Riva Zmajoki a poet, a writer, a singer, a dancer, a clown, a curious, confused and chaotic mess. A designer creating world to her own liking. A philosopher and a sociology professor.
There was a story Riva Zmajoki wanted to write. She thought it was a short story so she pushed on to finish it as soon as possible not caring for finesse, just wanting to get to the next big thing, to the next chapter of her life where she’s finally useful and productive.
The short story turned out to be a gigantic thing that has no end, something it seems like can be written forever. Still, after so much effort, it seemed foolish to stop mid-track, besides Riva was known as a stubborn child. Giving up meant that she loses, that everyone was right and that she was being unreasonable for writing at all when everyone knew that there was no bread in writing.
Getting her bread from her father, then husband, then ex-husband Riva Zmajoki felt like a subjected person, someone less than, someone dependent but she encouraged herself that it was just circumstances and one day she’ll beat them.
Then there was a whole section of her life dealing with children, depression, divorce, unemployment, uncertainty, the global pandemic and the general opinion that she failed in life. Through all that, she quietly wrote getting into a greater gear rather than slowing down even abandoning her name, her language and her heritage in the process. Even her gender came to question but the decision was made not to think about it too much, it was being resolved inside of fiction anyway.
Words formed before her easily. Everything else in life was hard. Friendships failed, the marriage crumbled, parenthood made her feel like an imposter, and poverty was her constant companion.
Still, words flew out of her like a constant stream steady and comfortingly making people love, suffer and then find meaning just before death closes upon them only to start their search for love all over again.
Because that’s what after all tribulations Riva Zmajoki thinks life is. A series of unfortunate events through which we struggle to keep our good faith and optimism trying to find love among strangers who frown upon us and, against all odds, winning just before it’s time to rest in death.
Riva Zmajoki
- 1982. birth year, came in one rainy day to a father, a worker in a notebook factory, and mother, a cook, in Zagreb Croatia
- 1988. entered grade school, changed quite a few teachers, danced, made friends and fought
- 1991. war started ravaging the native village of our family making most of them refugees
- 1994. first poem written while I sat on the dock wet from the sea looking through my salty eyelashes into a small rainbow
- 1995. war ended, family returned to their homes, celebration and relief
- 1996. entered high school for Secretaries, learned how to type really fast
- 1998. first novel started on the class of typing where I should have retype a given text instead, the novel will end up being Star Vestige: Uplift
- 2002. first full draft finished, it took me a few months from start to finish, I thought it was a done deal at the time, but isn’t finished to this date
- 2005. married in a lovely ceremony in the chapel on the mountain on a sunny August day
- 2005. first story published in an esteemed Croatian publication, a story of a gay man talking to God
- 2007. graduated university as professor of philosophy and sociology earning my Master’s Degree
- 2009. first child birthed with difficulty
- 2011. first story in English started, a fan-fiction that will lead me to transcribe my writing into English
- 2013. second child birthed completing my family
- 2015. first novel in Croatian published, it was later transformed into Star Vestige: Castling for Chaos
- 2017. publishing venture on Amazon started making me start to plan my own publishing house
- 2018. divorced quickly and amicably
- 2019. first novel in English published pushing me to do more
- 2022. started singing daily, designed my logos and brand
- …
Bibliography:
- Theory of Love and Hate, Small Prints via Amazon KDP worldwide, papercover, hardback, ebook, April 2025
- Vestigial Queens: Gods Will Hear Prayers: QuBoS III, BoQuS Fiction via Amazon KDP worldwide, papercover, hardback, ebook, April 2024
- Stray Bishops: That Emerges from Below: QuBoS Road 2.2, BoQuS Fiction via Amazon KDP worldwide, papercover, hardback, ebook, April 2024
