Raven Oak's Blog, page 9

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.

The post 99 Fleeting Fantasies appeared first on Raven Oak.

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...

Waiting on Waiting

I hate waiting.

I hate it probably more than anything other than vomiting. I think I hate that a smidge more than waiting. Waiting makes me feel helpless as, by definition, all I can do is wait. I’ve talked a bit about Malley, one of our kitties, on social media, but I haven’t really typed up the entire saga until now.

It’s 17° F outside with a dash of frozen snow on the ground, which makes me crave hot cocoa, a good book, and a fireplace. I have all of these things, but my mind spins as I wait ...

T-Minus 4 Hours

T-Minus 4 Hours until the clocks roll around and it’s midnight here in the greater Seattle area, meaning it will officially be 2024 (at least that was how long when I began this post… now it’s more like 3 hours). 

Some years, I love looking back at everything I’ve accomplished and everything good that happened…. And then there are years like 2023 where I sigh and try not to cry with the state of the world and my place in it.

I feel like I should at least try and recall the pluses to this year, t...

Happy Holidays!

Beginning December 21st (my birthday), I’ll be offline for the holidays until the new year. You may see the occasional social media post, but I won’t be making any scheduled posts, including here.

Wherever you are and whatever you do or do not celebrate, I hope you have a good rest of your year and that the new year brings you everything you want and need.

Happy Holidays!

The post Happy Holidays! appeared first on Raven Oak.

Awards Eligibility Post 2023

It’s that time again where folks are reading works published in 2023 and nominating them for various awards. The following are works of mine published in 2023.

Short Story Collections and/or Novel Length Works:

Dragon Springs & Other Things (Short Story Collection–Fantasy) Space Ships & Other Trips (Short Story Collection–Sci-Fi & Horror)

Short Stories*:

“Water the Fire,” from Dragon Springs & Other Things “Learning to Fly,” from Dragon Springs & Other Things “The Drive to Work,” from Dragon ...