It’s kind of a monumental day here at Tag(g)lines…we have our first international guest! Author Ian Acheson comes to us from down under…i.e. Australia! How exciting is that? The only thing that would make today’s post better would be if I had a video of all Ian’s answers so we could hear his accent. 🙂
Ian is the author of Angelguard, a Frank Peretti-esque story of spiritual warfare and intense action. It’s the first in a trilogy and has been endorsed by the likes of Mike Dellosso, Ronie Kendig and Dineen Miller…so you KNOW it’s gonna be good!
AND you’ve got a chance to win an autographed copy today. Woohoo! Just leave a comment below to enter. You’ve got until next Tuesday at 5 p.m. CST.
Thanks a bunch for being here today, Ian. I’m sure my readers would like to know a little about you before we start discussing your new novel, Angelguard.
Melissa, I’ve lived in Sydney, Australia for all of my almost 50 years. I’m happily married to a wonderful lady, Fiona, and we have two young men as sons: Dan is 20 and Jake 17. I’ve worked in the Corporate world for the past 25 or so years and am now a strategy consultant.
I know this is silly, but any mention of Australia always makes me want to watch the movie Man from Snowy River. LOL! But tell me, what leads a strategy consultant to write novels?
I’ve been entranced by stories since I was very little boy after my eldest sister shared her version of the “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” to my two brothers and I. She was so good at it I genuinely believed there was some trapdoor at the back of her wardrobe to some wonderful new place.
I’ve been an avid reader all of my life and wrote my stories as a kid. Not a lot happened for 20 or so years and then eleven years ago I had one of those “God-moments” where He relit a fire in my heart to start writing again. So that was the start of my long journey to writing Angelguard. I share more about this journey on my blog over at ianacheson.com.
Wow, 11 years is a long time to persist with the one story. How’d you keep going for so long?
Two things have really kept me going. The many “readers” from various publishing houses who reviewed the early drafts were always very encouraging. “It’s good, but…” Perhaps in my naïve way I took that to mean the story had legs.
Even though I put the story away for four or five years, I still believed one day these characters I’d created would see the light of day. I’m generally an optimist, so that also helped me. Through a series of events, it was clear God wanted me to pick this story up. I’m not a believer in coincidences. The series of “God-moments” that I outline in a series of posts on my blog nudged me to work on it again. The key for me was that God highlighted Angelguard was His story and He had invited me to write it. Which is kinda cool, especially knowing we have the Creator of the universe as our Executive Editor.
Two things I love about that story: How God urged you back to your story after some time away, but also how you listened and obeyed. Very cool. So tell us a little about Angelguard.
Angelguardreveals the timeless supernatural war that continues unabated and how it interconnects 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.
Um, that sounds a-ma-zing. What messages do you hope people will take away from Angelguard?
Two key messages. Firstly, there is a spiritual battle going on around us. The Bible talks a lot about it but we often choose to pay it lip service. The second message is the power of prayer. Prayer moves heaven and if we don’t pray, things may not happen. I believe God wants to use us to help Him do His work. Prayer and obedience are keys to fulfilling our role.
Angelguard, published by Lion Fiction of the UK (distributed by Kregel Publications in USA and Canada), is now available at the major online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBooks.com. Ian would love it if you asked your local retailer to stock it. 🙂
Check out the exciting trailer for Angelguard that Ian’s son, Dan and his friend, produced.
You can keep in touch with Ian at:
Website: http://ianacheson.com/
Twitter: @achesonian
Readers, don’t forget to leave a comment to get your name in the drawing for a signed copy of Angelguard. And also answer this very easy question: Which place in Australia would you like to visit and why?
Comments 40
I am a huge fan of supernatural stories that are Peretti-esque! I so wanna win!
I think it would be fun to do a walkabout, but I need the guarantee that Crocodile Dundee is in the shadows. 🙂 But seriously, my cousin married a woman from there and they moved back about a year ago. I’m due for a visit. They live in Narara.
Ooh, you have good reason to visit Australia, Jess. I say you go for it. 🙂
I’ve got to agree with Melissa, Jessica, you’ve got no excuse. Your cousin lives about 90 minutes from where I live.
I’m not sure if you’d meet Croc Dundee whilst going walkabout, but I’m sure you could hire yourself a jackeroo who could probably fulfil a similar role.
FIrst – totally want to read this. Peretti’s This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness are still two of my favorite books and I read them forever ago, so billing this book as similar to those totally snagged me! I also LOVED when you said “this is God’s story and he invited me to write it” SO TRUE!
Anyway…Australia. I’d love to actually explore the land there. I’ve seen it in so many movies, I think it’d be fun to actually see it in real life.
It’s been years since I’ve read those books of Peretti’s but I remember being captivated! I’m probably due for a reread…but not before I’ve had the chance to read Ian’s book. I’m excited for it!
I love all Peretti’s novels, but those 2 hold a dear place in my heart.
I too would like to explore more of the outback too, Susan. I’m a city dweller and haven’t ventured too far inland.
Hi Melissa –
I popped over here from Jessica Nelson’s blog. Thanks for commenting. I’ve joined your site.
Please enter me in the drawing. I enjoy Christian Speculative Fiction, and this sounds like a great story.
Blessings,
Susan 🙂
Thanks so much for joining the site, Susan, and for stopping by! You’re definitely entered into the drawing. Spec-fic is so much fun, isn’t it?