- Barred Knights: The Angel of Death: QuBoS Road 2.1, BoQuS Fiction via Amazon KDP worldwide, papercover, hardback, ebook, April 2024
- Rogue Rooks: Bones Will Remember: QuBoS Road 2.0, BoQuS Fiction via Amazon KDP worldwide, papercover, hardback, ebook, April 2024
- Vestigial Queens: While Waiting for Salvation: QuBoS Road II, BoQuS Fiction via Amazon KDP worldwide, papercover, hardback, ebook, April 2024
- Former Pawns: No Returns: QuBoS Road Two, BoQuS Fiction via Amazon KDP worldwide, papercover, hardback, ebook, April 2024
- Stray Bishops: By Disobeying Rules: QuBoS Road 1.2, BoQuS Fiction via Amazon KDP worldwide, papercover, hardback, ebook, April 2024
- Barred Knights: Through the Elder Spirit: QuBoS Road 1.1, BoQuS Fiction via Amazon KDP worldwide, papercover, hardback, ebook, April 2024
- Rogue Rooks: Ancestral Ashes: QuBoS Road 1.0, BoQuS Fiction via Amazon KDP worldwide, April 2024
- Vestigial Queens: They Will Be Uplifted: QuBoS Road I, BoQuS Fiction via Amazon KDP worldwide, April 2024
- Former Pawns: To Escape: QuBoS Road One, BoQuS Fiction via Amazon KDP worldwide, papercover, hardback, ebook, April 2024
- Protector’s Victory: Adventures of Roberto the Mighty Executor (Onlookers), BoQuS Fiction via Amazon KDp, May 2023
- Labyrinth of Death: Alyyes and Lordan Travels 2.0 (Outers), BoQus Fiction via Amazon KDP, Jan 2023
- Cartwheel of Love: A Guide through Degrees of Love, Skewed Review via Amazon KDP, Jan 2023
- Dragons Handler: The Woman Below (Schism), BoQus Fiction via Amazon KDP, Oct 2021
- Queer ABC: A Small Dictionary of Queer Culture, Skewed Review via Amazon KDP, Oct 2021
- Tsar’s Road Trip: Adventures of Roberto the Mighty Executor (Onlookers Book 1), BoQus Fiction via Amazon KDP, Sep 2021
- Ancestor’s Ashes: Alyyes and Lordan Travels 1.0 (Outers Book 1), BoQus Fiction via Amazon KDP, Sep 2021
- Where Armours Don’t Shine (Distorted Songs), BoQus Fiction via Amazon KDP, Jun 2021
- Distorted Songs: Dreams on the Bottom, BoQus Fiction via Amazon KDP, Jun 2021
- Star Vestige: Uplift, Book One, BoQus Fiction via Amazon KDP, May 2021
- Darkest Pattern: A Guest Room, BoQus Fiction via Amazon KDP, October 2020
- Star Vestige: Castling for Chaos, Book Three, BoQus Fiction via Amazon KDP, June 2020
- Star Vestige: Shattered Mirrors, Book Two, BoQus Fiction via Amazon KDP, May 2020
- Darkest Pattern: The Door, BoQus Fiction via Amazon KDP, May 2019
- Dragons Handler: A Disobedient Daughter, BoQus Fiction via Amazon KDP, March 2019
- The Sleeping Prince, BoQus Fiction via Amazon KDP, Febuary 2019
- Distorted Songs: Unleashed Spars, Book of Poetry, BoQus Fiction via Amazon KDP January 2019
- (The Underwater Dome) Podvodna kupola, Republika 11-12, 2018 (The White Rook Defends the Black Queen) Bijela kula brani crnu kraljicu, Ubiq 22, 2018
- Jars of Hearts, Collected Opinions, BoQus Fiction via Kindle Amazon KDP, July 2017
- (Shadows in the deep) Sjene u dubini, Ubiq 21, 2017
- (Centre for Energetic Transference) Centar za energetski protok, Ubiq 20, 2017
- (The Weapon Sent from God) Oružje poslano od boga, Sirius B27,
- 2016
- (A Cage in a Cage) Kavez u kavezu, Ubiq 18, 2016
- (The Comfortable Shoes) Udobne cipele, Riječi 11-12, 2016
- (The Sleeping Prince) Uspavani princ, Riva Zmajoki, Ubiq 17, 2015
- (Dandelion Parachutes) Maslačkovi padobranci, Republika 7-8, 2015 (The Blunt Knife) Tup nož, Zarez, 2015
- (The Bones Will Remember) Sjećanje u kostima, Ubiq 16, 2015 (The Passage for the Wild, a novel) Prolaz za divljač, a novel, 2015
- No Shelter In Death, Parsek No. 127, 2015
- The Bonds Of Magic, Parsek No. 125, 2014
- (The Lost Writer) Izgubljeni pisac, Ubiq 14, 2014
- (The Right Alignment) Pravilan raspored, Ubiq 13, 2013
- (From Beneath Dragon’s Shadow) Izlazak iz zmajeve sjene, Priče o zmajevima, 2013
- (The Sweater) Vesta, Tamna, tmasta tvar, 2013
- (Triana on the Stage) Triana na daskama, Riječi 4, 2009 (The Key) Ključ, Ubiq 5, 2009
- (To Lie Down Late) Lijegati kasno, Strune nemira, 2009
- (The Voice of Her Own) Vlastiti glas, Književna republika 11-12, 2008
- (The Bonds of Magic) Magični okovi, Zmajev zlatni svitak, 2008
- (The Long Voyage) Duga plovidba, Ubiq 1, 2007
- (A Smile a Day) Smiješak dnevno, Zarez 216, 2007
- (The Deer) Košuta, Poezija 1-2, 2007
- (Lasagne for a Name) Lazanje za ime, Književna republika 1-2, 2007
- (Chosen Poems) Izabrane pjesme, Sesvetski oblok, 2006
- (The Blood on the Sand) Krv i pijesak, Zagrob, 2006
- (The Closet) Ormar, Književna republika 9-12, 2005
