![\"Demiurge](\"https:\/\/tomwolosz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Demiurge-Final-Ebook-2-e1407158905537.jpg\")
<\/a>Blood of the Innocent<\/em>, published by Bookkus Publishing.\u00a0 Just for full disclosure, I\u2019ve know Mike for a few years, since meeting him on Book Country, the writer\u2019s web site.\u00a0 We\u2019ve posted comments, along with many others, helping each other with our writing.\u00a0 I can truly say that I take pride in just being able to say I helped Mike a small bit because his finished product is such a great read.<\/p>\nThat being said, I interviewed Mike by e-mail over the space of a few weeks in the hope of coming up with something more spontaneous than the standard \u2018here\u2019s a bunch of questions \u2013 answer them\u2019 format.\u00a0 You can tell me if it worked.\u00a0 Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did conducting the interview.<\/p>\n
First, I asked Mike to send a brief bio to get things started:<\/p>\n
[[Biography<\/strong> – Having lived in Temecula, CA, and Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he was born in 1970, Michael R. Hagan now resides with his\u00a0family of four in the idyllic town of Dromore, Co. Down, a short distance from its impressive Norman Mound…and a shorter distance from\u00a0the home of the town\u2019s famed home-made ice-cream.<\/p>\n Prior to writing DEMIURGE: Blood of the Innocent<\/em>, his first novel, Michael worked in a number of different sectors varying from a stint in the Territorials, within FMCG, supplying construction equipment, property development and selling Ferraris. Hagan explains, \u201cThe common thread is, they all involved meeting interesting people. I love to hear real stories from real people; what makes someone laugh, maddens them\u2026 What journey has brought them to be who they are today. If you see me on the street, say hello\u2026share a story. If we\u2019re near a good coffee house, all the better.\u201d<\/p>\n Possessing a long-suppressed passion for literature and\u00a0fascination with history; he now reflects on how more beautifully romantic than\u00a0the life of a hungry business person, is the concept of a starving artist.]]<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now folks, here\u2019s my interview with Mike:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n DocTom<\/strong>:\u00a0 Welcome, Mike. Let me start by saying the detail in your opening note about the Demiurge Myth, coupled with the rich historical detail that pops up throughout the book leads to an obvious first question.\u00a0 Are you a trained theologian, archaeologist, or historian?<\/p>\n Mike Hagan<\/strong>: Yes. All of the above!<\/p>\n \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026..Um. \u00a0Well, actually no. This is the beauty of the modern age and must be the envy of authors and researchers from years gone by.<\/p>\n A great example is what was initially page 1 (My two main protagonists vied for the top spot for some time before Hassom won that battle.) The opening scene was to be McKenzie opening the flap on his tent to\u00a0be met with\u00a0the dawn view from his archaeological site in the Zagros Mountains North of Hamedan. Then I realized I had no idea what time dawn was North of Hamedan in the Zagros range\u2026or the temperature, terrain, vegetation. Of course, this was to be dependant on the month and altitude.<\/p>\n BRING ON THE INTERNET\u2026 It\u2019s not just for sharing pictures of cats and arguing with strangers: Who knew?<\/p>\n Each and every one of us now has knowledge and resources at our fingertips infinitely more extensive than were we\u00a0present in the ancient Library of Alexandria or any centre of learning constructed since.<\/p>\n Frankly with the wealth of history\u00a0from the empires utilized as backdrop\u00a0for\u00a0\u2018Demiurge;\u2019 without the web, I\u2019d still be doing the research, and never yet have put ink to page.<\/p>\n DocTom<\/strong>:\u00a0 Wow!\u00a0 Well, you sure had me fooled.\u00a0 But if all this came after the fact from the internet, how’d you come up with the initial concept of Demiurge?<\/p>\n Mike<\/strong> Hagan<\/strong>: Oh, sorry. Don\u2019t get me wrong\u2026 I love history; always have. I\u2019m obsessed with the\u00a0\u2018Sliding Doors\u2019 or\u00a0\u2018Butterfly Effect\u2019\u00a0type of\u00a0pivotal points where the entire future of a civilization\u00a0(our past) has been redirected by one, quite possibly unremarkable seeming, decision, accident or action. The flesh and blood of\u00a0accurate detail\u00a0required extensive research, but I had a very clear skeleton of the story I wanted to tell from the outset.