March has come in like a lion so we can only assume it will go out like a lamb. I have been insanely busy lately with planning vendor events and preparing a new book for release, so this post is later than I wanted it to be. Riverr Ravenswood is our February Author Spotlight.
Riverr and I were introduced through another author, K.D. Hilt, and I'm ashamed to admit that I've had her books sitting unread on my kindle for almost a year. After reading Circle of Time, I can't believe I waited so long to read them.
Riverr Ravenswood is a young author from Bangalore, India. She's part of my author tribe on Facebook and has been writing her whole life. Her first published work was in 2020, so she's relatively new to the publishing world, but she's not letting her newness stop her from dominating the literature community.
"My life path has gone so off the planned course that it's not even funny," said Ravenswood when asked if she always knew she'd be a writer. "I started out as an MBA in marketing and donned corporate hats for a few years, then with some twist of fate I got into arts and culture, and I thought I fell in love. Until recently, that was what I was doing. Then again some major arm twisting by the universe, and troubled, sleepless, stressed nights, and a heart attack later, I quit the corporate or the arts, or any type of industry and embraced the healer in me. I started a healing practice and spiritual mentoring program. I made friends with some guys online, who are now counted as my BFFs, and they were working on their first books around the same time. I was beta reading for them. They suggested, "why don't you try to write a story?" I did and, again, fell in love with it one more time. And here we are."
Ravenswood stated that she's always had characters in her head and stories that wanted to be told. She said, "I always had these people in my head who wanted to be heard. I never knew their complete stories but I liked the idea of trying to see what could be."
Fantasy is Ravenswood's preferred genre to write. She has been focusing on adult books, meant for readers 18 and older. However, recently, she announced that she is planning on venturing into YA (young adult) books this year. For those unaware, YA books are specifically designed for a teenage audience. It is a broad age range that typically starts being explored by upper elementary (5th grade) students and goes through high school. Many adults read this age level because it has the complexities of adult novels with less explicit content.
According to her Amazon author profile, Ravenswood has written six books. I've recently read the first book in her Kazi Chronicles, Circle of Time.
"It's hard to choose between your babies," stated Ravenswood, "but if I have to [choose a favorite], my first one will always be special. Tug of Fate. It's everything I wanted and so much more."
Tug of Fate is the first book in the When Stars Align series. Echo of Legacy is the second and currently Ravenswood's most recently published book in this specific series. All of her books are heavily influenced by Indian culture and explore religion, personal beliefs, and aspects like reincarnation.
"Rumi has inspired me a lot," remarked Ravenswood. "I used to read his lines and sit with the book face down on my lap to absorb the words. Words have always resonated with me. Since childhood, I was used to writing things. Random musings and poems. The way he [Rumi] delivered simple, everyday thoughts with new perspectives was something that will always be an inspiration. Then we have Chandelle LaVaun, Jaymin Eve, Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti, and Debbi Cassidy, whose books and stories I love. So, I guess I'm inspired by a mix of all these."
Currently, Ravenswood is working on an offshoot of the Kazi Chronicles, titled Kali.
"Seeing my characters evolve has been my favorite part of my writing journey so far," mused Ravenswood. "Legit. All those who know me know that I'm a 100,000% pantser. The cliffhangers in my books are cliffies for me too since I don't know where they're going to lead. When I see the evolution my characters have gone through, throughout the series, it always fills me with such happiness, like they were my own babies. I know it might sound silly, but I'm still struck by Kali's evolution in TKC (the Kazi Chronicles) and by Cicero's evolution in WSA (When Stars Align)."
Of course, no journey is had without hardship. Ravenswood stated, "The hardest part of my writing journey was the clawing anxiety that nobody will read my books. Or worse, they'll leave one-star reviews. Marketing is always hard too since I'm a proclaimed hermit and I don't people well. If you know what I mean...hehe. But, the anxiety is real, and even harder was it to step away from my KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) account in case I miss one more page read. But now I am much, much better. Months go by when I don't even check that account."
For all young writers out there or writers of any age who are just starting their own writing journeys, Ravenswood says, "Write. Just write. Don't get bogged down by the plot or the chronology or the outline. Let the words flow and during it all, you will get the plot you were looking for. Also, don't let fear of rejection stop you. Your words will be read by who they are meant for. Trust in the process and the universe."
As far as favorite characters go, asking an author to choose a favorite character is a lot like asking a devoted mother to pick out her favorite child. I don't think it's physically possible for an author to have an immediate answer to this challenging question. Ravenswood, herself, said, "I have many [favorite characters], but one is Xena. She's the dog in the WSA series. I love her! And second is Kali from TKC. And then there are Cael and Shakti, the couple extraordinaire from TKC. Their love is life goals. I want me a Cael!"
Ravenswood has a special view when it comes to characters. She doesn't believe in side characters, which is truly a remarkable concept. "I don't believe any character is a side character," explained Ravenswood, "because if it weren't for those characters then the MC (main character) wouldn't have fulfilled that prophecy or reached their goal. That's why there are always more than one POV (point of view) in my books."
I've recently read and reviewed Riverr Ravenswood's Circle of Time, Kazi Chronicles #1. I gave it a solid five hearts, though, in reality, I would have given it six if the scale went that high. Honestly, I adored this book so much that halfway through it I already knew it would be my pick for February's book of the month.
I love, love, loved Circle of Time. It's an urban fantasy story that has everything that's ever drawn me to the genre. It has magic, prophecies, old gods, new gods, reincarnation, and more. I couldn't get enough of Ada and her friends. It was also fun reading a work based on Indian culture. There really aren't enough books about their culture, which is sad because they have some of the best stories about gods and reincarnation.
Ravenswood excellently crafted an enthralling story with characters that each had their own unique personalities. They were so well developed that if you put the book down, picked it back up, and read a random line, you could easily tell which character was speaking. I can't wait to read more of her works and I hope you'll find your way to her page and pick up one of her books as well.
To learn more about Ravenswood's books or to connect with her, you can check out her author's profile on Amazon. She also has a Goodreads profile, a Facebook author page, and a Facebook reader group.
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