Writer Ross Victory joins me today to chat about his new dark sci-fi, Grandpa’s Cabin.
During his virtual book tour, Ross will be giving away a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit his other tour stops and enter there, too!
Bio:
Author. Artist. Activist. Ross Victory is a creator making a difference with his message and his music.
A cross-disciplinary creator and educator at his core, Victory is also an award-winning novelist and a successful entrepreneur. After losing both his father and brother in recent years, the life-long musician and entertainer decided to seize life and he directed all his energy to creative projects and empowerment. Since his 2019 debut with the memoir, Views from the Cockpit, the prolific writer has self-published six books and dropped over two dozen tracks. All of Ross’ work promotes intersectional themes of self-empowerment, unity, and inclusion while also advocating for the issues of LGBTQ and bi youth.
Artist, author, and activist…Ross Victory is fighting the fight and dropping fire along the way.
Welcome, Ross. Please tell us about your current release.
At eighty-four years old, widower and award-winning geneticist Bernie Crenshaw has reached the end of his life. Bernie gifts his only grandson, eighteen-year-old Inglewood high school senior Nova, his multimillion-dollar property located in Los Angeles’ Hollywood Hills.
Years after Bernie’s death, Nova hosts a wild twenty-first birthday party weekend filled with alcohol, music, and OnlyFans web cameras. After a handful of eerie encounters in the surrounding Los Angeles forest, Nova’s friends allege that his grandpa’s cabin is the burial ground for people who disappeared during their childhood.
The birthday weekend shifts from celebration to terror as the friends piece together that the man Nova knew as “Popsi” matches the profile of one of the most notorious wanted criminals in Los Angeles-“L.A. Love Hunter.”
Will Nova preserve the Crenshaw family’s sadistic legacy, or will he choose the rare and valuable gift of friendship?
What inspired you to write this book?
I’ve always enjoyed the Hunger Games books by Suzanne Collins. In 2019, after I had debuted as a writer, I felt a deep need to write a story about a group of friends from L.A. and their dynamics. I knew I wanted to write a trilogy, but at the time, all I had was the concept for a group of friends from L.A. During COVID-19, a friend and I went on a hike in Pasadena. At the top of the mountain, there was an old, deserted cabin. While hiking back in pitch-black darkness, we heard animals in the leaves and odd sounds. And that’s when the concept for Grandpa’s Cabin entered my mind. I didn’t want him to be old and frumpy. I wanted him to be rich, famous, and highly intelligent – like a scientist. Coupled with friends from L.A., I finally had the foundation to build a story. And, of course, most stories pull inspiration from our real lives and relationships.
Excerpt from Grandpa’s Cabin:
Forty-five years ago
Eric had managed to slip out of bed and past Lennox’s quarters unheard. Under his arm, he carried a carved wooden chess set. He had gotten it for his seventh birthday last week, which he had spent alone with Lennox in front of the television.
Bernie had been away speaking at the ‘World Changer’ conference in Seattle, one of the largest media events in the county to celebrate black people making a difference in their respective industries. Bernie had won an award for excellence in biological sciences, specifically genetic sequencing research.
Eric was awestruck that his father was the same man spotlighted in news articles and photographed with Jimmy Carter and famous celebrities.
Eric had watched his father on television while opening his Christmas presents, all picked out by Lennox with ‘From Dad’ forged on the tags. He could identify his father’s writing and signature within a fraction of a second, but still, he accepted these gifts with the tags written by Lennox.
“Look what Daddy got me,” Eric said to his mother, Madeline, who was busy laughing on the phone.
Madeline shut the door.
Eric stood disappointed and motionless.
What exciting project are you working on next?
I’m ambitious, so I’m always working on something and writing something. I have already begun plotting out Book 2, but I’m also working on a story called “Ingrid,” about a young man who begins renting a room from an 80-something-year-old former ballet dancer. It’s dark. It’s juicy. And I hope to finish it within the next year and a half.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Since I was a young boy, I’ve always enjoyed writing and telling stories. In 2017, my mom motivated me to write my first book, Views from the Cockpit. She encouraged me and said I had a unique voice and perspective. After I took my first step to self-publish my first book, I quickly fell in love with developing characters and completing stories. It wasn’t until I wrote Grandpa’s Cabin that I felt like a writer. Grandpa’s Cabin is hands down my best work.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write, and how do you find time to write?
No, I don’t write full-time (yet), unfortunately. I work full-time in Higher Education, and my job is quite demanding and time intensive. I write daily in the mornings, evenings, and breaks. If I have an idea, I also voice-record it to dictate it later. Managing a full-time job, a part-time job, and a complete list of creative projects is tough, but a little each day adds up. Sometime soon, I will be able to write full-time and leave the rat race.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
As mentioned above, sometimes I use a voice recorder to help me write. Telling the story out loud also helps overcome writer’s block! So whenever you are stuck at your computer or notepad, try reading the story out loud, recording it, and speaking what happens next.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I can’t fully remember, but I’ve always wanted to be a music artist. I’ve always been drawn to creative writing… and music is a form of storytelling. So, I am living as close as I can to that truth.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I hope you enjoy Grandpa’s Cabin! Sometimes, writing feels thankless, but I do my best to infuse my stories with authenticity, fun, adventure, and discovery and to reveal truths I’ve contemplated in my own life. Enjoy! 🙂
Links:
Website | Book | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Amazon | Walmart | Barnes and Noble
We appreciate you interviewing this author and sharing his book.
I enjoyed the post. Sounds really good.
Thank you, Marcy!
I look forward to reading this.
Thank you Sherry! Please let me know what you think. It was so exciting to write and can’t wait to share Book 2 with the world in a few years!
Sounds like a great read.
Do you prefer mountains or beaches?
Definitely beaches. Water has such a calming effect on the mind and spirit…
I enjoyed the interview.
What is your favorite space to do your writing?
I can write anywhere. My preferred place is on a beach in Mexico…it’s best when I’m away from the hustle and bustle of the city!
Sounds like the ideal aka serene place to do your writing!
What are some of your future projects or plans that you have as a writer?
What are the main themes of this book?
What does literary success look like to you?
What’s your favorite line or quote from a book?
How many hours a day do you spend writing?
Describe your perfect book hero or heroine.
What are your favorite books you have read and why?
If readers take away one message or lesson from your book, what would you hope it to be?
If you could have dinner with any fictional character from literature, who would it be and why?
Do you prefer using a computer or pen and paper to write your books and why?
If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?
What in your opinion,, are the most important elements of good writing?
Who sticks out as being an early positive influence in your life?
Who are you most like in your family?
What’s your favorite way to spend time alone?
How did you decide on the setting for your book?