Written by contributor James Aquilone
Tori Eldridge has a heck of a resume. She’s worked as an actress, singer, and dancer on Broadway, television, and film. She has a fifth-degree black belt in To-Shin Do ninjutsu and has taught seminars on the ninja arts, weapons, and women’s self-protection. Born and raised in Honolulu, she graduated from Punahou School with classmate Barack Obama. Now Tori is writing thrillers. Her first, The Ninja Daughter, was named one of the “Best Mystery Books of the Year” by The South Florida Sun Sentinel and awarded the 2019 Thriller Book of the Year by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network. I recently got a chance to talk with Tori about her second novel, The Ninja’s Blade, and a few other things.
Please, tell our readers a little bit about yourself.
Goodness, where to start? I was born and raised in Honolulu, attended Northwestern as a theater major, performed in Broadway musicals (most notably the original 1st National Company of Cats), was a series regular on The Love Boat (and other shows), did the motion capture for Aki Ross in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, recorded with Brian Wilson, wrote screenplays, raised two kids with my producer husband, earned a fifth degree black belt in To-Shin Do ninja martial arts, and now am writing novels, short stories, and even a decidedly quirky narrative poem in the reboot of Weird Tales Magazine. In between, there were amusing stints as a music teacher, cheerleading coach, and co-director for a high school drum line!
For those who might not know, who is Lily Wong and how did you come up with the character? There are a few similarities between you and Lily — how autobiographical is the character?
Lily Wong appeared to me while writing a short story published in Suspense Magazine’s “Best of 2014” issue. I didn’t realize she would be so close to my heritage and experience until the words hit the page. The scene in the story ended up being the pivotal moment in my future modern-day ninja heroine’s life — the inciting incident that caused her to abandon her childhood dreams and dedicate herself to becoming a protector of women and children.
Although Lily and I both have Chinese mothers (hers an immigrant from Hong Kong, mine Chinese/Hawaiian from Maui) and Norwegian fathers from North Dakota, our personalities and family dynamics differ. Lily has a tragic history and leads a dangerous and complicated life. It was incredibly satisfying to delve deeper into my cultural heritage and martial arts experience to find her unique voice.
Why should someone read the series?
Lily is an uncommon hero in a series that entwines culture, family, and authentic ninja martial arts into a fast-paced mystery thriller. The books blend grit, action, heart, and humor in a way J.T. Ellison called “fresh” and Library Journal called “a heroine for the #MeToo era.” What better time than now for a Chinese-Norwegian modern-day ninja champion like Lily Wong?
In the new book, Lily “tackles the treacherous world of L.A. sex trafficking.” Why did you choose to write about sex trafficking? What type of research did you do?
In The Ninja’s Blade, Lily dives into the dangerous world of youth sex trafficking at the same time her meddlesome grandparents arrive in Los Angeles from Hong Kong for her mother’s 50th birthday bash. Lily has to calm her stressed out mother, manage her grandparents, negotiate a budding romance, while she hunts for a kidnapped prostitution victim, a missing high school girl, and a sociopathic trafficker. And if that weren’t enough, the surviving members of a murderous street gang are hunting for her.
Since I touched on the subject of sex trafficking in The Ninja Daughter and wanted to explore it more deeply in The Ninja’s Blade, I began my writing process with deep research.
After months of reading articles and reports, watching and listening to interviews with survivors, traffickers, law enforcement, social workers, and prostituted teenagers, my fictional characters appeared. Collectively, they show the many ways in which our kids — all of our kids — are at risk and the insidious methods these traffickers employ. The Ninja’s Blade plot emerged from the plight of these characters and Lily’s quest to free the girls from their literal and figurative slavery.
Do you have plans for more installments in the Lily Wong series? If so, how many books in the series do you see yourself doing? Any interest in doing other books or series?
I’m currently writing the third Lily Wong adventure that takes her and Ma to Hong Kong during the height of the 2019 protests. It’s loaded with action, intrigue, romance, and trademark Wong family drama. Although it takes place a month after The Ninja’s Blade, it can be read in any order. I’ve been so gratified to hear my second book has inspired new readers and reviewers to catchup with the first. There’s no limit to where this series can go. I’ll keep writing as long as she inspires me to tell her story and readers want to read them.
Although my crime fiction novels were the first to sell, I’ve written in other genres. Hopefully, I’ll have more exciting news to share very soon.
How do you bring your acting ability into your writing? Do you act out scenes before writing them?
I’m a “Method” writer. I embody my characters, feel their emotions, and speak their lines. It can get schizophrenic at times, especially when writing and acting out the dialogue, but it’s my way of tapping into individual voices. My acting experience helps me to switch between characters and let them go when I’m done. The most amusing moments are when I’m acting out the fight scenes!
Who would you like to play Lily in a movie?
I actually think the Lily Wong series would best be suited for television because the books have a strong ensemble cast with endearing and fascinating characters. With everything that’s happening in the world, the time is right for a millennial biracial heroine who rescues and protects the vulnerable in one of the most diverse cities in the world. As for actresses? Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. just retired. Maybe Chloe Bennett?
As a fifth-degree black belt in To-Shin Do ninjutsu, how do you approach writing fight scenes? How important is it for you to be true to your martial arts background? What are some things authors do wrong when writing fight scenes?
Authenticity is hugely important to me, especially in the Lily Wong series. One of my major goals was to bust through the sensationalized ninja stereotype and portray an authentic example of a modern-day kunoichi (female ninja).
Most people don’t even realize that the ninja martial arts have been around for centuries, passed down from nine lineages to one grand master, and into the world through countless instructors. There are dedicated practitioners of the ninja martial arts all over the globe. You might even know a few of them yourself.
I wanted to give Lily a broad base of experience similar to my own. She trained in Chinese Wushu in the open and Japanese Ninjutsu on the sly. She also has experience in American boxing, mountain climbing, and Parkour. (I’ve trained in Ninjutsu, karate, kickboxing, Wushu, and Jujutsu ground fighting.) Since ninja are renown for adopting anything that helps them win, Lily’s broad martial art and athletic experience reflect her modern approach. Like me, she’s also strong in the esoteric and Tendai Buddhist practices associated with the ninja.
When writing fight scenes, I visualize them first and often act out portions to help me describe what’s happening. It’s not uncommon for me to waltz into my husband’s home office and ask to borrow his neck or wrist — requests that are much less alarming now that I’ve retired from teaching and training!
After that, it’s about locking into the emotion of my point-of-view character so I can hook the readers into the drama. It’s a fun challenge to explain just enough that those with training know exactly what techniques are being used while still driving the suspense. I love it when book club readers tell me how they’ve experimented with stealth walking and breathing techniques described in the books. And it’s loads of fun when my ninja friends identify and/or demonstrate techniques they’ve trained in for years.
Fight scenes are so much more than strikes and kicks. When done well, they reveal secrets about the characters and information that furthers the story. I feel that any scene, fights included, should always operate on multiple levels. And, of course, they have to kick ass and ring true.
