Raven Oak's Blog, page 9

Impossible Astronauts

Happy Impossible Astronaut Day!

If you see them, take note. The Silence is everywhere.

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The Fall Continues…

I truly thought that after having their asses handed to them with regards to internal bigotry…I mean possibly protecting missing stairs…no, I mean kicking all the writers in their youth program to the curb…ah, hell, I figured the folks running National Novel Writing Month would have learned something from all their copious mistakes, but it appears not.

Many writers participating in NaNoWriMo left in droves after the fiasco I last wrote about, though I know some people were hopeful that the board...

A Big, Damn Update!

I haven’t updated folks about some of the chaos in my world in a bit, so I’m taking a moment to do so since yesterday was a very bad, no-good, fuck-it-all kind-of day. I’m all up in my feels and need to get some of this out there. It’ll be long, so bear with me.

There’s a ton of chaos in the background that I’ve been keeping offline, but I’ve reached the point that I need to address it as I know it’s impacting my relationships with friends and readers alike. For those who haven’t seen the social...

Heading to Norwescon?

Norwescon 46 is this coming weekend, March 28-31 in Seattle (SeaTac specifically). It’s my home convention and one I love dearly, but I won’t be there. They’ve decided against requiring masks this year and since I’m high risk, I can’t go with that many unmasked and COVID rates through the nose.

But my artwork will be there in the art show!

So if you’re going, do me two favors–MASK and check out my art.

We could use for me to sell a few pieces so if you can, bid on an original or buy a print or t...

Wishing Shelf Award Finalist

I’m a finalist!

Or at least one of my books is.

If you recall back in 2018, Amaskan’s War was a UK Wishing Shelf Book Award Finalist, meaning that a bunch of young adults read the book and liked it enough to vote it in as a finalist in this award.

Well, I got news this morning that Dragon Springs & Other Things is a 2023 Wishing Shelf Award Finalist! Woohoo!

The winner will be announced on April 1st, but honestly, being a finalist is a pretty big win for a short story collection book. It’s up a...

The Bell Ringer… ppb

After a bit of distributor snafu-age, the trade paperback & ebook of The Bell Ringer & Other Holiday Tales is finally available!

The trade paperback’s interior is in black and white (only the special Kickstarter edition was in full color), but it’s still a beautiful book. My artwork looks pretty damn good in black and white too. If you missed out on the Kickstarter for whatever reason, you can now snag yourself a copy!

eBooks and paperbacks are available at bookstores everywhere.

Links to variou...

99 Fleeting Fantasies

The flash fiction anthology 99 Fleeting Fantasies has a cover and a release date!

The eBook and paperback will be released on 2/15/2024 at bookstores everywhere.

This anthology, edited by Jennifer Brozek, contains my story called “Not Today,” which is about a variety of backyard birds squaring off against their mortal enemy.

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What’s Taking So Long?

I remember a time when writing was easier.

Note that I didn’t say easy. Writing fiction isn’t easy. Anyone who tells you otherwise is doing something wrong, at least in my opinion. Juggling characters, settings, plot lines, conflicts, and world building makes untangling yarn seem simple, yet writing is a process that’s complicated by interruptions and life events. Take for example the pandemic.

For many, the pandemic’s over, but for those of us high risk and suffering from long COVID, it’s a par...

Dear Bob

Yesterday should have been a good day. A great day even. My partner had her first appointment regarding HRT with a new doctor who only treats trans-patients. The doctor herself (and her assistant) were amazing, as was the appointment, but it was the lead up to it that colored my day and ended up the subject of today’s therapy appointment. (Yes, I see a therapist. So should most people to be honest.)

Yesterday, I was verbally assaulted.

A old man by the name of Bob (that’s what they called him wh...

Bram Stoker?!

[image error]Soul Jar, the anthology I’m in that features my short story “Weightless” as well as 30 other stories by disabled authors, is on the long list for the 2023 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in an Anthology!!

Talk about exciting! You can check it out here: https://www.thebramstokerawards.com/front-page/the-2023-bram-stoker-awards-preliminary-ballot-announced/

If you’re a Horror Writers Association member, please consider voting for Soul Jar.  It’s such a great anthology and representation...