Author Interview with Ross Victory: Grandpa’s Cabin

At eighty-four years old, widower and award-winning geneticist Bernie Crenshaw has reached the end of his life.

Welcome to the August 22nd stop on the blog tour for Grandpa’s Cabin by Ross Victory with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, more guest posts, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.

Author Guest Post

Writing Characters that Jump Off the Page

Over the years, readers and collaborators have asked me how to write characters that jump off the page. Specifically, they’ve asked me why or how I make the characters relatable, like you may have met or seen them before? How do you set up a character to move the reader emotionally? The answer is not as magical as you think.

As a writer, there’s a piece of me in all my characters. There are pieces of other people I’ve met or known over the years. The words they speak, their mannerisms, how they say goodbye…words they don’t say, but meaning that still appears in nonverbal descriptions. Some call his authenticity, complexity, and layered. Most of us want to be seen as we are and not as the mask we wear in society. Since authenticity is a challenging pursuit, a door opens for genuine connection when characters are excited, passionate, taking a risk, experiencing heartbreak, or displaying perseverance.

I aim to give the characters context and clearly communicate the stakes of their life or their situation. We, as writers, need to express characters’ motivations and personalities through dialogue and description. Another critical way to do this is how other characters gossip or speak about them. Through a mix of perspective and purpose.

At the core, you give the character a soul and breathe life into them. Be careful because you just may meet them in person.

About the Book

Grandpa’s Cabin
by Ross Victory

Publishing 13 September 2023
VFTC Universe

Genre: Horror/Mystery
Page Count: 144
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

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?

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Excerpt

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.

About the Author

Ross Victory is an award-winning author and singer/songwriter from Southern California. After the loss of his father and brother, Ross dove into self-discovery, reigniting his childhood passion for creative writing and music production, launching an independent writing career. Victory has dedicated his life to empowering his community while entertaining listeners and readers. Victory provides a multi-format creative experience in Urban Adult Contemporary music and literature, with a focus on creative non-fiction and thematic novellas. Topics include: adventure, family, religion and philosophy, and identity.

Victory is best known for his father-son memoir, “Views from the Cockpit,” and multimedia production brand, “Books & Bangers.”

Author Website | Book Website | Facebook | Instagram | Amazon

Giveaway Alert!

Ross Victory will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.