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 5th
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 16th 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 16th
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?
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”
Since we are all lover of
books, listed below is where you can
find Casper's books.
find Casper's books.
Thank you so much Casper for stopping by with us
today! It was a pleasure to have you and I look forward to your newest release. Smooches
Make sure you enter the giveaway HERE for a
chance to win Casper’s new release Unlikely Beginning and a backlist ebook.
