Tara Tries To Write

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.

Events, The Writing Community

It’s time for #PBF2025!

March 6, 2025 No Comments

Hey hey, book lovers — the 2025 Philippine Book Festival is in A WEEK and I’m very excited! Why, you ask? Well, my friends, it’s because the Philippine Book Festival is the ONE big bookish event in the country that has Filipino-authored publications as its focus. So if you wanna get into Filipino authors and their works, this is THE event you should be at.

This year, the Philippine Book Festival is happening on March 13-16 (Thursday to Sunday) at the Megatrade Halls of SM Megamall Building B. As always, the event is FREE for the public — you can pre-register using the QR code on the poster below, or just simply show up on the day of the event and register at the door.

Every year at the Philippine Book Festival, the venue is divided into four realms: Booktopia (trade books), Kid Lit (children’s literature), Aral Aklat (educational books), and Komiks (comics and graphic novels). This year, #RomanceClass will be having its very own booth at Booktopia, and we are inviting you all to check us out at Booth BO11! Your favorite #RomanceClass books will be there, as well as some authors who’ll be hanging out and signing books as well.

Musical/Play, Review, Theatre

Tara’s Thoughts On: The Sandbox Co.’s Next to Normal

February 19, 2025 No Comments

Me when The Sandbox Co. first announced that they were staging Next to Normal.

Since discovering the musical in 2012 (Thanks, Aaron Tveit!) and falling in love with the material, I’ve dreamt of seeing the musical live — so of course I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. (I’m even watching a second time, duh.)

Next to Normal is a rock musical that explores the effects of repressed grief and a crumbling mental state on an individual as well as the people around them. Created by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt, the story revolves around Diana Goodman, a wife and mother struggling with bipolar disorder and depression. With the help of her hopeful husband Dan, she cycles through several rounds of treatment that mess with her system in various ways. Fed up with it all, Diana decides to ditch her meds, and the consequences of that decision sends her and whole family into a spiral.

Apart from the outstanding lyricism and score, I really appreciated the way Next to Normal conveyed the interconnected stories of Diana, Dan, their daughter Natalie (and her suitor Henry), and their son, Gabe. The messages the show sent across were so necessary, the most notable for me being that grief need not be repressed. It had to be properly acknowledged. Felt. Embraced.