Tell us a bit about yourself.
I was born in Chicago in 1966 from a family that was half blue blooded and half immigrant with my father being half Japanese. I tested at the college level at age six and attended some of the finest preparatory schools in the world (By age 10) while having the chance to live in places like France, Austria, Switzerland and Germany. By eighteen I was on a Special Weapons team (nuclear) in the field artillery in the U.S. Army on the border of East Germany at the height of the Cold War. After the Army I attended college towards the end of going into the intelligence community where I ultimately began the process of attaining the patents for all configurations of monitored firearm storage (U.S. Patent nos. 5,416,472 and 5,598,151) ranging from monitored child-proof gun safes, weapon racks and holsters with GPS and data transmission which became the original Smart Holster project for the DOJ.
I worked at many professions while trying to market my patents and get monitored gun safes in the schools before Columbine happened and in the cockpits of jets before 9/11 only to be stymied due to politics and governmental ineptness in assisting a then young inventor trying to do what is right. I have worked in the restaurant business where I was once a Maître D’ of Tavern on The Green in NYC, high end sales, Wall Street broker, Banker and now a federal officer with the TSA in the Department of Homeland Security in Orlando Florida.
Describe the plot of your new book, “The Green Horse,” in a few sentences.
The Green Horse is the story of a magical land where there exists magical horses of different colors with different powers that a young man named Nicholas uses to save a princesses life after solving the puzzle of what the power of the Green Horse was. The quest to save and hopefully marry Princess Gabriella leads Nicholas on an adventure that requires him to use his curiosity, ingenuity, bravery and speed to save the princess and the kingdom she would one day reign.
Who do you think would most appreciate this book?
I think ages 6 through 12 will most like the book but it will appeal to all ages as a family story that I am confident will become a classic family story with endless possibilities for marketing from toys to theme park additions.
Tell us about the main characters, Princess Gabriella and Nicholas.
Princess Gabriella is the sole child of the king and Queen in the kingdom and her parents wish to find a proper suitor to marry her. Nicholas is a good, God fearing boy who worked on his family’s farm who studied hard. He lived according to the Golden Rule of treating people the way they wanted to be treated. He heard the royal family was seeking a young man to marry their daughter which would also make him king one day. He knew in his heart this was to be him.
The Green Horse has a mysterious power. Without giving too much away, what can you tell us about this horse?
The power of the Green Horse is a power which is restorative to that which it feels needs to be restored.
Tell us about the antagonist, the evil sorceress.
The evil sorceress Kashaptu seeks to overthrow the kingdom and harm the princess with a cursed spider. Her powers are great and mysterious.
The story is very imaginative and fantastical. Was it difficult capturing the whimsical nature of this story?
I think the whimsical nature of this story comes from the positive view in which I view the magic of life itself that I have tried to capture in this book with truly magical horses.
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| Author Dennis Torii Jr. |
Where do you draw your writing inspiration from?
My inspiration comes from having a level of awareness that makes me see the world in all of its full beauty and the not so beautiful side as well. I simply love God and see that children are His greatest gift. The magic we can keep in this world for them is so important lest the Light of love for them and all that is good disappear.
Are there any authors who have influenced your writing style?
The author that inspired me most for this book which is now a trilogy would have to be C.S. Lewis who authored the Narnia Chronicles.
How long have you been writing?
I have been writing for about 4 years, but have written many essays, thesis, and much of my own patents.
Who was your favorite character to write?
My favorite character to write was Nicholas because he embodied what I believe I and my actual son Nicholas would be like in his circumstances.
How do you think you've evolved as a writer since when you first started?
As a writer, I am evolving rapidly having just completed The Green Horse Trilogy and am now writing a screenplay about a new order based upon the original U.S. Constitution that will be wrapped in a fact based sci-fi thriller. I want my works to have the purpose of ultimately saving the world when I am done.
Are there any aspects (e.g. character building, world building) of your writing that you've been practicing?
I have been working on character development and scenario creation for my next work The Omega Plan which is the screenplay I am currently working on. It is important the reader or audience get to know and in most cases care about the main characters. Also the world you are creating must be substantial to the degree that it transports the reader or viewer.
What are your goals as a writer for the next ten years?
My goals as a writer over the next ten years are to write screenplays and create films that change the world and or create pure magic for children.
How have your readers responded to the book so far?
I have not gotten many reviews yet as marketing is relatively new but those that have responded have said they enjoyed the book. This is going to be a classic without a doubt.
Is there any aspect of writing you don't like?
I am not the best at typing sadly but I am getting better, AGAIN. While typing is a hindrance (45wpm) I appreciate being able to slow the thought process down for review purposes.
Have you ever had writer's block? If yes, how'd you deal with it? If you have not had writer's block, why do you think you haven't?
Writer’s block happens when the story just is not there yet. It can be like going on a boat voyage without a destination. You have to have a general feel for the complete story and then it is fill in the blank and polish it up.
What do you have in mind for your next project?
My next project is the screenplay The Omega Plan which will serve as the template for the world as the true plans needed for a Global Republic of ten nations based upon the original Pre-Progressive Era (pre-1913) U.S. Constitution. It will be a New Order which will preserve life, love and freedom. Ten nations that stay out of our lives.
Is there anything else you'd like potential readers to know about your book?
The Green Horse is now followed by two sequels, the second book being The Fire Horse and the third book is The Four Horses of Ishtar. The Green Horse Trilogy takes the reader on an adventure that spans from the magical land of Ishtar to present day in our world. Nicholas and the magic horses do what they must to save not only their world, but ours too.
More Information
Buy the book on Amazon.
I am the author Dennis R. Torii, Jr. and I am adding these corrections. My vision is failing compounded with long hard hours at the TSA in Orlando to blame.
ReplyDelete1) In the question: Tell us about the antagonist, the evil sorceress Please remove the word sought, leaving the sentence to read...Kashaptu seeks to overthrow the kingdom and harm the princess... Remove "sought" if possible.
2) In the question about where I draw my inspiration from, I had a run-on sentence. After I write "..children are His greatest gift and....", I would like a period after gift and begin the next sentence with "The magic.....
3) In the question "What do you have in mind for your next project"?, in the last sentence it says "The will be...."., and it should say "It will be..."
Thanks for stopping by! I have made the requested changes!
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