tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15968925920994561612024-03-21T05:31:34.826-07:00Agay writes and then someAgay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1596892592099456161.post-78585811683115053392019-08-07T01:11:00.001-07:002019-08-07T01:25:06.647-07:00Contemplating Life ChoicesI've always loved writing and reading ever since I was a kid, but there was a time (in college) when I thought writing wasn't for me. Back then, I felt there were a lot of better writers in my university, and that my skills weren't up to par. During senior year, I took a photography class, and because of my teacher's encouraging comments, I toyed with the idea of becoming a photographer.<br />
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I didn't like having to set up lights, and the photo projects I enjoyed most were the ones done outdoors, photographing people in candid settings. My dad used to be really into photography, so I read his photography books and used his Nikkon F4. After poring over the gorgeous photos in my dad's hardbound copy of LIFE, I had a eureka moment. Photojournalism, that was what I wanted.<br />
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My first job involved writing. After less than a year on the job, I began feeling I was in the wrong place. Office work wasn't for me. I quit my job to take photography classes at Mowelfund, but sadly, that plan fell through.<br />
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I landed in television, which wasn't so bad. I remembered declaring during my college years that if I were to work for TV, I only wanted to work in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_and_Up">this children's show</a>--which actually came true! How cool was that?<br />
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When I started to earn more money, I spent my savings on nothing else but travel. Never mind if I didn't have new clothes or gadgets. As long as I traveled, I felt fulfilled. When I left the children's show, I started taking on freelance projects, which allowed me to visit different parts of the country. The videos I wrote for usually involved development work, which meant immersing in communities.<br />
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I don't know why I'm talking about this now, but I guess it's the usual <i>What if?</i> thinking. I chanced upon an <a href="https://penmanila.ph/tag/photographer/">article</a> on <a href="http://hannah.ph/">Hannah Reyes Morales</a> and though I've heard of her before, her words suddenly took me back to the past, and to the future I could've been living now if I'd chosen differently. It was as if I recognized my past self in her, making me dig up old photos of what I called then my soul projects.<br />
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I thought of sharing some of them with you.<br />
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Hokkaido, Japan (2006)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimN5Eyn07BVKZOedMZLLXWZzn_MTk2zuSiyB8JWWSIS9LYv3KiBg4l71bwMlnaCs3c0lbMcFKxiYT98SYwnl0zT2ZG9FMCw_95VEQ-IlC9Yfk857ZnQvkHxHQ6LHrR5qjBGG9_aso-OQo/s1600/P1040402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimN5Eyn07BVKZOedMZLLXWZzn_MTk2zuSiyB8JWWSIS9LYv3KiBg4l71bwMlnaCs3c0lbMcFKxiYT98SYwnl0zT2ZG9FMCw_95VEQ-IlC9Yfk857ZnQvkHxHQ6LHrR5qjBGG9_aso-OQo/s320/P1040402.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Guian Island, Eastern Samar (2006)</div>
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Marrakech, Morocco (2006)<br />
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Ouarzazate, Morocco (2006)<br />
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Ouarzazate, Morocco (2006)<br />
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Miarayon, Bukidnon (2008)<br />
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Miarayon, Bukidnon (2008)<br />
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I don't know where my other travel photos have gone, but those were of the more touristy variety. Probably that was the time when I had let go of the photojournalism dream.<br />
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But who knows? I might take this up again when my kids are grown up and I have more time (and hopefully, the funds) to travel.<br />
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In the meantime, I write novels. And I'm forever grateful to #romanceclass for leading me to this path, which I very much enjoy and find fulfillment in.Agay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1596892592099456161.post-3614436290969049372018-11-10T22:45:00.000-08:002018-11-11T20:10:21.813-08:00Writing Mango SummerI began writing Mango Summer during the latter part of 2016. At that time, I was caring for a newborn, and battling exhaustion. I felt out of touch with myself, which was why I decided to start a book. I needed to do something that empowered me and made me feel something more than a source of income and breast milk.<br />
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Three drafts, loads of sleepless hours and two years later, I finally finished it. Here's a timeline of the process with some snippets from my journal:<br />
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March 28, 2017: <i>I've been using Mango Summer as an escape--which is fine, but not at the expense of real life. Writing books is a wonderful thing, but it is not the most important thing for now. I need to declutter and take care of myself before I begin a new chapter--in more ways than one. </i></div>
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May 9, 2017: <i>I read Chris's (Mariano) WIP, which sustained me while writing two chapters. Then I read what I wrote and it was crap. Reading Ines's (Bautista) now, which is wonderful, joyful. I think I need to force myself <b>not </b>to work on my WIP. It doesn't deserve to be written this way. I MUST LET GO OF THIS. The tighter my grip is on these words and ideas, the faster they slip away.</i></div>
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June 9, 2017: <i>I feel that yes, it's a transition piece, but an all important one because it defines me after having a 2nd child. Will this book be better than before? Will it suck? I'm trying to finish a chapter a week. Then I sponsored a Gab and Gio photo shoot for the cover. Hope my pumped milk will be enough because I also want to attend the shoot.</i></div>
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July 20, 2017:<i> Finished The Scorpio Races (Maggie Stiefvater) and it was wonderful. Such beautiful writing. So much pain, so much beauty--the way life is. And because of it, I've decided to inject a fantasy element in Mango Summer. I'm thinking of how I can do it. Not grandiose. A quiet hometown feel to it like with Sarah Addison Allen's books. Alternate POV, with an achy prologue. Lots of truth and pain and love and joy and beauty. </i><br />
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April 5, 2018: <i>I've finished the draft (yayyyyy), and now I feel so tired from writing. I need to revise, which I don't have energy for since this will involve some rewrites. I'm on a writing ban this week as I gather words (now reading More than This by Patrick Ness). I love Mango Summer too much to tackle it weak and hungry. I need to replenish first before I can give it my best. I will make YOU my best yet, Mango Summer. This, I promise you.</i><br />
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June 6, 2018: <i>Revised Chapter 17 yesterday. Onward to 18. Read Mina's (Esguerra) What Kind of Day, and I'm bowled over. I think her books are getting smarter, the dialogues snappier. It makes me want to write better, to think more out of the box. And that's always a good thing.</i><br />
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June 25, 2018: <i>An inspiration: Paul McCartney in Carpool Karaoke with James Corben. For him to have created all those beautiful songs, and to still be making music at his age--GRABE LANG. I think I wanna do that--writing for as long as I live. Thank goodness for romanceclass and self publishing.</i><br />
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July 27, 2018: <i>Okay, Iggy (Katrina Atienza) messaged me that she's started reading the book. Ayun, I'm agonizing over the fact if it's as OK as I thought? What if the story sucks? What if Iggy doesn't want to read any more of my stories after this? All these things. </i><br />
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July 31, 2018: <i>Okay, I will tell you because it is my ray of hope. Jay (Tria) said she loved my words--I'm hoping she'll like the story too--but it's a start. She also said I get better with each book. This makes me so happy especially since I admire her work. Thank you, Jay. Thank you, God.</i><br />
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September 21, 2018: <i>I did the cover reveal for Mango Summer last Tuesday and it was well-received. Thank you, Miles (Tan)! Chachic volunteered to beta read it before release. Basta October, keri na! Gathering strength from the community's support.</i><br />
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October 16, 2018: <i>Discovered people found out about the Amazon link before I announced it. That version still had typos. I'm sorry guys, huhuhu. But the support has been overwhelming. And vain that I am, I bought myself a copy to check the popular highlights. Anyway, Chachic conditioned people to like it, hehe. She promoted it so much; I'm forever grateful. Inhale, exhale. We did it. Thank you, God. Thank you so much for letting me finish this. For letting me create something I can be proud of. Producing this book involved a lot of people and divine aid. It's not just all me. THANK YOU.</i><br />
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If you want to read Mango Summer, you can purchase both e-book and paperback on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mango-Summer-Agay-Llanera-ebook/dp/B07JDTYKV9/">Amazon</a>. Local print version will be available soon!<br />
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Agay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1596892592099456161.post-20453032688140741882017-05-01T23:10:00.003-07:002017-05-02T04:40:58.655-07:00How I ended up writing a coming out story<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm ashamed to admit it, but initially I decided to write <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Another-Word-Happy-Agay-Llanera-ebook/dp/B01MDJTMB2">Another Word for Happy</a> not because I wanted to further public awareness on the struggles of coming out, but because I wanted to be different.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Okay, let me backtrack a little. The seed of this story came from wanting to write my second Young Adult novella with a side plot on spoken word. At that time, my social media feed was being flooded by spoken word performances and I thought, hey, this seemed to be a hit among the young ones so maybe I should touch on it. I also thought it would be fun to inject a bit of poetry in that story, to make it fun for me as a writer.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, okay. My last YA thing was about <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Choco-Chip-Hips-Agay-Llanera-ebook/dp/B011NTXSZ0">a sixteen-year-old who was struggling with her weight</a>. To make this one different, I would veer the conflict away from physical appearance to emotional turmoil. I thought about this while I walked to the grocery, while I played with my son, and soon, I had a lightbulb moment! Instead of a girl, my main character would be a boy struggling with his sexual orientation. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I read coming out stories online but they came mostly from the States. So I messaged a friend whom I haven't talked to in a long time. His name is Jigs Mayuga, an LGBT rights advocate. I met him when he was a host on the country's first LGBT reality show (OUT on GMA 7) because the main person behind the show, as well as his co-host, were good friends of mine. We met for lunch, told him about my project, and he said he'd be happy to tell me his story. I sat across him for an about an hour, riveted by his tale. I tried taking down notes, but most of the time I was just gazing at him, feeling all the emotions he was sharing. After we parted ways, my intention changed. No longer was I going to do this just to be different. I was doing this for that gay teen who's afraid to be himself, afraid that there was something wrong about him.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I also interviewed Gio Gahol, who became my peg for the love interest. Later on, Gio would play a pivotal role in bringing the book to life.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Little did I know that when I'd been interviewing Jigs, I was already a few weeks pregnant with my second child. With my worsening morning sickness and fatigue, writing for something other than my day job was unthinkable. The project was pushed back several months. During that time, the doubts came. Why was I going to write this? It felt like I had no right to write about it. I decided to ditch it and instead, focus on writing one of my ideas that had been on the back burner.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But somehow, I kept coming back to my YA story. After about four false starts, I finally wrote chapter one. And then I stopped again. Maybe it was pregnancy hormones, but suddenly, I found myself wondering if I would be the type of parent who'd accept a gay son. I felt that I couldn't write the story effectively unless I knew in my heart of hearts that having a gay son would not be a problem. I struggled with this for a month, and when I could finally tell myself that yes, I would be okay with it, I moved on with the story.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Halfway through the writing, I went to my friend's house for their wedding dinner. My friend is a girl, and she had just married to her long-time girlfriend (20 years, yo!) in the States. Since their friends couldn't all attend the wedding, they decided to host a thanksgiving dinner here in the PH. While watching their wedding video, I found myself tearing up because I realized that in all those years of being their friend, <i>I'd never seen them kiss</i>! They'd been so very careful about public displays of affection, but after the ceremony, I finally saw them kiss. How heartbreaking it was that something so ordinary for other couples had to done in private for them. My friend told me that just before the wedding, she kept kissing her fiancee, who kept admonishing her for the public display. And my friend just laughed, saying, "We're in the States. Nobody cares!' I decided to include their story in the book.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://ronreads.com/">Ron Lim</a>, who's also part of #romanceclass, has written a short but sweet M/M story
