New Releases by Chris Raven

Ever had the desire to jump in your car and keep driving? Well, that is precisely what The Raven Brothers decided to do whilst stacking boxes of frozen oven chips in a -30 degrees freezer. With a squeaky foot pump and an SAS survival guide, the travel writing duo fired up their rusty Ford Sierra and headed east. After clocking up over 12,000 kilometres, quite literally living in the car, they miraculously arrived in the Far Eastern city of Vladivostok on the Sea of Japan. What the brothers had in fact done was to drive Russia''s new Trans-Siberian Highway, a staggering eight years before the road was completed. With only very limited skills of wilderness survival and, virtually zero knowledge of the internal combustion engine, Simon and Chris skip over ten time zones in the beat up petrol engine saloon they used for work. Driving through endless rivers and canyons in a bid to cross the notorious Zilov Gap in darkest Siberia, the trusty heroes capture the true spirit of overland travel during a life-altering journey into one of the world''s last frontiers. Along the way they rub shoulders with Chechen criminals, escape highway robbery, trade banana flavoured condoms with Russian cops, meet an eccentric cast of characters at truck stops in darkest Siberia, endure torturous road conditions and enter into a race to the finish with the Germans. Surviving the journey by the skin of their teeth, the brothers are forced to confront their worst fears in a toe-curling comedy of extreme road trip adventure. Priding themselves on going it alone, The Raven Brothers have been noted by Lonely Planet for their talent to portray an "accurate view of what to expect".

Out of shape and unprepared, The Raven Brothers return to the road in a collection of ten quests to travel to their dream destinations against all odds! After two decades pioneering new routes across the globe, you would expect the authors of ''Driving the Trans-Siberian'' to be hotshot explorers, with a sixth sense and an ability to survive in almost any situation. Think again! With virtually zero knowledge of the workings of the internal combustion engine and very limited skills of wilderness survival, Simon and Chris struggle into their hiking boots and power across three continents by river, tarmac and trail. Venture to the top of Norway, cruise the road to Damascus, hike the Camino trail into Spain''s Wild West, row the Ganges, explore Frida Kahlo''s world in Mexico City, hangout with the dead in Sicily''s eerie catacombs, crawl deep inside Bolivia''s notorious silver mine, seek lions in Gujarat, wellness in Berlin and journey into the Naga Hills where tribal kings still rule. Noted by Lonely Planet for their talent to portray an "accurate view of what to expect", ''Hike, Drive, Stayin'' Alive!'' signals a return to the duo writing "buttock clenching" travel comedy with the first in a series of candid stories of adventure by The Raven Brothers.

As the world well knows, on December the 8th of the year 1980, John Lennon was shot by a cowardly assassin. In the nearly 40 years since, so many of us continue to refuse to accept that this event had ever truly happened. This exciting new book offers its readers an alternate reality to the fate of John Lennon and The Beatles. While offering this alternate fate to the four members of the Beatles themselves, this book also brings back some other key figures that were lost to us in the turbulent period of the late 1960''s. After John Lennon is shot, his body rests in a state of coma in a hospital room in New York City. It is then that his dearly departed mother Julia visits him and offers to him the opportunity to return to the year 1968. In spirit form, Lennon returns to that time, only to find it being much more pleasant than what he remembered. In Lennon''s alternate vision of 1968, he and his bandmates are still in a state of total harmony and commitment to both the music and to each other. Be with the Beatles as they decide to play the Woodstock Festival in 1969. Be with the Beatles as they travel to Nepal to meet with their friend The Dalai Lama. Be with the Beatles as they play at the second inauguration of President Robert F. Kennedy. Be with the Beatles as they headline the all star event known as, "The Concert for Life and Freedom", that takes place in New York''s famed Central Park in 1973! This book is unlike any that you have ever read about The Beatles. Much of what is presented in this book is in harmony with what all of us have always wished for in our own personal fantasies concerning the fate of the Beatles as a band and the fate of John Lennon as an individual. Had the Beatles been just a group of guys who simply made music, we would not have cared about them as much as we still do. However, we all know the Beatles to have been voices for social change and for equality and for bringing the world together. They did make an indelible mark in their time period by expressing these principles of hope to the masses. However, what if they were shown a way to do so much more back then? More importantly, what if, in an alternate reality, the four Beatles had chosen to embrace their opportunities to do so much more? This story tells what happened when the Beatles accepted their roles as ambassadors to the world. Written in a fast paced timeline manner, this story utilizes elements of adventure, new age philosophy and science fiction in order to rewrite the tale of John Lennon and the Beatles in the way that many of us had always wanted it to be. In that manner, this book stands as a loving tribute to not only John Lennon and the world that he personally imagined, but to a world that is still yet to fully reach its full potential. It is the author''s sincere hope that this book will positively affect many souls throughout the world in a most profound way. It was written for that purpose. To some critically discerning readers, this book may come off as being overly optimistic and idealistic in its presentation. Perhaps, in this often cold and harsh world that we currently live in...what we all need now is a strong dose of idealistic optimism. When the author first conceived this book, more than 20 years ago, he wrote the last page first and awaited all the rest of the time to have the remaining parts of the story channeled into him. One thing is for certain...no reader will ever forget the last page of this book.

