Aimee Nic Writes: MCM Guest Spotlight

Welcome to Man Crush Monday! Every Monday we will be spotlighting a different male M/M author. I hope you will join each Monday to see who will be next in the hot seat. Today we have the amazing Casper Graham. He stopped by to answer a few questions and to give you a look at his new release scheduled for July 5^th

Let’s get this shindig started with Casper answering some questions! Stick around to get a sneak peek at his new release coming soon.

What do you want to tell those who may be new to your books? Any specific book you would suggest to get them interested in your work?

Readers who are new to my books need to know that my books are generally fluffy with a touch of light angst here and there. I think it all stems from my painful past. I feel like my life is miserable enough. If I write something just as bitter, I won’t have a make-believe world to escape into from my day-to-day life.

I don’t know if I can point out one specific book to a reader. I’ve written about a few things now that I have 15 e-Books out there. I have a Christmas story, a Valentine’s Day story, alpha-omega/mpreg, dating show story, marriage of convenience, vampire, witch, necromancer, billionaire, werewolves, nephilim, incubus, elemental, mafia boss, among others. I have a 16^th book coming out soon and it will be friends-to-lovers trope with a touch of homophobia and mentions of infidelity. I really can’t narrow it down. There’s a little bit of everything for everyone.

What is the nicest thing a reader has said to you in a review, email, in person, or on social media?

There are plenty of negative reviews online about my books, but there are even more nice things being said about them to me personally. I tend to be goofy and giggly online and in real life. When I laugh, my pitch is so high that I’m sometimes afraid that people will think that I’m insane, which I probably am. LOL!

Some readers have told me that they love my books and they will always buy them as long as I continue to write them. That’s an awesome compliment and I’m grateful. Very grateful.

What part of a new story comes to you first? Characters? Plot? A scene? A theme? Or does it vary from book to book?

Before writing the story, I always have the plot in mind.

HOWEVER, and this may seem crazy to some other authors, there have been occasions when I actually wrote the ending first before typing out the first chapter.

Which of your books makes you the proudest?

I’m proud of all of them, but I think I’ll just talk about the two books that surprise me most. His Reality, the alpha-omega/mpreg one, is something that I’ve never expected to sell the way it does. It was released for pre-order at the end of December 2016. Before that book, I only have one other book, which is released on December 17, 2016. It sold so fast and so many copies that I was like, “Damn! I only wrote the alpha-omega thingy for fun and giggles. I didn’t expect it to sell that many copies.” LOL!

Then, “An Unconventional Relationship” came out on January 28, 2017. Again, I thought, “Let me write about a single dad, billionaire, falling for an established couple who has twins.” That also jumped up the charts really fast when it was released.

The reason for my surprise is because I don’t write for a living. I still have a day job. Writing is therapeutic for me. At the same time, I just want to read a story that I can’t seem to find elsewhere. Or at least, not as commonly written. The fact that my books manage to sell AT ALL is shocking. LOL!

What part of writing a book comes the hardest for you?

Some readers may find this hard to believe considering how perverted my mind and words can be, but I find sex scenes to be the hardest to write, no pun intended. LOL! Romantic scenes can be tough, as well.

What's the most difficult thing about writing a good short story?

Trying to be concise without leaving plot holes left and right. I prefer not to be wordy when writing my stories. My 16^th book, Moving On, is the wordiest book from me and it’s only 47,000-ish words. It will be released on August 14, 2017. Maybe someday I’ll write a book much longer than that. Maybe! =)

How do you choose names? If you decide to change a name, do you feel that it alters your perception of the character?

The names depend on what I’m writing about and the characters that I have in mind. So far, I’d only changed the name of one character, but that was only after my editor pointed out that the original name was similar to the name of an actor. LOL!

How important are secondary characters to your story telling?

I add secondary characters when they’re essential to the development of the story. I really don’t like adding secondary characters just to increase the word count.