entitled "</span><span style="background: white; color: #181818;">Yours Is The First Face That I Saw"</span><span style="color: black;"> included in <a href="http://www.anvilpublishing.com/shop/fiction-literature/kids-these-days-stories-from-the-luna-east-arts-academy/">Kids
These Days: </a><span style="background: white;"><a href="http://www.anvilpublishing.com/shop/fiction-literature/kids-these-days-stories-from-the-luna-east-arts-academy/">Stories
from the Luna East Arts Academy</a> </span>published by Anvil. I
messaged him to ask if he could beta read the story even if I hadn't finished
it. I knew his experience, sensitivities and knowledge were the only
things that mattered before I decided to publish the e-book. If he thought it
was crap, I would junk the story all together. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thankfully, Ron liked the book, but not before educating me on the difference between sexual orientation and gender identity. Chris Mariano, one of my favorite #romanceclass writers, edited it and gave me a lot of food for thought. She prepared me for the possible reactions on the book, and sent me articles on LGBT writing. Fellow #romanceclass authors Jay Tria and Ines Bautista-Yao proofread the thing, and C.P. Santi made the cover.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then I hit "publish". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Last Sunday, at the #romanceclass event, April Feels Day, <a href="https://youtu.be/XtlxBEReBXM">Gio Gahol read the part of Franco, while Fred Lo read Caleb's part.</a> (Video by Tania Arpa)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While #romanceclass founder Mina V. Esguerra thanked the authors for tackling such topics, I couldn't help feeling a bit uncomfortable. I don't want you to think I'm noble for having written this, because really, I was just telling someone else's story. I originally wrote it to be different and to be noticed, but now I feel embarrassed for having felt that way. I think all I want for anyone who has read Another Word for Happy is to feel something, and to maybe write their own story about something that isn't often discussed in a mainstream environment. Something they care about. Representation matters. We all help each other out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Last November, a month after the book was released, I gave birth. And yes, my child was another boy. <3</span>Agay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1596892592099456161.post-46054801331769975442016-09-15T02:12:00.000-07:002016-09-15T04:47:18.313-07:00My feels from the Feels for SaleI went to the MIBF on the first day, my only free day to go the event, for a few hours in the morning. I had to leave right away after lunch because Quezon City felt like a separate province from Pasay, and I didn't want to contend with the late afternoon traffic.<br />
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In the few hours I spent there, I was again reminded why I write, and why I have chosen to continue to write.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVAq1Nl_V3jW8t8Ak-C-gOi0Oqji62d5xU58awW38pn5GBPeKDhJD4e4pzrc74eNJ18qiCD8WRVJW5N45khJ3XpY9ktUdH3U16S3uCtZWlH9OZXzylp49M5BdsUv9384UD_brY1j982hM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-15+at+4.26.58+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVAq1Nl_V3jW8t8Ak-C-gOi0Oqji62d5xU58awW38pn5GBPeKDhJD4e4pzrc74eNJ18qiCD8WRVJW5N45khJ3XpY9ktUdH3U16S3uCtZWlH9OZXzylp49M5BdsUv9384UD_brY1j982hM/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-09-15+at+4.26.58+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>photo by Mina</i></div>
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<b>We care about each other.</b></div>
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The first stall that greeted me when I entered the venue was the huge NBS setup, and right beside it was (surprise, surprise) . . . the #romanceclass booth manned by Six (A Beginner's Guide: Love and Other Chemical Reactions) and Pach (The Bye-Bye Bouquet). Six welcomed me with a hug and Pach immediately offered me her seat, and I just thought how nice it was to be part of writing community made up of nice people. These two writers have landed book deals with one of the country's biggest publishing companies, and I'm so very proud of them for doing what they do.<br />
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Later on, I saw Tara (Paper Planes Back Home), ever smiling and supportive of other authors. I watched her in action as she patiently explained the plot of another author's book (Jay's Songs of Our Breakup) to a customer, who eventually bought said book. Tara's own book was sold out on the first day, and I think that this has a lot to do, not only with her writing skills, but also her positive aura. It makes people want to read her stories because if they're as likeable as the author, then they're must-buys!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrnromD5PL90k5rSmWIEJOTZnh0AdsHtu8NggKEXTseKg7Uo-QMVO7D3lydjz_QAQyu_xThFyMUGBBY0hqssWlEHFIl9Go6AKUZUOUEL8ochjWoN_4C-eyfqI128tbIcx9u4y-0mfW1iw/s1600/14362428_1138441459568162_774360804603840386_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrnromD5PL90k5rSmWIEJOTZnh0AdsHtu8NggKEXTseKg7Uo-QMVO7D3lydjz_QAQyu_xThFyMUGBBY0hqssWlEHFIl9Go6AKUZUOUEL8ochjWoN_4C-eyfqI128tbIcx9u4y-0mfW1iw/s320/14362428_1138441459568162_774360804603840386_o.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>photo by Gette's friend</i></div>
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Gette (Classified) was also there from Dumaguete to make chika to customers and write out the receipts. Later on, she was interviewed by a news program, and I think she put it best when she said that what makes romance sell is the desire for a "happy ever after." April (binibini.net), book blogger extraordinaire and #romanceclass' all-around PR person was also there to cheer everyone on. I bumped into Chrissie (The Kitchen When It Sizzles), one of my first ever friends in #romanceclass, who was with her family.</div>
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All these people created an atmosphere of fun, passion and positivity that made people want to linger in the booth.</div>
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<b>People actually read our books!</b></div>
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I do wonder sometimes if people actually read my work since my books' Amazon pages aren't exactly overflowing with ratings. But there is a silent force out there, moving stealthily among bookstore aisles, tweets, blogs, and FB posts, looking for the next <i>kilig</i> read. And they care that you're working on your next book. They care about the characters you've created. They care about supporting indie writers. These people matter, even if we don't know them, even if they don't make themselves known.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLdTh4kWsGYzI6_4Gd4RJarfEpVvGxK2wxL-TqLBaAlp4X8YlTzT7vwDueQOx5XxEpvvavpjYiNybSsn_XZFXLjZNi_cX1FjlliUTO2zFxIAJDvp-9CCQJo4XbcyQkmIrtcjSWl_lRjQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-15+at+4.28.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLdTh4kWsGYzI6_4Gd4RJarfEpVvGxK2wxL-TqLBaAlp4X8YlTzT7vwDueQOx5XxEpvvavpjYiNybSsn_XZFXLjZNi_cX1FjlliUTO2zFxIAJDvp-9CCQJo4XbcyQkmIrtcjSWl_lRjQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-09-15+at+4.28.32+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>photo by Mina</i></div>
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For every book you create, there's a market out there that's just waiting to be tapped. When someone from the UP Diliman faculty approached us, wanting to buy ALL the titles (one of each) in the #romanceclass catalogue, our jaws dropped. Someone wanted our books in the UP Library! And that person was pleasantly surprised to find out that #romanceclass didn't just sell romance--we also offered fantasy, mystery, crime, and YA fare that will be read soon by college students of our country's premier university!</div>
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<b>We're all in this together.</b></div>
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Personally, I write to escape. If I just went through the routines of being a mother, employee, wife, daughter, sister, and other roles that I play, life would still be pretty much okay. But there's always that elusive something we long for--that extra spice, that extra kick to keep us going day after day. And I'm blessed to discover that my poison of choice is writing.</div>
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The readers who pick up our books, I'm sure, are also doing so to make their lives richer, more exciting. We all need our own private sanctuaries to retreat into. A happy, sacred place that no one else can touch. It's almost a spiritual thing, to give yourself wholly (in moments) to something outside yourself. To immerse in something that feeds your soul and makes it easier to go through life's not-so-smooth patches.</div>
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In all corners of the MIBF, I felt that sense of magic of being with kindred spirits. We were all paying tribute to the wonders of the written word, unabashedly waxing poetic over hoarded books that speak of love, life, death and everything in between. It's a world we can't fully understand, but are all very grateful for.</div>
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So to everyone who's with us on this journey, and to Mina, who sparked the whole thing and continues to spark other things, THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Thank you for teaching us to make room for joy in our lives.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0U3OL0otateLhfLGzEb9PQzwq6GuEtHVFJfI89rhOfhJZiv78Jshy4Gi1f5rG-oYyvFKlM6bO3dxlwuCZBSWrs7y4Q3pX8lEIVuVzeXZl7s49xr-MtoWT5mWPfGBBbMWfG1Ja6BUa_ZQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-15+at+4.28.10+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0U3OL0otateLhfLGzEb9PQzwq6GuEtHVFJfI89rhOfhJZiv78Jshy4Gi1f5rG-oYyvFKlM6bO3dxlwuCZBSWrs7y4Q3pX8lEIVuVzeXZl7s49xr-MtoWT5mWPfGBBbMWfG1Ja6BUa_ZQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-09-15+at+4.28.10+PM.png" width="257" /></a></div>
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<i>photo by Mina</i></div>
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Agay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1596892592099456161.post-47504379451018425072016-05-27T21:12:00.000-07:002016-05-27T21:19:10.496-07:00Giving Love a Second Chance<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One the most generous writers I know, C.P. Santi, has a new romance book out!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqx1aYPZj9zgm6Z7GRlVK1E3-UNJirITfQ-vENtQFxkvJD3YB9ql_O32gzu5EsFWeoakx997u0lbWDkPGTWDy0NbVvIMqSYYqy9UFSK2SRJoMSeTnEe5E3jpAMjzhazgsP1blEGcHI09Y/s1600/maybethistime+BANNER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqx1aYPZj9zgm6Z7GRlVK1E3-UNJirITfQ-vENtQFxkvJD3YB9ql_O32gzu5EsFWeoakx997u0lbWDkPGTWDy0NbVvIMqSYYqy9UFSK2SRJoMSeTnEe5E3jpAMjzhazgsP1blEGcHI09Y/s320/maybethistime+BANNER.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white;">Maybe This Time: Stories of Love and Second Chances </b><span style="font-family: "avenir light"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "avenir light"; font-size: 11pt;">contains three heart-warming stories of love and second
chances. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "avenir light"; font-size: 11pt;">Check out the story blurbs:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">In
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sweeter
by the Second</i></b>, when paintings conservator Rina David arrives for the
Arts Festival in the heritage town of Jimenez, she’s reunited with Tony, the
guy she once loved and lost. Now vice-mayor of Jimenez, Tony wants Rina back in
his life and will do everything he can to convince her that they belong
together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Pamela
Quiroz hatches a plot to get her parents back together in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Exorcising my Ex</i></b>. But
will a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner succeed in reconciling Geno and Viv?
