David R. Torres's Blog

Hello everyone. Crisis is now free today up to September 24! Make sure you download your free copy of this kick-ass spy novel!

David Torreshttp://www.amazon.com/Crisis-Covert-W...

So... I have writer's block and I'm looking at my book from all angles and try to come up with different scenarios to use. Eventually, I decide to find a way if you can treat brainwashing. Like legit Call of Duty Black Ops brainwashing. I found some sites which are like self-help and full of vague baloney with only the detailed information available in their "seminar." Complete horsepoop, right?

Well, then there is this Yahoo questions thing about a girl who thinks her boyfriend is being brainwashed because he won't agree with his gf in a "he said/she said" conflict. Like, this is total middle grade drama..... Just.. NO! NO! Bitches can't use Yahoo answers to ask stupid questions or to help solve their stupid drama! And this girl on the forum thinks her "boyfriend" is being brainwashed..... HAHAHAHA. I was looking for the legit total brainwashing... not figurative, or exaggerated "brainwashing" (lying). Like, wow. that was SO OFF THE MARK.

Here is the actual inquiry:
My boyfriend is being brainwashed. what the person said to him was not true. I didnt hear was was said. I know that my boyfriend really cares for me. but, how do you cure him being brainwashed so my name can be cleared?

First off, if you're going to ask a question... ASK IT RIGHT. I don't now how the other people did it, but I didn't understand the whole conflict.

Now, what is almost as bad as these stupid questions are the ANSWERS! There are people who seriously answer back things like "you really don't have any thing to do but show the person what is wrong if they do not see it let them get hurt i know that is hard if you love that person but that is the way it has to be"

or
"show him how you really feel about him. someone else must be after him also"

Are these people SERIOUSLY trying to help??? FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! For problems like these, you go ask your friends or someone you trust, not people on Yahoo answers!

Also, WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE PEOPLE DOING?! Do they just scroll down Yahoo Answers and look for questions such as this so they can be the substitute "gurlfraaand" and give relationship advice? I'm pretty sure there are websites or forums for that stuff.

Maybe I am overreacting. Maybe I am just overheated after struggling with writer's block for a while.... But daaaaaamn that just pissed me off. I'm trying to do research and ask stupid improbably questions on the internet just to see what comes up and hope I snag a legit resource, and all of a sudden I get this stupid site with the right keywords, just the wrong frickan context.

Anyways.... What I am trying to tell you all is that if you need advice or have drama you need help on.... don't go to Yahoo Answers for help.... Just. No.

HEY HEY HEY EVERYONE!!!!!! I am giving away 20 promotional codes for a free audiobook copy of Restricted Renegade in a raffle. How do you enter the raffle? Like my author page, LIKE AND SHARE THE ORIGINAL POST on my facebook author page (David R. Torres) because Restricted Renegade ebook is free today, March 19th to March 23rd. By doing this your name will be put into the raffle. All entries must be placed by March 23rd midnight pacific time. Take advantage of downloading the free ebook copy and you will be able to whispersync your ebook with the audiobook. Follow the link to download your free ebook copy! Those who do not like and share the ORIGINAL post on my FACEBOOK PAGE will not be entered in the raffle.

http://mybook.to/restrictedsaga

Hello Everyone. I just wanted to let you all know that Restricted Renegade is free February 25-28!!! Make sure to grab your free ebook copy! All 534 pages of page-turning action and heart melting romance is free!
http://www.amazon.com/Restricted-Rene...

HELLO EVERYONE!!! I'm so happy. Wanna know why? BECAUSE THE UNABRIDGED AUDIOBOOK PRODUCTION OF RESTRICTED RENEGADE IS NOW LIVE!!! It's $21.83 on amazon for 15 expertly narrated hours of Action packed goodness! Click on the link and listen to the sample!


http://www.amazon.com/Restricted-Rene...

