Nightly Owl, Fatal Raven Cover Reveal
Raw Dog Screaming Press is proud to publish the fantasy novel Nightly Owl, Fatal Raven this June. We are excited to show readers the cover and announce its availability for pre-order!
Nightly Owl, Fatal Raven, by Jessica McHugh combines speculative world-building and a deep appreciation of the works of Shakespeare. This is a Fantasy novel with a fully-realized world of brutal struggles, but it is also crafted with lyricism.
While the female protagonist who fights to change a heartless and cruel world will be familiar to readers of Dystopian fiction, the brutality and bitter battles echo the Grimdark movement in Fantasy and add an epic feel to this gritty adventure. McHugh does not shrink from portraying the ugly realties of war but there is a kernel of hope amid all the darkness. Betrayal, revenge, memory and transformation through knowledge are themes explored in the novel. Readers who enjoyed Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games and Lois McMaster Bujold’s Paldin of Souls will be particularly interested in Nightly Owl, Fatal Raven.
“I’m not sure what I imagined as I penned the first words of this novel fifteen years ago in a sub shop called ‘Bubba’s,’ but I’ll venture it was small potatoes compared to the joy and pride I feel at this moment,” said author McHugh. “Nightly Owl, Fatal Raven, more than any story in my catalog, has grown and evolved with me as writer and a human being, and I couldn’t be more ecstatic that an improved, more mature version of the story, is in Raw Dog Screaming Press’s expert hands. It’s been a long, difficult, sometimes painful journey walking alongside Shal, Raoul, and the Capesman, but it’s all been worth it to see them finally find their home.”
What is the book about?
Since the rise of The Council, an oligarchy of despots and deviants, the legendary Capesman undertakes daily soul collections from Cartesia’s wasteland cities and battlefields. He also frequents Malay Prison, where a vigilante named Shal plots her escape. Armed with a thirst for vengeance and a sharp Shakespearean tongue, Shal must navigate a maze of trauma to save Cartesia and protect her sister from the brutal machinations of Chancellor Doa.
It will require all of Shal’s strength and cunning to resurrect her former army, battle the betrayals of the past, and avenge her father’s death. Will she survive long enough to see the Council fall, or is the Capesman coming for her next?
Jessica McHugh, Biography –
Jessica McHugh is a novelist and internationally produced playwright running amok in the fields of horror, sci-fi, young adult, and wherever else her peculiar mind leads. She’s had twenty-two books published in ten years, including her bizarro romp, The Green Kangaroos, her Post Mortem Press bestseller, Rabbits in the Garden, and her YA series, “The Darla Decker Diaries.” More information on her published and forthcoming fiction can be found at JessicaMcHughBooks.com.
Praise for Jessica McHugh
“McHugh steadily ratchets up the tension with one question leading to yet another until all is revealed and you find yourself saying ‘Ahhh…’” —Alternative-Read
“I have yet to read a book by this author that hasn’t left me going ‘Whoa’ at the end.”—Novel Addiction
“…an authentic and original writing voice.” —I <3 Reading
“Jessica McHugh seems intent on giving Oates, King, Cartland and Roberts a run for their abundant money.” —Want2Dish
About Raw Dog Screaming Press
2018 marks RDSP’s 15th year publishing “fiction that foams at the mouth.” With releases that combine and cross genres including horror, literary, science-fiction, experimental, and bizarro RDSP continues to bring you the best that fringe fiction has to offer. Their imprints include Dog Star Books which focuses on science fiction adventure, Guide Dog Books for cultural studies and criticism, Anti-Oedipus Press for avant garde works, and Imaginary Books for young readers.