Hi Susan, great you popped over. You’ll enjoy staying a while checking out all Melissa’s great posts.
Wow – this sounds like an amazing story! Melissa, I’m always excited to hop over to your blog on Wednesdays and check out your guests.
Where would I like to go in Australia? Anywhere! I’d love to see a live kangaroo. 🙂
Me too, Gabe! When I read your comment, I tried to remember if I’ve even ever seen a kangaroo in a zoo. Not sure I have!
I agree with you Gabrielle re: Melissa’s Welcome Mat Wednesday, I’ve just recently become a fan since she had Jim Rubart over.
And you wouldn’t have to travel far to see a kangaroo, Gabrielle.
Gabrielle ~ I live in a suburb of Melbourne – the second largest city in Oz and I have wild kangaroos living 10 minutes from my house they you can go and see anytime 🙂
What a cool cover! I think the premise sounds great too. Thanks for the great interview and kudos on the hard work you put into your story!
I would love to just get to Australia. 🙂
The cover is awesome, isn’t it?!
Thanks Jessica. And we’d love to have you come to Australia. But yes, it is a long way away. But well worth it.
I like meeting new authors! It’s really amazing to think about a ferocious battle of spiritual warfare going on as we move about our days. God is so much bigger than we can see. I meet my friend Diane through my blog, she lives in Australia. I would for sure go visit her 🙂
I know, spiritual warfare is one of those things I don’t think much about in my every day life, and yet…stuff is happening all around us.
Hi Lisa, I like meeting readers who like meeting new authors. Ha! Pretty cool to have a friendship across the Pacific. One of the points I find interesting about spiritual warfare is when Jesus, Paul and co discuss it in the NT, they’re addressing Christians. And I agree with Melissa that we don’t tend to think or talk much about it.
Nice to meet you, Ian! I agree with Melissa that your book sounds awesome and the cover kinda gives me chills. The good kind.
Um, I’ve always wanted to go to Australia ever since doing a report on it in fourth grade. LOL. So…anywhere would be great!
Haha, if you’ve wanted to go that long, Linz, then you should go sometime. Did you get an “A” on your report? 🙂
Hi Lindsay, I love the fact that you did a report (like Stacy below) on Australia. As Melissa says, come on down. We’ll love to have you come visit.
This book will definitely be on my TBR list. Frank Perretti’s books were two of the first books I read when I became a Christian. I also loved the book trailer.
Hmm, Australia has been on our family’s list of places to travel because my husband and kids are scuba divers and its one of the best places to dive.
Blessings!
The book trailer was so cool!!
Thanks Alena. Dan, my son, who did the trailer, has just taken up scuba diving. He was only telling me the other day he got up close and personal with some very big fish, whose name escapes me.
Sounds like a GREAT book! I think I’d like to attend a performance at the Sydney Opera House. That building is so beautiful and iconic, and I bet the acoustics are amazing!
Can you imagine being the architect of that building…having your design, your building be so, like you said, iconic?
Melissa, the Opera House is one of our real treasures. I love the theatre so often attend performances there. It’s very special at interval because you walk outside and lo & behold you’re starring at the Sydney Harbour Bridge, another treasure.
I did a report on Australia in grade school! 🙂 So many places and animals I’d love to see there.
Me too, Stacy. I like that both you and Lindsay did reports on Australia. 🙂
Stacy – and I’m sure your report topped the class! 🙂
I’ve been in love with Australia since the Thorn Birds! And I’d love to read Angelguard. This Present Darkness is one of my favorite books. Thanks for introducing us to Ian, Melissa!
Wait, what’s the Thorn Birds??
Melissa, the Thorn Birds is one of Australia’s most loved novels, made into a TV series and such. The TV Series was quite famous in the US, I believe, in the early 80s.
It’s set in the Australian Outback during over the course of 50 years from the 1920s to the 70s.
Patricia, thanks for reminding me of this classic.
Melissa, thanks so much for having me along on “Welcome Mat Wednesday”. Hey next time let’s have a chat on video. Ha! That would be a lot of fun.
Oh, you pronounced my name perfectly. Well done, it’s rare for people to get it right first time.
Ian
Yay, I’m glad I pronounced it correctly! I know you’d given me the pronunciation, but I was worried that I’d still get it wrong. Once I called an author by the wrong first name all the way through her intro video. Yup, felt silly about that one. 🙂
Thank YOU so much for being here today, Ian. I can’t tell you how excited I am to read your book. It looks fabulous! Ooh, a video chat would be fun. Maybe when the second book in your trilogy comes out…? 🙂
How neat that C.S. Lewis had an influence on your story-telling, Ian. Even when it was through your sister’s version. 🙂 Those novels are positively EPIC in a way nothing else is.
Thanks for this introduction, Melissa – there are just TOO many new author’s and books to keep up with. Excited the closer we get to your book’s release. 🙂
Thanks Rissi. It is so hard to keep up with all the great books that come out. I sometimes wish I was a speed reader but I enjoy the reading experience so much I don’t want to miss anything.
So, waiting for someone to say they want to come to the best Australian city…Melbourne! Right, Ian? ;-D Fabulous to see my friend and fellow Aussie, Ian here, Melissa!
BTW Angelguard is a winner!
Hey Rel, fancy meeting you on Melissa’s site.
Huh, Melbourne – great city. Everyone who visits Oz should check out Melbourne.