<\/p>\n The reason I was so fascinated with the concept of The Demiurge, was that it not only was a consistent belief in a multitude of religions and myths, but (and this is where it gets complicated)\u00a0the very\u00a0inconsistencies and contradicting viewpoints\u00a0regarding the perception of the Demiurge\u00a0were in themselves consistent throughout\u00a0the varying faiths and legends. This is rare, and seductive\u2026creatively speaking.<\/p>\n DocTom<\/strong>: So you started with an idea from a basic interest in history and ran with it.<\/p>\n As insight for potential writers out there, despite having a love of history, how much time did you need to spend in research once you decided to write Demiurge<\/em>?\u00a0 I only ask because I’ve read a lot of manuscripts where authors take short cuts and simply try to make up history, etc., as they\u00a0go along, the result usually reading like a grade C- movie script.<\/p>\n Mike Hagan<\/strong>:\u00a0 For fear of one day lying on my deathbed, wondering what I did with my life, I didn\u2019t keep track of the hours\u2026months spent researching details for the book. I had a basic knowledge of many prophecies made and actions taken to prevent (or in many cases accidentally bringing about) their fruition, but there are often differing interpretations of the initial prophecies and I\u2019d to tread a careful path which allowed for each possibility to be dealt with by ensuing events.<\/p>\n The devil (or Demiurge) truly is in the detail.<\/p>\n But hey, now\u00a0I know you can do so, I\u2019ll\u00a0definitely settle for\u00a0a grade C- movie script in the next book and take every single one of these short-cuts: Sounds like a much easier, faster and\u00a0more painless\u00a0way to write.<\/p>\n DocTom<\/strong>: Well, Mike, if you want to see what Demiurge might have looked like as a C-, I’d suggest you watch The Mole People<\/em>, a John Agar movie from the 50’s.<\/p>\n I also wanted to ask you about the story background in Great Britain.\u00a0 I know you were in process of writing the book a few years ago, but the politics involved look like they came from a recent news feed. Have you got a crystal ball?<\/p>\n Mike Hagan<\/strong>: \u2018The Mole People.\u2019 Got it\u2026 I love terrible movies with friends,\u00a0so I\u2019ll watch this on your recommendation.<\/p>\n Regarding the politics\u2026 A lucky guess, might better describe it.<\/p>\n Everything has a knock on affect. When writing the book, the Middle East was in turmoil, China was making aggressive financial inroads into Africa, and both China and India were knocking on America\u2019s door regarding which economy would be the largest in the decades to follow. Mass immigration and an escalation of worldwide xenophobia were respectively likely to follow suit. Of course, the book takes the\u00a0next step: a resurgence of imperialism,\u00a0with countries suspiciously wary of each other\u2019s intent and the\u00a0coveting of empires\u2026 A tinderbox ripe for manipulation.<\/p>\n There\u2019s time yet!<\/p>\n DocTom<\/strong>: I’ll give you a warning about The Mole People<\/em>.\u00a0 It starts off with a ‘Professor’ talking about the inner structure of the Earth.\u00a0 He’s identified as a Professor of English! I guess the Geology Department was closed that day.<\/p>\n But what about all the flooding, etc., going on?\u00a0 That’s not really happening in England, is it?<\/p>\n Mike Hagan<\/strong>: \u2018The Mole People.\u2019 You\u2019re only whetting my appetite more!<\/p>\n In recent years flooding\u00a0has become\u00a0a growing\u00a0problem in the UK, particularly England. With\u00a0the climate\u00a0warming,\u00a0pole ice melting and sea levels rising,\u00a0island nations are likely to get their entire afternoon ruined\u2026regularly.<\/p>\n Already swaths of the west coast\u00a0of England are at the mercy of failing and unsustainably expensive flood defenses. No crystal ball needed here to see this as a problem which will only intensify in coming years.