A month ago, I had my very first blog tour which had me writing my very first guest post ever (this is a year of firsts, see?) and I thought of posting these little graphic cards I made for said guest post just ’cause.
You may read the entire guest post at The Bookwhore Diaries.
I revisited (part of) my old alma mater last Saturday, November 28, for my very first Filipino ReaderCon experience, and to say that I was overwhelmed is an understatement. Granted, it took me several years to return to DLSU-Manila, but I still wasn’t prepared for how different it looked. The Henry Sy Sr. Building was HUGE. Escalators and elevators were everywhere. When I attended college there more than ten years back, the only buildings that had an elevator (if memory serves me right) were the Saint Joseph and SPS Buildings. Gokongwei? Not so sure; I didn’t frequent that area of the campus even if there was a walkway connecting it to Miguel.
Anyway, I digress.
This year marks the 5th year of #FilReaderCon, and I am so glad to have been part of it. I would’ve loved to have participated in more of the sessions, but I was happy to have spent time at the #romanceclass booth anyway, helping to sell and restock books. Also buy them.
*sings* Isn’t she lovely~
Back in September, I finished what was to become my second published manuscript, The “Forget You” Brew. It was part of a five-week long online workshop called #StrangeLit, in which we were taught the basics of writing in the paranormal/urban fantasy genre.
At the beginning of the workshop, a shiny perk was dangled in front of us: the promise of a pretty book cover, IF! 1) we finish a novella length manuscript (15K words and above), and 2) our story meets artist Tania Arpa’s standards. Only one story was to be chosen as the lucky winner of a book cover, and I remember feeling pretty competitive after the announcement.
Word of warning: I am struggling with an annoying headache as I write this. Possible incoherence ahead.
Oh who am I kidding? I could be incoherent without this headache.
My very first blog tour for Paper Planes Back Home officially began last Saturday (October 24), and I’m having mixed feelings about it. For one, the reviewers have so far been very generous (thank you so much!), which makes me even more excited and anxious to read the rest. Secondly, I did this interview with author Chi Rodriguez yesterday, and one of her questions reminded me of a certain second-hand sadness I thought I’d forgotten. I know I have another Q&A coming up but I’m not sure how that’d go . . . so I’m just going to brace myself for it. And the rest of the reviews the book will be getting by the end of the week, of course.
When I started writing Paper Planes Back Home in 2013, it never occurred to me that it’d go this far. This meaning making it available on Amazon, getting it printed in pretty paperback, and asking people to read it in exchange of an honest review. I didn’t think then that I was ready for something like this, and I can’t say that’s changed either. I can’t confidently say “I’m ready!” to receive praise or criticism for the work I’ve done, but went through with it anyway because I wanted to learn how to be.
Because aside from the technical aspect of writing, I also wanted to learn how to accept the bad with the good, and to see my work through another person’s perspective. Writing fiction is something I’ve wanted to do (and have been doing) for a long time, and now that I’m finding more opportunities, more targeted readership, it makes me want to hone my craft even more. It’s a journey to self-improvement, and for the enjoyment of readers who are now looking forward to getting their hands on my future work.
They are here! Forty-one paranormal/urban fantasy pieces from forty-one Filipino authors, bundled into four collections–Killer Seasons, Darkest Dreams, Fateful Turns, and Incredible Truths–are now available on Buqo for only P90/$1.99 each! I’ve yet to purchase all the bundles (I bought Killer Seasons the other day to check the formatting and everything, and I’m not even done yet), but please, please, please help indie Filipino writers get their works read and noticed. With this awesome introductory price, I’m pretty sure you won’t get shortchanged!
Bundle 1: #KillerSeasons
A werewolf chef, a cursed family, a spell to forget. You’ll meet these and more in the ten stories of the KILLER SEASONS installment of #StrangeLit, featuring:
Resto Rescue by Maita Rue
The Last Night of Her Wake by Chrissie Peria
House of Silver: A Cursebreaker Novel by C.P. Perez
The Myth Menagerie by Lana Garcia
Vengeance: The Awakening by Arlene Manocot
At The Wishing Well by Amae Dechavez
Intersection by Den Lim
Disappearing Act by Roselle De Guzman
The “Forget You” Brew by Tara Frejas
Aurelia by JaponicusFollow #KillerSeasons on Facebook and get to know more about the ten stories in this collection! Feel free to interact with us, authors, too! ^_^ We might have a werewolf in our midst, but promise . . . we won’t bite! 😛
My novella, The “Forget You” Brew is part of Killer Seasons. Here’s a quick look:
Shall I make this fun? If you’ve already bought the Killer Seasons bundle and read The “Forget You” Brew, follow me on Twitter (@tarafrejas) and I shall be posting giveaways starting tomorrow, October 5th. Metro Manila only–so sorry to those who are living somewhere else, but I can’t do overseas giveaways for now.
I’m preparing little gifts as giveaways and will be posting photos of them on Twitter very soon. JOIN JOIN JOIN! ^_^ (I might really go overboard with this because I won’t be at the launch, so . . . might as well create some noise before then, right?)
Click the Read More button for introductions to the other three bundles, as well as buy links.
