Raven Oak – författare

Adelei was a master in her field, one of the feared Order of Amaska. Those who were a danger to the Little Dozen Kingdoms wound up dead by her hand.

The Order sends her deep into the Kingdom of Alexander, away from her home in Sadai, and into the hands of the Order''s enemy, her birth father. The job is nothing short of a suicide mission, one serving no king, no god, and certainly not Justice.

With no holy order to protect her, she tumbles dagger-first into the Boahim Senate''s political schemes and finds that magic is very much alive and well in the Little Dozen Kingdoms.

They say the truth depends on which side of the sword one stands. But they never said what to do when all the swords are pointing at you.

Newly crowned Queen Margaret struggles with the loss of her father as the Kingdom of Shad''s army marches for her border. But when the Boahim Senate refuses to step in, civil war threatens to break out across the Little Dozen Kingdoms.

A harrowing journey reveals her greatest fears and unearths the Boahim Senate''s darkest secret, leaving Margaret sure of one thing-neither she, nor the Little Dozen Kingdoms will ever be the same again.

Now to secure the balance, Margaret must fight corrupted powers, old and new, and step into a role she never wanted: War Queen. Will she continue to follow the Boahim Senate''s orders? Or will she break the holiest of tenets in hopes to free her people?

Bay-zar. Class-M planet in the middle of no-where. Dust, dust, and more dust. Unless ya circled ''round to the more habitable region, you''d be stuck without a ship to anywhere. ''Round the corner though, you could find everything from ship parts and dried food packs, to roast dog and the rare bi-cycle. Hell, you could even buy yerself a gen-u-ine religion if you were so inclined.

The ultimate tourist trap. And here I''d taken the bait.

When Eerl stepped off The Marzipan, he was one of a billion tourists on Bay-zar. He expected to shop for rare artifacts from war-ravaged Earth and maybe study at the grand library, but not even his background in Human Studies from the University of Tersia could prepare him for what came next:

A military beefcake with a grudge, a wartime conspiracy, a stolen ship, a galaxy full of prejudice, and at the center of it all, a young human named Mel in search of the truth.

Her search for her past and his quest for knowledge take them across the stars as they uncover the darkness and fear in us all.

Your cat pukes, then cries.

Is it just a hairball or is something really wrong?

A mad dash to the vet leads to a cat who meows when touched, but how is a veterinarian to know what''s wrong? Is it a blockage or just a terrified kitty? Even with training, sometimes even the experts don''t know.

Or do they?

Take an MRI of a cat''s brain when they''re hungry, and it light''s up a particular way. Take another shot while they''re in pain, and the pattern changes. Researchers believe this could lead towards a better understanding of what a cat''s meow really means.

The folks over at Garner Tech have created the newest tech to help veterinarians and pet owners alike. Cat-Speak-the collar that translates brain patterns into simple phrases like:

No, your cat won''t tell you it loves you, but with our handy Bluetooth collar and phone app, your cats'' meows will have research-backed meaning!

Bestselling science fiction & fantasy author Raven Oak brings readers a short story set in the near future of unlikely cat-ownership and the snarky, harsh reality many pet owners may face in the near future.

When a mobster Santa dies, everyone''s a suspect!

What do you get when you mix an old Earth myth with mobsters and space ships? A locked room mystery with holiday trimmings involving the plucky crew of a scavenger ship.

Captain Mark Barnes has but one request: keep his ship flying and his crew happy. But when someone from his past tears their way into the present, everyone on his ship becomes a murder suspect, including himself.

Especially himself.

Time''s running out as Mark and his crew struggle to find the murderer among them, because if they don''t, they just might kill one another.

When a family falls apart, can the damage be repaired? Or will this holiday go down in history as a complete and utter disaster?

Every time a bell rings, someone''s going to die.

Around Christmas, many towns and villages are full of wonder and magic, full of smiling people who live to spread seasonal joy. But in the dreary village of Dekwood, the midnight bells are ringing once again...

