Ian McGregor

July Character Interview

Patricia Parrington ~ July 1, 2025

Hello my lovely readers and fellow book-lovers! For those of you who are new here, I, your fabulous host Patricia Parrington, have the pleasure of interviewing characters from books all over the world.

Today we have here with us Ian McGregor from the sci-fi/fantasy book The Rift: Beginning by Vaughn Collar. Vaughn is new to the writing world and is editing the 2nd book of The Rift series. He’s a native Arkansan, though he has lived all over North America. Vaughn is happily married for twenty-six years to Linda and has one daughter (Morgan). Vaughn gives his wife all the credit in the world for her encouragement—whether he feels like writing or not, she’s always there.

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Meet Ian

Welcome to Fable Features!

[Patricia settles onto the orange suede couch and smooths out the mahogany skirt of her dress.]

What was your family like, growing up?

My family was well-off, definitely. Summers were spent in and around Cape Cod, Maine . . . anywhere in the northeast US. I heard about WWIII, but my parents kept me away from the news as much as possible . . . they didn’t want their “baby boy” exposed to unpleasant truths.

I suppose I can understand that. You don’t sound as thrilled, though, to have been sheltered from the news. Do you wish they would’ve kept you informed instead?

I do. It was a shock to see what the “real world” looked like. More than a little guilt about my upbringing. Around the end of my sophomore year, I started attempting to live with a little less and help those in need. Quietly, though. I had seen too many of my parent’s friends loudly proclaim how much they “helped” when all they were really doing was forming a tax write-off.

That makes sense. I think I’d feel the same way if I were in your shoes.

Speaking of childhood, what’s a crazy concept you believed as a child?

Hmm . . . I guess the most egregious would be that the government was never at fault for things such as homelessness, war . . . anything negative. Once I hit college and started to see the “real” world, that balloon was popped very quickly.

I’ll bet!

Is there anyone you absolutely can’t stand?

One person stands out. The assistant to the Chancellor at Boston University. The man positively enjoyed being the bearer of bad news . . . the hatchetman that performed all of the dirty deeds.

[Patricia makes a face.]

Yeah, he doesn’t sound like a great guy. I can see why you wouldn’t like him.

What’s the strangest or scariest situation you ever found yourself in?

Same event. Meeting someone from my past . . . my distant past. As in . . . an ancestor. Qualifies as both strange and scary.

[Patricia’s green eyes widen.]

That does sound scary.

On the same topic of emotions, where do you go when you’re angry?

One of two places. If I have time, there’s a little glade high up in the mountains (the Appalachians). It’s far enough away, and small enough, that chances of seeing another person are only a little better than the proverbial snowball. If limited time, my workshop/lab at home, located underground.

[Patricia leans forward with excitement.]

You have an underground lab? That’s so cool! What do you normally do in your lab?

The lab is where I work on magic. Learning spells, figuring out what magic (if any) is imbued in finds. Not big enough for potions, at least not yet.

I have to admit, I’m a little jealous. I’d love to have a lab for working on magic.

If you could combine traits of two animals into one, what animals would you choose?

Oh wow, good one. Umm . . . the majestic feeling of an eagle, or hawk, combined with . . . the curiosity of a dolphin.

I love that!

[Patricia taps her chin, thinking.]

What would you say you struggle with the most?

Easy . . . to not allow myself to be seduced by the power of magic. I’m overly aware of how easy it would be to let that power take over. Spells for damage . . . pain . . . power . . . thought control . . . no, becoming the latest version of Hitler or Stalin would be easy.

[Patricia nods.]

True, power can be very tempting. So it sounds like magic is very prevalent where you are, yes? Are you able to wield magic?

Yes, and finding out I could cast spells was a trip, for sure. Magic isn’t prevalent . . . at least, not yet. But, I can see a day when it becomes completely public. And not that distant in the future.

I think that would be wonderful. Magic is such a fun and mysterious thing, right?

[Patricia checks her wrist.]

Looks like we have time for one last question, so here it is: If the world was going to explode and you could only bring one person with you on the escape pod, who would it be and why?

Up until my son was born, that was easy to answer. My wife, Shelly. Now, though . . . if there was room for only two people, I would send Shelly and Logan and I would stay behind. I wouldn’t be able to choose between the two I love more than myself.

Wow, what a great answer. You must really love your family if you would choose to sacrifice yourself. But let’s hope it never comes to that!

[Patricia stands.]

Thank you so much for coming out today. It was a pleasure getting to know you, Ian.

End of interview.

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Want to Read More?

You can support Ian’s author, Vaughn Collar, by purchasing The Rift: Beginnings on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and on any other large ecommerce sites.

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See Ya Next Time

Aaand that's all the time we have today. Thank you, readers, for coming. And thank you, Ian, for letting us get to know you! See y'all next time.

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If you would like to submit a character to be interviewed for a future issue of Fable Features, please send an email to linnae.writer@gmail.com with the subject line: Fable Features.

Please note that erotica and content with excessive vulgar language will not be accepted.

If you have questions you'd like Patricia Parrington to ask in a future interview, please submit them to linnae.writer@gmail.com with the subject line: Interview Questions.