<\/p>\n Again, history can tell a tale. Across the world are ancient cities, lying abandoned, miles from\u00a0the coast\u00a0which nurtured them in their glory thousands of years ago. Climate changes are cyclic, and it\u2019s not such a stretch to imagine coasts returning in the future to former positions. There are copies of copies\u00a0of ancient maps (in fairness their authenticity heatedly contested) showing the polar coasts accurately, presently hidden under kilometres of ice. Over 300,000,000 individuals live within\u00a060 miles\u00a0of existing coastlines\u2026\u00a0A\u00a0tiny fraction of this is\u00a0potential migration and lost resources\u00a0enough to cause conflict around the globe like we have never seen. OK, maybe I\u2019m getting a tad carried away\u2026but what if not?<\/p>\n Maybe Karma will have the last laugh, and the poorest areas of earth, presently arid and barren will become prime real estate when coasts move inland\u00a0and unfrozen water becomes so\u00a0abundant as to be\u00a0a burden to areas presently blessed with the right amount today.<\/p>\n Sorry, what was the question again.<\/p>\n DocTom<\/strong>:\u00a0 I think you answered it.\u00a0 I didn’t realize things were that bad in the British Isles.\u00a0 We do have the same potential here though.\u00a0 When dear ol’ W was President one of his staff argued the climate change wasn’t a big deal because all it meant was climate zones shifting north.\u00a0 So if the center of the US became a desert, the ‘bread basket’ of wheat and corn production would just have moved north.\u00a0 I always ask my class if they think the guy realized that “north’ is a different country? Just let the tanks roll!<\/p>\n I must admit though, I did love the way you tied all this together in Demiurge.<\/p>\n Let’s move on to your characters.\u00a0 In general –\u00a0we’ll discuss individuals in a bit – how did you go about creating them?\u00a0 Are they modeled after people you know?<\/p>\n Mike Hagan<\/strong>:\u00a0 No one character is modeled on any\u00a0individual person, but certainly,\u00a0traits the protagonists possess will be ones I have encountered in\u00a0life.\u00a0Hassom, particularly is an outwardly confident and super competent individual; racked with self-doubt. I think this is exceptionally common, but seldom visited in fiction\u2026certainly for male characters, oddly enough.<\/p>\n I\u2019m very reluctant to provide any spoilers, but in many instances throughout the book, those actually getting things done and contributing the most, are often the\u00a0\u2018wallflowers\u2019 rather than those who may be perceived as the leaders or more charismatic characters. It may even be frustrating to\u00a0some astute or empathic readers (I do hope so) that credit is seldom directly given where due in the book\u2026as indeed in life.<\/p>\n DocTom<\/strong>: Talking about your characters, I must admit I found them all well done, but my favorite was D. I. Hassom, I found him to be the most compelling character in the book.\u00a0 You describe him as “…outwardly confident and super competent individual; racked with self-doubt.”\u00a0 Can you explain that a bit more?\u00a0 Elaborate on his back story?<\/p>\n Mike Hagan<\/strong>:\u00a0 Why does James Bond never step in dog poo? (Rhetorical) Hassom is neither hero, nor anti-hero. To me he\u2019s a decent and flawed\u00a0person (like most of us,)\u00a0drawn into extraordinary circumstances. He makes mistakes\u2026 He\u2019s human.<\/p>\n Immersed in some violent situations early in the story,\u00a0his history of (almost always) controlled\u00a0aggression (and depression) is strongly implied, to\u00a0set reader expectations\u00a0this would be useful in dealing with the challenges set him. I can\u2019t\u00a0divulge too much about what transpires, in the name of avoiding spoilers, but suffice to say he finds himself in circumstances where many of his aptitudes are redundant.<\/p>\n He\u2019s both calculated and intuitive (though the prefix for\u00a0\u2018Demiurge\u2019 blurs the line between the two,) and often his opinions and thoughts are deeply conflicted (Isn\u2019t there just a little schizophrenia in all of us? If you doubt it, just try quitting any addiction, or\u00a0dealing with guilt from\u00a0having chosen\u00a0the lesser of two evils in an important aspect of life.)\u2026 In this way, he shares some of the traits of the\u00a0\u2018psychopaths\u2019 he is pitted against.<\/p>\n I like to think of him as someone who would have been instinctively optimistic and trusting, but for what life has thrown his way.<\/p>\n DocTom<\/strong>: Neat, but it is difficult to get much into discussing characters without giving too much away.