The First Page & Interview: Panorama by Ross Victory

Title: Panorama – The Missing Chapter from the Memoir Views from the Cockpit
Author: Ross Victory
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 120
Genre: Real Life Stories/ Relationships & Sex

BOOK BLURB:

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”

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“They’re gonna give you a heart attack pill—nitroglycerin,” my boss said.

“Nitro what?!” I could barely speak as my head tossed side to side. One of the Korean doctors grabbed my jaw. “Ib-eul yeol! Ib-eul yeol! Open!”

The doctor placed a nitroglycerin tablet under my tongue and quickly removed her hand from my mouth, which was beginning to tense, like lockjaw. A stern nurse tried to get me to stop flailing about long enough to plug me into a heart monitor. After several minutes, I finally ran out of energy to continue moving. My boss came over to my bed, her eyes watering with pity and sorrow, whispering to the Korean doctor looking down at me.

“Ross! They didn’t find anything wrong with you,” she mumbled.

Welcome Ross. Can you tell us what your book is about?

Panorama is a non-fiction international adventure that occurs in Seoul, Korea that explores escapism and masculinity by observing two bisexual male characters—an English teacher from Los Angeles and a U.S. soldier originally from Brazil.

The first page is perhaps one of the most important pages in the whole book. It’s what draws the reader into the story. Why did you choose to begin your book this way?

I am very passionate about mental wellness. And I feel like many people have experienced panic or being on the edge of a situation, unable to breathe or process what is happening to them. As a man, although we have made progress, the sentiment is quite strong that men do not have emotions or are not supposed to emote. This indirect messaging creates spiritual death and ultimate causes pain in relationships and self-talk if not addressed. By beginning the book with me having a panic attack, surrounded by foreign Korea doctors, I wanted to draw the reader into the drama, but also give light to panic and anxiety as a man.

In the course of writing your book, how many times would you say that first page changed and for what reasons?

Honestly, I can’t say that it changed much. I know that readers like to be engaged from page one, so I start all of my books with some type of drama that overlaps emotions and physical circumstances. Sometimes I feel hesitant to be too graphic or emotional, so if anything I will remove dialogue and focus on descriptions. 

Was there ever a time after the book was published that you wished you had changed something on the first page?

Yes—actually one adjustment I recently made was to the first line. I changed “They’re going to,” to “They’re gonna…” because conversationally, most people blend their words together and ramble and do not use perfect English. I am the King of changes post publication, and I’ve been trying to let go after the final manuscript submission. It’s hard to find a good stopping point.

What advice can you give to aspiring authors to stress how important the first page is?

The first page, beside the book cover and description itself, must must must anchor the reader and pique their curiosity. I was taught that the first paragraph of every chapter must have an anchoring effect with a mix of emotions, description, and dialogue that sets the stakes. A quick and easy way to do this is through dialogue. A fight, disagreement, eavesdropping, or maybe have a character self-talk something shocking.

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