By C. S Anderson |


“My childhood being what it was, the LGBTQ+ community is a found family, a chosen family. If anything, being part of this community has helped my career rather than harmed it. Some of that comes with writing speculative fiction—I mean, we’re usually a pretty unique group as it is! Lots of neurospicy folks and people who don’t fit into a lot of society’s ideals of “normalcy.” So many of us in the queer community are only here by the skin of our teeth, you know? We’ve survived so much and are still surviving. Still fighting for equity. ”


-Raven Oak


I first met Raven Oak at a convention, I was a green newbie author doing my first round of events and they were already a seasoned veteran. I mean, come on this author has been published on the moon! For details on that check out their website (www.ravenoak.net) We had some mutual friends and I ended up reading Raven’s books and following their career. Recently they graciously agreed to this interview.

C.S - So on your author page you list yourself as an Author, Activist and Artist. Let us take those one at a time and tell us what each of those means to you. Let’s start with the author.

Raven - I’ve been a writer since I could speak—in fact, I like to refer to myself as a professional liar, a term that stems back to childhood when I was forever making up stories to get out of trouble. If I tore my shirt, it was because I was slaying dragons, not because I fell out of a tree. These days, I get paid to make things up, which I much prefer. I love the experience of building worlds and universes from scratch. I grew up in an abusive household where I didn’t have control over my world, so I suspect I enjoy the level of control I have in writing. World building is a place of healing for me.

C.S - Artist?

Raven - Art is the opposite. That’s a place where I relinquish control and explore my emotions in a different way. Art allows me to express what words cannot. I’ve been drawing and painting since childhood as well, but it has been only recently that I’ve taken my art seriously enough to release into the world. I was convinced for a long time that while I could spin a tale, I couldn’t paint one. Now I know better!

C.S - Activist?

Raven - Like many people, activism was born out of necessity—first as a survivor of abuse and sexual assault, and then as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Speaking out gave child-me a voice after many years of not having one. Representation allows others to exist, to find themselves, and to potentially escape or avoid some of the scenarios I found myself in. Growing up in an evangelistic household meant I never had the ability or the permission to find myself, let alone the vocabulary to identify who I am. I didn’t know I was demisexual until I reached my 30’s because I didn’t know the word existed. Same with being pan and nonbinary. In its many forms, activism allows us to reach people like child-me and save lives. In my mind, there’s nothing more important than that. I think that’s why what I write is more character-driven and thought-provoking. I want to create worlds where representation is important, and people can exist as themselves (or fight for that right!). I want to encourage the change I wish to see in our world.

C.S - What challenges has being part of the LGBTQ+ community presented for your professional career?

Raven - My childhood being what it was, the LGBTQ+ community is a found family, a chosen family. If anything, being part of this community has helped my career rather than harmed it. Some of that comes with writing speculative fiction—I mean, we’re usually a pretty unique group as it is! Lots of neurospicy folks and people who don’t fit in to a lot of society’s ideals of “normalcy.” So many of us in the queer community are only here by the skin of our teeth, you know? We’ve survived so much and are still surviving. Still fighting for equity. When I was still teaching at public school down south, I was in the closet because it wasn’t safe to be out and a teacher. It still isn’t. The horror stories I could tell… times I almost lost my job because I stood up for my queer students or times when my life was literally threatened by colleagues… but within the SF/F community, I haven’t had any issues being a queer writer. If I’ve ever been denied publication for being me, I’ve never known about it. I think some of this comes with living in the Pacific NW as well. It’s easier being out up here than other areas of the country. I think location and genre has made a positive impact on my career trajectory. I’m lucky in that respect.

C.S - What was your first published book? What is your most recent?

Raven - Technically, my first published book was a children’s book about a lion that I wrote and illustrated when I was 7 years old. It was published as part of a university study on children’s literacy. I’m not sure that counts though, so I guess my first professional novel published was Amaskan’s Blood, Book I of the Boahim Trilogy. It’s epic fantasy and often compared to “if George R. R. Martin wrote Disney’s Tangled.” My most recent publications are two short story collections: Dragon Springs & Other Things is a collection of my fantasy and urban fantasy shorts while Spaceships & Other Trips is a collection of my sci-fi and horror-esque short stories.

C.S - Been a pleasure chatting with you Raven, one last bit for the article. You get one moment on the soapbox of your choice to address any issue or cause that you want.

Raven - You know, I feel like everything boils down to one word: Love. If we love one another, then equity takes care of itself, as does poverty, war, and everything in between. It’s hard to love someone who hates you. It’s hard to love yourself sometimes too. But if we could reach the point where we truly understand that we’re all stuck on this pale blue dot together, for better or worse, wouldn’t you rather it be the former? That we learn to care for one another? Love is a powerful tool and a challenging one to use, but it really does solve everything, simplistic though it may seem.

C.S - Highly recommend Raven’s books to all lovers of speculative fiction!

Raven Oak: books, biography, latest update
Follow Raven Oak and explore their bibliography from Amazon’s Raven Oak Author Page.

C. S Anderson has been writing since he could form letters. He currently resides in a strange little beach town with his extremely patient wife who also has the misfortune of being his editor.
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