If the world were going to end tomorrow, how would you spend your last night on earth?

I want to spend it with my dad, my stepmom, my siblings, and my boyfriend - we’ve been together more than four years now and he’s the sweetest, most loving man ever. I love him.

If you could be any Disney character who would you be, and why?

There’s no particular Disney character that I want to be because I love being who I am. However, I really want to magically appear in all Disney movies and experience what “lives” are like in those movies.

Four M/M authors are trapped in an elevator. You’re allowed to give them one item. Who are the authors, what is the item, and what do they do with it?

LOL! There are so many M/M authors that I want to be trapped in an elevator with. Let’s see…Amanda Marie can have a leather whip like catwoman. Imagine how bad ass that will be! Zolie Heller can have a banana. Whatever she does with it will be downright pornographic and hilarious. I’ll give Devon McCormack a gallon of lube. I don’t know what he will do with it, but I’m sure he will surprise me. Johnny Williams has posted so many funny things on his FB timeline that I definitely want to be trapped in an elevator with him. I’m sure that even if I give him something common like a plastic bag, he will come up with something hilarious and turn it into a joke. LOL!

What are you reading right now and what is next on your to-be-read list?

I’m currently reading a local book about politics. It’s a critical moment in my home country, especially with the 2019 presidential election coming up. The next book is still something political, as well. I’m not an expert on politics, but I like reading about it.

Now for Rapid Fire Questions

Batman or Superman? Superman

Boxers or Briefs? Briefs

Long or Short? LONG! LOL!

Cut or uncut? UNCUT! SO HOT!

Paddle or flogger? Neither, but if I have to choose, paddle.

Snickers or Skittles? Skittles

Favorite Color? White. Pure and holy like me. LOL!

Favorite meal? I’ll eat anything really, but I love eggs the most.

Winter or Summer Olympics? Winter

Spring or Fall? Fall

Facebook or Twitter? Facebook

Rock or Country? Country

Pastel or neon? Pastel

Music or TV/Movies? Music

Call or text? Text

Handcuffs or Rope? Handcuffs

Jock or Thong? Jock

Harry Potter or Lord of The Rings? Harry Potter

Waxed or Furry? Furry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shifters or Vampires? Shifters

Favorite beverage? Iced honey water with chia seeds

Favorite Sport? Does swimming/ice skating count? LOL!

Twinks or bears? Bears

Hugs or Kisses? Hugs

Sweet or Sour? Sweet

Tattoos or piercings? Tattoos

Favorite Book? Harry Potter series

Favorite Author? J.K. Rowling

That was so much fun! A big thank you to Casper for answering our questions. Here’s a little excerpt from his upcoming book Unlikely Beginning.

BLURB

Elemental Alvin Zhu and mafia boss Zachariah Wong try to save Lily, Zachariah’s daughter, from dying. Unlike Zachariah, Lily can’t shield herself from being possessed by spirits of the dead, who feast on her life energy. Alvin uses his elemental power to remove the spirits and defend Lily from them, but it seems futile. The number of spirits increases in spite of his protective shield around their residence. The condition also worsens after Linda, Lily’s mother, visits the house.

Meanwhile, as time passes by, the two men’s feelings for each other grow stronger while Lily grows weaker. Alvin asks Camden, an incubus and an old friend, for advice and a permanent solution to Lily’s problem, but the incubus’s cryptic message is driving him crazy. Then, Lily disappears from the house.

Can he and Zachariah find her in the nick of time? Can they solve Camden’s riddle and resolve Lily’s problem once and for all?

http://www.bookstrand.com/book/an-unlikely-beginning

EXCERPT

He had heard about dragons from Camden. They were immortals, and they could not be killed. To make things worse, they were totally impervious to magic. He was undecided if it was their good fortune or otherwise that there was only one dragon so far. The others might still be underneath the lake for all that he knew. He didn’t intend to find out, though. They could only run as fast as they could to avoid being eaten or burnt alive. After all, dragons were fire creatures and their fire magic was equally powerful as his elemental fire.

