Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been writing for maybe 40 years now, but until recently all my publications were non fiction. I’ve written technical journals, training manuals, magazine articles, but I keep returning to my love of story crafting.
I have five novels, two novellas, and a prequel published. All are what I call ‘scientific fiction’, an adherence to facts wherever possible, which I hope readers find interesting.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My newest work is the novel Timeless: Tomorrow is Yesterday. It’s the last in a series that have followed 20 years in the lives of people and aliens surrounding the main character, Captain Thomas Jackson, a seasoned space veteran with integrity, an aversion to blood, and an addiction to over-sweetened coffee.
In Timeless, Jackson finds himself facing a court martial, but winds up in 14th Century France during the Black Plague, quite by accident! He has to walk through fire to get home, but now that he’s stepped in the River of Time, nothing will be the same again.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Around the turn of this century, I resisted switching from a typewriter to a word processor. The main reason was the sound, and the pressure under my fingertips that communicated how I was working. Once I discovered the genuine power of a word processor, primarily the editing ability, the typewriter went to the boneyard.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I like American classics, such as Mark Twain, John Steinbeck, Michael Crichton, Jack London, but mostly Isaac Asimov, a prolific science and science fiction author, and founder of the periodical Asimov.
What are you working on now?
I’m putting together the five novels as a set, but also adding more content, such as maps, illustrations, and links to subjects I’ve written about. More novellas will be forthcoming, and I’ll put those into a series set also.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m exclusive with Amazon because so many of my readers are in the Kindle Unlimited program. I try to get the word out there, but I also tell my Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Fan Mail subscribers when something is on the horizon.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just start writing. Don’t worry about formatting, grammar, punctuation in the beginning. First, get the story written down. You should have the end in mind, then start from the middle, where the story will take it’s biggest turn from this to that.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write every day. Even if it’s 5 minutes or 5 hours. If you’re on a roll, keep going. If it’s not going well, at least you gave it the effort.
What are you reading now?
Congo, by Michael Crichton
I Am Spock, by Leonard Nimoy
What’s next for you as a writer?
A new series, and possibly collaborating with other sci fi authors.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I’d bring my book “The Self Sufficient Life and How to Live It”, “Black Beauty”, “Huck Finn”, and “Beowulf”. I’ve never been able to get into that last one, and I think it would be a good diversion.
Author Websites and Profiles
H. S. Rivney Website
H. S. Rivney Amazon Profile