Interview with Seth Ring, author of Terra Nova: Titan

What can you tell us about your new release Terra Nova: Titan?

Nova Terra: Titan is both a deeply personal story and a fun romp through a futuristic fantasy setting. Most of us can relate to the feeling of being an outsider, forced to look in on at a world that seems content to operate without us. The main character of this book explores that idea, doing his best to find his proper place in the world. Despite the serious, underlying theme, this book is meant to entertain and uplift, presenting a hopeful, vibrant world just waiting to be explored.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

Growing up I read books by the shelf-full. Many of my memories of my childhood are tied to what I was reading at the time. My love of reading eventually turned into a love of telling stories to others and writing has been a natural progression of that trend. A few years ago I started writing short stories as a creative outlet and somehow those short stories morphed into close to full-length novels. It wasn’t until I mentioned to my wife that I had a 100,000-word story written and she encouraged me to put it out for other people to read that I ever really considered myself being an author.

What’s on your top 5 list for the best books you’ve ever read?

This is a tough question. I’ve read many great books over the years but I can certainly point to a few that stick out as having impacted me deeply. In no particular order, they are The Walking Drum by Louis L’amour, These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer, Foundation by Isaac Asimov, Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, and A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs. These books and their authors gave me countless hours of joy as a child, not to mention shaping the way I see the world and the way that I write.

Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?

Sadly, most of my favorite authors are no longer living, but I would love to sit down with any of the modern giants of fiction to talk to them about how they craft characters. I believe strongly that if your characters are real enough, the story will write itself and would love to learn how they go about giving their characters life.

What’s your favorite thing about writing?

My favorite thing about writing is getting to explore a new world. Often, the specific details of the worlds I write about don’t exist until they land on the page, which allows me to explore as I go. As I write, I find that the world becomes clearer and more reflective of reality. Even when what I am writing is obvious fantasy, there is always an element of truth in it.

What is a typical day like for you?

Typically, I get up at 5 am and try to write for about an hour before I leave for work. The rest of my day looks fairly typical, with work, family time, and maybe an hour of relaxing before I go to bed at 10 pm. On the weekends I get up between 5 and 6 am and try to get two to three hours of writing in. While my days vary, I try as much as possible to maintain my morning schedule.

What scene in Terra Nova: Titan was your favorite to write?

There is a scene where the main character, Thorn, encounters his first real enemy in the virtual reality world. That scene was really fun for me to write because I got to explore the fact that the game feels like the real world, even though it isn’t. I really enjoyed the interaction between Thorn and his opponent as they test each other out.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

If I had to pick a writing philosophy, it would be twofold. First, there is no need for perfection. If what I am writing brings me joy, then it is worth writing. Second, progress comes through practice. There are few forces more powerful than consistency, and this is especially true as we try to master skills.

Seth Ring is the author of the new book Terra Nova: Titan

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