After all, it’s been more than fifteen years since they first got together and
they aren’t the hormone-driven <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>teenagers they once were.
Will wine and cheese balls still do the trick?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Torch,
meet hand. Arne Weichmann has been waiting twenty-one years for Bea. Is it
finally the right time to make his move and convince her that they are <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Meant
to Be</i></b>? He hopes so. Because he doesn't think he’ll survive losing the one
person who brought warmth and sunshine to his life. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "avenir light";"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">To know more about the book and the author herself, C.P. answered a few of my questions:</span></span></div>
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<span class="im" style="color: #500050; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>What made you decide to write an anthology this time?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>It all started when I wrote Sweeter by the Second, a short story for #TalesFromTheMetro. The 5k word restriction was both a challenge and a blessing. I didn't think I'd be able to do it---I'm often overly verbose---so to have finished a story within a couple of weeks gave me a real rush. The story got good reviews and that inspired me to write more. When Ines Bautista-Yao published a collection of shorts, I thought it was a great idea, and so I emulated (read: copied) her example :-) Plus, it seemed a great idea to (finally) do something about some of the plot bunnies hopping in my head.</i></span></div>
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<span class="im" style="color: #500050; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Among the three stories, which one did you find the most challenging to write? Why?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That would be Exorcising my Ex, because it featured an unconventional (albeit very real) situation. In the story, Viv and Geno---both on the cusp of adulthood---have a baby together. I examine their choices----how they cope with the responsibility of caring for their daughter and how they go about achieving their dreams. From the onset, I didn't want to assign right/wrong or good/bad roles. The gray area in between was a bit hard to figure out, but it was fun. I explored how a young couple could drift apart, and how, as adults, they try to recover what they lost. And in the end, I think that was what made Viv and Geno(and sPammy)'s ending really satisfying for me. :-)</span></div>
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<span class="im" style="color: #500050; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>How do you find the time to write?</b></span><br />
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<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I usually sneak in a couple of paragraphs when my kids are napping / watching Frozen or Lion King or while I'm cooking in the kitchen. I perch my laptop on my breadmaker so it's easily accessible (and unreachable by my kids). Sometimes I write or dictate conversations or ideas on my phone. At least, that was how I wrote the first two stories. The last story was written---almost entirely in longhand---in less than a week, while I was waiting for my son at summer school. That was my most productive period ever. Can't wait for school to start again. Hahaha!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br clear="none" /></b></span></div>
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<span class="im" style="color: #500050; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>If your writing style is a color, what would it be? Why?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Wooow! I love this question! I think it'd be yellow, which incidentally is also my favorite color :-) Yellow (at least to me) is bright, sunshiny, and happy. It can be loud and quirky, but it can also have mellow undertones. Basically, I love reading fluffy, funny, happy romances with a dash of weird thrown in, and so I try to write more of the same.</span></div>
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<span class="im" style="color: #500050; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Any other books in the pipeline?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I just finished the first draft of Dare To Love Dangerously, a contemporary novella about a single mom who finds love again :-) Gia, the main character, is an architect involved in the conservation and restoration of cultural properties (a topic very close to my heart). It also features a hot, inked anthropology professor, a couple of cool priests, a lot of travel (Laguna, Ilocos, and Bohol), and a wacky, drunken, open-yourself-to-love crystal healing session. I hope to release it in October, just in time for the anniversary of the Bohol earthquake (which sort of features in the story). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To give you a taste of her book, here's an excerpt from the story she found most challenging to write:</span><br />
<i style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></i>
<i style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><b>Exorcising my Ex</b></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">I glanced at my watch just to make sure—my
efficient, <i>punctual</i> daughter was
officially ten minutes late. Smirking, I thought of all the mileage I’d get
from teasing her about it. Pam got riled almost as easily as her mother did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Just as if I had conjured her from thin air, a tall
brunette appeared in the doorway. Her long hair was perfectly styled, and her
sleeveless shift fit lovingly over her trim curves. Large eyes, framed by the
longest eyelashes I’d ever seen, slowly scanned the room. The moment they met
mine, they flared in surprise before narrowing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">I rose to greet her. “Viv. This is a surprise.” I
bussed her cheek, lingering a moment longer than necessary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">She drew back, but not before I heard her sharp
intake of breath. Glancing around, she asked, “Where’s Pam?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">“On her way, I suppose.” I helped her into a seat.
“Didn't know you’d be here today, Viv.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 18pt;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">“I didn't know you’d be here either.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 18pt;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hmm. I wonder if—” I broke off as both our phones
vibrated. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sure enough, it was a lengthy message from Pam:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "avenir light"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Pam</span></i></b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "avenir light"; font-size: 10.0pt;">: Hi, Mom and Dad! <o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Yes,
I’m with Tita Joy and I’ll be sleeping over at their place with her and Kesha
tonight.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Yes,
this is a setup. Happy anniversary! :-) Yeah, I know you never married, but
when you were together, this was your anniversary (it was in mom’s scrapbook).
This was also probably the day I was conceived fourteen years ago, so Happy
Conception Day to me, too *\(ˆoˆ)⁄*<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Anyway,
I just thought that now Mom is back in town again it would be nice if you could
catch up with each other.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">I
already paid for dinner. This took quite a chunk out of my med school nest egg,
so you guys better sit and enjoy it.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">I
love you both!<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">P.S.
I really, really don’t want to be grounded forever. I love you!<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "avenir light"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I shook my head. My girl was devious. </span><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "avenir light"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Just like her Dad</span></i><span style="font-family: "avenir light"; font-size: 10.0pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Pre-order this book on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Maybe-This-Time-Stories-Chances-ebook/">Amazon</a> and rate in on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30285920-maybe-this-time">Goodreads.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>About C.P. Santi</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">C.