\u00a0 So tell me about the most important character for Demiurge<\/em> \u2013 the author.\u00a0 You.\u00a0 Did you really sell Lamborginis? (Ah\u2026 you wouldn\u2019t happen to have a couple of display models hanging around that you could part with??)\u00a0 How do you go from that to writing?<\/p>\n Mike Hagan<\/strong>:\u00a0 Haha, yes, I sold Ferraris, Bentleys, Rolls Royce\u00a0and Maserati\u2026 for my sins; along with many less exotic sounding\u00a0lines, like greeting cards, naughty novelties, quarry equipment, engineering plant, fruit and veg, industrial chemicals,\u00a0and football memorabilia\u2026 Lord, I feel\u00a0ancient now\u2026 I can even use the old joke about being in lady\u2019s tights for some time.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve always loved the escapism of getting lost in other\u2019s great books and stories, and\u00a0went about\u00a0writing my own at several stages of my life,\u00a0though never\u00a0totally committing to the task. When I lost my shirt\u00a0in property development, escapism seemed even more attractive than ever, and that\u2019s when I chose to lose myself in mine. This time round, the characters truly assumed\u00a0lives of their own, and, once started, it\u00a0simply never\u00a0was an\u00a0option not to journey with them to the end.<\/p>\n As an individual I am very trusting of people, yet very mistrusting on almost every form of government (obviously made of people,) and this certainly influenced aspects of Demiurge. I believe uncompromisingly in personal freedom, with the sole\u00a0caveat that those personal freedoms do not infringe on the personal freedoms of others. There are so many evils perpetrated by governments openly that it is difficult to imagine how to rectify the problems with the worst; but an example of where even the best systems fail their populace is the situation in the U.S.<\/p>\n In this free society, it is so openly accepted that almost everyone has smoked pot at some point in their lives, that if asked the question,\u00a0\u2018Have you ever smoked pot?\u2019 any answer other than\u00a0\u2018yes\u2019 is assumed to be a lie. This is true at every level of society, from the ground, right up to senators and presidents.<\/p>\n At the same time,\u00a0tens of thousands of individuals (usually the less wealthy) are\u00a0imprisoned EVERY YEAR, ruining lives and destroying future prospects, simply for smoking pot\u2026 And the largest lobbyists for not\u00a0correcting the law which results in this are\u2026the very private corporations who own the prison system, making billions of dollars from the incarceration of the unfortunate individuals who are caught doing what the majority of citizens have also done\u2026 Smoked pot.<\/p>\n Now, personally, I don\u2019t give a damn about pot; this is simply one topic to use to show\u00a0the point\u2026 In a world where even the most open and fair system of government available tolerates and perpetuates such blatant injustice; what else might the ruling classes be capable of, when\u00a0it comes to manipulating, bullying or suppressing\u00a0individual freedoms\u2026destroying lives on such a scale\u00a0should it\u00a0suit their agendas?<\/p>\n Demiurge offers one\u00a0fictional scenario in answer; but genuinely, as may be the case here, sometimes fact genuinely can be stranger than fiction.<\/p>\n DocTom<\/strong>: Go on, tell me more about Mike Hagan.<\/p>\n Mike Hagan<\/strong>: In general life, the more inappropriate a statement might be, the more likely I am to make it. If the humor of a situation occurs to me, I can think of little else until it’s been given voice and this is a terrible trait to have in business…or indeed at funerals. In writing, there’s much more time for a self-screening process, so this was always going to appeal to me.<\/p>\n I’ve always been fascinated by ‘What ifs.’ Sometimes the entire course of history has been changed by the smallest of decisions…the butterfly effect in action, and I’m compelled to explore this theme in my writing.<\/p>\n I left school at an embarrassingly early age and have been working ever since. I really had no time or right to write a novel. The plot just came to me, all intricacies and twists following on uninvited, clawing at my brain and refusing to let go until put to paper. My ability to do the story justice had to follow on. Between first draft and finished product there was screaming, blood, sweat, tears, a return to schooling, screaming, critiques, reviews, mentoring, revising, did I mention screaming? You have the idea.