GRANDPA'S CABIN
by Ross Victory
GENRE: Horror/Mystery
BLURB:
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?
Buy Links:
Grandpa’s Cabin Kindle & Paperback Amazon
Grandpa’s Cabin Paperback on Barnes & Noble
Grandpa's Cabin Coloring & Lookbook: Paperback on Barnes & Noble
Grandpa’s Cabin Paperback on Wal-Mart
Excerpt:
Fourteen years ago, Los Angeles
Nova did not understand why first grade had ended early. Dozens of armed security guards descended on the elementary school with their guns drawn. The events of the day, which started with learning to tell time on a silly- framed clock and identifying vowels in sentences, had become disjointed puzzles in Nova’s six-year-old mind, a mind easily distracted by dogs’ tails and why his father shaves his face, but his mother shaves her underarms. Today, his bite-sized body would experience panic, and his mind would be introduced to a modern emotion: terror.
Mr. Woodrow, a frumpy man, only thirty-five but looked sixty, paced the classroom, which was decorated in circus-themed letters and talking numbers. His face was pale and fear-stricken as he explained today’s events to the officers, who observed him with deep suspicion.
“Sir, six-year-old kids don’t just run away from chocolate chip cookies and story time. We need you to breathe and tell us the last time you saw the twins.”
Two chairs, which had been occupied before the recess bell, were now empty. A class of twenty bright-eyed first graders was now eighteen. No one knew where the twins had gone.
After hours of waiting, the class was escorted to the pickup lot, where Nova found his mother, Stella, standing next to their black Range Rover and anxiously biting her left thumbnail down its nail plate.
“Oh, my God!” Stella burst out as she hugged Nova’s frail body tightly. She kissed Nova’s head repeatedly. “Are you okay? You must be so scared.” Nova stood motionless and confused by his mother’s panic.
Interview with Ross Victory
How many books have you written and which is your favorite?
Grandpa's Cabin will be my 6th book. Grandpa's Cabin will be a three-book horror fiction series. This book is my favorite because it blends many character and narrative elements. I have also become a better writer over the years, and I believe my development as a writer and my progress in developing compelling characters comes through in Grandpa's Cabin.
If you're planning a sequel, can you share a tiny bit about your plans for it?
Book 2 of Grandpa's Cabin will tentatively be called "Nova's Shadow." In Book 1, readers get to know Nova and his relationship with his grandfather. We see him discover his grandfather's legacy and face the decision of what to do with all he finds. In Book 2, Nova has to face the temptation to give into absolute power or to choose a different route. "Shadow" in Book 2's title alludes to what he may face.
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
Writing a book that stands independently and is part of a series is challenging. Ideally, I want to challenge myself to write books that can stand on their own narratively - but also are connected. As a reader, I've been interested in a sequel or the third in a series, not necessarily the whole story. I want someone to pick up any of the three books and jump into the story without being too lost.
How did you come up with the title for your book?
I was hiking in the Pasadena hills with a deserted cabin atop the mountain. As we were walking, there was a lot of rustling in the bushes and strange stories. I told my friend this scenario would be a great story, and Wallah - Grandpa's Cabin was born during COVID-19.
How long did it take you to write this book?
I wrote the book over two years, but also there was a lot of illustration that I wanted to portray the story. Writing, editing, proofreading, plus final drafts of all the images took three years.
What does the title mean?
The title references Bernard Crenshaw’s cabin which he keeps in back of his mansion and nefarious things may or may not occur. Book 1 does not have a subtitle, but if it did, I would call it, “Grandpa’s Cabin: The Beginning.”
What did you learn when writing the book?
Readers have pointed out my ability to breathe life into characters. I learned to aim to write relatable characters. Showcase their personality and make them unique with depth. Readers become invested in the story When they feel like they know the character.
What surprised you the most?
The writing process is full of surprises. I was surprised at how quickly I got this book done. I was also surprised at how believable the world of Grandpa's Cabin is and how experiential the story feels. This story and book make an excellent VR experience- something to aim toward in the future.
Have you ever killed off a character your readers loved?
No, but I am considering it for Book 2. I don't want to say too much, but just because you kill off a character does not make them "dead."
What do you do to get inside your character's heads?
I enjoy finding reference photos online of what they look like. What their interests are...what type of facial expressions they have. I compile hundreds of pictures of a character to get a sense of their personality, energy, vibe, motivations, and how they speak.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
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."
Connect with Ross Victory
7 comments:
Thank you for hosting today.
The blurb and excerpt sound really good. Thanks for sharing.
I liked the excerpt.
This sounds like a good book.
Nice artwork
The book sounds very interesting. Thanks!
This sounds like a really intriguing story.
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