P. Santi is a Filipina author based in Tokyo, Japan. She is a wife to an
engineer / indie songwriter and a full-time mom to two energetic boys. She
loves cooking and baking, and enjoys feeding people, gorging on chocolate,
watching J-doramas, belting it out in the karaoke box, and running around the
house playing tickle tag. She also loves dreaming up stories about the people
she meets.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">In
another life, she is also an architect and academic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><span style="font-family: "avenir light"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Social
Media links</span></u><span style="font-family: "avenir light"; font-size: 11.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Blog:
http://thejapayukichronicles.blogspot.jp <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Twitter:
https://twitter.com/arkiCpsanti<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/CPsantiauthor?ref=hl<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Wattpad:
https://www.wattpad.com/user/cpsanti<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Instagram:
https://instagram.com/arkicpsanti/<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--StartFragment--><!--EndFragment-->Agay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1596892592099456161.post-49788175147092677422015-12-25T15:03:00.005-08:002015-12-25T16:37:24.362-08:00Grateful Someone (<a href="http://minavesguerra.com/" target="_blank">Mina</a>) commented that it had been a great year for me, and it was only then I realized that <i>Yes, you're right.</i> Sometimes I get caught up in the requirements of day-to-day living, and I forget to pause and take stock of recent events--and forget to be grateful for them.<br />
<br />
So, this year, I'd like to give a shout-out to the universe, and announce that I'm grateful for the following writerly things:<br />
<br />
<b>Releasing two novellas this year. </b>I have to confess; writing <i>This Side of Sunny</i> felt like I was pulling teeth most of the time. But I really wanted to be done with it, and release it to the world ASAP. Never mind if it wasn't the best work that I've done--especially after so many people told me how much they liked my previous thing (<i>Choco Chip Hips</i>). But like Liz Gilbert said in Big Magic, SO WHAT? The world is not holding its breath for my next release. The world won't stop turning if I create something that people won't rave about. What matters is that I continue to write because I enjoy doing it.<br />
<br />
<b>Being traditionally published. </b>Someone once said (I can't remember who) that the worst and best thing that can happen to a writer is being published. I get why it's great. It's always been my dream to be picked up by a publisher, to see my book in all NBS nationwide, and attend book signings. Also, I've gained readers, who are more into print books than the e-books that I usually release. But I must remind myself that though this is a constant goal (I'd love for all my books to be picked up by publishers), it is not my end goal. And for this, I am forever grateful for self-publication because people will still be able to read my work even if the trad way doesn't happen.<br />
<br />
<b>Gaining bookish friends. </b>When you're writing in your own little cave, and barely go out of the house to socialize (like me), being part of a community of writers, readers and bloggers is a great way to de-stress. A simple retweet, FB msg, review or post like can go a long way in giving you that writing boost that you need. Also, since I'm foremost a reader, reading my fellow writers' work inspires me and pushes me to do better. But the best part about this is being read by people who care about the same things that I do.<br />
<br />
So, thank you, dudes and dudettes (apologies for the 90s reference--I seem to have gotten stuck in that era) for making this year an awesome one. On to the next year (and works-in-progress)!Agay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1596892592099456161.post-64242879332028195952015-11-30T18:18:00.003-08:002015-12-01T19:34:30.579-08:00Just a Little Bit of Love<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My first Ines Bautista-Yao read was <a href="http://agayisagirl.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-fabulous-baker-girl.html" target="_blank">One Crazy Summer,</a> which I thoroughly enjoyed. So after that, I was quick to pick up her other novella, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Only-A-Kiss-Ines-Bautista-Yao-ebook/dp/B00PI7SDW2" target="_blank">Only a Kiss</a>, which was a finalist at the recently-concluded <i>2014 Filipino Conference Reader's Choice Awards</i> for the Best Romance in English category.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And now, her followers are in for a treat because she recently published an anthology of short stories set in the world of Only a Kiss.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRA6RYWJhsGfx77MmkghtaH6AHTXmImjaXRPCJSdsUelcwWGEmIGHAwfHjZs0JbR9cj6xe3C3B43cZQrdc6WtcvnD381vF0SR88IyU501A5VQ8pgg6mVTZdkoVRLhIUaiqvuAo8ZJg2c/s1600/just+a+little+bit+of+love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRA6RYWJhsGfx77MmkghtaH6AHTXmImjaXRPCJSdsUelcwWGEmIGHAwfHjZs0JbR9cj6xe3C3B43cZQrdc6WtcvnD381vF0SR88IyU501A5VQ8pgg6mVTZdkoVRLhIUaiqvuAo8ZJg2c/s320/just+a+little+bit+of+love.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><b>Just a Little Bit of Love </b></i>has three short stories about three young girls: Anita, Ina, and
Carla. Each one finding their lives disrupted by a boy. Maybe it’s because he
wanders into the coffee shop where she works after school every Tuesday. Maybe
it’s because he won’t leave her alone even if she has made it clear that she is
crushing on his football teammate. Or maybe it’s because she’s spent one
unforgettable afternoon with him—despite being oh-so-forgetful. Three small
doses of love that serve up a whole lot of feels. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ines was gracious enough to answer a few questions I had about her writing style:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i><b>1. How do you make your characters authentic?</b></i></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I try to get to know my characters as well as I can. I wish I could say I followed the rules and wrote down stuff like backgrounds, maybe even have them fill out a little slam book type questionnaire but I don't. What I do takes place in my head -- and I guess you could say where my emotions live inside me. Is that my heart? Hypothalamus? Haha!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I try my darnedest to feel what my characters are feeling. If someone is nervous about approaching a boy she likes for the first time, I put myself in her shoes, feel the acid in my tummy swish around, feel my palms dampen, and feel my breath come in uneven spurts. It can drive you a bit crazy. I also talk to people who have experienced things I haven't so I can get an even better handle on it.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">When it comes to taking a boy's point of view, I feel like I go into a trance because I make myself think and feel like a boy. But afterwards, I ask my husband if I got the boy's thoughts and actions right. Authenticity is very important to me because that's what I look for when I read too. I just hope it comes across in my writing.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b>2. If your writing style is a color, what would it be and why?</b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">This is the hardest question I've had so far! At first, I wanted to say pink but that's just because my covers have that color in common and it's girly and romantic. But the question is about my writing style, not what I like to write about :) And after studying the colors in the Crayola box, I know what color my writing style is. It's orange.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">My writing style is a mix of both simple yet bold where I go straight to the point, straight to the feels - which is red. But it also will always have a positive undercurrent, which is represented by yellow. This light, fun color symbolizes the general happy and easy feel of my writing. Mix them together and you get a bright, eye-catching color that's easy to pair with anything you've got going on in your life (or your closet!).</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b>3. Any books in the pipeline?</b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Yes! I'm working on the love story between Katie's cousin Regina and her fiancé Ben. They come out in the first chapter of Only A Kiss. I've been writing this story since last year but so many other things get in the way. I hope to finally finish it!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The rest of my WIPs are short stories because that seems to be all my insane mommy-duty-filled life can handle right now!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thanks, Ines! Go grab a copy of Just a Little Bit of Love on </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Just-Little-Bit-Of-Love-ebook/dp/B017T2T1GK" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Amazon</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> for only$0.99!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglSGfQHqcrG8UMw68wyc9NXqX0ChcBEA-syv9mIWdeyOixq5HaejvTzrvW14pDL6ow-wxn951pt0mJ45R-uPmrIR42fAmngaSFLdia0qkNfT9bSW-R3wTyJEJkwO7WaRvRTG0IcjaBy_I/s1600/091213-calendar-074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglSGfQHqcrG8UMw68wyc9NXqX0ChcBEA-syv9mIWdeyOixq5HaejvTzrvW14pDL6ow-wxn951pt0mJ45R-uPmrIR42fAmngaSFLdia0qkNfT9bSW-R3wTyJEJkwO7WaRvRTG0IcjaBy_I/s320/091213-calendar-074.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ines
Bautista-Yao</b> is the author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">One
Crazy Summer</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What’s in your Heart</i>,
and<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Only a Kiss</i>. She has also written
two short stories, “Flashbacks and Echoes,” which is part of a compilation
called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">All This Wanting</i> and “A
Captured Dream,” one of the four short stories in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sola Musica: Love Notes from a Festival.</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">She is the former editor-in-chief of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Candy</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">K-Zone</i>
magazines and a former high school and college English and Literature teacher.
She is also a wife and mom and blogs about the many challenges and joys of
motherhood at theeverydayprojectblog.com. The Author Project, a section in her
current blog, is devoted to the stories in her head. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Where
to find Ines: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Twitter and Instagram: @inesbyao<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inesbautistayao/<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Website:
http://theeverydayprojectblog.com/inesbyao-author-project/</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Agay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1596892592099456161.post-51633538845814618242015-11-21T04:32:00.002-08:002015-11-21T16:23:13.121-08:00Out in December!For the first time since I started this novella-writing thing, I am releasing two e-books this year. The second one will be out in December because I really, really want to make this two-novellas-a-year a regular goal (fingers crossed).<br />
<br />
I already started this book a year ago, but I had to put it on hold because I went through some stuff. And by the time I bounced back from said stuff, I started a new one instead--the YA book, Choco Chip Hips, which reflected where I was at that point in my life.<br />
<br />
But after releasing CCH, I wanted to finish the other one as well, because I knew that if I dilly-dallied too long, I might not have the discipline to finish it AT ALL. So I did. And now it is in the hands of beta-readers, an editor, and the cover artist (Gerry Isaac), who sent me this work-in-progress.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5rXGxZabBf6lEavdBEBdQenokQWwgOhE46JTE0zOwBk4hF445kYY_Pd2chqZLZuj7onR2fuO6M4tnPwgSEawR_RcTM1RSWAl4TBkNHPk7PeQVJmXgOtUKYOZIkQb5cbPGpKdQqJEDfE/s1600/12255778_1014393101966074_1530938081_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5rXGxZabBf6lEavdBEBdQenokQWwgOhE46JTE0zOwBk4hF445kYY_Pd2chqZLZuj7onR2fuO6M4tnPwgSEawR_RcTM1RSWAl4TBkNHPk7PeQVJmXgOtUKYOZIkQb5cbPGpKdQqJEDfE/s320/12255778_1014393101966074_1530938081_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
It's the romance-heaviest book I've ever written, featuring a fictitious beach, <i>bulalo</i>, and a half-Filipina, half-American MC. I'm excited about it! And that's always a good thing. :-)<br />
<br />
See you soon, <i>This Side of Sunny</i>!Agay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1596892592099456161.post-52626706853969303192015-10-26T03:27:00.000-07:002015-11-21T05:06:57.908-08:00LaunchedYesterday, I was part of a book launch of new #SparkBooks titles together with awesome authors, Chrissie Peria, Kate Evangelista, and Dawn Lanuza. The other awesome authors, Bianca Mori and Camilla Sisco, weren't able to make it, and I wish they did, because it was an awesome experience.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD7eNfKXtI1DuiEa-ne5ncslrI8kO4nmC7j6lxZXEE4PwMzSBGzBYDwH8-eq1VGyODf2MfC1FJnBjzBxvW6fc-5jpUqQqE9w09Aooawul5q0X09EVqKpv9krNJ8xg_yAm_9C4pjtUlB-0/s1600/IMG_4157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD7eNfKXtI1DuiEa-ne5ncslrI8kO4nmC7j6lxZXEE4PwMzSBGzBYDwH8-eq1VGyODf2MfC1FJnBjzBxvW6fc-5jpUqQqE9w09Aooawul5q0X09EVqKpv9krNJ8xg_yAm_9C4pjtUlB-0/s320/IMG_4157.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We were requested to read excerpts from our books after our gracious host, Mina Esguerra, introduced us. I really wasn't comfortable with my public speaking skills, so I tried to keep my excerpt short. I read that part when Val met Jake for the first time.<br />
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>His name was Jacob Isaac Clementia. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>She knew this because she had read the
name off the paper as quickly and unobtrusively as she could before tucking
those three words in the folds of her memory.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>(cut)<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>It happened three years ago but she could
still remember every detail including what he wore—a red polo shirt that
highlighted his fair skin, dark blue jeans that hung low on the waist, and
immaculate red and mocha sneakers. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><i>(cut)</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>Val looked up at his thin, boyish face—a
contrast to his towering height. His hair was in that growing-out stage, a week
shy of a trim, with bangs creeping down the forehead and the top shooting out
in small spikes. (cut)</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><i>“I’m Val,” she squeaked. The baboon was still making its happy
dance on her vocal cords.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>“Jake,” he said in that deep and gentle
voice. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><i>(cut) he turned to
her. “Well, I guess I’ll see you around, Val.”</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>That was the first time that Val realized
that eyes could smile. Sure, she had heard and read about the phenomenon often
enough to know that it existed. But when Jake said his goodbye, it was the
exact description that leapt to her mind.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>His eyes had creased at the corners,
making tiny lines that reminded her of ripples that gently lapped at your feet.
