W.O. Torres

Jesse Lawrence
Jan 27, 2024
4 min read

Sci-Fi

Mr. 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.

Hello, my wonderful authors and readers. Today, we have author W.O. Torres here to chat with us. W.O. Please give our readers a quick introduction to who you are.

Sup? My name is W. O. Torres, my friends call me “Dub” and I write Sci-Fi stories, when not holding down a day job, and raising two brilliant daughters along with my beautiful wife. Chillin’ in Northern California with our pets, enjoying family hikes, and staying cool when it’s hot and vice-versa.

So, your first novel, Tomorrow Lives Today, came out last summer. What's that about and what types of readers would want to pick it up?

Thanks for asking, it’s a sci-fi, time-travel thriller that follows the adventures of Brody Rodriguez, a clueless twenty-something-old as he connects with a mysterious weapon from the future giving him a super-powered upgrade! If you’re a fan of comic books, the Terminator movies, Back To The Future Movies, all things sci-fi, the strange and unexplained, and love diverse characters and are a Nerd (like me), please by all means…read this book! This is who I think would like reading my book, but really anyone who enjoys a compelling story.

How long did it take to write TLT? Was it a project long in the making, or did it flow from you in a burst of inspiration?

The initial idea of a character receiving unlimited powers from the future, and wielding these powers within today’s limit (hence the title, Tomorrow Lives Today) came to me as I was falling asleep on November 11, 2018…the same night that Stan Lee last went to bed. I made a promise to myself that the next morning when I read the news of my childhood hero passing, I would see this book to completion! That was nearly 5 years ago, and two more books have come from my fingertips and brain in the Tomorrow Lives Today Universe, completing the trilogy (Book 2 release 2023, Book 3 release 2024).

When your book finally appeared on Kindle and Paperback, how did it feel?

Indescribable, no words can describe it, even for someone who writes words all day. It hit me a few days later that I was no longer just a consumer of sci-fi, that I was now a contributing member of the sci-fi community and that is the most surreal feeling when I think of all the incredible minds that came before me and carrying on today.

Okay, here's my "unique" question for the day: If different types of rocks had magical abilities and you could only own one, what type of rock would it be and what power could you wield?

I’ve given this “magic lamp wish” question a lot of thought over my lifetime. And it’s true as a child or young adult, my response would’ve been for some ability that allows me an untold fortune, like invisibility to slip into bank vaults or time-traveling to beat the stock market. Basically selfish and short-sighted. But what good is all the money in the world if there is no world left? I write about A.I. and the future and I can only picture it going one horrible way. But, what if I had the power to spread compassion among every living being on this planet? What if everyone thought about each other and future generations before taking every action and how it may affect others? What a wonderful world that would be! Oh, and to answer the second part of your question I’ve always liked emeralds in the rock family.

Are you an organized "plotter" who develops an iron-tight outline before starting word one, or are you a chaotic see where the journey takes me "pantser"?

I’m a hybrid of sorts, allow me to explain. I start off with a strict Excel spreadsheet that breaks down each chapter with a Goal, Conflict, and eventual Resolution. Then I bullet point sub-plots and even come up with lengthy backstories of my characters down to their birthdays and favorite music. Then, once I start actually writing all of that planning goes to shit on the regular as inspiration takes over and I just trust the process at that point.

Lastly, I hear that book two, the sequel to Tomorrow Lives Today is coming out this summer. Without giving away too much about book one, can you tell us what to look forward to?

Oh boy, that’s tough. Book One follows Brody Rodriguez and Destiny Jordan. Something happens to these two crazy kids in Book One that spills over into the second book in a major way. Ideas and storylines that are touched upon in the first book are more fully explored out in Book Two. Also, we are no longer in Today…the book takes place Tomorrow!