feature author Fed on a rich diet of sci-fi and fantasy from an early age, author R.F. Hurteau harbors a deep appreciation for both of these genres, whether it’s the written word or. Fueled by copious amounts of coffee and the desire to write approachable fiction with rich, relatable characters, she released her debut novel, Antiquity’s Gate: Sanctuary in November of 2017. The next book in the series, Antiquity’s Gate: Memoirs of the Forgotten, is slated for release in late spring. R.F. lives and writes in New England with her husband and five children. Before pursuing a full time writing career, she did freelance work writing copy and articles for websites, blogs, and emagazines.
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Uncaged welcomes R.F. Hurteau! Uncaged: How much planning and research did it take for Antiquity’s Gate: Sanctuary? To me this seemed like a large undertaking – how long did it take to write? Is this your debut novel? The characters of Antiquity’s Gate have lived in my head for a lot longer than the story itself. What began as a short story—a fast-paced, wild ride exploring a tiny moment in time—quickly outgrew that framework when I realized that there was so much more I wanted to tell. After that, a lot of time went into mapping out the different arcs to make certain that they would flow seamlessly through the whole series. I wanted my readers to be surprised—not me! Because of the setting and events of Antiquity’s Gate, I had to do a lot of research on aspects of geography, history, and scientific areas in which my knowledge was somewhat lacking. I didn’t want to risk ruining a wonderful story with a shoddy backdrop! But when I sat down to write, my main goal was to create a science fiction novel that was approachable for everyone. I wanted fans of any genre to find within its pages characters that were relatable, rich, and worth investing in. I hope that I’ve succeeded in that. Although I have written stories in the past, this is the first novel I have written as a full-time author. The initial draft only took two months to complete, but we all know that that’s only the beginning! From start to finish, the process of rewriting, editing, and going back and forth with beta readers took just as long…okay, longer… than just getting the idea down on paper to begin with.