Chapter 2

It has been five days of endless walking. I approached a city, but what I saw was absolutely horrifying. Everything was destroyed. Concrete rubble everywhere, large craters in the streets, hell, even the street signs are illegible. I don’t know where I am. I can’t even use the buildings to find out where I am, which County I am in.
More and more I think that maybe I am the last man on earth, but still, how long have I been gone? There are vines and plants growing around the rubble. I had to search around to scavenge, but no matter how much I searched I wasn’t able to find much. I found a small pocketknife in its blister package; the only one that was in fairly good condition. The bombings ruined just about everything. So aside from the knife, I got a small pack, and some dusty old fingerless gloves. It’s not much, but regardless, I’m lucky to have even found anything at all. Nothing could have survived the bombing… Would the RCC really have gone this far to bomb the whole world?
I’ve been sticking to the heart of cities. I’m now more confident that there are no hostiles, but that doesn’t mean I’m not alert. I camp out inside little caves the rubble of buildings make. It makes decent shelter from the cold mornings. I swear, my nose feels like it’s about to fall off.
I huddle around the fire, tending to the roasting squirrel meat. It’s got a gamey taste, but it needs salt and spices. I’m not complaining though, I’m starving. I have already finished three squirrels.
Once I return to the fire with two more squirrels and have skinned them, I leave the meat skewered over the fire. I stare up at the moon overhead, wondering if Rachel is watching it as well. If I can just connect to her through the moon, I can rest easy. I know she’s alive. She’s too damn stubborn to die easily. I wonder how Lukas is doing. How JT is faring. How XL, Tyler, and Miller are doing as well. And Ryan. What’s he doing? How are both our Counties?
I sigh and shake my head as I continue staring up into the star streaked night sky. A low growl sounds nearby and I sit up quickly, grabbing my makeshift wooden spear. A four legged creature walks out from the shadows, hackles raised, teeth bared, head low, and eyes intent.
“A pitbull?” I breathe.
The dog’s eyes flick back and forth from me over to the roasting meat over the fire. My first thought is to shoo him away, but how can I? He/she/it is the only intelligent living being out here. A dog. How long as it been out here surviving? I’m actually going insane being alone for once.
Once I determine it’s a he, I find that he has no collar.
“What’s your name?” I ask, as if he’s going to bark it out.
His short pointy ears dart upwards as if a question mark is floating above his head. His growl becomes softer, unsure. I toss him a stick of meat in front of his feet. Without hesitation the pitbull tears the meat with a powerful chomp. As he eats, I find myself moving closer to him, unaware or uncaring if he is friendly or not. Once I get close enough, the pitbull lunges out to chomp off my hand.
“Okay, okay, I get it. You hate people.”
The dog lies down and feasts on his share of the food. Every once in a while his eyes flick towards me, inspecting me closely.
Once I finish my meat, I toss him the bones so he can suck out the marrow inside. I’m satisfied, but the dog looks like he’s been without food for quite a while.
“You’re pretty thin aren’t you, boy?” I ask. The dog lifts his head and quirks it to the side, his tongue hanging out. “Hah. Now you like me? Whatever. I might as well feed you in the morning since you’re a little thin. But only if you’re a good boy, that is.”
The dog huffs in offense. I throw some dirt onto the fire and head inside the rubble into my little cave to sleep. It might rain overnight with the clouds looming over nearby. I should stay dry.
“Come on, dog. It’s going to rain.”
The pitbull growls softly, still not trusting me.
“Suit yourself. Good night.”


