Authors To Watch: Ross Victory Author PANORAMA #authorstowatch

Ross Victory is an Award-Winning American author, singer/songwriter, travel geek and author of the father-son memoir, Views from the Cockpit: The Journey of a Son (2019) and Panorama: The Missing Chapter (2020). Ross spent his early years collecting pens, notepads and interviewing himself in a tape recorder. With an acute awareness for his young age, Ross was eager to point out hypocrisies and character inconsistencies in children and adults through English assignments. If he weren’t keeping his English teachers on their toes for what he would say or write next, he was processing his world through songwriting and music.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website: http://www.rossvictory.com
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/rossvictoryofficial
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rossvictoryofficial

 

After a friendship ignites and morphs into a curious tale of parallel souls with a Brazilian-American soldier serving in the U.S. military in South Korea, Panorama reflects on the author’s contemplations to return to a crumbling family life in Los Angeles or to endure his life in Seoul for an end-of-

contract cash payout.

With a thought-provoking storyline that covers eating live octopus, philosophical debates about the gender of God, a pregnancy, and bisexual erasure in men, Panorama delivers a page-turning cerebral adventure. Ending with prose that simultaneously bites and soothes, Panorama suggests readers stand tall in their unique intersections of relationships and sex. Reminding us that as daunting as the vicissitudes of life, and no matter the view from the cockpit of life, the human spirit cannot, and should not, be restrained. While truth may be the bitterest pill of them all, the effects of our truth can bring us closer to an unbroken life.

PRAISE
In this small book are two masterpieces, a riveting remembrance of several life-altering experiences and relationships the author began in Seoul, South Korea, and an essay, let’s call it part tirade, part profound reflection on our view of men, masculinity, sexuality, and romance. You cannot stop until finished because there is no midway, no stopping point as you become a part of his world. After nearly every sentence you scream with or at his observations either with critical reflections or ecstasy. Ross has his pulse on his generation and the most precarious issues confronting sexuality and romance.
–Dr. Ritch C. Savin-Williams, Ph.D. –Cornell University & Author of “Mostly Straight: Sexual Fluidity among Men”

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon → https://amzn.to/2xZyCNi

 Barnes & Noble → https://bit.ly/2xfXQac

 

We welcome you to My Bookish Pleasures! Can you tell us how you got started writing autobiographical fiction?

I've always been drawn to storytelling from my earliest memories as a little black boy. The jump to professional narration was instigated by the loss of my dad in 2017. Adding fictional elements to real-life stories allows me to enhance themes and parts of the narrative that I want to pop out.

Describe your writing process. Do you plot or write by the seat of your pants? When and where do you write?

As a writer, I try to stay in touch with how I feel. I don't write when I'm uninspired. When I am inspired, I set my timer for 3 or 4 hours and write with no breaks. I've also learned not to edit myself during the writing process. Sometimes I write when I'm waiting in line at Target or stuck in traffic. Panorama, was partially written in Tulum, Mexico, on a beach with a perfect sunrise and weather, so calming and peaceful locations can be quite inspiring. I also split my writing into stages: planning, writing, editing, and re-writing. When the story is complete, I will wait a few weeks to let it marinate and read it back to fill in holes or remove sections that don't make sense or may not be entertaining.

Can you tell us about your most recent release?

After a friendship ignites and morphs into a curious tale of parallel souls with a Brazilian-American soldier serving in the U.S. military, Panorama reflects on the author’s contemplations to return to a crumbling family life in Los Angeles or to endure his life in Seoul for an end-of-contract cash payout, until things take an unexpected turn.

In Panorama, I broaden my stance on the importance of moments spotlighting isolation and exposing the perks and ailments of escapism. With precise prose and a thought-provoking storyline that covers eating live octopus, philosophical debates about the gender of God, pregnancy, and bisexual erasure—Panorama stands tall as a connected yet separate story. Panorama puts biphobia under a microscope by exposing double discrimination with consideration to cultural intersections of race and religion.

Using the death of my father and brother as the linchpin to personal development, I reframe pain and loss into resilience and personal achievement.

How did you get the idea for the book?

Panorama, was written from the perspective of a double minority. Panorama sits on the intersection of race and sexuality identity—which for me, is that of a bisexual black man in America. I highlight that fact because, in the United States, black voices are drowned out by the majority, and bisexual voices are drowned out by the majority (straight) and minority (gay) voices. Sometimes I have felt unseen and unheard, so it was vital for me to write an honest, entertaining story, but also to give my opinion on the state of affairs in the post “Love is Love” world.

What projects are you currently working on?

As a writer (books and music), projects are ongoing. I have several songs that I intend to release, and a host of short stories that I would like to release. Be sure to check out Panorama the song which will be available on Spotify, Apple Music, and Youtube Sunday, June 21, too. As the world struggles to get a grip on COVID-19 and institutional racism that has plagued black people, my role is to be the best version of myself possible through art that soothes the spirit but also provokes conversation.