Happy Tuesday to you all. Today I have the pleasure of sharing an interview featuring Australian author, Ian Acheson. Since the names IAN and JAN are so similar, I will highlight IAN’s name in RED.
Hello, Ian. Thanks for joining us today. Let’s begin with a simple question: How long have you been writing and how did you come to it?
IAN: I wrote as a kid but didn’t take it up again until about 15 years ago. I had taken a sabbatical from Corporate life and my wife encouraged me to write that book I’d been talking about writing for the past ten years. So I did.
There had been a series of “God-moments” that had encouraged me to step away from the Corporate world for a season to see if I had a story in me.
JAN: What’s your preferred genre?
IAN: Speculative fiction with a sub-genre of supernatural fiction. My novels explore the thin veil that exists between the natural and supernatural worlds. No, there are not any weird creatures, simply angels and demons from a very traditional Biblical perspective that Frank Peretti brought to life in his “Darkness” series of the late 80s, early 90s.
JAN: Interesting approach. Tell me, why do you write?
IAN: To answer questions the Lord has put on my heart. So with Angelguard, the first in the series of the Angelguard Chronicles, I simply explored the question of how our prayer life can impact heaven. And in the sequel, Wrestling with Shadows (not yet published), I explored how the light and dark exist side-by-side in our lives.
JAN: How and where do you write? Are you a plotter or a pantser?
IAN: I’m definitely a pantser. I’ve tried being a plotter using a few different methods but my characters keep insisting they’ll tell the story and not me.
For Angelguard I was very diligent. Having read Stephen King’s book On Writing, my key takeaway was he wrote 2,000 words a day. So I adopted the same strategy. Incredibly, I generally managed to stick to that discipline when writing the first draft. However, I’ve found since those early days it’s been significantly harder to write so prolifically.
JAN: Yes, there’s this thing called life that interrupts our best laid plans. Where do you get your ideas? What inspires you?
IAN: Ideas come from being widely read and keeping up to date with what’s going on in the world. Angelguard is a very global series with scenes in many different countries.
As I mentioned previously, I’m inspired by seeking with God to answer a question. It’s so mind-blowing having the Creator of the universe sitting alongside helping me to explore a question while writing a story.
JAN: That is mind-blowing. It’s something we need to remember as we work. How do you research and how do you know you can trust your sources?
IAN: I mostly use desk research, ie, the internet. But I will use publications like TIME and the like to give me certain insights. I typically will seek multiple sources on a topic so it serves as a form of self-validation.
JAN: What do you like most / least about writing?
IAN: Once again, I enjoy the experience of writing with Jesus. I also love research. I’m a Learner by nature so I am always seeking to learn things. I love hanging out with my characters and discovering more about them through the writing process.
I struggle with the “craft” side of things. The really basic stuff of making sure I use the correct sentence structure, showing not telling, etc.
JAN: We all have our stronger and weaker areas. What are some of the best methods you’ve found for promoting your work?
IAN: I’m not very good at this but the best promotion is, firstly, writing a great story. Secondly, having a tribe of readers that love your story and share it with others. Thirdly, allowing the Lord to guide your efforts. We need to remember He’s the best marketer ever.
JAN: What are your favorite / most effective social media?
IAN: My favourite is Twitter because it feeds my Learner trait and now that it’s 280 characters, yippee! I suspect Instagram is pretty effective at present and definitely one needs to explore both Amazon and Facebook ads.
JAN: How do you balance professional time with personal time?
IAN: This is challenging for everyone. Having a schedule is important, blocking out work vs writing vs personal time.
JAN: What are you currently reading? Do you prefer digital or print?
IAN: I read multiple books simultaneously. I’m presently finishing When Angels Cry by MaryLu Tyndall, which a supernatural-based story. It’s a lot of fun. Then I’m reading a bunch of Christian-living type books by AW Tozer and Heidi Baker, plus I’m teaching myself Lectio Divina Bible reading using Jan Johnson’s excellent “Meeting God in Scripture.”
I will always prefer reading print books but digital are so affordable that when you read as many books as I do you simply must buy ebooks to save money.
JAN: What are some of your favorite things? What makes you unique?
IAN: Like most Aussies, I love sport. These days it’s more about following it rather than playing. Liverpool Football Club have been a passion of mine for over 40 years and continue to bring me great joy and frustration in equal measure. I’m now a grandfather (of Moses) which adds a whole new dimension to life.
I love the theatre and movies, eating out with my wonderful wife, and I actively participate in a couple of ministries at church.
What makes me unique? Well, God has made us all unique. It’s really our entire makeup that brings about the uniqueness not just individual facets.
JAN: Well said, Ian. What keeps you going in your writing career?
IAN: Two things: the Lord keeps challenging me with questions and my characters keep taking me on new adventures.
JAN: How is your faith reflected in your writing?
IAN: Prayer is central to my stories, but most of my non-Christian readers say they skipped those sections. Ha.
JAN: What are some things you learned from your own writing?
IAN: The latest story is always the hardest one to write. Fortunately, some writer friends, one of whom has sold millions of copies of his books, confirm this is the same for them.
Nothing happens if you don’t show up to the keyboard. Don’t wait for inspiration. Something magical happens when you start writing.
Always leave some crumbs from today’s writing to start the next day as it helps motivate you to start writing next day.
JAN: Great writing advice. What is your ultimate writing goal?
IAN: To keep sharing the stories my characters bring to me to write.
JAN: Advice for beginning writer?
IAN: All of the above plus 2 other tidbits:
- read a lot and write a lot
- just because you have a story on your heart doesn’t mean anyone (outside of family and friends) should read it. Having judged many writing competitions, I’ve discovered some stories (especially memoir-style ones) need to be written but don’t need to be read by a wide audience. Why? Because the process of writing the story is where the fruit is to be found.
JAN: Interesting observations. Thank you, Ian, for taking the time to visit with me and my readers today. All the best as you continue with your Angelguard series and other writing.
Ian’s Bio
Ian Acheson is an author and strategy consultant based in Sydney, Australia. Ian’s first novel of speculative fiction, Angelguard was recognised with the 2014 Selah Award for Speculative Fiction. You can find more about Angelguard at Ian’s website, on his author Facebook page and Twitter