“So I guess this is goodbye, huh?” I lean down to pet the dog, but he chomps at my hand. “Yeah, I know what you mean. I’m not good at goodbyes either… Trust me.”
I pack up my gear and put on my fingerless gloves. I sweep my hair to the side and glance back at the dog, wondering where he will go to next. “Take care of yourself, dog. Don’t die.”
For some reason it’s hard to take the first step forward towards my return. Am I worried about the dog? Do I doubt that there’s anything at all in the south? Or is it that I just don’t want to leave? Life is easier just surviving in the wild. I don’t have anyone else to worry about and I don’t have any responsibilities other than to keep myself alive and fed. But that’s just the problem: isolation. I’m all alone. I have nobody to talk to, nothing to give meaning to my life. Human contact and interaction is necessary… and right now, thinking about Rachel’s delicious touch is driving me insane!
After about two miles, I turn around to look and still find the dog hot on my trail. “Shoo. I thought we were supposed to go our own ways from now on.”
The dog looks away, pretending not to notice I’m here. Sheesh. For a dog, this one’s got quite the attitude. The pitbull casually wanders about, approaching closer and closer until it finally “notices” me.
The face the dog makes is enough to communicate his sarcastic thoughts. Oh! I didn’t see you there. Fancy meeting you here.
I roll my eyes. Pfft, yeah right, dog. I drink some water from a metal canteen I’ve managed to scavenge. The dog comes up, licks his lips and eyes me intently.
“Ugh… Really?” I can’t say no to those eyes. “You’re just using me, aren’t you?”
I take off my glove, cup my hand, and pour water over it. The dog walks on over and sticks out his tongue to drink thirstily from the small puddle of water in my hand. I try not to laugh from how much his tongue tickles.
Once he finishes, I try to pet him, but I jerk my hand back when he tries to chomp down on my palm.
“I will hit you if you bite me.”
The dog huffs back as if to challenge me.
“What’s your name, buddy? You don’t have a dog tag.” The dog barks. “Yeah… I don’t know what that means.”
Aaand the stupid dog rolls his eyes at me.
“Hey! If you’re going to be following me around and using me for my food and water, we might as well be friends.” I pause, waiting for a response. “Or allies. Just allies. That’s fine, but I need a name to call you by.”
I move my face closer to him, meeting his gaze. “How is Dog? It’s simple and politically correct.” The dog moves to chomp my face off. “Ugh, how about Chomp? You keep trying to bite me, so Chomp it is. And I don’t care what you say about it, you’re name is fuckin’ Chomp now.”
Chomp barks in acceptance. “Oh. Really? You like that? Okay. Let’s get going Chomp.”
We both walk together through the abandoned city. I’m still having no luck finding any more items to salvage. I find the occasional can and scrap metal. A blanket would be nice, that way I can keep Chomp warm at night, but no such luck.
“Where do you think we are, Chomp?” I ask him and surprisingly expect an answer back.
Chomp groans back as if saying “I have no fuckin’ clue.”
I think I’m actually going crazy if I’m actually having conversations with a dog, but honestly, I’m glad I have the company. This way, I know I’m not the last being on earth. There’s Chomp and I.
Chomp helps me hunt squirrels by barking whenever one of my snares has been triggered. Chomp likes his meat cooked, so he brings me the squirrels to roast over the fire. It’s a nice team effort. It reminds me of how Lukas and I were whenever we had to team up for an Op. We just clicked and we understood each other. We have also known each other since kindergarten, so we know each other by heart as well as our thinking. But with Chomp and I, even though we don’t know each other to that level quite just yet, we still click. Sure, Chomp still tries to bite my hand off every time I try to pet him, but I always smack him upside the head when he does. And then he nudges and shoves me, and I shove him back until I’m actually laughing.
It’s weird, laughing in my situation, but Chomp has actually kept me sane. He’s kept me focused and he keeps me… human. I still have the courtesy to knock whenever I enter into an abandoned building or home. I always take my gloves off to eat. And sometimes… I even pray. Not to God necessarily, but to anybody really. Hell, maybe it’s not even praying. I just think out loud to myself. Usually something along the lines of hoping Rachel is okay and hoping she won’t hate me when I see her again.
As the sun relinquishes its reign for the moon to take its rule, Chomp and I decide to start finding a place to stay the night. It looks like it’s the Demolished IRIS Corporate Store Inn for tonight. Such luxury.
I gather some firewood and move towards our chosen “suite.” I toss the firewood on the floor and stretch my back.
“You could have helped, you know? You can carry some wood in those giant chompers you got there.”
Chomp snorts and waves me off. Lazy Mutt.
“Shh.” I hush Chomp. Small pieces of rubble topple down over us. “Run! Get out of here!” I shout, but not in time for Chomp to move. A large slab of debris falls toward Chomp and I don’t think; I just react.
I hover over Chomp to shield him. I groan when the slab hits my back and it splits into two. The whole roof caves in, but I keep still, focusing only on protecting Chomp. Chomp doesn’t whimper, only growls to scare off this invisible enemy.
“Shut up. It’s nobody. This place was just unstable.”
Once things have stopped moving around, I use all my might to push up and get out of this trap. I actually lift the whole roof off of us. The two slabs fall over and I’m holding up the whole roof from crushing us.
“Get out of here, Chomp.” Chomp obeys and darts outside with our pack hanging from his mouth. He turns to face me and barks.
I shimmy my way out until I finally let everything collapse. I jump forwards and roll when I hit the ground. My jaw drops as I survey the scene that should have crushed us completely. Did I actually lift that shit up?! There’s no way.
I fall on the ground and breathe heavily, looking up to the night sky. “Time to go get some more firewood… And find another place to stay.”
Chomp barks in agreement.