<\/p>\n I have one of those addictive or obsessive personalities you hear about. I had no choice but to write DEMIURGE: Blood of the Innocent<\/em>. Once the characters got into my head, they wouldn\u2019t let me sleep until I\u2019d committed their story to paper. I firmly believe the alternative would have been being committed myself\u2026 Now they\u2019re at rest and I\u2019m hooked on a good dozen cups of coffee a day.<\/p>\n DocTom<\/strong>: So where do you go from here, Mike?\u00a0 Is there another adventure in the works for Hassom, McKenzie, et al?\u00a0 Or are you off in a different direction?<\/p>\n Mike Hagan<\/strong>: No doubt, McKenzie, Hannah and the gang will embark on an epic journey and bully me into recording it again at some point, but my next book is unrelated:<\/p>\n Hell, Overseers, Demons raging\u00a0and an awakening to the fact,\u00a0the souls of man may not be as important to our counterparts as we have been led to believe. Don\u2019t hold your breath, though. You can have it fast or you can have it good.<\/p>\n DocTom<\/strong>: Sounds fascinating, Mike.\u00a0 I hope it’s not too long a wait (then again, better a long wait than “The Mole People”! ).<\/p>\n So any concluding thoughts?\u00a0 Things you’d like to add?<\/p>\n Mike Hagan<\/strong>: Only to express my undying thanks to all who have picked up\u00a0Demiurge and\u00a0given it a crack of the whip, and especially to those who have given of their time to leave reviews. Anyone who wants to chat is always welcome on my facebook page\u2026 But not tonight; I\u2019ll be busy streaming\u00a0\u2018The Mole People.\u2019 I bet, really,\u00a0it\u2019s wonderful!<\/p>\n Thanks for having me, Tom.<\/p>\n DocTom<\/strong>: Thank you, Mike, and best wishes for lots of success with DEMIURGE<\/em>.<\/p>\n To the readers \u2013 if you have any questions for Mike you can post them here and I\u2019ll pass them along, or you can go directly to his facebook page at Michael R. Hagan<\/a>, or you can join That\u2019s Novel<\/a>, a facebook page he started for those who love to read.<\/p>\n Also, you can read the first three chapters of Mike\u2019s book here<\/a>, and my review of DEMIURGE here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The book is available through Amazon<\/a>, Bookkus Publishing<\/a> and Barnes and Noble<\/a>.\u00a0 Enjoy!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hello All, Welcome to my interview with Michael R. Hagan, author of the paranormal thriller DEMIURGE, Blood of the Innocent, published by Bookkus Publishing.\u00a0 Just for full disclosure, I\u2019ve know Mike for a few years, since meeting him on Book Country, the writer\u2019s web site.\u00a0 We\u2019ve posted comments, along with many others, helping each other…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":259,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[53,54,28,1,29],"tags":[45,24,10,7,47,8,44,42,12],"class_list":{"0":"entry","1":"post","2":"publish","3":"author-photophoosk100","4":"post-469","6":"format-standard","7":"category-author-interview","8":"category-hagan-demiurge","9":"category-on-writing","10":"category-uncategorized","11":"category-writing-your-book","12":"post_tag-demiurge","13":"post_tag-discussion","14":"post_tag-fun-writing","15":"post_tag-getting-published","16":"post_tag-michael-r-hagan","17":"post_tag-novel","18":"post_tag-paranormal-thriller","19":"post_tag-rules-for-writing","20":"post_tag-writing-inspiration"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomwolosz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomwolosz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomwolosz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomwolosz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/259"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomwolosz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=469"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/tomwolosz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":476,"href":"https:\/\/tomwolosz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469\/revisions\/476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomwolosz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomwolosz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomwolosz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a><\/p>\n