Welcome to the Website of Author

Vera Jane Cook & Olivia Hardy Ray

Inspired By History

I have been in love with literature for so long, in love with writers that bring music and mood to the written word. That is what gave birth to Olivia, I’m sure. It is just something about the Victorian Age that mesmerized me with all that atmosphere – fog and mist, tophats and hints of the supernatural.

My own southern history inspired me to write southern fiction but always being a Yankee at heart. My old country houses under Birch and Willow trees were the inspiration for my women’s fiction. The theater, of course, inspired my novel, Faith Among Friends and At the End of a Whisper, which will be published soon. I think we find what inspires us in life and then we absorb it, internalize it and are held captive by it forever.

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Award Winning

Southern Fiction Novels

I am an award-winning hybrid author of southern and women’s Fiction The first novel I ever wrote, Dancing Backward In Paradise, won an Eric Hoffer Award for publishing excellence and an Indie Excellence Award for notable new fiction, 2007. The Story of Sassy Sweetwater and Dancing Backward in Paradise received 5 Star ForeWord Clarion Reviews and The Story of Sassy Sweetwater was named a finalist for the ForeWord Book of the Year Awards. I have published in ESL Magazine, Christopher Street Magazine and I have also written early childhood curriculum for Weekly Reader and McGraw Hill.
Eric Hoffer
Award
5 Star Foreword
Clarion Reviews
Finalist for the Foreword
Book of the Year Award

View all Books by

Vera Jane Cook & Olivia Hardy Ray

All Olivia Hardy Ray Vera Jane Cook
Vera Jane Cook
Olivia Hardy Ray

Reviews

Gripping storyline! From the first chapter I was captured and didn't want to put it down. This book kept me involved and waiting for more.
RenieThe Fourniers: When Hannah Played Ragtime - Amazon
The story is full of sizzle, glitz, danger and a little love and romance mixed in. I would recommend this book.
Shirley
ShirleyThe Fourniers: Glamour Girl - Amazon
Two crimes and one true friendship. I have enjoyed reading this flawless, well written, well reviewed and totally human story. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a realistic story, starring very well built characters.
Hessen
HessenPleasant Day - Amazon
Fantastic Book! I absolutely cannot recall when I read a book that I enjoyed (loved) as much as I did "Dancing Backward in Paradise," written by Vera Jane Cook. Starting with that wonderfully apt title, I became so totally involved in this story that takes place in a tailor park called "Paradise," l was so totally fascinated with the characters who lived in the town of "Holy Horrible Hixon," that I couldn't tear myself away from that crazy, mysterious, wonderful trailer park world. This book is filled with delightful characters, charm, warmth, love and last, but certainly not least, wonderful humor.
A Uslander
A UslanderDancing Backward in Paradise - Amazon
Another hit out of the park by Vera Jane Cook! This book could only be called delightful. Every character is so well drawn that you can almost see them. I enjoyed every minute of reading it. I look forward to reading the next book by this talented author.
C Fryar
C FryarThe Story of Sassy Sweetwater - Amazon
For those who love bold, experimental genre hybrid pieces! Annabel Horton and the Black Witch of Pau is the second book in a series by Olivia Hardy Ray. The book is a piece of paranormal historical fiction that does an excellent job of blending the two genres. Olivia Hardy Ray takes us back in time thanks to her beautiful descriptions and her excellent attention to detail. The characters in the book are all excellent characters to spend time with and before you know it you are drawn into the thrilling battle of good vs evil which is the lynchpin of the narrative. The book doesn’t paint things so simply though and Olivia Hardy Ray manages to be a narrative that is both complex and highly enjoyable.
S R Wilson
S R WilsonAnnabel Horton and the Black Witch of Pau - Amazon
Brilliant! A hauntingly beautiful and well-written tale of the Lost Witch of Salem. I was mesmerized by the intriguing detail and uniqueness of this book. I've never read anything like it. The characters are so well defined and blend beautifully through time. The author weaves such intricacies throughout each time period and ties everything together in a jaw-dropping conclusion. I hope for a sequel. I highly recommend this five-star book.
Angie
AngieAnnabel Horton, Lost Witch of Salem
Pharaoh’s Star is a well written book with a great story line. Its wonderful mix of suspense and action will keep the reader on their toes throughout. And if you like to read suspense filled books with an ending you cannot predict, then this is the perfect book for you.
Pharaoh's Star - Amazon
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Blog

Book Reviews, film and television reviews, food and wine and general musings from within……

It’s Coming, Spring Maybe

It’s change, I think. Something deep in my conscious is flirting with me, telling me to hold on. When I feel an uncomfortable dark cloud hovering above my head, when other people’s opinions are bringing me to my knees and when I want to scream ‘shut up’ something stirs. It’s sort

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April 3, 2021

Beyond Turbulence

There is something so compelling about a turbulent sky. I don’t wish to avoid it or pray for its absence. It instills in me a powerful sense of being alive. It promises a brighter future, it teases me with its secrets. Turbulence is as old as time and as young as

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January 9, 2021

Elegance Gone

I was channel surfing the other day, which is something I find myself doing a lot, especially now during this awful pandemic.  I found a real gem on television called “Always at the Carlyle”.  Written and directed by Mathew Miele.  I was charmed and enchanted by this documentary of days gone

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November 28, 2020
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The Darlings

The Darlings are drowning in illusions within the serenity and tranquility of a small southern town. Secrets shatter the everyday world of Deborah Darling as the truth evades her.