The days are silent and the nights are filled with terror in the little village. Adults and children alike hide under their covers when the jingling bells sound. No one wishes to hear them, or see who they bring...except for one young girl.

Who are these Ringers? Why does no one speak out against the evil in town? Young Elise seeks deadly answers in hopes that she can save the town...and herself.

Will the Ringers take them all, or will Elise release evil''s grip on the little village of Dekwood?

This debut collection by multi-award-winning author and artist Raven Oak brings together fantastical stories from the past ten years of her career, ranging from gothic and urban fantasy to post-apocalyptic and steampunk tales.

You''ll find coffee-drinking ghosts, ever-changing faces, elemental spirits who both protect and harm, assassins, magical pockets, and snarky creatures in these ELEVEN fanciful fictions. Dragon Springs & Other Things contains SIX never-before seen stories for your enjoyment, including two stories featuring fan favorite character, Ida, from Oak''s Boahim Trilogy.

STORIES INCLUDED: Mirror Me, Water the Fire, Alive, Learning to Fly, The Drive to Work, The Ringers, Cookie Man, Amaskan, Peace Be With You, Friend, The Snark, and Dragon Springs & Other Things.

A short story of loss and love, jealousy and heartache, and the desire for life.

Luna, the moon. Our moon.

For 4.53 billion years, she has risen and fallen from our horizon. She''s been the inspiration for countless tales going back to the beginning of humanity. Her orbit influences our planet in countless ways, and we rely on her for life as we know it.

But is she alone? Has she always been so?

If you could love her, would you?

Once there were words like family and warmth, but when the Sun begins to die, words of power won''t protect those who live on the planet''s surface.

Litalle sets out wandering Tarrah in hopes of finding food and warmth as the sun sets on another day. But as the cold comes rushing in, she finds a cave that might just keep her alive.

The cave is not empty.

Litalle is not alone.

Will the risk to her safety pay off, or will she be doomed to die before the sun''s warmth fades from existance?

Part II of this debut collection by multi-award-winning author and artist Raven Oak brings together speculative fiction stories from the past ten years of her career, ranging from space adventures with a dash of mystery and other near-future tales to post-apocalyptic stories and deep dives into the mind.

You''ll find closed-ship mysteries, foul-acting apps, talking cats, retail hell, and hacked programs in these ELEVEN speculative fiction pieces. Space Ships & Other Trips contains FIVE never-before seen stories for your enjoyment, including a tie-in story from Jeff Sturgeon''s The Last Cities of Earth universe.

STORIES INCLUDED: The Loss of Luna, Hungry, Mouth, Only a Bird, Q-Be, Hands, Ol'' St. Nick, Drip, Level Up, Scout''s Honor, and D.E.A.T.H.

The Bell Ringer & Other Holiday Tales began as a successful hardcover, full-color Kickstarter book featuring four holiday speculative fiction tales and over 30 paintings featuring characters & scenes from the stories, all by award-winning author & artist Raven Oak.

Can the magic of the holidays save us all from our lack of empathy? In The Bell Ringer, a virus renders a town silent as the holidays approach. Apathy runs wild. Can a homeless bell ringer save us, or will we be doomed to repeat history?

When a mobster Santa dies, everyone''s a suspect! Can Captain Banes save his crew from a murderer? Or will he lose more than himself in the battle? Find out in Ol'' St. Nick, a space opera tale of mystery.

Every time a bell rings, someone''s going to die... In a new town, Elise finds herself confronted by a magical evil that rides through the night in search of the brave. Can she save her family from the ringers? Find out in The Ringers, a magical, gothic fantasy.

Being Santa is more than a job. It''s a curse! Simon thinks he understands how the world works. Find a score & make bank. But when he crosses the wrong person, he finds himself at the wrong end of a curse. Can he find his way out of it before it''s too late? Find out in The Curse, a creepy, yet magical tale of redemption.