TONY GREGORY
As a beautiful day ends in the summer of 2001, Tony, his cousin Carl, and their friends hear a loud crash from his house. After investigating, they find the house trashed and Tony's parents missing. The kids then head to Carl's house, where they walk in on his parents with the kidnappers. With help from their friends, the two boys manage to escape the three bumbling villains and later decide to save their parents themselves.
Name: Anthony Joshua Gregory
Nickname: Tony
Birthday: March 18th, 1991
Parents: Dennis & Cynthia Gregory
Hometown: Baytona, Newfoundland
Height: 4 ft.
Weight: 100 lbs.
Eye Color: Blue
Hair: Short, wavy, sandy blonde
Favorite Color: Red
Worst Fear: Snakes
Hobbies:
Pretending to be a spy, watching movies, playing with friends
Ambition:
To become the world's youngest and best spy
What are their strengths?
Tony, with his quick wit and unwavering determination, is a character that will inspire young readers with his resilience and courage.
What are their weaknesses?
Tony is easily scared, bossy, sassy, and demanding.
What do they want?
Tony wants to save his parents and expose crime by acting like a spy. He also wants a cell phone.
What do they need?
Tony needs to learn the value of watching his mouth and being responsible.
What motivates them?
Driven by his love for his dreams, parents, and friends, Tony's motivation underscores the value of friendship in his journey.
What's their central conflict?
Tony's central conflict is with the kidnappers, who have stolen his parents. He also has conflict within himself as his attitude makes things worse.
How do they change?
As the story unfolds, Tony undergoes a significant transformation. He discovers courage and responsibility, and his character development will make readers feel proud of his growth.
Do they achieve their goals?
Read "Minor Problem" to find out if Tony achieves his goals!
Interview with author Joshua Emberley-Penney:
First of all, how did you develop the idea for this story?
Well, my cousin and I both loved the movie Spy Kids, so as children playing games, we were always pretending to be spies. That same movie ended up being the inspiration for my own story, you know, 'What if I had to save my parents? That could be a fun story.' As the years went by, it evolved into this story.
Why does the story occur in the summer of 2001 instead of the present day?
I started writing the story in the summer of 2001 when I was eight. It was my very first original story and the main reason I'm a writer. Plus, every kid has a cell phone these days. They're able to get help too easily, and my characters need to struggle.
How did you create your characters?
When writing a story, you must know your characters as if they were real people. You must know everything about them, as you would your friends and family. So, you should write a mini-biography about each character, learn every detail, all their quirks, and all the things that make them tick. Creating characters is one of the most fun parts of writing. For example, Tony is based on me, but I made him older than eight to appeal to older children. His name is inspired by the 'Spy Kids' movie. His first name was inspired by Antonio Banderas, and his last name was inspired by the character he played, Gregorio Cortez. His birthday came from the release date, and then, inspired by my flaws and quirks, I created the character and his life story.
Why did you base your fictional characters on your childhood friends?
For the past 23 years, my friends have been acting alongside me in the movie within my brain. That's honestly how the characters look.
What was one of the most complex challenges you experienced while writing this book?
As I kept learning more and more about publishing children's books, I discovered that "value" is a crucial asset. The theme was originally about responsibility, but every time I looked at Tony, all I saw was a brat. I'm sure every kid is at some point or another. But, if you're going to write stories for children, your characters need to grow, develop, and change to become better versions of themselves. Eventually, the solution was right under my nose. Tony needed to grow and see the error of his ways, especially all the trouble caused by his attitude. Ensuring my characters learned and understood the theme was the most complex challenge of writing the book.
How long did it take you to write the book?
Overall, the actual writing process took about nine months. If you count the time I wasn't focusing on the book, it's been almost four years.
And how do you feel?
I feel a little weird, like my diary is floating around on the internet, but I'm also very excited.
When asked about being an editor, Samantha Martin said, "Tony is mainly my favorite because I always fall in love with the main character. Plus, I know he's based on Josh."
Keep an eye out for "Minor Problem"
Written by Joshua Emberley-Penney
Available next month!
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