In 2002, Raven Publishing produced its first two titles, Miranda and Starlight and Starlight's Courage, the first two books of the Starlight Series. The revised/second edition of Miranda and Starlight won the Notable Award, 2004, from Writer's Notes Magazine. Starlight Star Bright, and Starlight's Shooting Star came in 2003, and the fifth book, Starlight Shines for Miranda, awarded Best Book, 2004, by USA Book News in the young adult category, and the sixth book: Starlight Comes Home, first-runner-up for young adult fiction by Writer's Notes Magazine, were published in 2004. This remarkable series addresses contemporary issues that children safely relate and apply to their own situations.

In 2005, Raven published a delightful middle-grade fiction by Dan A. Peterson, Fergus: the Soccer-playing Colt. It was a finalist for the ForeWord Magazine 2006 Book of the Year Award and also was awarded first runner up for the first annual Eric Hoffer Award by Writer’s Notes Magazine. Also in 2005, Absaroka, by Joan Bochmann, a Vietnam era story of a soldier come home, received Honorable Mention for the Ippy Award (Independent Publisher's annual awards) for western fiction. An Inmate's Daughter, by Jan Walker, released in March of 2006, is a juvenile fiction about a girl whose father is in prison. It was a finalist for both the USA Booknews Best Book Award and ForeWord Magazines Book of the Year Award. In June of 2006, Danny's Dragon, a story of wartime loss (ages 10 and up) by Janet Muirhead Hill was released. It was also a finalist for awards. A Horse to Remember, by Juliana Hutchings was released in 2007.

OUR PEOPLE

President: Janet Muirhead Hill, author of the Starlight books, and Danny's Dragon, a Story of Wartime Loss, is also founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of Raven Publishing, Inc.

Janet grew up on a cattle ranch in Colorado , where her father taught her love and respect for horses. She learned to love books at a very young age as her older sister read to her. A favorite game as she grew up was to take turns with her older brother and sister to make up stories for each other. The stories nearly always involved horses.

As an adult, she has worked at many diverse occupations from oil field roustabout, custom haying and ranching to business management, nursing and childcare. She had several short stories published in various children's periodicals when first, her children, and later her grandchildren were growing up. Over a period of six or seven years, beginning when her children were in school, she delved into several courses of study including premed, nursing, human development (with emphasis on child development) public health, and English writing.

Love for children, family, and concern for current issues that directly effect human lives, inspire much of Janet's writing. She cherishes time spent with grandchildren as well as communication with young fans. Besides family activities, Janet divides her time between writing, publishing, and public appearances, including school visits and publishing and writing seminars.

Vice President: Stan Hill, who is also a building contractor constructed the corporate headquarters for Raven Publishing, Inc. in a new building on their rural Montana acreage. Stan, who began by giving behind-the-scenes support, is now taking an active role as general manager of internal affairs as well as publicity and marketing.

Secretary/Treasurer: Tayla Andrews joined the staff in April, 2003. Tayla is the youngest of Janet's four children and moved back to Montana from Texas where she resided for ten years. Besides her office duties as secretary/treasurer of the corporation, she serves as our web mistress. All while caring for her first child, Kaden Matthew, who was born December 29, 2003 .
Kaden has the job (and does it well), of making sure we keep our priorities in order. He lends joy, inspiration, and levity to our staff.

Book Editor:  Florence Ore, who works from her home to edit and advise, is a genius with an eye and an ear for narrative, dialogue, and plot. With a good understanding of Raven Publishing's goals and a feel for the style and message our audience seeks, she works closely with our authors in preparing their manuscripts for publication. Without her expert criticism and helpful advice, we could not succeed.