Featured – Tara Tries To Write

Cover Reveal, Featured, The Writing Community, Writing

New anthology alert: Pawfect For You!

April 16, 2023 No Comments

Friends and lovers, listen up! #RomanceClass is back with another charity anthology, and this year, we are helping cats and dogs in need!

On National Pet Day (April 11), we did a cover reveal+ pre-order link drop for Pawfect For You: Tropetastic Kindness Bundle 3. It’s a collection of six all-new nakakakilig stories where the main characters are pet owners/pet lovers falling in love. Check out the wonderful cover below, illustrated by Liza S. dela Cruz.

We met Liza last year when she worked with #romanceclass authors Carla de Guzman and Celestine Trinidad for their KILIG anthology entries, and it was so lovely getting to work with her for this cover. Don’t you think it’s pretty? ^_^

Included in the anthology are stories by Danice Mae P. Sison, Ines Bautista-Yao, Tara Frejas (that’s me!), Celestine Trinidad, Angel C. Aquino, and Jay E. Tria. You may pre-order a copy of the book at US$7 (or the price you want) at kilig.pub/pawfect4u. Just like our previous charity anthologies, Pawfect For You is available for a limited time only (until June 29, 2023), so please make sure you grab this opportunity to get the book while it lasts.

Pawfect For You will be released on April 29, 2023. ALL PROCEEDS will go to Pawssion Project, a non-government organization dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and rehoming of cats and dogs in distress.

Yes, please I’d like my own copy of Pawfect For You!

Featured, The Writing Community, Writing

What If We Fall In Love: A Short Story Collection

December 27, 2022 No Comments

In case you missed the announcements on my social media accounts (and newsletter), my latest #romanceclass book What If We Fall In Love? is coming out on Saturday, December 31st—and yes, you may pre-order it now!

What If We Fall In Love? is a collection of three short stories, two of which are new, and one previously published as part of #romanceclass’ NomCom: A Foodie Romance Anthology, published in February of this year.

Featured, KDrama, Review

Tara’s Thoughts On: Glitch

November 5, 2022 No Comments

Ah, how do I even begin this review?

Sci-fi isn’t really my cup of tea, I admit. I rarely watch sci-fi films or dramas, and even though I subscribe to the belief that we are not alone in the universe, I’m not easily lured into watching alien-related stuff. I did pick up Glitch, however, because I liked both lead actresses Jeon Yeobeen and Nana’s works I’ve recently watched (Vincenzo and Into the Ring, respectively), and I was curious about how they’d play off of each other’s energies.

But while they delivered chemistry in spades (you should have made it gay, Netflix, just saying!), the storytelling was a clunky mess.

Featured, KDrama, Review

Tara’s Thoughts On: Tomorrow

November 3, 2022 No Comments

Okay, listen: I am instantly drawn to anything that presents stories of life and death, especially ones that create worlds and hypotheses about the afterlife. Tomorrow fits the bill, and I quickly put it on my Netflix watch list even if it took me months to actually be in the right headspace to consume it.

The short review: I loved it.

Books, Featured, Review, The Writing Community

Tara’s Thoughts On: Kaith C. Cimafranca’s TAKE TWO

October 19, 2022 No Comments

Reading Kaith C. Cimafranca’s Take Two reminded me of those cozy Star Cinema rom-coms in the 90s where stakes weren’t as high, but you still root for the main characters really hard. In Take Two, now-Canadian resident VJ meets her TOTGA (she will deny this if you call him that, btw) at a party 19 years after she left the Philippines to start anew. Marco instantly feels how aloof VJ is, but he doesn’t seem to mind, and we understand this little dynamic of theirs as the story brings us back and forth from their college years to the present.

Featured, The Writing Community

Free on Wattpad: Almost There

September 5, 2022 No Comments

Newly reinstated EG Project roadie Filipina Legaspi flies with her band back to the Philippines for Summer Crush, unaware of the emotional waves that engulf her when she sets foot in the beaches of San Juan, La Union.

This story first appeared in a three-part anthology called Summer Crush, which I co-wrote with Six de los Reyes and Jay E. Tria. In the Backstage Pass Series reading order, this comes third (Scandalized and Gabriel’s Checklist are #1 and #2, respectively). The happenings in this short story precede Play It By Ear, which came out in 2019.

Read it for free on Wattpad.

Tags: beach music festival, hidden relationship, hidden feelings, secret songs, band shenanigans, crossovers

Featured, KDrama, Review

Tara’s Thoughts On: Cafe Minamdang

August 31, 2022 No Comments

The drama’s premise was promising. I admit it got me hooked the first time I read it, and I was expecting a lot of Squad 38-esque hijinks, led once again by the brilliant Seo Inguk. But alas, everything turned out to be a hot mess from the third episode on. I came in for Inguk and stayed for Inguk, but honestly if I weren’t watch partying this with anyone, I would have dropped this very early on. (Thanks for keeping me company, Jay.)

Featured, Personal, Writing

Strong female leads? That’s my thing.

March 8, 2022 No Comments

Do you know what I like about my favorite #romanceclass books? Apart from the fact that they have the swooniest (is that even a word) love interests, they also celebrate intelligent, beautiful, empowered women. From college students fighting for The Only Grant to musicians trying to find their voice to mothers juggling career, parenthood, and romance—we’ve seen it all, and not just in fiction! For every amazing fictional main character, there’s an amazing real-life woman living their best life, and I salute all of them today (Happy International Women’s Day!) and every day. You are all awesome.