We met on Twitter. And we finally had the most excellent hangs over Filipino comfort food at Manam in BGC. That’s me, Rin Chupeco, Hazel Ureta, Isabelle Adrid, and Gail Villanueva. We’re all in different places in our careers as authors. Rin has published some creepy books (The Girl from the Well, The Suffering, The Bone Witch). Gail and I have our debut novels on submission to publishing houses (shout out to our awesome agents Alyssa and Caitie). Hazel is querying and has her manuscript out with agents. And Isabelle is doing a bit of R&R-ing to solidify her YA contemporary. Since Gail and Isabelle recently celebrated their birthdays, they treated and dragged their husbands Marc and Nathan along to help us eat the food. Because it was A LOT of food. And it was good food too. The Chicken Inasal Skewers and House Crispy Sisig are life-changing. Get a bowl of Sinigang na Beef Short Rib & Watermelon–be as greedy as you want, no one’s gonna judge. Then down that with a tall glass of Ube + Sago Shake and/or a tubby cup of Mais con Hielo con Queso. Ay, Dios mío. Your taste buds will thank you. […]
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There are times in life when you need to push yourself hard to move forward. No shortcuts. No whining. And you can’t just leave your responsibilities behind or walk away. Take a deep breath and don’t be too hard on yourself. Focus and finish what you started. You can’t be lazy. You can’t rage quit, because then, you’ll be forced to start from scratch, like your previous efforts don’t mean anything but a waste of time and energy. Be brave. Carry on with the quest. Rise from the battle and emerge victorious, because only then will you finally be able to quick save.
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I’m a city girl who loves to write, draw, and play video games at home. The only other place you’d be sure to find me is at the mall; anything beyond its parameters is too “far” for me. The reason? I just don’t like going out (unless we’re talking about a metal concert or a UDD gig). My brother Hatch is crazy about the outdoors. He’s a mountain biker, an off-road 4×4 truck driver, and a certified boy scout, so he tries to grab any opportunity to get me out of the house. The past weekend, he finally succeeded and brought me to Iba, Zambales. The last time I was in Zambales… well, I can’t remember when, but I know for sure all we did was eat, swim, sleep, and eat again. That’s exactly what I was expecting from this trip, except this time, I had to work on my next book. Revisions on my first one are officially with my agent Caitie, and I won’t be hearing back from her until next week at the earliest. I didn’t really see myself whipping out another doc file just yet, but instead jotting down notes on Evernote and doodling on my […]
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You might not realize this now, but the opening chapter is the most important, most crucial, and most difficult part of writing your book. Beyond the 5-star reviews, NYT Bestseller lists, and the back-of-the-book synopses, readers go straight for the first page to get a taste of this tale and find whether it’s for them or not. People could be raving about a book, it could be #1 for weeks, but if the opener doesn’t click with a reader, it goes straight back to the shelf. Before you think about that published book scenario, where avid readers discover your work, consider what it takes to even get an agent to give you a shot. If you don’t want to take the self-publishing route, you will never see your book on a shelf without the guidance of an excellent agent. When you start querying, you can’t jump in with your favorite scene or chapter; you need to submit the first few pages or your opener (depending on agency guidelines), and make them beg for more. Think of querying as your portal to the literary world. If you don’t get rejected based on your query, you might lose their interest with a wonky first […]
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My first book has gone through 4 rounds of revisions (so far). Round 1, the revision after the shitty first draft. Then Round 2, which features major changes done with my editor Kate Angelella (the biggest change there was shifting the whole story from past to present tense). Then Round 3, the stretch of indecisiveness whilst querying, until my agent Caitie Flum plucked me from the Twitterverse on the night of #DVPit. This is Round 4. I spent a total of twenty-one days (not consecutively, because I have a day job, books to read, ukuleles to play, and video games to finish) wallowing in Round 4, and like every round, this one had its own challenges. The biggest–cutting down on word count. Killing your darlings is hard, especially when you have scenes that you feel need to be in the story to progress. Luckily, this is the part where things get a little less lone wolf-y and a bit more of a party. Earlier on, Caitie told me that after I finish with my revisions (based on notes from her edit letter), I should pass the manuscript along to someone who’s never read it or to my writing critique crew before handing […]
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Hey, friends! Are you looking for awesome gifts to give your friends and loved ones? What about something to hang on your walls or carry with you all around the world? Well, look no further–you’ve come to the right place! As of this day, I’m happy to announce that I’m open to commissions. If you’d be so kind to check out the Illustrations tab above, you’ll see what I offer. Pretty much anything from fan art, you with your favorite food, fire-breathing sharks, and angry lettering. DETAILS 5″x7″ Portrait on 300gsm archival paper (other sizes available) INK/GRAYSCALE MARKER (gold accents upon request) Background upon request Artwork can feature you, loved ones, pets, favorite cartoon hero, etc. but let’s make sure we agree on it 🙂 Just let me know what you want below: Shipping costs for original artwork will vary depending on your location.
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2016 averages as the Year of Suckitude for everyone. There’s so much suck that happened that the good was easily pushed away to the side and was forgotten. But c’mon, it couldn’t have been all bad–sure, the world’s gone insane, but life is really all about the ups and downs we face. Before the year ends, I’d like to remember all the positive things that 2016 (which voice actor Troy Baker dubbed “an epidemic”) has brought onto my life, because who knows, what if this is just a prelude to the greatest year of the decade? Or maybe the century? Whatever 2017 has in store for us, I pray to the multiverse that it’ll top the bad and recover from the crap the Year of Suckitude has dropped upon us. Besides, 2016 might have been our Resurrection (as Christopher Vogler explained in his book The Writer’s Journey), where “death and darkness get in one last, desperate shot before being finally defeated.” It’s the point in any story where the hero is tested one last time, before charging on with the Elixir to heal the wounded land. And guess what? We’re all heroes here. We just need to remember the positive things […]
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