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Interview with Author Terry Hill
Hosted By Accredited Author Ken Donaldson

1. I have seen you, as I am sure many other readers are familiar with you from the self-publishing forums, give us a little insight into your background as a writer.

Terry R. Hill is a Texas native, was trained with two degrees in aerospace engineering. He is the author of the series “In the Days of Humans�� of which “Third Exodus�� was voted by readers as one of the top five science fiction book in Indy Author Land's "The 50 Self-Published Books Worth Reading (2013/14)".

When not writing of different worlds, alternate futures, and the human condition he has worked for NASA since 1997 with a very satisfying career as an engineer and project manager spanning programs from the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station, space suit development, to exploration mission planning.

Always looking to maximize what life has to offer, Terry has found himself performing on stage, helping to house the less fortunate, skydiving, hammering away at the Berlin Wall, wearing space suits, ice swimming in Finland in the dead of winter, bathing in the hot springs of Japan, and forging into the unknown as a parent. Life is too short to let opportunities pass us by as we only get one chance to ride.


2. Tell me what other authors do you enjoy, who inspired you or influenced you the most to become a writer?

I don’t think it’s possible to name just one. But I think each one endeared themselves to me uniquely and each taught me different things.

For example, Heinlein taught me that science fiction can be the vehicle by which you can explore new “big ideas�� and that it’s not just about aliens and laser guns.

A. C. Clark taught me to think like a futurist. S. Hawking gave me eyes on the galactic scale. V. Vinge exposed me to the world of post-dystopian futures. O. Butler placed me in the minds of alien species and their motivations. P. Anthony taught me about the humors side of the world of fantasy and J. Rosenberg let me experience that realm first hand with the grit and gore that made it real. Certainly not last is A. Rand that introduced me to objectivism that has dramatically shaped my ideas in many areas of my life.

3. What made you decide upon the genre you are currently pursuing?

Well, in many of the articles and books that you read, most all advise you to write what you know. That makes sense as you are most familiar with the subject/genre and in turn will create a more informed and better product.

Having said that, I’ve worked in the US human space community for almost two decades. I know space travel. And I know engineering and science and fiction. So naturally when I was looking for a creative outlet, I decided to write science fiction that is well founded on science reality—something which I feel has been lost in recent years with the acceptance of the world of Star Trek.

4. What is special about how you write. Do you have any set routine of method you follow?

I’m not sure there is anything special about my writing style or technique. I do the standard story pre-work: outlining, character development, research where necessary. After that I begin writing and I guess that is where I might tend to work a little differently than most. I write as I’m moved by the plot. I jump around to sections of the story that I’m inspired by at the moment. Generally, it is not sequential to the overall story arcs and sometimes not even serial to the plot line.

I don’t know why it works for me, but it does.

5. What is the future plans you see for your writing next?

I plan to finish at least the three novels (Third Exodus, Unnamed & will be released winter 2014, Book III in work) in work for my “In the Days of Humans�� science fiction series. After that I have a few stand-alone novels that are really intriguing me and are begging to be written. After that, I’ve had an offer or two to co-write some wedge novels for the “In the Days of Human�� series. And all of that should take me to the end of the decade.

6. Do you have any brief thoughts in passing you would like to share with the readers?

To the readers: The publishing industry is changing! Independent authors like myself are taking a larger and larger percentage of the market, so keep an eye out for not only mainstream (traditionally published authors), but also independents. Take a chance on the Indies!

To the writers: See above. ��

I do wish you all the best in the future. Certainly has been a real pleasure Talk with you Terry. That is where we conclude this Interview.