Ray Star

www.raystarbooks.com

Booking enquiry

Available for

Workshop, Talk, Reading, Interview, Commission a book

Audiences

Age 7 to 11, Age 11 to 14, Age 14 to 16, Age 16 to 18+, Further Education, University, Adult

Genres

Fantasy, Fiction, Magical realism, Mythology

Book types

Fiction for young-adults

Awards

Book of the Year 2021
Outstanding Environmental Achievement 2021
Environmental Excellence 2021

Organisations

Climate Fiction Writers League

Details

RAY'S STORY

My ethos is to write stories that may inspire readers to rekindle a connection with Mother Nature and the Earthlings that live alongside us, on this pretty little planet that we are blessed to call home. An avid reader from a young age, I often dreamt of becoming an author, only to open my own business in my late teens instead.

I ran a successful PR agency until 2018 when occurrences took place that made me rethink my lifestyle choices and in 2020 I closed my business of fifteen years, to focus solely on a writing career. I've since become Editorial Assistant at V-Land UK magazine, and an award-winning author of young-adult fiction. It's my passion to write meaningful fiction that will hopefully have a lasting impact with readers.

In my spare time, I love brainstorming with students on ways to help Mother Nature thrive once more. I regularly visit local schools to find eco-initiatives we can roll our sleeves up and tackle together for the community, and thoroughly enjoy teaching 'Writing for Nature' workshops which are a firm favourite with students of all ages.

I'm available within my local community of Essex, Hertfordshire and surrounding areas within a 60-mile radius, or happy to travel further afield providing accommodation can be provided.

Options available:

*School assembly

*Discussion groups

*'Behind the book' group sessions

*Read along with Q&A session

*Writing for nature workshops (these are a firm favourite with students!)

TESTIMONIAL

"Ray came to our school on World Book Day and made the day very special. She addressed a whole year group of year 7 students, talking about her passion for the environment and her inspiration for writing ‘Earthlings.’ She also took creative writing workshops with groups of year 8 and year 9 students, helping them to craft their own stories about the environment. The results were excellent and we were very proud of what our students were able to achieve with Ray’s help.

Definitely the best World Book Day that I’ve experienced and well worth the effort to organise the day. Ray’s enthusiasm is infectious and she was a delight to welcome to the school."

- Helen Harrington, School Librarian, Robert Barclay Academy.

PRAISE FOR EARTHLINGS

"Earthlings is a coming-of-age novel set in a world turned upside-down, a magickal and absolute joy to read"

- WATERSTONES BOOKSELLER

"Earthlings is a stunning and unputdownable debut from Ray Star"

- TBHONEST.CO.UK

"A coming-of-age, hard-hitting fantasy fiction."

- VIVA!

"An Enid Blyton of the social media age"

- THE HECKINGTON POST

"Earthlings is a book with a great heart and a passion to interrogate some of the worst excesses of contemporary times through the lens of magical fantasy"

- THE FANTASY HIVE

"Earthlings grabbed me right from the start and it didn't let go, absolutely brilliant!"

- BETTY'S BOOK SHOP

Books by Ray Star

Ray is an award-winning author of Young Adult Fantasy and Climate Fiction. Ray's books are published on recyclable paper where possible, and she is planting 1 tree per book sale via Ecologi. You can find Rays trees growing happily across the globe thanks to every #Earthlings reader. Earthlings has won 3 awards since its publication in August 2021 and the sequel, Dominion, is due for release in 2022.

978-1914529122

Earthlings - The Beginning

Peridot has lived a sheltered life, never having left the comfort of her home or met another child before. Until the night of her thirteenth birthday, when a strange boy appears at her window, claiming to have escaped captivity from the mainland. Her mother insists that the ways of the world are to remain concealed until her sixteenth birthday, but she unveils why they live in hiding, the mainland isn't safe for their kind - they are born of magick. Not magic from stories and fables, but real magick from the days of old. On her quest to learn the truth, Peridot leaves the island only to finally comprehend why the truth was kept from her. Life on the mainland is unlike anything she could have fathomed possible, humanity is enslaved, and an unlikely dictator is in charge. Peridot finds herself thrown into a world she wasn't prepared for, caught amongst an ongoing battle between those trying to save humanity and the tyrants seeking to keep them enslaved, struggling to command magickal abilities she doesn't fully understand or know how to control. Peridot's abilities may be the helping hand needed to save humanity from an awful way of life, but at what cost?

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Photos and videos

Keywords

ACTIVISM ANIMAL RIGHTS BRITISH HISTORY CLIFI CLIMATE FICTION CONTEMPORARY FICTION DOMINION EARTHLINGS ENVIRONMENTALIST ESCAPISM ESSEX FAMILY FANTASY FRIENDSHIP GOD GODDESS GREAT BRITAIN GREEK MYTHOLOGY GRIEF HISTORY HOPE IDENTITY LGBTQ LOVE MAGIC MAGICK MYTHS NEW AGE OPPRESSION PAGAN RESISTANCE SLAVERY SOLAR PUNK SPIRITUALIST TEEN TEENAGE VEGAN WICCAN WITCH TRIALS WITCHES YA YA FANTASY YOUNG ADULT