The ferocious creature, which was floating in the air, abruptly reared its head back and spewed a gigantic stream of fire toward Alvin. His eyes shone blue and he hurriedly retaliated with an impressive burst of water. The two of them were deadlocked in a battle of fire against water, but he knew that he would not be able to keep it up indefinitely. He did a little somersault backward and watched as the fire hit the icy path he had created earlier, melting it into its previously liquid state. He took the split second opportunity to release a more powerful blast of elemental power that he could muster at that moment, trapping the dragon within a massive bubble of water and freezing it immediately after.

The enormous block of ice dropped from the sky and sank into the lake, causing a substantial wave of lake water to gush toward him. He instantly cocooned himself within a ball of fire and skidded along the icy path or whatever remained of it. By that point in time, he was the only one left on it, so he did not have to worry about Zack for the time being. He panted harshly when he eventually reached the other side of the lake. The adrenaline rush from the battle was overwhelming him, though. He lay down on the ground and guffawed aloud. He was probably getting hysterical, but he did not care at all. He had never battled anything as magical as a dragon. His most powerful foes had been vampires, werewolves, witches, and warlocks, so the dragon was something fresh and exhilarating, indeed. A part of him couldn’t believe that he managed to survive a battle with such a magnificent creature. He might be one of the most powerful supernatural beings, but a dragon’s might was legendary.

“Are you okay, Alvin?”

“Ye…yeah,” he gasped out amidst his uncontrollable laughter. “Just…just give me a minute.”

Zack only nodded wordlessly at him, probably wondering if he had gone insane. He frankly could not be certain if his mind was still sound at the moment, but he certainly enjoyed the battle. As short and crazy as it might have been, it was incredible. He calmed down after a few minutes and gestured at Zack to continue walking. They had a journey to complete, after all, and time was being wasted.

“That’s so awesome. I have never seen a real dragon in my entire life,” Zack said.

“Neither have I.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Why did you sound so surprised?”

“I thought all of you supernatural beings knew of one another.”

He rolled his eyes at the mafia boss and shook his head. “Do all the mafia clans know of one another? Besides, you’re a psychic yourself.”

Zack was stunned into silence for a few seconds before laughing out loud. “Touché. So, what’s next?”

“I have no idea at all. We’ll deal with it when we get to it. I’m just glad that there is only one dragon to deal with.”

“That’s true. If there were two or three earlier, I think we would have been barbecued all nice and crispy.”

He nodded in agreement and they trekked on quietly for the next few moments. Several minutes later, they came to another forest.

“Purple Bamboo forest,” he remarked casually, noting the color of the bamboo shoots all over.

“Another forest?”

“If my guess turns out to be accurate, the Purple Bamboo forest is the mythical forest belonging to the goddess of compassion. She was one of the—”

“—most revered heavenly beings in Buddhism. I know that. Any idea what’s in the forest, though?”

“Nope.”

Zack heaved out a tired sigh. “Great.”

Author Bio

Casper writes because it’s a passion. He writes because he has stories to share with the world. He writes because he needs a creative outlet.

Sometimes, his head is filled with so many competing ideas/thoughts all at once that he simply has to put them all into words. He always has his smartphone with him, including shower time, because the muse hits him at unexpected moments and he doesn’t want to lose the ideas later.

He has been dating a wonderfully supportive and loving man since January 2013—someone who is willing to accept his shortcomings, someone who is willing to tolerate his idiosyncrasies. The journey has been long and difficult, but they have their good moments. Casper’s lover has a love/hate relationship with the fact that he sometimes includes a part of their stories, but he enjoys writing "them" into the stories anyway.

He hopes readers will all join him in his writing journey and get a glimpse into his life through his stories.

If you would like to stalk Casper – here are is links below!

He loves stalkers – The more the merrier

Tumble & Pinterest: “ALCASGRAHAM”