Tara Tries To Write

Book Tours, The Writing Community, Writing

Connect the Hearts is on tour!

June 12, 2025 No Comments

Finally had the brain cells to do something to promote my latest book, Connect the Hearts, and it’s a book tour in collaboration with Book Lover Titas on Instagram!

Book Lover Titas is a growing Instagram community of titas who share a love for reading. Founded in 2020, Book Lover Titas conduct various activities such as monthly book discussions, bookish events and hangouts, and collaborations with local publishers and authors, all to foster a warm and welcoming experience among tita book lovers.

I first met one of their members, Krystine, when she attended a #RomanceClass event last year, and again, this year when she and another Book Lover Titas member, Tess, came to our #BlushBooks x Fully Booked event last February. In March, I also met Diane who visited the #RomanceClass booth at the 2025 Philippine Book Festival. They’ve been so warm and supportive not just of #RomanceClass authors, but also of other Filipino authors, so I decided to get in touch with them to see if they’d be interested in hosting a book tour for Connect the Hearts. They said YES! and now here we are, almost on the second week of the book tour that started on June 7.

I’m sharing some of their posts below, but first, take advantage of this ebook sale for Connect the Hearts! The book is only $1.99 (original price $4.99) until June 20, so it’s time to one-click the book and share this with your romance book loving friends!

And now, here’s what our Book Lover Titas have to say about Connect the Hearts:

Events, Music, Personal

Everything I loved about SB19’s Simula at Wakas World Tour Kickoff

June 10, 2025 No Comments

“Dam, ano’ng pakiramdam?”

—was the question SB19 posed at the beginning of the show, with a cloaked ensemble of 70 or so dancers and singers on stage, chanting as the live band made the music swell to fever pitch. In front of them, a 55,000-strong crowd roared enthusiastically back at them. And if Pablo’s words were a battlecry, we made sure we were all heard: We’re all in this together, Pins. Let’s fucking go!

On May 31 and June 1, SB19 mounted their most ambitious concert yet: The Simula at Wakas World Tour Kickoff at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan. Expectations were off the charts for this one because it’s the group’s first time doing their own show at the venue. A’Tin were so hyped they sold out first day tickets in less than seven hours, and 1Z Entertainment decided a few weeks later to add a second concert date.

I was one of those people who initially said they won’t go because getting to the venue was too inconvenient, but as the day of the ticket sale grew closer, my co-A’Tin titas and I decided we COULD NOT miss this for the world.

So ayun na nga, nag-concert ang mga tita. And even though I know I cannot encapsulate the entirety of my Simula at Wakas World Tour Kickoff in words, it won’t hurt to try. Right?

My Work, The Writing Community

Keeping Miss Kalila is FIVE!

April 7, 2025 No Comments

Do all of you ever feel like time has been running so quickly? I’m always in some kind of mild shock when my babies (my books, lol) turn a year older. Like…what do you mean Keeping Miss Kalila is now five years old?

I released Keeping Miss Kalila on April 1st of the year the whole world shut down because of COVID. We were in a very uncertain, very scary situation and I wasn’t even sure if releasing a new book at the time was a smart move. But I did, and after I while I received messages from readers who said they found comfort in Datu and Kalila’s love story, which made me feel like I made the right decision.

But a book is never too “old” for anyone who’s just discovering them, and here’s your chance to discover Datu and Kalila’s love story too. To celebrate the book’s fifth birthday, Keeping Miss Kalila is now available for only $0.99 on Amazon!

Buy Keeping Miss Kalila for $0.99 here!

Read a sample on Wattpad!

This special birthday sale will run until April 30, 2025.

Happy reading, everyone! <3

Personal, The Writing Community, Theatre

Happy World Theatre Week!

March 25, 2025 No Comments

This is a little late — I just learned over the weekend that World Theatre Week begins on the 21st of March — but hey, I didn’t forget! Happy World Theatre Week to all who celebrate, and as always, my hats off to everyone who works tirelessly to create wonderful theatre productions, onstage or off. You are all heroes to me.

As you know, I’m a big musical theatre fan and I endeavor every year to catch as many shows as I can (as my savings can afford LOL) to support local theatre. I’ve seen Next to Normal last month, and so far on my list of shows to watch this year are:

We Aren’t Kids Anymore (Barefoot Theater Collaborative)
Delia D (NWR Musicals)
Grace (Encore Theater)
and another show I’m super looking forward to but hasn’t been announced yet, so shhhh.

Events, The Writing Community

On safe spaces and success: My post-#PBF2025 musings

March 21, 2025 No Comments

We had a favorite TikTok meme last week as we were manning the #RomanceClass booth at the Philippine Book Festival: “Bigla kang sumakses eh, pero istep by the step pala bago ka sumakses.”

We used it to tease H. Bentham, who, after 8 years, was finally able to finish and publish his first full-length novella in time for PBF. And he didn’t just publish it, mind you — his book, Kiss Away the Goodbye was picked up by Blush Books for its Philippine print edition, and so many people came to the booth looking to buy it! The very definition of success!

Just H. Bentham and his adoring public. Congratulations on the release of your book, Ben!

But we also kept repeating it whenever another author had their moment. Either someone bought their book at the event, or someone brought copies of their books bought elsewhere to get them signed + their photos taken. We must have said the words a hundred times a day, coupled with giggles and silent wishes that more books fly off the shelves as the hours went on.

Spoiler alert: Our wishes came true.