Raven Oak's Blog, page 54
July 22, 2015
Word Lit Zine
I’m in the latest issue of Word Lit Zine–nice lengthy interview about writing, gaming, prejudice, and life. If you’re local to Seattle, you can snag a copy at Left Bank Books. If you’re not in Seattle, you can order an issue via their online store:
https://squareup.com/market/word-lit-zine?square_lead=button
So go grab a copy (or order one) and read up!
The post Word Lit Zine appeared first on Raven Oak.
July 21, 2015
Cascade Writers Schedule
For any of you heading to the Cascade Writers’ Conference this coming weekend, I’m a panelist there. I’ll be on the following panels:
4 PM – Evergreen – Indie & Hybrid Authors
8 PM – Evergreen – Social Media
Saturday1 PM – Olympia – Starting Your Novel
2 PM – Olympia – Book Signing
Sunday10 AM – Olympia – Podcasts & E-Zines
The post Cascade Writers Schedule appeared first on Raven Oak.
July 20, 2015
Monday Night Gaming: Traders of Osaka
Publisher:
Z-Man Games
# of Players: 2-4 Players
Best with: 3 players
Playing Time: 1st time through, 1 hour+ depending on # of players. After that, 30-60 minutes.
# of Expansions: 0
# of Parts: Game board, rule book, 108 cards, 48 achievement tokens, 4 ships, 4 trader pieces, 4 reservation pieces.
After playing a round of Legendary, we wanted a short game to finish the day with. This game wasn’t as short as we thought it would be, but it filled th...
July 17, 2015
Flashback Friday: Bridge to Terabithia
While not normally listed or thought of as fantasy novel, this book certainly has fantastical elements to it. We read Bridge to Terabithia in 6th grade reading class. Just the word–Terabithia–fascinated me.
What was Terabithia? Why wasn’t it spelled T-E-R-R-A-B-I-T-H-I-A?
Surely the author was playing off of Terra, as in Earth?
I couldn’t wait to get home and get started. This was unusual for me because like most kids, I w...
July 16, 2015
Book Cover Throwback: Bridge to Terabithia
This week’s Book Cover Throwback: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson.
What I Love about This Cover: This was the cover of the book when I read it in 6th grade, though it’s changed a lot since then. Some of the newer covers give a stronger indication of the fantastical elements in the story, but I love the simplicity of this cover. It gives no hint at the chaos that’s in store for Jesse and Leslie.
What I Don’t Love about This Cover: Probably that it doesn’t give a hint of the magic.
Clic...July 13, 2015
Monday Night Gaming: RIP Iwata-San
The first video game I ever played was Super Mario Bros. I played it on my very first game console, the NES–a toaster sized gray box that required players to blow into it (and the cartridges) to work.
The game frustrated me until my child-self learned the almost-infinite lives trick with the turtle bouncing. The first time I beat it, I sat in shock for 15 minutes. Then I ran through the game again.
From there, my love of games grew.
Marble Madness,...
July 10, 2015
Flashback Friday: Franchise Novels
I’m happy to have author April Daniels here for a guest post on how franchise novels influenced her as a writer and taught her to never be ashamed of her interests and passions!
So, I guess I’ve got to open up about my dirty little secret.
Deep breath.
Here we go.
The books I most clearly remember reading as a child were Star Trek: The Next Generation tie-in novels. I read some DS9 and Voyager books when they were available as well, but ST:TNG tie-i...
July 9, 2015
Book Cover Throwback: Neverwhere
This week’s Book Cover Throwback: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman.
What I Love about This Cover: Again, the simplicity of the cover. There is so much being said in it, yet there are only two scenes. The color usage is also well done. When I first saw it, I wanted to know what city this was and where the tunnel was leading. Intrigue from moment one with the cover.
What I Don’t Love about This Cover: The torch in the tunnel. It’s way too fake and poorly drawn.
Click here to view other Book Cover Throwba...July 6, 2015
Monday Night Gaming: Legendary
Publisher:
Upper Deck Entertainment
# of Players: 1-5 players
Best with: 3-4 players
Playing Time: 1st time through, 1 hour. After that, 40-60 minutes depending upon cards used.
# of Expansions: 7
# of Parts: Game board, rule book, and 500 cards (plus dividers for box).
With my love of deck-builders, my husband was only to happy to introduce me to Legendary. The game is set in the Marvel universe and pits heroes/good guys again...
July 3, 2015
Flashforward Friday: Neurology
For this week’s Flashforward Friday: Neurology and the new strides science has made.
Scientists have built artificial neurons that fully mimic human brain cells.
Let that sink in for a moment.
Image Copyright Physics World.
As someone who has neurological issues, I wanted to cry when I read the article. The idea that we could replace damaged nerve cells and help folks with spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s, and a possibly even fibromyalgia, gives me hope.
One of the best and worst parts of readin...
