#romanceclass is looking for new YA (young adult) authors–could you be one of them? If you’ve been wanting to write a #romanceclass book but don’t know where to start, this is your chance to be mentored by two amazing Filipino authors, Agay Llanera and Ines Bautista-Yao!
Click on the link below to view the signup page, read the rules carefully, and register for the class when you’re ready. But don’t wait too long, because the form closes on August 25!
Seems like it’s the season for wonderful romance anthologies, because here’s another one from six #romanceclass authors I look up to. Promdi Heart: Hometown Love Stories is a collection of short stories set in six different provinces in the Philippines–Misamis Occidental, Negros Occidental, Aklan, Bulacan, Ilocos Sur, and Zambales. I one-clicked this gem after its March 29 release (but I’ve not read it yet–I will get to it soon!) and I really think you should, too. I’ve seen a lot of people tweet positive thoughts about this book, and I feel like turning the book’s pages will take me on a lovely, lovely trip.
Promdi Heart: Hometown Love Stories
C.P. Santi, Ines Bautista-Yao, Jay E. Tria, Chris Mariano, Georgette S. Gonzales, Agay LlaneraTake a quick tour of the Philippines with six hometown love stories.
Visit Jimenez, Misamis Occidental where a priest might just set you up with a man whose dimples are to die for.
Visit Silay, Negros Occidental and get on a horse alongside hunky, hazel-eyed Negrense royalty.
Visit Kalibo, Aklan and find yourself in the arms of a cute drummer boy who just happens to be your kuya’s BFF.
Visit Hagonoy, Bulacan and spend All Saint’s Day next to a distracting boy who promises to write you a song.
Visit Vigan, Ilocos Sur and meet the hot man you used to bully when he was a shy, scrawny boy.
Visit Pundaquit, Zambales and find love in a bronzed fisherman whose eyes hold depths you’ll want to explore.
Click on the Read More button for more about this anthology.
It’s Linggo ng Musikang Pilipino this week (July 25-31), and just the perfect time to share the second OPM playlist inspired by #romanceclass books. If you’re not sure what this project is about, here’s a brief background as well as the first playlist for you to enjoy.
Click on the Read More button for the playlist and notes from this month’s contributors. If you haven’t yet read the featured books, don’t worry–links to purchase them will be included in the post. Feel free to check them out!
Hello and welcome to the first installment of this mini blog project I’m doing–this is #RomanceClass ❤ OPM, where I ask Filipino authors and readers to send in songs they find relevant to the books they wrote or read and I curate them into playlists. The only rule: ALL the songs should be OPM.
Brief background for those of you who just stumbled upon this post:
#RomanceClass is a thriving community of Filipino authors who write romance in English and publish them (traditionally and independently). It began in 2013, when author Mina V. Esguerra facilitated a writing class wherein the objective was to complete a romance novel in a span of three months. Fast forward to 2016, the community and its body of work has grown immensely, exploring new avenues in order to weave new stories and market them. We have participated in bookish events, had writing workshops, talked about how to write more and market our work better, sold books, held live readings, and recently organized our very first standalone event in April. Just recently, a new batch of authors have typed “The End” to new #romanceclass books which may (hopefully!) come out before the end of the year.
OPM stands for Original Pilipino Music or Original Philippine Music. It was originally used to only refer to pop songs, but has since included all genres like rock, jazz, hip-hop, and so on. OPM is usually written in Filipino/Tagalog or English, but may, in some cases, also have touches of other foreign languages or local dialects.
Click on the Read More button to get to the first playlist I curated for this project, along with some notes from the authors and readers of the featured books. Links to read more about the featured books as well as buy them are included in the post. Have fun!
Curious as to which #romanceclass titles will be available on Sunday’s #AprilFeelsDay event? Here’s a partial and unofficial list of books you’ll be able to buy at the venue, so get those wallets ready!
Please be reminded that most of these books come in limited quantities, so come to the venue early to be able to buy your copies. Or you can always arrange for reservations with the authors through Facebook or Twitter.
Aren’t you glad it’s payday weekend?
