Humor, Fantasy, and the Adventures of Writing with ‘Chris Graham’

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Hello everybody!

I am deeply excited to share my interview with Chris Graham, author of Death & Taxxis, a humorous fantasy novel and also his first book, published on July 1st, 2022 by Gray Home Ink.

Chris Graham is from a little town in Connecticut called Derby! He graduated with a degree in computer science and works in the field of Information Technology, for a large company as a Tech Support Analyst. He lives with his family, wife Nicole, and son Landon, in a warm and comfortable home by the river.

Chris has been writing steadily since he was a preteen, and always wanted to be an author. It took him some time to find the story he wanted to tell, but now he can’t seem to stop!

I hope you will enjoy my interview with Chris!

Tell us your story. What inspired you to become an author? 

I have been reading my whole life, but I must have started seriously reading when I was about 7 or 8. Books were a refuge when I needed to get away and my favorite place to escape when I was in the mood. I started with Goosebumps, as I am sure many people did.

Then I found the world of Fantasy and science fiction through comic books. The first time I saw a comic book, it changed something in me. I don’t know what or why, but that was the turning point that made me transition from a reader into a writer.

It also had to do with the fact that I have no drawing skills to speak of! But I made a friend who did, and we started writing our own comics, which became tabletop roleplaying games that eventually turned into my own original stories.

One of my teachers found some of my poems and short stories in one of my notebooks and inspired me to continue being creative, and I’ve been at it ever since. Recently I decided to share my stories with everyone.

Describe a typical writing day.

I work a day job, so I only get to dedicate a day to write a few times a week. I do a lot of my writing in between times, using programs I can access on my phone when I am on the go.

A large portion of my novel was written on my cell phone.

When I have the time, I find no greater pleasure than waking up as early as I can and dedicate those first hours of the day to writing. It’s my favorite time to do it and i do it every morning on the weekend. I am just putting words to page so I can reach the milestones I set for myself.

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What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I am an active PC gamer and a sometimes streamer on Twitch.

I love to read and play board games.

I am a very active tabletop role player and Dungeon Master (which I refer to as the Narrator), and I am also working on an original game.

I love Anime, and One Piece is my favorite.

I am learning how to play guitar and am an avid singer. I also play the drums.

I am learning to be a fan of hiking.

What was the most challenging thing about writing this book, since you started?

The most challenging thing about writing this book was the physical act of writing it. I had written some short stories before and some long-form papers, but this was the first time I had taken on something as large as this.

The manuscript topped out at 140,000+ words which is many times longer than anything I had ever done before. I learned much about the physical process and gained some excellent typing skills.

Which part of the book is your favorite?

My favorite part of the book is the scene where Taxxis meets Jackdaw. There is something so pleasant about that entire exchange, and I had so much fun writing it. Jackdaw became one of my favorite characters in the story, even though he is a villain.

How do you develop your plot and characters?

As a Pantser, plot development comes from creating a single moment. I will be inspired by something, making me sit and write a scene. A moment. A description of a street. Whatever it may be, it all starts with that beat.

Then I rewrite it and add more elements, like a character, a weather condition, and what’s happening because of it. Then I add more layers as I need until I have a scene. Not a chapter, maybe just a few paragraphs.

Everything else is built out from that central idea.

Almost every character I have ever made has some element of someone I know in them. Much like my process of creating plots, I like to build a character around a central theme. Or a trait, a quirk that I enjoy. Then I build up from there, likes and dislikes, peculiarities, and so forth like a layer cake. I write down as much as I can and keep that in a dossier that I can reference when I write.

What do you think makes a good story?

For me, a good story is about the secret! I am a sucker for a good mystery, and when I start reading a book, that is the part that romances me the hardest. The thing that will be revealed. The anticipation builds up, and the thrill comes from discovering the secret.

Books are unique spaces, and as a reader, you can know things that the character you are reading about does not know. That makes you a part of the secret too. Those types of personal connections are the magic of a good story.

How do you do research for your books?

I primarily use online resources because you can quickly reference many things and keep a long list of notes. Many search engines allow you to use special characters to help you with your research, such as adding a + or – symbol before keywords in google to force it to include or exclude those words.

There is some use of Scotch Gaelic in my story as the language spoken by the Fae, and to put my best foot forward, I even learned some phonetic pronunciations. It’s a beautiful language; it was a blast learning some of it.

I also use many references to global folklore and myths, including some Hungarian beliefs. Luckily, my wife is part Hungarian and helped me with the research. She even led me to the discovery of a Turul, which inspired a plot point.

Tell us more about the publishing process behind the book.

The publishing process has been the most enlightening part of this for me. After I attempted to connect with an agent and a publisher directly, I found that I wanted more from the process. I started a small publisher about a year before I released the book to publish my own stories. I did a lot of research about starting a business, explicitly publishing, and decided that going my own way would work out the best for me.

I have a vested interest in honing my craft in all aspects of publishing, so I took on the task of editing myself, and over a year, I studied, took some classes, and edited my book many times. I had some help in the form of digital tools and a dedicated group of people willing to read my work repeatedly. I am fortunate in that regard.

My cover artist is also my wife, Nicole Blanchard, which made the creative process much more manageable. She is a talented artist, and I am thankful she decided to get involved. With so many projects on the horizon, you will see much more of her work.

What are some tools you used to write this book from start to end?

I wrote a large portion of this book on my cell phone, using Google Docs.

Eventually, the document got too large, and I moved on to Microsoft Word and Office 365, which I can also access from my other devices.

I have a Microsoft Surface with a keyboard attachment that I use on the go because I find the keyboard to be enjoyable to type on.

At home, I have a lovely keyboard called an Apex Pro that allows you to adjust the actuation of the keys digitally. This allows me to easily switch from the precision I need for writing to the speed I need for gaming.

I finalized my books using Adobe InDesign, and I found the software easy to use and helped me create a professional product.

What authors inspired you into becoming an author yourself, if any?

I have been lucky enough to have a large well from which to draw books since I was a kid. The library here in Derby, CT, is top-notch.

One of my favorite books growing up was The Princess Bride by William Goldman. It is a classic high fantasy with a tongue-in-cheek comedy and sharp wit that still delights me. It is, without a doubt, one of my inspirations.

The same has to be said of Anne Rice. I love so many of her books that it is hard to pick a favorite, but The Vampire Lestat is my favorite. I love her style of character creation, using the darkest parts of the being to endear them to you. Lestat is not a good character, nor exclusively bad, and creating such powerful duality is fantastic. My love of all things dark and beautiful comes from Anne.

What are your future plans and where can our readers find you?

I have a lot of plans for future releases in the next year.
I am releasing a new story called The Lamplighter next.

It is about two young royals in a far-flung world where magic is light, and its color dictates what it can do. They are from different worlds that have been at war so long that no one can remember what they are fighting for. After being forced together for a traditional ritual, they find they have more in common than royal responsibilities. They are connected.
A connection that leads to a love that could never be. With the backdrop of growing darkness in a world of perpetual light, these two star-crossed heroes must navigate the perils of their warring states, a magical enemy, and their budding romance.

I will also release the sequel to Death & Taxxis, called “Black Summer: Death & Taxxis II,” which will continue the story of the two cousins and the dangerous secrets surrounding them.

I am working on a third story about a world where candy is power and pirates are heroes.

To stay connected with Chris, check out his website: https://www.GrayHomeInk.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chris.graham34/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@c.m.graham

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Have you enjoyed this Q&A with Chris Graham? Let me know in the comments below! ❤️