For if there were a word that would always remind her of him, it would be
gentleness.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
Then there was the Q&A portion, then we raffled off our prizes. It just blew me away that boys read romance, too. Don't you just love the democratizing power of books?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDFU-o8qRfkiQ9C0ZFDrE1PvAPy3r88VN9tvpfErw7CDA2dSS3LMtEscnL3SgKjpOVV7hibvEHSr3IwNwRSwn80tGwxeMKeynbkc4pSAKrMCnR0_3rHMlNBzkrhQ0yBR5fYa64H82mPZA/s1600/IMG_4118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDFU-o8qRfkiQ9C0ZFDrE1PvAPy3r88VN9tvpfErw7CDA2dSS3LMtEscnL3SgKjpOVV7hibvEHSr3IwNwRSwn80tGwxeMKeynbkc4pSAKrMCnR0_3rHMlNBzkrhQ0yBR5fYa64H82mPZA/s320/IMG_4118.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The highlight of the event, at least for me, was meeting new people, and seeing familiar faces among the audience. I was able to finally see bloggers and twitter-friends in the flesh, and we were just all excited to make small and talk and get to know each other.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1hz9o9n6Xz4uNwgvI-qNxmFyjagiNOIUx9TCYDzs6znXKku8N4cjdB58oMr5xab5OKbU6bzswmde9mLarUnd9QYrqQ9LR14p4LIPvlvBKJ6nazBOg8p3455qVIstAfWMjVnp5_HlRKAw/s1600/IMG_4101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1hz9o9n6Xz4uNwgvI-qNxmFyjagiNOIUx9TCYDzs6znXKku8N4cjdB58oMr5xab5OKbU6bzswmde9mLarUnd9QYrqQ9LR14p4LIPvlvBKJ6nazBOg8p3455qVIstAfWMjVnp5_HlRKAw/s320/IMG_4101.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
(my bungisngis self flanked by Kate and Chrissie)<br />
<br />
Thanks to everyone who came and made this possible. If you're a reader, I hope you continue reading local books. And if you're a writer, I hope to attend your own book launch someday soon.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOIYkE6dRO_0slKDxH1s1TZmHqky6wuKdQlXPn1Wf3lHrmVZJiAE_tHmGTa97KliH8IaL2Ou1T3HgA_FdiNKcYvbAHYyFIYqhXLUjQtLbnq1AKdZ3M0enjTeyWYuoRkDSkwSLTsl7ReY4/s1600/IMG_4087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOIYkE6dRO_0slKDxH1s1TZmHqky6wuKdQlXPn1Wf3lHrmVZJiAE_tHmGTa97KliH8IaL2Ou1T3HgA_FdiNKcYvbAHYyFIYqhXLUjQtLbnq1AKdZ3M0enjTeyWYuoRkDSkwSLTsl7ReY4/s320/IMG_4087.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
Photos by Grace Gatdula. <a href="http://www.whatsageek.com/literature/spark-books-collection-variety-ways-fall-trip-tumble-love" target="_blank">Check out her article on the launch!</a><br />
<br />
<br />Agay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1596892592099456161.post-23706335643785335522015-09-25T06:08:00.002-07:002015-12-01T19:34:38.852-08:00Breakup Book<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOwI-Dh3-OF9yT768jNVOa7xsFUtNehzNB5XM6SbLOmHYmzMWlMqFtM6MsSLhTcKyUXNW1lYp3AUc3lae0pJFvDzoF5gDJ_tC07n59TrqMcXn8tKJqbjrhDhDNRJinD_CxryJemhlPhlI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-09-25+at+8.59.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOwI-Dh3-OF9yT768jNVOa7xsFUtNehzNB5XM6SbLOmHYmzMWlMqFtM6MsSLhTcKyUXNW1lYp3AUc3lae0pJFvDzoF5gDJ_tC07n59TrqMcXn8tKJqbjrhDhDNRJinD_CxryJemhlPhlI/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-09-25+at+8.59.30+PM.png" width="202" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-align: start;">Every breakup has its playlist. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-align: start;" />
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-align: start;">How do you get over a seven-year relationship? 21-year-old Jill is trying to find out. But moving on is a harder job when Kim, her ex-boyfriend, is the lead guitarist of the band, and Jill is the vocalist. Every song they play together feels like slicing open a barely healed tattoo. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-align: start;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-align: start;">Jill’s best friend Miki says she will be out of this gloom soon. Breakups have a probation period, he says. Jill is on the last month of hers and Miki is patiently keeping her company. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-align: start;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-align: start;">But the real silver lining is Shinta. Having a hot Japanese actor friend in times like these is a welcome distraction. This gorgeous celebrity has been defying time zones and distance through the years to be there for Jill. Now he is here, physically present, and together he and Jill go through old lyrics, vivid memories, walks in the rain, and bottles of beer. Together they try to answer the question: what do you do when forever ends?</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I love the angst, honesty and rawness of this book. I felt like I was watching a film--the characters' actions, dialogues, even the transitions in between scenes, played out clearly in my head. I can tell that the author put a lot of effort into it, even penning the lyrics of the songs mentioned in the chapters, but I read it effortlessly--which is a benchmark of a good book.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
It made me reminisce about my 20s, when I was indie-band follower, and experiencing that elusive high because of a guitar riff, or how the bassline perfectly complemented the melody. And yes, it had me swooning over the non-band member, which, come to think of it, is a trope present in two of my fave books--Attachments and Lola and the Boy Next Door.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I look forward to Tria's future books, and the next installment of her Playlist series, wherein I'll be rooting for the friendzoned character. Go figure.</div>
Agay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1596892592099456161.post-59073709883809085162015-09-17T19:13:00.002-07:002015-09-17T20:27:25.677-07:00Booked and Bushed!A confession: I haven't attended the Manila International Book Fair since it was pulled out from Megamall. And from the way I panic-bought yesterday, it was probably just as well.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRrOIU3MF5IWU-SSmV_C78jJ3n8zBRD2vXDslTFfMVCfV0aW-X231VFnXHDW0jw3qx8LzK9vLk2PJ2JJQH9H1LavucpGOndSsYXwEYrrg0KGDob77lWDxMVEbTey5ttF-aWQMTzZ_y3BI/s1600/12041899_10153791125593243_1253299788_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRrOIU3MF5IWU-SSmV_C78jJ3n8zBRD2vXDslTFfMVCfV0aW-X231VFnXHDW0jw3qx8LzK9vLk2PJ2JJQH9H1LavucpGOndSsYXwEYrrg0KGDob77lWDxMVEbTey5ttF-aWQMTzZ_y3BI/s320/12041899_10153791125593243_1253299788_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Before going there, I reminded myself over and over that I was there to sign books; NOT to go crazy buying them. But how could I not? Especially now, that I'm shopping for two. And believe me, there was a lot more that I wanted to buy. But maybe, I should let my wallet recover first.<br />
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It was heaven seeing all sorts of books and book-lovers gather in one place. And what made this event more special was that I finally saw two of my novellas in print.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7VnP2DqCr9ZDGlU3BGpbzWyF-VLFr_3ewzji8ogoKVZgWOzukouOeKchXhTi_QlWpdXas1acQhRw_rfc3NYM6ZnM6x_5iMOZAhjsDnhAgyYPGcHs9bhpL2937ckEG8KFi5ZuiPjxVKMw/s1600/12030747_10153791124248243_2034206005_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7VnP2DqCr9ZDGlU3BGpbzWyF-VLFr_3ewzji8ogoKVZgWOzukouOeKchXhTi_QlWpdXas1acQhRw_rfc3NYM6ZnM6x_5iMOZAhjsDnhAgyYPGcHs9bhpL2937ckEG8KFi5ZuiPjxVKMw/s320/12030747_10153791124248243_2034206005_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Still, that wasn't the best part. The most winning moment of all was seeing #romanceclass-mates, fellow readers and writers, social media-buddies, and <a href="http://www.minavesguerra.com/" target="_blank">the woman who got me started on this path</a>, come in full force, buying our books and having them signed. If it weren't for these people, and lots of other people silently supporting us local indie writers, I don't think publishing companies would sit up, take notice, and take a chance on our lovingly crafted stories.<br />
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THANK YOU, everyone.Agay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1596892592099456161.post-85496065311244588222015-08-21T21:13:00.000-07:002015-08-23T01:08:08.151-07:00World Cup Hook Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmzzg2PXncoIZ_DfTz9mXy3xRVmeLV5v1XgKjn7XelJHYoq7eyF4K6s9qXdv-dTJ_ei4-besnSGy0VnKQXk6iwXzAVezOvP3PYvBhGcpwRo_lnoDDWNd5gzXd7zs0nHZ7-FgyxN_I8eM/s1600/51xwsUduNBL._UY250_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmzzg2PXncoIZ_DfTz9mXy3xRVmeLV5v1XgKjn7XelJHYoq7eyF4K6s9qXdv-dTJ_ei4-besnSGy0VnKQXk6iwXzAVezOvP3PYvBhGcpwRo_lnoDDWNd5gzXd7zs0nHZ7-FgyxN_I8eM/s1600/51xwsUduNBL._UY250_.jpg" /></a></div>
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Buy on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/World-Hook-Katrina-Ramos-Atienza-ebook/dp/B013IJUFD6/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> for $0.99.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><i>Synopsis: Stacy missed the excitement of the World Cup, but when a certain incognito guest checks into her dad's inn, not even her craziest soccer dreams could have prepared her for this golden goal.</i></span><br />
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Consisting of only a few chapters, World Cup Hook Up still manages to punch a pack of feels in the ordinary girl-meets-hot celebrity romance department. I think the real strength of this short story lies in the writing--how Atienza describes settings and the tiny details of relationships: between friends, family members, and of course, potential lovers.<br />
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And Greece, oh, Greece! One of the stories I'll be sure to tell my grandkids is that I've been to Greece once upon my singlehood--to the ruins in Athens, and the tiered blue and white domes and squares of Santorini overlooking the caldera. Reading this book made me sigh and remember my trip, and I loved how the author captured my experience and memories of the place with her vivid descriptions.<br />
