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Terry R. Hill

Goodreads Author

Born

Texarkana, Texas, The United States

Website

http://terryrhill.net

Genre

Science Fiction, Philosophy

Member Since

August 2012

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Terry R. Hill, a Texas native, was trained with two degrees in aerospace engineering. He has worked for NASA since 1997 with a very satisfying career as an engineer and project manager spanning programs from the international space station's navigation software, to next generation space suit design, to exploration mission planning, to mitigating the health effects of space on astronauts. While supporting the manned space program has been a lifetime passion, writing of different worlds, alternate futures and the human condition has filled his spare time. ...more

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Did you pursue traditional publishing first, or was self-publishing always the plan?

Terry R. Hill Good question David. The short answer is that I decided, almost from the very beginning, to go the self-publishing route.

And as the late Paul Harvey …moreGood question David. The short answer is that I decided, almost from the very beginning, to go the self-publishing route.

And as the late Paul Harvey always said, “… and now, for the rest of the story.”

I don’t know how “typical” I am in my approach to writing, and subsequently publishing, but I’ll walk you through my decisions. The decision to start writing in a concerted way – I dare not say “seriously” so as not to imply writing in any form might not be serious – was a deeply personal one for me. I won’t go into the gory details, but I needed some litmus test of my writing abilities within a relatively short period of time, to see if I could produce stories that would be enjoyed by many.

The publishing landscape had changed – for both the benefit and detriment of writers – but now there was an affordable entry point for those wanting to self-publish. But for me to justify spending the required effort and time away from my family to produce a novel(s), I needed fairly quick feedback upon completing my first novel. It was no secret that a new writer like myself would have some challenges attracting the attention of an agent and much more difficulty attracting the attention of a publishing house in these days and times where they are not wanting to risk the time and money on an unproven author who isn’t writing what is extremely popular at the moment.

Even under good conditions, it could take anywhere from 6 to 12 months to secure an agent with the experience and connections to the larger publishing houses and then a year plus afterwards to start getting bites from the publishers. Or if one chose to submit one’s work straight to the publishing houses it could take as much as 18 months just to get a rejection letter. And given that the microscopic signing fees and that many publishers still require you to do a lot of your own marketing, I decided that I would forge out into the river on my own. I needed a quicker read of my abilities. I couldn’t ask my wife to give me a year to write the book and then two or more years to sell the book to then wait to see if anyone would by it. At which point I, and to some extent the family, would have invested three to four years to get any indication as to if I might have a long-term future in writing.

So self-publishing I went. Straight into the deep end, but with the guidance of some close friends who watched out for me and pointed me in the right direction. I did receive the feedback that I needed to know that writing would have a future in my life. I grew as a writer and in under a year I was able to recoup the costs of the professional editing and cover art services used for the first novel, “In the Days of Humans: Third Exodus”.

It has been a learning experience and I continue to grow as a writer each and every day. Plus the numbers of very successful Indy writers is growing as well. This is not a sprint for me. This is a long-term career. And in the mean time, I will enjoy writing more stories and interacting with the readers who I am able to touch.
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How do you deal with writer’s block?

Terry R. Hill Writer’s block, oh writer’s block … what can I say? Well, there is actually quite a lot to say on the topic as it turns out.

I wrote a piece once titl…moreWriter’s block, oh writer’s block … what can I say? Well, there is actually quite a lot to say on the topic as it turns out.

I wrote a piece once titled “Amadeus, Brains, Butterflies, and Spaceships ...” that talks to the psychological and anatomical connections between the mind, brain and the effects of music on the human system. Research has shown that music stimulates the very oldest part of the brain (from and evolutionary perspective), the part of the brain that operates in abstraction and generally at the subconscious level. Therefore, when we relax and let our mind wander (sometimes when listening to music), it is no accident that some of the most creative ideas bubble up to the surface.

So how do I deal with writer’s block? Well, I relax and listen to some music. Or take a drive. Or sometimes both! Some of the most creative time I have each day is during my daily commute to and from work. Who would have imagined that driving in traffic would be a relaxing experience?! But it is, and has been quite a useful tool for me over the years.

That’s more of the touchy-feely side of writer’s block and the creative process. Being a writer – one that actually produces work on a regular basis – you can’t wait to be inspired, or sit around for hours burning gas in traffic wearing out your CDs. Sometimes you have to plow new ground one painstaking inch at a time. That is when I rely on the outlining process.

By breaking down the story into large chunks and then gradually adding details, breaking it into smaller pieces, it can help you methodically think through where you want the story to go and how you want to get there. I generally find that once you break it down to the scene level, that your creative processes reengage and you can get back to writing. And of course, doing it while listening to music is advised, whereas while driving is not.
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Combine Editions
Terry R. Hill’s books

Average rating: 4.37 · 325 ratings · 59 reviews · 16 distinct works

	The Doomsday Chronicles by Crystal Watanabe (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Samuel Peralta (Goodreads Author) (Foreword), Ken Liu (Goodreads Author) 4.24 avg rating — 177 ratings — published 2016	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	In the Days of Humans: Third Exodus 4.28 avg rating — 39 ratings — published 2013 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Chronicle Worlds: Half Way Home by Samuel Peralta (Goodreads Author), Hugh Howey (Goodreads Author), Ellen Campbell 4.40 avg rating — 30 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Evolutions (In the Days of Humans #3) 4.50 avg rating — 16 ratings — published 2016 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	In the Days of Humans: New Dawn 4.77 avg rating — 13 ratings — published 2014 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: Omnibus No. 6 by Daniel Arthur Smith (Goodreads Author), Eamon Ambrose (Goodreads Author), Jessica West (Goodreads Author) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 7 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Joseph of Bethlehem: The Untold Story 4.83 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 2017 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Between Time 4.17 avg rating — 6 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Two Months with Harvey it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Exploration Space Suit Architecture and Destination Environmental-Based Technology Development 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Terry R. Hill's Blog

Xenophobia by Peter Cawdron – Book Review

Whenever aliens unexpectedly visit Earth, it’s inevitably reminiscent of Independence Day or The Day the Earth Stood Still; us versus them, and only one will live to see tomorrow. Mr. Cawdron breaks from this tired trope and takes Xenophobia and our first encounter with aliens in an entirely different and fresh direction.

For the first time in my reading experience, the story of humanity’s first en

Series by Terry R. Hill

In the Days of Humans (3 books)
by

Terry R. Hill (Goodreads Author)

4.43 avg rating — 68 ratings

Terry’s Friend Comments

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message 1: by Terry

Jan 04, 2015 08:20AM

Good morning everyone! New Dawn is now listed on here, so any rating or reviews you could leave for the community would be most welcome and appreciated.

Happy New Year!
Terry

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