Victoria Ray is presenting her absurdist comedy, Bullet’s Adventure: Chasing Sobekneferu. This is a fun, thrilling ride that will take readers across fantastical landscapes and mind-bending obstacles in the protagonist’s quest for love. The book is full of fun, chaotic adventures, and misadventures!
Bullet is the protagonist, and he is in search of love. But the things he will encounter on this path are not just ridiculous but also dangerous, and few action heroes could weather the same things he has to face. Insects, mad armadillos, and beautiful women stand in his way of discovering his true love, Sobekneferu.
But this is no ordinary action journey. The world of this book is populated by bizarre animals, like the anaconda Asunción or Madame Jack, not to mention the Sobekneferu cyborg. The story is peppered with weird and endless sexual encounters, strange decisions, and more.
The chaotic ride is sure to please fans of wild, absurd comedies who want to be transported to a world where anything is possible. Bullet’s Adventure is filled to the brim with chaos, love, and the promise of something extraordinary. You can find the novel on Amazon:
Reviewers have compared this outrageous book to stories like Borat, and Bullet is a little reminiscent of this wild and larger-than-life character. But if Borat operates in the real world, Bullet is placed in an absurd Wonderland that challenges the imagination, as contrasted by the boring little town where he begins his odyssey.
The book pushes readers to fire up their imaginations and explore the fantastical world they face, often outrageous and boundary-pushing. It shifts the mood between laughs and shocked gasps to come back to hilarity the next moment. However, it never stops being so wildly original and entertaining that readers are certain to be unable to put it down! Quirky, eccentric characters await the reader on every page, and author Victoria Ray is not afraid of going as far out of the box as she can.
Bullet is a satirical take on a modern Don Quixote, a simple middle-aged man whose life is utterly dull. He dreams of exceptional love, convinced of his own irresistible attractiveness.
Victoria Ray is becoming increasingly recognized for her work across genres. She favors fantasy, absurd comedy, and thriller, and sometimes, a mix of every single one of these. She lives in Sweden, in a town 62 miles west of Stockholm. In addition to writing, Victoria loves reading, cooking, watching Gota Lejon’s shows, and walking her dogs. She is also a devoted fan of sweet treats. In addition to Bullet’s Adventure, Ray is known for her So Absurd It Must Be True series and her thriller books, Sophia von X. Victoria’s work has been honored with nominations for the Book Excellence Award and the Readers Favorite Contest, where she was among the finalists.
Make sure to stay tuned for new releases from Victoria Ray and follow her on Instagram @victoriaray_nb.
We had the pleasure of interviewing Victoria Ray. Here are the excerpts from the interview.
Hi Victoria, Great to have you with us today! Please share with our readers about yourself.
Hi, I mainly work in genres: absurd, comedy, thriller, and fantasy.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I do, but probably not a specific writing style, but a method of writing. Let me explain. First of all, my writing is very dense. Second, my absurdist fiction is one of a kind because it is written just as Tristan Tzara recommended: take a newspaper and a pair of scissors, cut out the article, cut out the words and put them in the bag; shake it, then take out the scraps and create your masterpiece. Here you are, a writer, infinitely original and endowed with a sensibility that is charming though beyond the understanding of the vulgar.
Well, I know many of you will say it is impossible… But my book, Bullet’s Adventure: Chasing Sobekneferu, is written with this method. And third, I love to mix satire and burlesque with more serious genres like crime and noir. My plots are like a soup: a mix of everything you can imagine. I don’t care much how beautiful my writing or style really is. We’ve got Tolstoy and Faulkner for that. My books should be fast; they should be cruel, fun, and entertaining.
Please tell us about your book, Bullet’s Adventure: Chasing Sobekneferu.
This is a story of a modern Don Quixote as well as a satire on the middle-aged divorced man who lives a boring life in a small city where nothing ever happens. He dreams of love. He thinks he deserves exceptional love, and of course, all women want him and him only…so egocentric but harmless. And this is his name – Mr. Harmless Bullet. We can’t change him or make him choose another dream. We can’t castrate him, even if some would like to do that while reading the book. He is a “collective image” of all men. All we can is just follow him on his journey to find the love of his life.
How do you come up with names for your characters?
I mostly pick the first names of my heroes from magazines. The surnames I’m googling and choosing depending on the country or nationality of my character. It should be authentic.
Do you feel it’s most important to have A) Strong characters, B) Mind-blowing Plot twists, or C) Epic settings?
I prefer a mind-blowing plot twist, I think. I’m not sure I’m a huge fan of the advice: create a character the readers will root for because most of my characters are not so likable. It might be so that you’ll like them initially, but then I make a twist, and voila – ‘hate in progression.’ Similar to real life, don’t you think? But we are all idealists (and romantics) somewhere deep inside, and me too. I can’t escape it. I can’t kill the Don Quixote in me. That’s why in my next book, a post-apocalyptic novel, I’ll give my readers a couple of friendly and nice people to love.
How many drafts do your books generally go through before publication?
In most cases, only one. Maximum – two. I’m writing and sending it to my editor chapter by chapter. That means I’m writing about 2500-3500 words (clean) chapter in two days. Then, when I’m done with the complete text, I send it to the last proofreader. That’s it. It won’t work for everyone, and as Walter Mosley said in his Masterclass (which I recommend watching to every aspiring writer), “You have to find what works for you.”
Let me mention, though, that I have significant gaps between writing and publishing – six or more months. When the book is finished, I usually enjoy well-deserved rest. Because if I’d write all the time, I’d publish four to five books each year, and I’d be exhausted.
Is there any message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Be free. Go on that journey. As we know, there are 7 basic plots in literature, and mine is “Voyage, No Return.”
Fantastic! So tell us, how can readers discover your work?
I’m blogging as Raynotbradbury on WordPress, and readers can always find my new books on Amazon. Also, I sent one of my books (in English) to 14 Swedish publishing houses. It is pretty daring because they prefer to deal with books in Swedish, but who knows?
Thank you so much, Victoria, for giving us your precious time! We wish you all the best for your journey ahead!