Denise Frisino spent her summers playing and working in the numerous islands that define the Pacific Northwest, where her family spans five generations. At age five Denise began her lifelong devotion to performing and the arts. Both on stage and in film, she has been involved as an actress, writer, director, and producer. After graduating from the University of Washington she continued to study acting at ACT in San Francisco and with Harvey Lembeck in Los Angeles. While working in the film industry in Los Angeles, Denise appeared in various venues including the Comedy Store. Returning to Seattle, she taught English, drama, video, and writing in the public schools. For the University of Washington’s Experimental College, Denise developed Creating Memorable Characters, a course for writers. She has been a member of Screen Actors Guild, Women in Film, International Television Association, and served on the Board for American Federation of Television and Radio. She has received various awards for her acting, writing, teaching and directing.
Now, she has turned to novel writing. Denise’s first historical fiction about Prohibition, Whiskey Cove, was nominated for the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award, and opened the door to numerous public speaking engagements.
Orchids of War, the first in the Orchids Trilogy, was a finalist in the NIEA, National Indie Excellence Awards and the Eric Hoffer da Vinci Eye Award. Denise spent 5 years interviewing men and women who served during World War II, entwining their experiences into her story for accurate detailing.
Storms From A Clear Sky, the second installment, was 1 of 3 finalists in the PNWA Nancy Pearl Book Award and a finalist in the Forward Indie Reviews. She has now spent over 9 years interviewing and researching for this trilogy.
Her blogs and YouTube channel contain some of the 50+ WWII veteran interviews Denise captured when researching. She will be adding more. Stay tuned.
Currently, she continues to lecture on Prohibition and espionage along the West Coast Prior to WWII, while finishing the third book for the Orchids Trilogy.
Denise has stood atop five mountain peaks over 14,000 feet, lived aboard one of the old Mosquito Fleet boats on Lake Union, and drank Scotch with Katharine Hepburn. She enjoys being on the water and loves her rowboat. Denise and her husband continue to enjoy the many facets of the Pacific Northwest.