The Indie Collaboration presents its thirteenth anthology of short stories, freely donated by independent writing''s most ghoulish ghosts and gremlins. In this, our third annual Halloween collection, we serve up another sacrificial platter of chilling tales to keep you up at night. If you choose to read these tales of ancient evils and sinister sorcerers, of ghostly hauntings, witches, serial killers and avenging angels, then remember to keep a light on tonight and don''t forget to check under the bed.

The legends of Jason and the Argonauts, Noah''s Ark and a tribe of fierce female warriors known as the Amazons all originate from the Black Sea. Gripped by curiosity, the Raven Brothers fire up their twenty year old Volvo that looks, "as rustic and weather-beaten as a Cold War tank" and embark on a quest to drive full circle around this ancient body of water at the birthplace of civilisation. In the shadow of rising tension in Ukraine, Simon and Chris get up close and personal with the fascinating people who inhabit the six nations that surround these colourful shores. Living on the road like the nomadic horse bowmen who once ruled the steppe grasslands, they explore Crimea, the Caucasus region of southern Russia''s "Wild West", the Georgian kingdom of Colchis, Turkey''s Pontic coast, the megacity of Istanbul and complete their journey in Romania at the outfall of the mighty River Danube. A career in overland adventure travel was launched when the duo coaxed a rusty Ford Sierra across Siberia from the UK to Vladivostok. Priding themselves in going it alone, the Raven Brothers have been noted by Lonely Planet for their talent to portray an "accurate view of what to expect".

Another collection of children''s stories and poems from The Indie Collaboration. Once again we take you to far-away lands of magic and moonbeams, wishes and daydreams, cookies and ice creams. I can''t wait to go back. Can you?

In 2014, Kiss and Tales: A Romantic Collection published by The Indie Collaboration got national and international media exposure and rocketed to the top of the "free" best-seller list on Amazon and Smashwords for the Valentine''s season. The Indie Collaboration was happy to offer a diverse collection of free short stories and romantic poetry highlighting a wonderful group of authors from all over the world. This year, they''ve decided to offer a part two!

The second of my ''Amateur Vile-Horrors'' Trilogy of stage-plays, ''The Atomic Monster from Out of Space'' is musical comedy stage play based on the 1950''s genre of monster movie, it is written specifically for a large non-professional cast. William Denning, a sheriff in a small American town in the 1950s, reluctantly accepts the help of plucky female reporter, Patsy Parker while investigating a string of missing teenagers. What will they make of the mysterious swamp in an old forest, a thirty year old meteorite crash site, ominous black goo and the hideous green monster that stalks after them in the night? The Atomic Monster from Out of Space is written for a large non-professional cast and is royalty-free for non-profit making amateur productions. It has an adaptable cast of characters and a script that gives as much flexibility as possible for casting within existing drama groups.

A selection of chilling stories from some of the best Indie authors on the market. We dare you to venture into these pages of spine chilling tales and stories of dark shadows & darker tidings, shifters, ancient warriors, zombies, & demons... See the world through the Ripper''s eyes, and so much more. So many dark, foul things wait for you between these pages. Freely donated by the authors themselves, these dark passages are a great example of their various, unique styles and imaginations. Join us in Darker Places. Brought to you by The Indie Collaboration. Darker Places Authors: Donny Swords, Alan Hardy, Chris Raven, A.L. Butcher, Dani J. Caile, Adam Bigden

A thrilling anthology of short stories by some of the rising stars in independent publishing. In this collection we bring you a ship''s locker full of great Science Fiction and Fantasy. There are tales about beautiful princesses and cunning thieves, intergalactic wars, cosmic energy beings, warriors and rocketship pilots. So strap on your jet pack and grab your broadsword and come join us in exploring these ''Spectacular Tales''

Another collection of free poems and stories brought to you by The Indie Collaboration. This time we take you to a world of dreams. To far-away lands of magic and wonder, where both ducks and children have adventures and learn about the world and where heroes help their friends and elephants get lost. So pack your lunch box, grab your coat and shoes and join us in a land of make believe. I can''t wait. Can you?

A two act stage musical comedy/horror about zombies, designed for a large cast amateur dramatic company. This musical stage play is about seven survivors of a zombie apocalypse who have retreated to their local police station in the hopes of finding safety. However, once safe behind firm walls they come to realize there is more to fear inside then the hoards of ''undead'' that are waiting for them outside. Where are the real monsters? inside or out?