Advice from IR Approved Author Jacob Emrey: “My favorite kind of books are the ones with characters who grab you and become your best friends. Every time you pick up the book, you’re hanging out with your mates and going on an adventure.”

The Manglers of Carraig: Received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.

Following find an interview with author Jacob Emrey:

1. What is the name of the book and when was it published? My book is called The Manglers of Carraig, and it was published in October 2025.

2. What’s the book’s first line? “A bright green gem flashed in stark contrast against an orange sky.” Not my greatest first sentence, but I think the idea that the first line in a book must be as epic as “I am Ishmael,” or “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” puts way too much pressure on writers. I think what is more important is that the first chapter should grab the reader, not the first ten words.

3. What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch.” What if the currency people used was not just a medium of exchange but a magic stone that keeps the monsters away at night. And if money like that existed, what would it mean for those who were poor? This book explores that idea through the eyes of a lad from a fantasy Irish town in the 1700s. To survive the night, he must make a deal with a dangerous loan shark that quickly spirals out of control.

4. What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event? I never thought a creative writing class was necessary to become a good writer. In fact, I tend to agree with Stephen King: if you want to get good at writing, start writing, keep writing, and then write some more. I had already been writing for more than a decade when I finally decided to check out Brandon Sanderson’s online creative writing course. To be honest, it was interesting but not particularly helpful for me. If anything, it reinforced my confidence in my own process. Yet there was one activity he did that inspired this book. He asked the class to create plots or settings for a horror story, and one student suggested “economic.” Sanderson was a bit stumped by the idea but intrigued. As an economics teacher, I took it as a personal challenge, and in a flash, the idea for The Manglers of Carraig came to me: what if a nation’s currency was not only a medium of exchange but also the very thing people needed to keep the monsters away at night? I immediately took that concept and layered it over Hemingway’s To Have and Have Not—and voilà, my masterpiece was born. I’m very proud of this book, and it never would have happened without Sanderson’s creative writing course.

5. What’s the main reason someone should really read this book? It’s a good time. My favorite kind of books are the ones with characters who grab you and become your best friends. Every time you pick up the book, you’re hanging out with your mates and going on an adventure. I really worked hard to make these characters likable, witty, and very human. I hope that people who read this book feel like they’re reading about real people they’d want to grab a pint with or play a hand of poker. The heart of this story is its characters, and I’m sure that’s what will keep you turning the pages.

6. What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who—real or fictional—would you say the character reminds you of? He grinds. He puts the responsibility of his family on his shoulders. He will do anything for his mother and his sister to make sure they are safe at night. But even in his most desperate times, he is loyal to his friends, and his friends are loyal to him. In this way, he has two families: his mother and sister, and his mates. He is a young man who would be proud to be judged by the company he keeps, and if you don’t like his friends, then you can get bent.

7. Is this the first book you’ve written? This is probably the tenth book I’ve written and the eighth book I’ve published. I started writing in fourth grade and introduced a character who would later appear in a children’s fantasy book I published about ten years ago. So I think it’s fair to say I started writing at about ten years old.

8. What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie? The best part is having no deadlines and being able to write whatever you want. There is a freedom in being an indie author that I truly don’t take for granted. I’m sure there are days George R. R. Martin wishes he were just a small-time indie writer again, without the immense pressure to meet fan expectations. On the flip side, I have struggled endlessly to build an audience. Unfortunately, I suffer from the same affliction many writers have: a deep ineptitude at marketing myself. I can spend months writing a book and fall in love with the setting and characters, but the moment it’s published, the last thing I want to do is spend valuable hours trying to convince people it’s worth reading. In fact, this interview is my attempt at changing that. With any luck, this will be the book that breaks my curse of obscurity and allows me to build an audience.