Author Ian Acheson answers five questions about
Angelguard (Lion Hudson): When three horrific bomb blasts devastate areas of London, Los Angeles, and Sydney, one man finds himself thrown into a war in which angelic guards have a special mission for him…
Q: Angelguard weaves an
international tale about spiritual and physical warfare. Where did you
find inspiration for this novel?
We live
in a world where so much evil occurs. It fascinates me that the Bible talks a
lot about spiritual warfare but we as a Christian community tend not to. In writing Angelguard I hoped to highlight
this battle.
All my
life I’ve loved stories of good and evil–Super heroes, to Tolkien, CS Lewis,
Ted Dekker and on. Frank Peretti’s “Darkness” books had a big impact on me 20 or so years ago when they
came out. Since I was a kid, I’d always
visualized angels and demons in the common way I think most people do, that is,
human-like with wings. Other than Lewis’ work, the “Darkness” novels were the
first Christian novels I’d read that provided a visual picture of this
spiritual battle.
Q: What sort of research did you conduct while writing Angelguard?
A lot. The novel races around the globe so even though I’ve been
fortunate to have travelled to a number of the locations, I needed to learn
more from desk research. Weapons, angels and demons, spiritual warfare, all
required research.
I love the research aspect of writing fiction. It’s very easy for me
to lose myself in it so I have to set myself specific time limitations
otherwise I’d never write anything.
Q: How difficult was it to characterize the spirits that your
main character, Jack Haines, encounters? How did you write them in such a
way that readers would find them believable, yet transcendent of our world?
I find this the most challenging and exciting aspect of writing
fiction: creating multi-layered characters, human and supernatural.
I was fortunate to have the services of two wonderful editors, both
of whom taught me how to write and self-edit. In the 10 years it took to
produce Angelguard, there’s been a lot of editing and re-writing.
I still have so much to learn, as the reader will notice when they
read Angelguard.
Q: Where do you get your best ideas?
I think most authors are great observers. Having my moleskin ever
handy is vital as I go about my day. I read a lot and many varied sources so
this is always good fodder for ideas. I also came to appreciate the
significance of listening for God’s gentle nudge. He’s the best executive
editor.
Q: Can you give us a hint about the next installment in the
Angelguard Trilogy?
Absolutely. The series is “The Chronicles of the Angelguard”
and book 2 is titled Wrestling with Shadows. In this novel I
explore the battleground for where spiritual warfare is conducted: the human
heart. Some of the key human and supernatural characters will return. But it
will introduce a few new ones including a particularly well-connected couple
who have revenge on their minds.