Tuesday 8 December 2015

The Second Coming by Grant Leishman

I am an expatriate New Zealander, residing in the beautiful islands of The Philippines, with my wife and two step-daughters.

After careers in finance and journalism, I have finally found my true passion in life - writing and I am now "living the dream" as a full-time author.

About the Book


God looks down on Earth and is disgusted with what he sees his creation has become. He decides that humanity is a failed experiment, and he orders Earth and all of humanity destroyed. He will start again from scratch. Jesus, however, intervenes and requests one more opportunity to turn mankind around. He is given one year to see if he can make a significant difference. 

If you are a fan of the "Left Behind" series, this is your type of book. Asking the big; What If? question and following it through with a story interwoven with Christian symbolism. 

"The Second Coming" begins with Jesus (JC to his friends) in an induced coma in a Manila hospital after having been hit by a bus, losing his memory in the process. The book follows the exploits of Jesus and his "disciples" as they seek to firstly recover his memory and then embarking on a mission of saving humanity from the brink. 

There is interwoven into the story a romance between Jesus (Jose Christian Castillo or JC for short) and his number one "Disciple" Maria Lyn Manyanan (Ma for short). 

The sequel to The Second Coming; Rise of the AntiChrist will be published in December 2015.

Get it today on Amazon, Google Play and iBooks!



Check out this interview with Grant:


Why did you decide to be a writer?


I told my Mum when I was eight years old that I wanted to write books, when I grew up; books that would excite people, like I was excited by the books I read. She smiled sweetly, as all mothers do and told me I could be anything I wanted. 

It just took me 45 more years to grow up. When I moved to The Philippines, I had to find something to do - I was too young to retire, so I rediscovered my boyhood promise and hopefully made my late mother smile down on me from heaven and say; "I knew you would make it". 

Simply put - writing is my bliss and it's what makes me happy and fulfilled.

What genres do you write?


I like to try and answer the what if? questions. 

My books tend to transcend genres and ask and hopefully answer moral and ethical dilemmas. If you were to try to categorise me, I would say the following genres: Romance, Action/Adventure, Spiritual Fiction and Christian Fiction

Is there a genre that you've been wanting to experiment with? If so, what is it and what attracts you to it?


Absolutely - two actually 

I want to write an historical romance, because I love history with a passion and would love to do the research necessary to facilitate an accurate portrayal of a period. 

Science Fiction, because since I was a child I have been in awe of the imagination and genius of science fiction writers like Herbert, Heinlen, Arthur C Clarke et al. I want to see if I can actually stretch my mind to that genre,

What inspires you to write?


My wife. She is my muse, my inspiration and my biggest fan. 

My other inspiration is my burning desire to do so - to write. I don't care if I'm not a best-seller (although that would be nice). My books will be my legacy to this life. Nothing I have done before compares to the sheer joy and excitement of a completed novel.

If you could choose an author to be your mentor, who would it be?


That's easy - it would be Paolo Cohelo. The Alchemist is by far and away my book of a lifetime. 

I love the way he is prepared to interact personally with his readers and has no airs or pretensions. If I had a role model, it would definitely be him.

When did you first consider yourself an author?


I've had this discussion before with a number of people. I WAS an author the moment I typed the first word on my first manuscript. I might be a published author now, but I was an author at that point. 

I would even argue that I was always an author....just undiscovered in my own mind.

What are your goals as an author? Where do you see yourself in five years?


My goals are fairly simple and straightforward and have nothing to do with sales or money. 

My goals are to write three books a year for the rest of my life. In five year's time that should mean I have fifteen books to my name. 

I want people to read them and enjoy them, but I don't need that to validate myself as a success. I am a success because I am an author.


What is the best writing advice you've ever received?


This was a quote I read somewhere on Pinterest I think. I can't even remember who said it - maybe Stephen King. 

"The worst writing you ever did, is still better than the best writing you never did."

What is the worst writing advice you've ever received?


Follow the rules! 

Following the rules if for formulaic, legacy authors who want to be rich and successful. I don't begrudge the Clive Cussler's, the John Grisham's and the Tom Clancy's of this world, their success, fame and wealth, but I cannot abide formulaic, plots and characters. Yes, they make money, if they're successful, but really what difference is writing that to working on a factory production line? Not a lot in my opinion.

What do you enjoy doing aside from writing?


Reading. I read voraciously. 

Before I became an author I read all the legacy published superstars. These days you couldn't pay me to buy their books. 

I read only "indie" authors now and there are some truly fabulous ones out there, ever bit as good as the legacy published authors.

If you were stranded on a deserted island, and you could only have five books with you, what would they be?


Swiss Family Robinson 
The Alchemist 
The Hero 
Dune 
1984

How many books do you have on your "to read" list? What are some of them?


About 20: They're all "indie" authors: A few are 

There Was No Body; by Colin Griffiths 
The Road to Dar Rodon: by Nat Russo 
Rampant Damsels: by Michael H Kelly 
Mud on Your Face: by Rachel McGrath 
The Caravan of Love: by Annie Lancaster 

I will never run out of the awesome number of "indie" books available.

Are you a pantser or outliner?


Absolutely a pantser. 

When I come up with an idea, I usually have a beginning and an end......it's that pesky bit in the middle that is the problem. 

In general terms I write chapter by chapter. It is usually while I am taking a break in the middle of a chapter, the idea for the next development and chapter, will hit me.

How long does it take you to write a book?


I try to make my novels a minimum of 100K words. It usually takes me about two months to write the draft and then two months to edit the draft. 

There are times I long for a professional editor, but the reality is that self-editing, painful that it is, is actually very elemental to becoming a better writer. I learn so much about my writing through self-editing.

Do you ever base your characters on people you know?


My latest book, Just A Drop in the Ocean, although fictional is based on real people and their characters certainly show through. 

I think every character I've ever written has some basis in a person I've met or known. It is often hard to divorce reality from fantasy.

What are you working on now?


I am working on an anthology of short stories, in collaboration with my son, who realised earlier than me where his true talents lie. I'm incredibly excited to be doing something in tandem with my son. 

The genre is horror, which is his forte, but definitely not mine, so I'm looking forward to seeing what I can squeeze out of my fevered mind in that genre.

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