Sunday 16 August 2015

PROMOTION - THE SECOND WAGER BY IAN MCCRAE

Title: The Second Wager
Author: Ian McCrae
Release Date: 3rd October 2013

BLURB from Goodreads
Sadly, many must undergo great pain in order to learn thoroughly the lessons that have the most beneficial impact on their lives, as well as the longest lasting. Rassimus Flur is no exception. A journey not wholly unique in this world, yet compelling and one that is cause for introspection. Follow him as he struggles to find the answers to true happiness, God's existence, and the meaning of real friendship. Perhaps the reader may find something of themselves in one of the characters presented, if not all of them.


PURCHASE LINKS

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

What is your name, where were you born and where do you live now?
My name is Ian McCrae, I was born in Virginia Beach, VA and I currently reside in Ellicott City MD

Did you always want to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?
I was always interested in expressing myself creatively. I wrote short stories as a child, wrote lyrics and musical compositions as a teen into my 20's, and most recently my novel

Did it take a long time to get your first book published?
From the start of writing to completion of publishing took about 16 months

Do you work another job as well as your writing work?
I owned a carpentry business in Virginia for 8 years and I now own a residential cleaning company. If memory serves, a well known author once said, "The greatest literature comes from those who do not rely on it for their daily bread", or words to that effect

What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what would you say?
The Second Wager, loosely based on my life, either the events or the emotions I felt at times

Do you have a favourite character from your books? and why are they your favourite? Phobos, to be sure. He is what I aspire to be.

Do you have anybody read your books and give you reviews before you officially release them?ie. Your partner, children, friends, reviewers you know?
My wife read my book before it was published, as well as my sister, who is an avid reader

How do you come up with the Title and Cover Designs for your book/books?Who designed the Cover of your books?
The title is a play on Blaise Pascal's "Pascal's Wager", while I designed the cover using graphic art provided by the publishing company I used 

Do you basic plot/plan for your book, before you actually begin writing it out? Or do you let the writing flow and see where it takes the story?
I knew how the book would end quite specifically, and there were bits and pieces that I had mapped out, but for the most part I let the writing take a natural, autonomous flow. When I started writing it, I imagined it being a short story, and it simply kept going

How do you market/promote your books?
At first I wasn't really concerned with marketing. It wasn't don't for monetary gain. Later though, I wanted to at least attempt to see if it could appeal to a larger group

Have you ever based characters on people you know or based events on things that have happened to you?
The characters in my book were almost entirely based on people I know. Rassimus represented me, whereas all those that played a positive role in his life and improved him as a man, Ceren, Delby, and most importantly Phobos, represented my wife

Are there any hidden messages or morals contained in your books? (Morals as in like Aesops Fables type of "The moral of this story is..")
Most of the moral implications are rather direct, I believe. People rarely see just how broken they are, and love is often times the only way to repair the damage

What is your favourite book and Why?  Have you read it more than once?
It's a tie between The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment. I've read both twice. Dostoevsky was a master at conveying the inner torment of a character, and making you feel that torment with them

What are you currently reading? Are you enjoying it? What format is it?(ebook, hardback or paperback)
 A client of mine was part of the legal team of one of the Watergate defendants. He wrote a book about the trial and I'm currently reading that. It certainly has my interest. It's in the ebook format.

Do you have a favourite genre of book?  
I'm actually a big sci-fi fan, Star Trek and Star Wars being my favorite

If you could invite three favourite writers to dinner, who would you invite and enjoy chatting with?

Dostoevsky, Gogol (just to find out the full story of Dead Souls), and John Milton

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