We sat down with author Raven Oak, and asked her about what she does during her downtime, what she’s excited about, and which book of hers she recommends for readers new to her work. Read on to learn more about this amazing author!

What are three favorite books that inspired your writing?

a) The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

b) Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop

c) Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

I will add that which Neil Gaiman book is in slot three changes on a weekly basis. I love his imagination and his word choice. Every word matters with him. I love the flowery tongue Rothfuss has, and the world-building in the universe Anne Bishop has created. I aspire to be even half as good as these three authors.

They’re certainly inspiring writers, we agree! Well, as a writer, you certainly spend a lot of time writing. But what do you do when you’re not writing?

I play a LOT of games. Video games, tabletop, you name it. I also am a polymer clay hobbyist and a hobbyist cartographer. I’m also a musician so there is rarely any downtime for me as I’m always doing something. (You can find out more about my adventures in gaming, cartography, clay, and music on my website: www.ravenoak.net)

What is the hardest thing about writing for you?

The first draft. I’m such a perfectionist. Once I get it down, revision and editing are easy, but that first draft is like picking egg shells out of cooked bread–a complete pain in the butt.

That does sound like a complete pain. But of course the end product is worth it! So what are you excited about right now?

I’m excited about Amaskan’s War, which comes out in December 2017, and book 3, which comes out in 2018. I’ve had so much fun writing in the land of Boahim and creating these characters. Way more fun than I have with some of my other works.

I’m also excited about how well the Wonder Woman movie did and what that means for movies moving forward and the new female Doctor in Doctor Who.

Which book of yours would you recommend a reader start with?

Amaskan’s Blood, Book I in the Boahim Trilogy, which won a 2016 Ozma Fantasy Award recently (and was a 2016 Epic Award Finalist). Definitely start there.