Vera Jane Cook

Olivia Hardy Ray is the pen name for author Vera Jane Cook, who enjoys writing in a variety of genres. As Olivia Hardy Ray, Jane is author of the dark, suspenseful scifi fantasy novels Pharaoh's Star and Annabel Horton, Lost Witch of Salem. She has numerous forthcoming titles in this genre which include Annabel Horton and the Black Witch of Pau, published this September, Fox Hollow Road and Pindar Corners.\n\nAs Vera Jane Cook, she often explores her southern roots and complex family dynamics in her women's fiction. Her novel Dancing Backward in Paradise won the Indie Excellence Award for notable new fiction when it was first released in 2007 and an Eric Hoffer Award for publishing excellence that same year. Dancing Backward in Paradise received a five-star review from ForeWord Clarion. The Story of Sassy Sweetwater, first released in 2012, was a finalist for the ForeWord Clarion Book of the Year Award. Additionally, Jane has published the southern fiction novels Where the Wildflowers Grow and Pleasant Day. Her newest women's fiction novel, Kismet, will be published this year. \n\nJane lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with her spouse, her Basenji/Chihuahua mix, Roxie, her Dachshund, Karly, her Chihuahua, Peanut, and her two pussycats, Sassy and Sweetie Pie.