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18 July 2013

Getting to know you Thursday with Ian Acheson with giveaway.


Please join me in welcoming Ian Acheson to my blog today. Ian is an Aussie who has a suspense 
book out at present. He is also happy to give one commenter a chance to win his book.
He is a fellow cricket fan.




1.    Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Jenny, I’m Sydney born and bred and share life with Fiona, my wife. We have two sons, Dan (20) and Jake (17). I work as a strategy consultant having been in the corporate world for 25+ years. I started writing in earnest 10 years when I sat down to draft Angelguard.

2.

When you were a child did you have a favourite book or books?

The Wind in the Willows has always been a favourite.

3.Do you have a favourite Genre to both read and right write?

I mostly read thrillers and suspense novels. And guess what, that’s also what I write.

4.    Did you have favourite authors growing up who have influenced you?



I read a lot of the classics when I was young so authors like Dickens, Austen, Hardy, Shelley, and Lawrence filled my bookshelves. I didn’t read a lot of Christian fiction until I was about 30. That’s when I was introduced to Frank Peretti and Jerry Jenkins, both of whom I still read frequently.

5.    When did you know you wanted to be an author?



I wrote stories as a kid, however, stopped at the end of university when work took over. For years I believed I had a novel in me and in 2003 had an opportunity to see if I had. As I wrote the first draft, I realised how much I enjoyed the process.

6.    How did you go about becoming an author?

I read Stephen King’s “On Writing” who said you need to see if there’s a story in you first, so sit down and write. So that’s what I did. Seven months later, the first draft of Angelguard was complete. All 707 pages of it. Yes, I thought everything that spilled out of my mind was important.

I then found an editor who taught me how to write as we edited and re-wrote the draft. That was the first of three or four major re-writes.

7.    If you were not a writer what would you like to be?

As writing is only a part-time occupation for me, my preference would be that it would be full time. I’d love to be a professional resort hotel reviewer. What fun that would be, travelling the world, staying in flash hotels and writing a review. (Jenny here I would love to be a profession cricket follower going to matches and reporting on them.)



8.    Outside reading and writing what do you like to do?

Like most Aussie men, I’m a passionate sports follower. I particularly love soccer and cricket. As a kid I spent a lot of time studying sports scores so I’m always looking at statistics.

As I write this I’ve got one eye on the Ashes test, unfortunately we Aussies are doing terribly, but there’s always the second innings. (Jenny here again as I put this up I am watching the second test from Lords, I am a fellow Cricket fan)

I enjoy the theatre and we’re avid movie watchers.



9.    Do you have a place you love to visit or would love to visit?

Paris holds a special place in Fiona and my hearts, as it was where we spent our honeymoon. We’d like to take a sabbatical in a few years to live in France for a period of time. I’ve always wanted to live overseas so I could immerse myself in another culture.

10.  If you could have a meal with 3 living people who would you choose and why?



That’s hard. Funny, it’s an easier question to answer if it’s dead people. There are many different combinations I can think of but here’s goes:

Mike Dellosso and Erin Healy, two suspense authors I greatly admire and know virtually, so it would be neat to sit down over a meal together. Amy Grant would be the fourth as I love this lady’s heart and hopefully she’d be happy to lead a sing along after dessert.

11.  Finally can you tell us about your current books and/or any that willbe coming out soon. Also where we can find you on the web.

Angelguard reveals the timeless supernatural war that continues unabated and it’s intersection with our physical world. In bringing the warring angels and demons to the forefront of a rollicking tale that crosses the globe, I wanted to highlight the ferocity of this conflict. The physical story focuses on three survivors of separate acts of terrorism that occur within weeks of each other. 

Angelguard is the first in a series called The Chronicles of the Angelguard. I’m presently working on the second: Wrestling with Shadows. This novel will explore the battleground for where spiritual warfare is conducted: the human heart. Choosing the truth of God’s words rather than Satan’s taunting lies is the only means of attaining true freedom.

You can keep in touch with Ian at:

Twitter: @achesonian

Giveaway:
If you would like a chance to win this book either leave a comment on the interview or a question for Ian or tell us what your favourite sport is. The give away is open to everyone but entries just saying good interview please enter me will not be entered. 
The giveaway is open til Thursday 25 at 6pm Australian time.

12 comments:

Narelle said...

Jenny & Ian, great post! Professional hotel resort reviewer or cricket follower sounds fun. Btw, we are doing well in the cricket at the moment, fingers crossed. Please don't enter me in the drawing - I bought Ian's book a few weeks ago & I'm looking forward to reading it :)

Ellie W said...

Another great interview, Ian! Just wondering... in Angelguard the story is set over several parts of the world. Of these, how many have you visited personally? And if none, which would you like to visit first?

Catherine Hudson said...

I have a soft spot for Paris and France too, Ian.
I have to say it is funny how many of us writers pour so much onto the page and think its all important! The journey of editing is a long one but the book is always stronger in the end.
Congratulations on AngelGuard - it looks fascinating.

Amanda Deed said...

Great interview Jenny & Ian. I've already read Angelguard, so don't enter me. Good read! I also wondered as I read, Ian, whether you'd been to any of those places in your book. Now I see you've been to France. :)

Ian A said...

Jenny - thanks for having me on your blog. It's great to meet a fellow cricket lover. I probably should have said another occupation I'd love to have is cricket statistician.

Thanks Narelle for buying Angelguard, hope you enjoy it.

Hi Ellie and Amanda, I've been to a number of the places in the novel including Insead at Fontainebleu. But not all especially the parts of Scotland nor Berlin. Amazing what one can do on google these days. I'd like to visit Brussels one day if I get the chance.

Thanks Catherine for your comment. Oh yes, I'm very fond of editors.

KayM said...

Your first draft was 707 pages. How many pages are in the final draft? Angelguard sounds very intriguing and I am looking forward to reading it.
may_dayzee (at) yahoo (dot) com

Ian A said...

Kay - 384 pages in the published version. Thanks for popping by.

Mary Hawkins said...

i just made a comment on Facebook about hating to be on the team that had to decide what to include, minimise or not include on the current Bible series on TV. Compared it to writers having to keep their books smaller than we'd often like to. Congratulations for cutting out all those pages! Makes me shudder to think of doing it. I enjoyed the first couple of Perretti books, would like to read yours too. All the very best with it!

Paula Vince said...

Thanks for the interesting interview, Jenny and Ian. I agree, I can't think of many more appealing jobs than a luxury hotel reviewer.
I'm always glad to read about the inspiration and work of Aussie authors.

Ian A said...

Thanks Mary and Paula. I appreciate the encouragement.

Dale said...

Interesting post. I always like to learn more about other Aussie authors.
My favourite sport is AFL - Watching it not playing it.

Ian A said...

Hi Dale - I enjoy AFL too. I'm particularly enjoying this season as Hawthorn, my team, are doing very well.

Thanks for popping by.

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