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Another thing why this book has a special place in my writer's heart is its unconventional ending. I've always loved movies with this kind of ending (One Million Yen Girl comes to mind), and I've never been brave enough to write it myself. So for this, I give the author a standing ovation.Agay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1596892592099456161.post-48991205972255380762015-08-02T15:17:00.005-07:002015-08-02T18:01:55.625-07:00Rules We Like Breaking<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl84H2pniZ_PPQJe7YkHUBsWFpAzJ0i0wEGKSg-brclhqjoT2pMqf-RCCohyphenhyphensUe2zebtxSAneYSTS2HMcscPr0et-0s-ceVHYnaMXVqHsrE9U6P5NUG6JfHv7VD3uldRzHs6SuZGsESMk/s1600/Rules+We+Like+Breaking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl84H2pniZ_PPQJe7YkHUBsWFpAzJ0i0wEGKSg-brclhqjoT2pMqf-RCCohyphenhyphensUe2zebtxSAneYSTS2HMcscPr0et-0s-ceVHYnaMXVqHsrE9U6P5NUG6JfHv7VD3uldRzHs6SuZGsESMk/s320/Rules+We+Like+Breaking.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #4c4b4c; font-family: Georgia, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif, 'Kushtie Script'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; text-align: justify;">Victoria Bennett is in control and in charge all day every day, but she needs help sometimes.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #4c4b4c; font-family: Georgia, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif, 'Kushtie Script'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #4c4b4c; font-family: Georgia, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif, 'Kushtie Script'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; text-align: justify;">Organizing a romantic proposal weekend for her client in Mexico (she’s never been) would be that time – and the only person available to help her is Nathan Grant, notorious heartbreaker. She knows his past and shouldn’t want him, shouldn’t fall for guys like him, but that hasn’t prevented her from lusting after him for years. It’s just one weekend on the beach, away from people they know, alone with the guy who could cause her perfectly coordinated world to crumble. Shouldn’t be a problem, right?</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #4c4b4c; font-family: Georgia, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif, Kushtie Script;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Reading this book by <a href="http://minavesguerra.com/" target="_blank">Mina V. Esguerra</a> is a breeze. It's so short, sexy (and sweet), and nicely paced, that you'll be done reading it before you know it. And that's a good thing 'cause it meant that there was something in it that kept you flipping the pages effortlessly.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c4b4c; font-family: Georgia, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif, Kushtie Script;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">I liked the tension between the characters. I thought Nathan was a real gentleman despite his obvious sexual appeal, which Victoria tried so hard to deflect. I like the romantic build up, and as usual, Mina has a way of crafting dialogues that feel and read natural. She doesn't have to say so many words, and go into so much detail to paint a conversation. She leaves some to the viewers to figure out--and this shows just how smart and skilled she is as a writer.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c4b4c; font-family: Georgia, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif, Kushtie Script;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">I actually read this right after one of her earliest novellas, <i>Fairy Tale Fail</i>, and I could see how her writing voice has matured, adopting the right tone for the New Adult genre. It was as if Esguerra grew up with characters themselves.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c4b4c; font-family: Georgia, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif, Kushtie Script;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">I liked the cover of this one the best (among her Spotlight series) because it's bright and colorful, shot outdoors, and didn't show the usual guy and girl being touchy-feely. And as the cover suggests, this would be a good beach read: light and <i>kilig</i> while you're lounging by the seaside, hearing the waves washing over the shore.</span></span></div>
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Agay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1596892592099456161.post-39655418656985371402015-07-30T00:55:00.002-07:002015-07-30T03:59:12.888-07:00Senior Moments<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtbCw5QM4y2UwIpITLjoxE4IDe0cCQHJ958nqqpyVJ4QGhB7nynSOAyhmJPIcn4TvZbV_dHZ_cMOxWUQbt-AAT6LE1j-29FDP3zhl2bc_LQpNmX0lM7RxdE4BFnEgj2ZneCE_p8ObtlTc/s1600/download.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtbCw5QM4y2UwIpITLjoxE4IDe0cCQHJ958nqqpyVJ4QGhB7nynSOAyhmJPIcn4TvZbV_dHZ_cMOxWUQbt-AAT6LE1j-29FDP3zhl2bc_LQpNmX0lM7RxdE4BFnEgj2ZneCE_p8ObtlTc/s1600/download.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><i>Kuwento ni Celestino Cabal.</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><i>Kabebertdey niya lang. </i></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Mayroon siyang natanggap na regalo na ngayo'y unti-unti niyang binubuksan.</span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><i>Ika nga ng mga matatanda, "Huli man daw at magaling, maihahabol din." </i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Reading this graphic novel by Russell Molina and Ian Sta. Maria was a stroll down memory lane. I grew up on my kuyas' Filbar's comic book treasures--my favorites included <i>The</i> '<i>Nam, Power Man and Iron Fist, The Infinity Gauntlet series, Groo</i>, and of course, <i>Tintin.</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">But the last time I picked up a comic book was back in high school when I started collecting <i>Asterix and Obelix</i>. Now, reading Sixty Six makes me want to get into the joy of reading this genre again.</span></div>
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The illustrations were very spot-on and cinematic, hitting me at gut-level, while the dialogues were crisp and very Filipino. I laughed out loud so many times, though comedy was just a side dish of this visual feast. It had everything--love, action, comedy, drama, and even, <i>kababalaghan.</i></div>
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My favorite part about Sixty Six is that it chose to have a senior citizen as a main character. There's so much focus in our culture (and commercial literature) on the young, and I thought Mang Tino was a refreshing hero. He reminded me of my dad, of my future self--when it's my turn to hand over that senior citizen ID to get my discount in supermarkets and restos.</div>
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It's cool to be old. It's cool to have lived your life the best way you can, and contend with creaking joints and gray hair. And best of all, it's cool to be old and have superpowers.</div>
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Now, excuse me while I lend this gem of a book to my 16-year-old nephew, who aspires to make a graphic novel of his own.</div>
</span>Agay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1596892592099456161.post-77620347785023021332015-07-19T00:51:00.001-07:002015-08-02T18:02:38.640-07:00The Fabulous Baker Girl<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgClvL7SpqegdgQuxDFgaTkQvKnPf5kIunxe3kD4N1mlZApqgDgN69l2TqzdnnPIbK4a1DUqYm5Ss3v_dqzoKgpA9cLCPwPtiXFTwbm-cSHxZ8Rke_j-maFCVDRDp2qaLsuPj-0TpvbdOc/s1600/ines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgClvL7SpqegdgQuxDFgaTkQvKnPf5kIunxe3kD4N1mlZApqgDgN69l2TqzdnnPIbK4a1DUqYm5Ss3v_dqzoKgpA9cLCPwPtiXFTwbm-cSHxZ8Rke_j-maFCVDRDp2qaLsuPj-0TpvbdOc/s320/ines.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>
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<i>One Crazy Summer by Ines Bautista Yao</i></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Ingredients:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">1 college junior, fired from summer internship</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">1 secret crush, the cute and flirty type</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">1 crush's best bud, with a secret of his own</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">1. In large bowl, mix together college junior and secret crush.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">2. Gradually add in crush's best bud.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">3. Stir until best bud's secret is revealed.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">4. Let mixture rest in a sleepy provincial town.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">5. Bake under the blazing summer sun until golden brown (be careful; batter might burn).</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Tania's summer is more than she can handle! Her cooking career comes to a screeching halt before it can even take off. Then, best friends Rob and Mateo enter the picture. Can she figure out her feelings for them AND get the internship credits she needs to make it to senior year?</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">This book was such a fun, light read. Honestly, I didn't expect to like it as much as I did, but <i>surprise, surprise</i>, I started really getting into it when the main character (MC) left the city and started discovering more about herself.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">I liked the MC's voice--it was authentic and honest. Sometimes YA books tend to sound older than their supposed age, but in this case, the author nailed the tone. As the story progressed, I found myself liking the MC more, and gradually, her tone changes. She becomes more observant, more mindful of other people.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">There were also a number of times I laughed out loud, especially when MC described the snail's pace of her summer internship in the province. And the most delightful twist of all--how she ended up with the unexpected love interest.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Buy it on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Crazy-Summer-Ines-Bautista-Yao-ebook/dp/B008058TZ0" target="_blank">Amazon </a>or in bookstores.</span></span></div>
Agay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1596892592099456161.post-83869691202767937182015-07-19T00:32:00.001-07:002015-07-19T00:33:06.729-07:00Feel-Good Flashback<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>The Boyfriend Backtrack by Dawn Lanuza</i></div>
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I've been hearing good stuff about this local indie book that I immediately added it to my Kindle. And I'm glad I did. </div>
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The Boyfriend Backtrack was nicely written, even though the story-telling wasn't linear. It involved a series of flashbacks involving the main character and her past brushes with romance. The technique wasn't at all confusing; in fact, it shed light on the character's present dilemma: should she go ahead and marry because she was at the right age? Because her steady boyfriend asked her to? Because it was the next logical step in their relationship?</div>
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I loved how the author executed the dialogues. They read so naturally, like I was watching a good rom-com with a little more depth. Another thing I liked about this book was that a love interest's song for the main character was <i>Here comes your Man</i> by the Pixies. Wow, now <i>that's</i> a major flashback. And a really cool one too.</div>
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Buy it on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Boyfriend-Backtrack-Dawn-Lanuza-ebook/dp/B00NZSL5D0" target="_blank">Amazon</a> or <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/500186" target="_blank">Smashwords</a>.</div>
Agay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1596892592099456161.post-85883840183252914672015-07-19T00:03:00.003-07:002015-07-20T14:51:26.365-07:00Bookish Wish<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVUItgAhurK0nFu7OWH__Cqb_Tam1HC2P6oQ5sjpPya_AnR-dNe0h4yD2Bjist8XWCDusrawcCs2a6mgLCsvYOqAyx5kcL5iD0QBmZGby3tUsXgIMeVC6CZmE21yp2R-hvrryuJHGiDU/s1600/NCBD+Librarians+Workshop+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVUItgAhurK0nFu7OWH__Cqb_Tam1HC2P6oQ5sjpPya_AnR-dNe0h4yD2Bjist8XWCDusrawcCs2a6mgLCsvYOqAyx5kcL5iD0QBmZGby3tUsXgIMeVC6CZmE21yp2R-hvrryuJHGiDU/s320/NCBD+Librarians+Workshop+Poster.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm celebrating National Children's Book Day with a wish!<br />
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The question I was asked to answer was: Which Filipino books for kids do you want to get published?<br />
