=0

The post I Should be Writing Interview appeared first on Raven Oak.

Book Cover Throwback: A Christmas Carol

This week’s Book Cover Throwback: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

What I Love about This Cover: Well, the original cover is jacket-less and old, so there really isn’t a cover. But I love the interior illustrations in the the old versions of this book.

What I Don’t Love about This Cover: Nothing really. I wish they did illustrations like these in the newer printings of this classic.

Click here to view other Book Cover Throwbacks.

The post Book Cover Throwback: A Christmas Carol appeared firs...

Want an autographed copy?

Can’t make a book tour stop? Miss our live stream event?

Lucky you! You can still win a prize!

Go watch the video of the streaming event on YouTube. We chatted about the book, did a brief reading, Q&A, and gave out a prize.

The first person to email me at raven [AT] raven-oak [DOT] net (note that hyphen in there!) and tell me who, alive or dead, I said I wanted to sit down with, will get a copy of Joy to the Worlds—Autographed by ALL four authors.

Video is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...

Virtual Event!

Just a reminder that this evening is our Joy to the Worlds book tour virtual event.

You can stream it via Google+ Hangouts here: https://plus.google.com/events/ctmbm2pkq4e8c6jl109ul595na4

Or via YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DTCBgBEgPk

Join us for a short reading, Q&A, prizes, and more!

This event is at 5:30 PM PST / 8:30 PM EST.

The post Virtual Event! appeared first on Raven Oak.

Flashback Friday: A Look Back

This week’s Flashback Friday: A Look Back.

Today begins our Joy to the Worlds Book Tour.

If you’d told me ten years or even five years ago that I’d be driving around the Pacific Northwest with three authors on a book tour, I wouldn’t have believed it. I remember my first book signing party (for Amaskan’s Blood) this past January. I had no idea that my life would change as much as it has. Almost a year later, a third book comes out as an Amazon #1 New Release, and I’m touring.

It’s a bit unreal.

I...