Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
Hi. My name is R. Peter Ubtrent. I live in New Mexico with my wife and three dogs (Filamooz, Thunder, and Sushi). I have a BS in Astrophysics, a BA in History and Sec. Education, an MA in Military History, and a PhD in Military History. I repair watches and clocks as my main job, having my own company I run. I have been writing since high school and enjoy gardening, hiking, seeing new places, and reading.
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing your book “An Auroral Flame”?
I think the biggest challenge I faced was that the main character is a female, starting out as an infant and growing through her teen years and as a male, I really didn’t know all that much about such things. That was where my wife came in very handy.
Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
Tolkien and Eddings I would have to say. I love Tolkien’s style.
Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
I have two of them, one on the East coast and the other on the West Coast. I love Yosemite National Park and I really like New England in Autumn. Yosemite is just such a showcase of nature and the hiking and fishing in the area are wonderful. New England has that whole different vibe to it that is laid-back and easy and carefree and I love the ocean in that area and the small communities along the coast.
Q5. What inspired you to write the book ‘An Auroral Flame’?
I actually had to write up a short history on my character in a Roleplaying campaign I was in and her early years in the Monastery came all from that. Then I realized that I had the makings of a book in all that and there it was.
Q6. How long did it take you to write your book ‘An Auroral Flame’?
Not that long. The dang thing kind of wrote itself really so I would have to say that the first draft was done in about two months and then another month for two read-throughs to get rid of errors.
Q7. On what platforms can readers buy your books?
Smashwords.com if you want an E-book. Lulu.com and Amazon if you want a physical book.
Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘An Auroral Flame’?
I’m not really sure where the title came from except for the fact that her name is Aurora. It just kind of came to me and I thought, hey that’s not bad. As for the cover art, I looked around for copyright free images and that one just struck a cord with me. At the moment, however, I have a really good artist who is remaking all the covers for this series for me.
Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
I don’t use an outline. I have a general idea in mind with respect to what direction I want everything to go but when I sit down to the right, I usually have no clue how the chapter is going to really end. I let the characters write the story and I find that’s the best way to make sure that it stays true to them all and to where I want it all to go. I figure that if it surprises me, then it will most likely surprise the reader also.
Q10. What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?
Keep writing. Try to write every day even if you don’t feel like it. Just write on your story and it will sort itself out in the end. You might be surprised with what you put on paper….
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