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I've always been a big YA (Young Adult) fan even when I stopped being the target reader for the genre. One of my first jobs was being a segment producer for the now-defunct tween show called 5 and Up. There, I discovered kindred spirits who were just as badly hung up on YA as I was.<br />
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My co-producers and I had an informal book club, exchanging our YA books by Jerry Spinelli, S.E. Hinton, E.L. Konigsburg, and Robert Cormier, among others. September was the highlight of our bookish lives; we all hied off to Megamall for the book fair, where we scored discounted YA books. These books were sort of a shared property--we made sure we didn't buy the same book twice (if we didn't have enough cash) since we'd borrow each other's stuff anyway.<br />
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MY POINT IS...there weren't enough local YA books at that time. That's why we gorged on those foreign books with characters that were blonde and blue-eyed, stories that mentioned snow, spring break, and other foreign concepts. But the themes were varied, and they kept us coming back for more.<br />
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That's why Janus Silang is such a breakthrough--at least in my opinion.<br />
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Here's a fresh, new YA book that wasn't thin, with enough words to make it a full-fledged novel. And it was unabashedly Pinoy, its theme revolving around our supernatural culture. The best part about it was that it was written in Tagalog!<br />
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I felt that this book changed mindsets. It's cool to read something in Tagalog, in a language that we use to converse with our friends. It involved blood, gore, and gaming addiction--issues that are sometimes side stepped in local books for kids.<br />
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Kids want something more sophisticated. Something that won't talk down to them. Something that showed them that they're in this cool stage of their lives, and that being Pinoy is something to be celebrated.<br />
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So such is my book wish: please--more local YA reads that tackle a host of subjects that will make us feel that being Pinoy is the coolest thing in the world.Agay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1596892592099456161.post-35765840083798353312015-07-09T20:37:00.003-07:002015-07-19T00:14:46.497-07:00The Children's Book Illustrator I Want to Date<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_sH9mWRSZ2IzeSfn9iMaJ9vi-DAcG5Db5sKpo06gNBJDG4z4ZYc1yxNsdmsSXtFRG2NW-bOGjFrVRBt7UlKDeUG5Mx4OPnQKth7dT4ubvUlilohKmacU6fbYMmxC5Eep70CdGaHwwti0/s1600/NCBD+Events+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_sH9mWRSZ2IzeSfn9iMaJ9vi-DAcG5Db5sKpo06gNBJDG4z4ZYc1yxNsdmsSXtFRG2NW-bOGjFrVRBt7UlKDeUG5Mx4OPnQKth7dT4ubvUlilohKmacU6fbYMmxC5Eep70CdGaHwwti0/s320/NCBD+Events+Poster.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I'm celebrating National Children's Book Day with this somewhat unconventional question:<br />
<i>Which children's book writer or illustrator would you like to date for a day?</i><br />
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Well, I'm going to cheat a bit because the person I would like to spend a day with is a good friend of mine, who happens to be one of the founding members of<a href="http://www.ang-ink.org/" target="_blank"> INK </a>(Ilustrador ng Kabataan).<br />
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Presenting (drumroll, please) . . . the supertalented ROBERT ALEJANDRO!<br />
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He illustrated "Chief Flower Girl" by Marivi Soliven-Blanco, a children's book released in 1998. I trawled the net but I couldn't find the book cover. But if you're curious about his work, just click on <a href="http://raadesign.com/" target="_blank">his website</a> or enter any Papemelroti store, which houses his designs, along with his sisters'.<br />
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Robert and I bonded when we worked in the children's show, Art is-Kool, which aired on GMA 7 from 2003-2004. It may have been a short-lived show, but it was highly successful. I remember helping organize our free art workshops in the mall, and there would be this DELUGE of participants which we weren't prepared for. We also got a lot of fan mail, and the ratings weren't bad for a morning show.<br />
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(me, Kuya Robert, and Aldrin)</div>
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Including Robert (and excluding the camera crew), our production team consisted of three. While Robert brainstormed his weekly projects (sometimes, minutes before we filmed), my colleague (first it was Marj then it was Aldrin) and I wrote on-the-spot spiels, directed the shots, edited the episode, and helped the network with marketing (Art is-Kool was produced by Probe Productions, Inc., an independent production company) week after week. It was exhausting work--one that people inevitably bonded over.<br />
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Now, Robert is constantly busy, and I would very much like to chat with him again. Aside from being one of the most talented people I know, he is also one of the nicest. I think the reason why Art is-Kool was a success was that Robert genuinely loved kids, and recognized the artist in everyone. He insisted on using recycled materials--none of those fancy-shmancy art materials NOT every kid could afford. From these simple things, he created coin banks, puppets, toy cars and other beautiful objects, which I think, are reflections of his kind heart.<br />
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So Robert, if you're reading this, mag-date naman tayo!<br />
<br />Agay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1596892592099456161.post-31841407498314323122015-07-06T17:34:00.000-07:002015-07-10T16:03:26.283-07:00My Favorite Pinoy Children's Books<div>
I'm celebrating National Children's Book Day with a post!</div>
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I've always loved working for/with children, so I guess it's only natural that even as an adut, I gather inspiration from children's books. And I don't mean just the popular ones from Eric Carle, Dr. Seuss or Sandra Boyton. The local scene is just overflowing with children's books that have touched me in a special way.<br />
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Here are some examples (in no particular order)--some of which are my son's favorites as well:<br />
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<b><i>Ang Unang Baboy sa Langit</i></b><br />
<b>Author: Rene Villanueva</b><br />
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<b>Illustrator: Ibarra Crisostomo</b><br />
How can you resist a tongue-in-cheek story about a pig who sacrificed his life by being the first ever lechon? Complete with a reference to Nora Aunor's blockbuster movie, this story is a hit among, not only children, but also adults.<br />
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<b><i>Alamat ng Ampalaya</i></b><br />
<b>Author: Augie Rivera</b><br />
<b>Illustrator: Kora Albano</b><br />
My son still doesn't like ampalaya, but he loves this book. Through this imaginative tale, we find out how the bitter gourd got its name--and disposition.<br />
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<b><i>Salamat Po!</i></b><br />
<b>Author: Russel Molina</b><br />
<b>Illustrator: Tokwa Pe<span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.2222232818604px;">ñ</span>aflorida</b><br />
I'm a sucker for children's books that use words sparingly, and this is one of them. I love the authenticity of the young character's voice, and how the story reads like a prayer.<br />
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<b><i>Gusto ko nang lumaki!</i></b><br />
<b>Author: Liwliwa Malabed</b><br />
<b>Illustrator: Domz Agsaway</b><br />
My son also loves this book; both the illustrations and story were so wacky! I don't think I'll ever get to read the phrase <i>Barbie na nagiging sitaw</i> in another book in this lifetime.<br />
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<b><i>The Girl in a Box</i></b><br />
<b>Author: Dang Bagas</b><br />
<b>Illustrator: Aldy Aguirre</b><br />
Somber and musical, the tone of the narrative, coupled with the whimsical drawings, packs a punch. No wonder it was chosen as one of 2014's Best Reads at the National Children's Book Awards.<br />
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<b><i>Papel de Liha</i></b><br />
<b>Author: Ompong Remigio</b><br />
<b>Illustrator: Beth Parrocha-Doctolero</b><br />
Such a simple story with a lot of heart. I read this for the first time when I was an adult, in a bookstore, from cover to cover. After reading it, I bought it, wanting the words to echo within me.Agay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1596892592099456161.post-88085224735852239652015-07-01T19:46:00.000-07:002015-07-01T19:48:31.801-07:00What Helps Me WriteIt's hard to get that first (shitty) draft going, and staring at my computer screen while doing that type-delete-pause routine completely drains me. Besides, since my work also involves tapping on my keyboard, I relish the time I spend away from it.<br />
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I find that it's easier for me to complete a novella when I first organize my thoughts on paper.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfhdAK7j_tAmTDIfs7PbgGZeQbSKL2ELb7FOJ4CtDTCUAGA4g_VHWTePhqiNRJiRAY1sVGjlJY_2G64OptcndQMxoqOtZ_5vXddafBneoYpk-8sfdBdapZ6k9ggSqR4zBuFCbhHjUuFvA/s1600/Photo+on+7-2-15+at+10.36+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfhdAK7j_tAmTDIfs7PbgGZeQbSKL2ELb7FOJ4CtDTCUAGA4g_VHWTePhqiNRJiRAY1sVGjlJY_2G64OptcndQMxoqOtZ_5vXddafBneoYpk-8sfdBdapZ6k9ggSqR4zBuFCbhHjUuFvA/s320/Photo+on+7-2-15+at+10.36+AM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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(Sorry for the mirror image--that's what Photobooth coughs out)</div>
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I don't edit my thoughts or think about the grammar. I just write and write and write. The day after, I transfer the words on my computer. Sometimes, I don't even have to look at my notes because they're all in my head, and I now have a clearer, more succinct version that flows from my fingertips.</div>
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I guess it's because I'd already purged my brain of all unnecessary plot elements that I'm able to get a more accurate feel of what the story is all about.</div>
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How about you? What's your technique?</div>
Agay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1596892592099456161.post-47351720097037534522015-06-24T01:57:00.000-07:002015-07-01T19:49:38.980-07:00Choco Chip Hips under Construction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8nt_KGaFY4VxVkc8EZJLeuDMEUkvPg5ne2t3uJkR9OxvdR_IaE3U335hd8sUTFwqIdjnPWCpQXstdDjIYXRw2QQJNVrqCv5RS5strAIQTMgHpIbBZsW9M-ea0mTxM0wAqAQ0_4gmKg1o/s1600/11292761_10153335343087594_973462053_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8nt_KGaFY4VxVkc8EZJLeuDMEUkvPg5ne2t3uJkR9OxvdR_IaE3U335hd8sUTFwqIdjnPWCpQXstdDjIYXRw2QQJNVrqCv5RS5strAIQTMgHpIbBZsW9M-ea0mTxM0wAqAQ0_4gmKg1o/s320/11292761_10153335343087594_973462053_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Pre-press work is very exciting.<br />