I wake up to some loud snoring. Chomp is curled up into a ball with his back tucked into my stomach. My arm is draped over him and I get a whiff of his morning breath.
“Oh God, Chomp. You smell like you ate a shit burrito, not squirrel.”
Chomp opens an eye and snorts in my direction. Moisture is sprayed all over my face and I use some water to wipe myself clean.
“I smell that bad too, huh? It’s a shame we don’t have the luxury of brushing our teeth.”
My stomach growls. What the hell is up with me? I’m always hungry. And even in times where food was not an option, I was able to skip one meal. But now, it seems impossible to. This is definitely a disadvantage.
I wasn't able to catch much today with the snares. Only three squirrels. I’m shocked that two squirrels leave me unsatisfied. Usually, I would have had one squirrel and still have been able to go on despite the hunger. But now with two squirrels, I’m still hungry and I feel sluggish, like I don’t have much energy. Regardless, I give the third to Chomp. He needs his food too.
We set a good pace and head down south. I have no clue how much I’ve travelled, but given the fact that I’ve been somewhat running ever since I left the container, it’s possible I might have travelled the distance of one county. But I can’t be sure. I would be far more tired than I actually am if I had.
All of a sudden, Chomp skids to a dead stop, his paws dragging across the tarmac. He looks around and sniffs.
“What’s the matter, Chomp?” Chomp lowers his head and growls softly. A warning growl. “What do you smell?”
Chomp’s growl becomes louder. And that’s when I hear something off in the distance. I don’t know how, but I can hear it. I can hear them. They’re coming close.
“Come on, Chomp. Whatever they are, I think it’s best to assume they aren’t friendly.”
He doesn’t move. He digs his claws deeper into the ground and holds his position. Now I can smell them. A certain smell that I will never forget. I gag and my heart kicks up a storm. I can’t take them all on, especially with just a wooden spear to fend for myself.
“Chomp. When I tell you to run, you run.” I don’t know if he heard or even understood me, but I won’t let Chomp be taken.
I breathe through my mouth instead of my nose to make the horrid stench more bearable. I don’t know if I’m going to survive. But I sure as hell won’t let myself die by the hands of Rats that easily.
Once I toss the useless wooden spear to the side I stretch out my arms in front of me, set my palms vertical to the ground, and shift into my stance.
“I was caught off guard the last time I fought pieces of shit like you. But this time is different. You’re going to regret this.” The stench is thicker now. They’re so close that I can actually taste them. “Don’t worry, Chomp. You’ll be alright. I promise.”

Unrestricted Rising is FREE!!! that's right. FREE!!!! Today to October 18th! Make sure to grab your copy today and spread the word! Don't forget to leave a review too and enter the giveaway! :)

After liberating County #203 LEOs from the influence of the ARES broadcast, Rachel must face her demons and take her place within the Unrestricted Forces. But when Uh-Kuh is conquered by a feral group of humans the Unrestricted call The Rats, Rachel is dead set on rescuing her mother and friends.

With County #203 in need of leadership, a long lost friend—Melody Vandergeld, who seems to be hiding ulterior motives—convinces David to take up the role of Congressman. But when David renegades to the Mainland for an unknown reason, Rachel is left questioning who or what caused this betrayal.

With Uh-Kuh taken over and David missing, it is now up to Rachel to liberate Uh-Kuh and rescue David. Sacrifices must be made.

The War has only just begun.
http://myBook.to/unrestrictedrising

WARNING may contain spoilers to Legend and Restricted Renegade series.


It took me three years to write Restricted Renegade. It's been getting some pretty good Reviews. It's been compared to be similar to Divergent, Renegade, Legend, and the Hunger Games (even though I don't see the similarities it has with the Hunger Games), and I'm so happy people like it.

I started reading Legend a while back when I started writing Unrestricted Rising. And I liked the similarities. ANd I absolutely love Marie Lu's writing as well.

I just started reading Prodigy and I had an "OH MY GOD" moment. The similarities between our books is almost shocking.

1. Both Legend and RR (Restricted Renegade) have healing salve. But that's been done in plenty of books. It's like one of the basic futuristic tech you'd think would exist in the future.

2. Both of the books say that the United States turned toward a period of Isolationism. This was a very uncanny similarity. But then again, it would make sense because we have to focus solely on the nation of importance, because if the nation didn't shift toward a period of isolationism, then the other nations of the world would have a role to play in the plot and story, and that is just too much for a 3-5 book series.

3. There is an absolute ruling power at the head of the hierarchy. For RR it is the President and for Legend, the Elector. Both are totalitarian dictators or some form of absolute ruling power. Of course there are specifics where they differ, but the main idea is the same.

4. Romance between a rebel guy, and a loyal citizen girl. Again, there are specifics where they differ. Regardless, the main idea is the same. But really, romance is awesome! Assuming it is done well. ANd in both series, the romance is well done. Romance adds flavor to the book. It makes it more magical in my opinion. And the whole "rebel guy and loyal citizen girl fall in love as they struggle to survive and fight to stop the corrupt nation" is a cliche. But some cliches (again, i say in my opinion) are just so good! But as always, it has to be done the right way.

