The only thing that no amount of money can buy
with W.O. Torres author of ‘Tomorrow Lives Today’
#NuevasPáginas is a space that aims to amplify and spotlight Hispanic/Latine/x authors with newly published books. The goal is to connect readers to their next favorite Hispanic/Latine/x authored book through a mini casual get-to-know-the-book-and-author interview. So please help me connect to more readers. So that together we can continue to build the love/support of Latine literature!
Hey Book Franz!
It’s a double issue kinda of week so I’m going to keep this intro short and thank you all again for being here. For opening each issue even if you might not read it all the way through or maybe you store them for later or maybe you do read them all the way through (I know you do)! Whatever the case, without you all here, there wouldn’t be any inboxes to send these interviews to. So thank you so much for making it possible for me to do this.
Today’s special guest came through a call I placed out to the interwebs for Latine authors with new books and I think it’s so wonderful that through this, I’m getting to meet Latine authors new to me as well! We are together, meeting new Latine authors, and our community along with our TBRs keeps going. I won’t keep you any longer but again, thank you for being here. Oh, and there’s no “What’s Lupita reading this week?” section today because I’m still not reading (sigh). Hoping my brain just needs a little time off to get back to it.
LOVE,
Lupita
Without further ado, our special guest author for today’s Nuevas Pagina issue is……W.O. Torres author of ‘Tomorrow Lives Today’!
Could you tell me a bit about where this photo was taken? Is it special to your book in some way?
This photo was taken at a beach on California's Central Coast. My Main Character, Brody Rodriguez dreams about settling down in a sleepy little beach town on the central coast...that is, once he's done saving the world from an A.I. War! I think me and Brody have a lot in common, most days I want to take a break from my responsibilities and dream about doing nothing in a little house overlooking the surf.
Tell me about your book without telling me about your book - share any literary inspirations behind your book! If there are none, the gap you wanted to fill in the literary canon with your book
I wrote this book after a lucid dream I had the same day my childhood hero, Stan Lee passed away. I don't think it was a coincidence that a story about a man who's life becomes "super-powered" crept into my brain the same night the greatest superhero storyteller who ever lived left this world. One of the best ways I can tell you about my book without telling you about my book is to cite one of my favorite reviews I have received to date..."A lot of this book is just fucking mayhem, and I love it." To say I have been influenced by comic books would be an understatement. While most people are drawn to the art of comic books, for me it was always the stories. Whether it was Chris Claremont's X-Men stories, Frank Miller's Daredevil stories, or Gerry Conway's Amazing Spider-Man stories, they left me on the edge of my bed counting the days until the next issue would show up at my local comic shop.
What are two central themes in your book that you connect with the most and why?
The central theme in my book revolves around TIME...the only thing that no amount of money can buy. After all, it is a book about time-travel, but it's so much more than that. What is time if not a literal hourglass where the sands run out on you each day, forcing you to slow it down or make it meaningful somehow and not wasted. This is the challenge for Brody Rodriguez in his search to find out who he was, who he is, and who he is meant to be. Another theme in my book is LOVE...what good is having all the time in the world if you aren't loved by someone? Our friends and family give us a level of love that is necessary for life, but to find true love, well...that's what it's all about, right?
If a book was home, where would your home be?
My home would be a three-bedroom home overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The front room would have a wall of windows that open to let in the cool sea breeze and seagulls chirping. A piping hot green tea on an end table, next to a recliner that has a black cat curled up on a blanket.
If your book was a famous musician who would it be?
My book is loud, unapologetic, and non-stop action, with plenty of heart. My book would definitely be The Ramones. Quick, in your face, controlled chaos that has you on the edge of your seat and excited for the next track!
What comfort food could a reader pair with your book?
My book would go well with street tacos, three to be exact. And I'm talking real street tacos, from a taco truck with four simple ingredients: cilantro, onions, choice of meat, and a squeeze of lime. No lettuce or cheese or sour cream...that's NOT a street taco. The three choices of meats I would choose would be, carnitas, lengua, and birria. Oh, and make sure to pair it with an ice-cold Modelo or Tecate.
In what ways has access (or little to no access) to Hispanic/Latinx/e literature defined you as a writer?
I have been consuming science fiction through reading/television/movies since the first episode of Star Trek I watched in 1976. To say I have been obsessed with all things sci-fi would be wildly understating my life. From the age of six years old (1976) until the age of thirty years old (2000) I can honestly count the number of Hispanic characters in sci-fi on a single hand. One of the reasons I write is to have LatinX representation that I never had as a kid or young adult.
Where can readers keep up with your work?
My book is on Amazon, just search for Tomorrow Lives Today. It's FREE on Kindle Unlimited and every 90 days when Amazon allows me I list the e-book for free downloads for anyone without Kindle Unlimited.
I have made so many amazing connections on Twitter with the #WritingCommunity. I use the Twitter handle @WOTorresWrites, and I love talking to people about anything...writing, sci-fi, cats, raising girls, the San Francisco 49ers, tacos, you name it. Hit me up!
Thank you to W.O. Torres for taking the time to chat with me about his book! Please please make sure you purchase a copy (or request your local library carry a copy) #SupportLatinxLit!
W.O. Torres resides in Northern California along with his beautiful wife, brilliant daughters, and their wonder dog, where he often writes once everyone is finally asleep.
As a child of the ’70s, his original works are inspired by his love of the golden age of Marvel Comics, Saturday afternoon Kung-Fu Theatre, Star Wars, Star Trek, James Bond, The Twilight Zone, and all things strange and unexplained.
These obsessions helped him avoid gangs, violence, drugs, and dropping out of high school, which were sadly all too familiar occurrences in his neighborhood.
He is wrapping up a twenty-five-year career in law enforcement and looks forward to the next chapter. Tomorrow Lives Today is his debut novel and was partly inspired by a lucid dream he had the same day his childhood idol, Stan Lee left this world and crossed over to the other side.
When not writing, he can be found coaching youth sports, attending dance recitals, and on occasion, enjoying a super burrito with carne asada…or carnitas.
Synopsis for Tomorrow Lives Today:
When a weapon composed of dark matter mysteriously arrives from the future, twenty-four-year-old Brody Rodriguez's chill life gets a super-powered upgrade.
A clandestine government agency led by Agent Gonzo and a squad of sinister spies kidnaps Brody and his future tech to save democracy … or at least their version of it.
Brody’s only ally is his time-traveling granddaughter, Isabella Rodriguez who wields a future tech of her own. Brody must convince his future wife “Dez” to stick around his chaotic life long enough to fall in love with him or watch him die. As an impending A.I. War inches closer, threatening humanity, Brody will face who he was, who he is, and who he is meant to be.
Die-hard sci-fi fans will geek out over this time-traveling, roller coaster on steroids ride! Tomorrow Lives Today is a fast-paced sci-fi/spy thriller novel filled with technology, tons of action, a steamy romance with diverse characters, and the occasional laugh-out-loud moment. Not to mention a twist ending that will have readers flipping pages backward! This Jack Ryan meets Marty McFly novel will appeal to readers who love reading just one more chapter as the pace and characters make it a fast and hard to put down read.