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I got my beta-reader's feedback, edits from my grammar girl, and this cover study for the book. :-)Agay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1596892592099456161.post-27170382419476493962015-06-17T20:10:00.002-07:002015-06-17T20:32:11.220-07:00My Writing CornerI used to have a pretty wooden desk with a swivel chair with all the writing implements within arm's reach--a round canister of freshly sharpened pencils, working pens, notepads and notebooks. Because I write for a living, this was my sanctuary, a place where thoughts flowed freely to the tips of my fingers as I typed on my laptop's keyboard.<br />
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Correction: I still have that pretty wooden desk with the swivel chair, but now it's filled with clutter--different colors of clay kneaded together by a toddler's hands so now, they look like one big gray clump, wet wipes, nearly finished tubes of kiddie toothpaste and a wooden spice rack with a glass window, which my son liked to use as an "oven" when he's pretending to bake his gray clay cakes.<br />
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Obvs, that ain't my writing corner anymore.<br />
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When my son is asleep, that's the only time I can really write. Because when he's awake, he won't leave me alone, grabbing the laptop away from me. So now, my writing corner has become this area.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ipzNgA-JxyP4hPQMiU-gurz_MqwHPfa9S45A0G2Pe83a6SsdDC_nC8aoEdXcM3HDVzoUOr8eMZkfYSEngXwUgZf6N0an9KgI8k1ydPuygOVtZ6ky-wckwteaue-b2eSIUGTWiKgDZik/s1600/Photo+on+6-18-15+at+10.52+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ipzNgA-JxyP4hPQMiU-gurz_MqwHPfa9S45A0G2Pe83a6SsdDC_nC8aoEdXcM3HDVzoUOr8eMZkfYSEngXwUgZf6N0an9KgI8k1ydPuygOVtZ6ky-wckwteaue-b2eSIUGTWiKgDZik/s320/Photo+on+6-18-15+at+10.52+AM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It's that floor space between the bed (foreground) and the kiddie cabinet (pardon the pants peeping out of the bottom drawer). I usually prop up a pillow against the cabinet so my back won't hurt, then I'd sit on the floor and write. </div>
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When my son would wake up from a daymare (I usually write when he's taking daytime naps 'cause I sleep early like him), I could easily get up and soothe him back to sleep--so I can have more writing time. It isn't a pretty space, but it works, and for now, that's all I need.</div>
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*This post is inspired by C.P. Santi's blog post on her writing corner. I couldn't find her post but it's there somewhere in her blog.<a href="http://thejapayukichronicles.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> Check it out</a>!</div>
<br />Agay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1596892592099456161.post-60030932409437586832015-06-17T00:59:00.000-07:002015-06-17T20:32:31.548-07:00Reality TV meets Romance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Synopsis: <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><i>Charlotte Bertram is the star of Marry Me, Charlotte B! A reality show that follows her as she plans the biggest weddings of the year. Together with her assistant, Nellie Canlas and her son, Robert Bertram, see how she handles crazy client requests, bridezillas and more!</i></span><br />
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Based on the title, I thought the book's main character would be Charlotte, the middle-aged woman who ran the company that planned weddings. But it only took a while for me to get that the book title was also the title of the reality TV show, and that its real star was Charlotte's unassuming, frumpish assistant.<br />
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I work in TV so I was pleasantly surprised that the story opened with terms I was familiar with--Zoom-Ins and Close-Ups and Cut-TOs. I felt like I was really watching a reality show, being introduced to characters in which at first, I wasn't emotionally invested. But scene after scene, I started to care. When was Nellie going to wise up? Did Robert really care--or is he just a really sweet guy?<br />
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But I think the clincher for me was how the story was written. The author's a wordsmith. I loved how she described places and scenery, and sweet moments matter-of-factly; no need to go overboard with the racing heartbeats and swoony glances. Everything unfolded in the right time, in the right way. In fact, the plot was so natural, it felt like real life--or a really good reality show.<br />
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Get it on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Marry-Me-Charlotte-Carla-Guzman-ebook/dp/B00WG9Y4G4" target="_blank">Amazon</a> or for free on <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/537165" target="_blank">Smashwords</a>.Agay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1596892592099456161.post-34692348150104959102015-05-31T22:46:00.000-07:002015-06-17T20:32:42.897-07:00Mina Esguerra's best work (IMHO)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rmUtW2AZOu4ZZP7aKJd06MEGcrKarq_0B_Bw81ew1FDbz10-Gq2GueH9cvl0E9dQN4_hdUg2T1lHY0PCTLiIdLGPsRLDVv2Nvn1NzWEvxhDPVcU52lvYAaJKwZBhW7b9S0rN_g4F-LE/s1600/yands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rmUtW2AZOu4ZZP7aKJd06MEGcrKarq_0B_Bw81ew1FDbz10-Gq2GueH9cvl0E9dQN4_hdUg2T1lHY0PCTLiIdLGPsRLDVv2Nvn1NzWEvxhDPVcU52lvYAaJKwZBhW7b9S0rN_g4F-LE/s320/yands.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>
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My son is taking a nap, and I should be writing the next chapter of my project, but I just finished <a href="http://minavesguerra.com/" target="_blank">Mina Esguerra</a>'s <i>Greedy and Gullible</i>, the last of her <i>Young and Scambitious </i>series, and I had to take a deep breath, switch on my laptop and write a review.</div>
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As soon as I read the first few lines of the first book, i was hooked. It had a different flavor that distinguished it from all of Mina's past work. I liked the snappy, classy and not-a-word-wasted kind of writing. And because Manila was its main setting, it made me see the capital in a different light--one seeped in intrigue and secrecy.</div>
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I liked that I had to <i>think </i>while reading, especially since the books were fast-paced and jumped from one subplot to another, which was good brain exercise. Though I read what the characters were saying out loud, I wasn't privvy to their innermost thoughts and intentions. This technique made me turn page after page, and snap up the next book until everything slowly started to make sense. And despite all the high action, criminal acts and witty exchanges of words, there was still a touch of romance, which I found satisfying until the very end. </div>
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If you want to know what the books are about, do check out the blurbs on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Young-Scambitious-A-short-story-ebook/dp/B00FG26H36" target="_blank">Amazon</a>. Better yet, buy the whole series. If you like books that don't waste words and are smart, these are for you.Agay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1596892592099456161.post-55794896835244373752015-05-24T22:17:00.001-07:002015-06-17T20:32:55.343-07:00Fil-Jap Fun<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now that my story is in the hands of able beta readers, I have more time for my other passion, which is reading. Aside from devouring books from my fave genres--YA, Fantasy, Romance, and Mystery, I also make it a point to read local authors. Here's a recent one I read:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadvCjxohy9TO0rHB-OCqKDGNFM7sTQil3Hg2O9cR3eNKMx64vB680ILRJ6_gSOHMl-l2ROHGmFeFDhxiDoj6opQEWw3gkThIRfn7uYKEu5jFedbj6tCUg1VucW9USFTfw6OERILyOlik/s1600/santi.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadvCjxohy9TO0rHB-OCqKDGNFM7sTQil3Hg2O9cR3eNKMx64vB680ILRJ6_gSOHMl-l2ROHGmFeFDhxiDoj6opQEWw3gkThIRfn7uYKEu5jFedbj6tCUg1VucW9USFTfw6OERILyOlik/s1600/santi.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Be Careful What You Wish for - C.P. Santi</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I bought this e-book two months ago, and only got to read it a week ago. It was a pleasant surprise of a book, because I absolutely had NO expectations when I bought it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A bit of disclaimer though: I know the author because of a common friend. But the last time I saw her was probably around 15 years ago when we bar-hopped in Malate with my friend and her college barkada, which included C.P. Recently, we re-connected in Wattpad (of all places). She added me to her contact list (not knowing who I was; she knew me by another name), and when I read her profile, I thought, hey, I think I know this girl. So we exchanged a few private messages, squeeing over the fact that yeah, we knew each other!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back to the book--there was a time (when I was still childless) when I'd spend my free time marathoning koreanovelas and j-doramas. So imagine my delight when I discovered that Santi's novella read like a j-dorama from start to finish. But the refreshing twist was its endearing Filipino elements (the MC is a Pinay working in Japan). It was like something straight of my daydreams when I still had the time (and energy) to fantasize about my ultimate Jap actor crushie, <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16.1200008392334px;">Mokomichi Hayami (I wonder what happened to him. MUST google later). I also liked how Santi injected both Pinoy and Japanese expressions in the conversations, and thoughtfully included a glossary of the terms used at the end pages.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16.1200008392334px;">Despite the foreign setting, the story reads and feels authentic because the author currently resides in Japan. So aside from the love story itself, you also get to learn some interesting facts about Tokyo, including a peek into its thriving night life.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16.1200008392334px;">If you want a fun, kilig read, and you're a bit of a Japanophile, I highly recommend this read. In fact, I hope someone produces it as a TV series in Japan. :-)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16.1200008392334px;">Buy it on <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/515617" target="_blank">Smashwords</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Careful-What-You-Wish-For-ebook/dp/B00T6C2MAO" target="_blank">Amazon</a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16.1200008392334px;">Author's blog: <a href="http://thejapayukichronicles.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Japayuki Chronicles</a></span></span><br />
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Will be reviewing more local novellas in the coming days!</div>
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Agay Llanerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11805084606099288347noreply@blogger.com0