HomeDWIGHT OKITA
Words can fly.
THE PROSPECT OF MY ARRIVAL.
This, my first novel, is about a human embryo that is allowed to preview the world before deciding whether to be born. Become a fan of the Dwight Okita brand...writing that is quirky, heartfelt, visionary, and a little tripped out! Currently selling about
60-100 kindles of this book a month.
My manager Nicholas Bogner of Affirmative Entertainment is in conversation to find the best screenwriter to adapt the book.
Nicholas' contact information is on the contact page of this site.
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guest blog posts, etc. on the KUDOS page.
Reviews for PROSPECT OF MY ARRIVAL...
"Suppose you had the chance, before birth, to decide whether you wanted to be born? How might that work? These are some of the intriguing questions raised in this elegant book by Dwight Okita, a Chicago poet making his debut as a novelist. The Prospect of My Arrival is a book that is serious, poignant and engaging. The book's time frame is somewhere in the not-too-distant future -- with cool technological devices such as the
From Goodreads.com
a website for people who love to read & recommend books
Sarah Draheim read the book and gave it 5 of 5 stars.
"I'm not a science fiction girl, so I thought this book might not be quite up my alley. However, I was delighted this morning on the train to figure out it's quite emotional, and there are moments when Okita is just brilliant, like when Prospect '...hopes the man doesn't have a rainy life.' I think I'll really like the rest of the book, too. Funny and heartwarming so far, with a bit of mystery thrown in."
Melodi Kownacki finished reading the book and gave it 4 of 5 stars.
"I'm pretty sure there is no genre called 'sentimental science fiction,' but that's definitely where this book belongs. The mind boggling technologies and general concept of the novel place it firmly in the realm of sci-fi, yet it's impossible to ignore the emotional wallop of this sweet, sad book...Prepare for a very poignant journey as Prospect learns the sad truth that life is not always as lovely as a tulip in a vase."
"Prospect’s character is written so well you want to nurture him and guide him through the best of what this world has to offer...And those of us with maternal instincts are occasionally biting our nails through the more difficult encounters."
From Publishers Weekly
based on the 2008 version of the novel as entered in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards
"...takes the reader on an engrossing and moving journey into the meaning of life, filled with fresh observations and memorable characters. Addressing the reader with a voice that skillfully blends innocence and wisdom, this latter-day Candide discovers unexpected connections among his Referrals and lands in jeopardy that keeps the pages turning until its satisfying and touching conclusion."
From Publishers Weekly,
based on the 2009 version of the novel as entered in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards
"In the fascinating and engaging near-future world of this novel, scientist Trish Mesmer is pioneering a project that will allow recently-conceived fetuses to experience the real world and decide if they want to be born...Prospect’s strong, innocent voice carries the novel as it ranges from touching to satirical in its exploration of the nature of humanity."
From PW Select,
Publishers Weekly's new quarterly supplement devoted to self-published books.
In 2012, PROSPECT was selected for review from almost 200 books by PWS editors.
"As the embryonic star of the Pre-born Project...Prospect has three weeks to preview the world before deciding if he wants to be born...Sweet."
* Advertised on the popular website KINDLE NATION in February 2012.
From Joni Rodgers, author of Bald in the Land of Big Hair and Hurricane Lover, New York Times bestselling author
I was intrigued when I saw the trailer. It sounded like "Benjamin Button" meets "What Dreams May Come"; could the author actually pull that off? You're in some very dicey territory, endowing the unborn with a persona. I suspect a lot of editors and agents would look at that and glaze over instantly. Not gonna touch that with a vaccinated cattle prod.
This book is not a no-brainer. It's quirky and delicious. Like ice cream with bacon. But it's also profoundly uncomfortable in places. One moment two loving parents are tucking their child in under a magical lit up ferris wheel mural, the next moment something incredibly dark unfolds. (And here the editor who hoped for an easy trip to the acquisition committee coughed coffee and hit "delete"...) What keeps you reading is the austerely lovely writing and a compulsion to find out what Prospects decision will be when he's presented with the choice to live - or not - in this world that weaves magical realism with dystopian surrealism.
One particular passage that, for me, perfectly sums up THE PROSPECT OF MY ARRIVAL: Prospect asks his mother what happens in the Tunnel of Love, and she says, "It's just a sweet little ride that takes you to a dark place. After a while you get so turned around, you forget what's happening in the world around you. But eventually you come out into the bright light again. The cars are shaped like big swans."
Yeah. What she said. Dwight Okita has committed a valiant act of poetry here, and yes, he pulls it off.
From Amazon Customer Review
A random customer not known to the author
"Both the writing and presentation are impeccable. The writing can be poetic, at times succinct, but always flows pure. There's just enough background science, and always within the context of the story. Attention to detail in the formatting, text, and complimentary graphics that head each chapter and section complete the package. Mr. Okita is clearly dedicated to his craft in every detail.
Through language he has transferred an idea from his unbounded imagination onto the page for our reading pleasure. Memorable characters, big ideas, science, spirituality, sensuality, and a story with dazzling twists and turns, The
Prospect of My Arrival is simply a joy to read."
Dwight's Novels.
THE HOPE STORE.
Below is my pitch for my second novel THE HOPE STORE.
THE PITCH FOR AMAZON CONTEST:
"We don't just instill hope. We install it." That's the slogan for the first store in the world to sell hope over the counter.
Luke Nagano goes to sleep each night dreaming about hope and how to make more of it, ever since he lost his sister. He and his partner prepare the store for its grand opening. As media interest grows, an activist group called the Natural Hopers emerges with the mission to warn the public about the dangers of synthetically created hope. Though the store investors become rightly nervous, a steady stream of hope-enhanced customers begins to sing the store's praises.
When hopeless Jada Upshaw first hears of the Hope Store, she's outraged. She's wasted plenty of time and money on magic bullets that haven't worked. Jada sets out to expose the Hope Store for the fraud it must be -- but to do so she must have a hope installation herself. Jada's response to the installation forces her to change her plans dramatically, and to re-think the meaning of hope.
A TV station offers to present a town hall meeting about the controversial yet promising nature of enhanced hope in the new millennium, and Luke is tempted by this chance for big exposure -- but it means they'll have to face the Natural Hopers who can be loose cannons. Everything is at stake as this high-profile event could either signal the beginning or end of a global conversation on hope. And it could determine if the doors of the Hope Store ultimately swing open or closed.
THE HOPE STORE is a soft science-fiction story of friendship set in the new millennium that explores the thorny relationships between science and faith, placebo and cure, hope and hype.