5. The name of the nation. The nation of focus is called the Republic in Legend. In RR it is the Republic of Coalesce Counties. I understand why "Republic" was chosen. It sounds ominous and powerful. Even though a republic is technically a form of government where the citizens have the power, I think Marie Lu and I thought similarly and chose Republic as a name for maybe the same reason.

I chose "republic" in the name because i wanted to portray that the nation's leaders want to give the illusion or implication that their laws and practices and society was all chosen and accepted by the people. And that the people(citizens) still have the power over their nation. Even though it's obviously a lie. But it gives the impression that the nation is even more corrupt and evil that they try to brainwash their citizens into believing they live free. BAsed on what I'm reading so far and analyzing Marie Lu's writing style, i think she thought of this as well.

THe coalesce counties part, i just wanted to keep the whole "state separation" thing going on so I can have other leaders that answer to the ruling head of government. And i wanted to do something different than "districts or factions or states."

6. A strong Romantic heroine as protagonist (and/or a strong Romantic hero as a protagonist). By romantic, I am referring to the literary archetype. Meaning that they are a character that rejects established norms and conventions, has been rejected by society, and has the self as the center of his or her own existence.
Okay, they aren't EXACTLY like a romantic hero/heroine. But they have some aspects of one.
Day (Legend) is known as a criminal and a bad guy since he obviously doesn't agree with the society. David Thompson (RR) isn't hated or rejected by the society, but it's only because he puts up a visage has to act like a different person all the time. If he expressed his true persona, he would definitely be rejected by the society. Both Day and David disagree with the beliefs,laws, and practices their societies participate in.

June (Legend) is on the other side of the spectrum. She is loyal to the Republic, and she's even a prodigy. But like a romantic heroine, she strong, brave, and headstrong. Rachel (RR) is loyal to the RCC, and she's loyal and headstrong and brave. She's shy and not a very strong character in the beginning and she wasn't very accepted in Preperatory school, but she does transition into what I previously mentioned as a Romantic heroine.

these four protagonists all have a tragic flaw. ANother American Romanticism character element. I won't spoil what their flaws are. their flaws are part of the fun.

7. Two main protagonists (two perspectives) in the book. Legend is told in both June and Day's POVs. Restricted Renegade is told in both Rachel and David's POVs. I realized that most YA novels or dystopic novels are now being told in two perspectives by their two main protagonists. I honestly don't care if it "gets old" or becomes a bad "cliche". Both of the series (Legend and RR) needed the perspectives of both characters to successfully make the plot understandable and answer any questions we might have.

Sure, we could have done the same in third person point of view, but first person POV is more intimate and personal. You get to know the character's thoughts and feelings and logic as if you ARE the character, and thus you become more attached to the characters. That's why i chose first person and I'm ABSOLUTELY positive that's why Marie Lu did as well.


So these similarities being said (or what I've noticed so far) I became a little worried that my book might be seen as a rip off, given that she's the best seller and I'm the indie author. You know what? Marie Lu's book is an original and so is mine. THough those point I mentioned are eerily similar, our books have our differences. And there are alot.

So the reason why I think they are so similar is because we want to communicate the same (or similar) ideals, morals, values, and messages through our writing.

Now this blog post isn't going to be about me preaching "OH! the government is corrupt! Fight for your rights! Power to the people!"

What I want you guys to do is to read (or re-read) Legend, Prodigy, and Champion AND Restricted Renegade and Unrestricted Rising (not yet done with book 3) and try to find out what message we as the author are trying to communicate to the readers. And learn from it and take the moral and messages to heart.

Go. Seriously. Do it now.

I still have yet to read Champion and I am excited to get to it soon! :)

Ahoalton.

IT IS OCTOBER 1st! You know what that means???!!!! Unrestricted Rising has now been released! Be the first to leave a review for Unrestricted Rising! The battle may have been won, but the war is far from over, and sacrifices will be made. Go ahead and grab your copy of Unrestricted Rising for 3.99 on amazon! Don't forget to enter the Goodreads Giveaway to win one of five paperback copies of Unrestricted Rising!!

http://myBook.to/unrestrictedrising

Hello everybody! Enter for a chance to win one of five free paperback copies of Unrestricted Rising! All entries must be in before 11:59 of Octover 31st. You do not want to miss out on this exciting sequel!