Tara Tries To Write

5 Must-See Filipino Musicals (January-April 2017)

January 12, 2017 No Comments

Last year, I was able to see ten stage productions–3 Stars and a Sun, Les Miserables, Godspell, Rak of Aegis, Ako si Josephine, Dirty Old Musical, Changing Partners, The Tempest Reimagined, Mula sa Buwan, and Mabining Mandirigma–and I could tell you that even as my wallet protested, my heart and soul were happy and content. This year, I have my eyes set on even more productions, most of them original Filipino musicals. Because hey, love your own, right? Here are five Filipino musicals you definitely must see from January to April 2017!

Interviews

Design Talk: Book Cover Edition feat. Tania Arpa

January 6, 2017 No Comments

First and foremost, let me greet all of you a HAPPY NEW YEAR! ^_^ I hope 2017 will be fruitful, productive and blessed for all of us! <3

Secondly, I will admit I dropped the ball on this one. Design Talk should’ve been done ages ago, but ~things happened, so everything kinda got put in the backburner. (I know, excuses.) But anyway, Design Talk is back–this time featuring a quick interview with Tania Arpa!

I’m proud to say I had the opportunity to have a book cover designed by Tania back in 2015 (why does that seem so long ago?) when I won the #StrangeLit Long-ish Form Challenge. She was the designer responsible for the cover of The “Forget You” Brew, and is also credited for some of Jay E. Tria and Mina V. Esguerra‘s book covers. Suffice to say, if you’re familiar with #romanceclass books, you’re probably going to know who Tania Arpa is. Interview after the jump!

Personal

The 16 Sweetest Moments of 2016

December 31, 2016 No Comments

Honestly, I hadn’t really planned on writing a yearender blog post for reasons that are relatively mababaw (i.e. my internet connection S U C K S here in Baguio City), but I thought it would be nice to cap this mostly WTF year with a look back at the moments I was most thankful for. After all, happiness stems from having a grateful heart, right?

And so without further ado, here are the 16 sweetest moments of my 2016.

1. Being able to write for kids. (Bayong ng Kuting Workshop, January 2016)

Being able to write is, in itself, a blessing, but at the end of 2015, I decided to challenge myself and enroll in the Bayong ng Kuting Workshop. The workshop required us to craft an original children’s story around the Bayong ng Kuting universe. And if you think writing children’s lit is easy, think. again. No news yet about our submissions, but no matter the outcome, I’m so glad I took on this challenge. ^_^

2. Dipping my toes in uncharted waters. (#romanceclass @ Komiket, February 2016)

Instagram will load in the frontend.

Another first for #romanceclass and myself was being one of the participating merchants at the Komiket, an event that featured and celebrated indie komiks and the talented people behind them. We probably stood out like a sore thumb then, selling romance novels alongside comicbooks and art, but it had been fun, and we actually sold books! I believe this was where the idea for #4 came up (though I could be wrong, heh).

BONUS ROUND: I met Manix Abrera for the first time in this event! He is SO COOL. <3

Personal, Writing

The Agony of Waiting

December 29, 2016 No Comments

If you’ve been following me on Instagram (personal & author accounts), Twitter, or Facebook, you’d know by now that I’ve finally finished my current work-in-progress. Last year, right on the heels of finishing The “Forget You” Brew, I came up with a story that merged my love for the undying friends-to-lovers trope and musical theatre. Labeled #teatrofic for a while, I filed the concept away for months until May of this year, when I began to really, seriously outline the story. A week later, I started writing.

The question that started the concept was this: What if your first kiss, and every single kiss you’ve received thereafter, is a stage kiss?

Films, Giveaway

Tara’s Book Giveaway: The #MMFF2016 Edition

December 25, 2016 No Comments

Hey, everybody–Merry Christmas! What are your holiday plans? If you’re living in the Philippines, I hope you consider watching this year’s entries to the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) because the 2016 line-up is pretty interesting. If you’ve been following the news, you’d have already known that “the usual suspects” are missing from the roster, and the films that made it to the cut offer a different “flavor” from what we’ve been served for years now.

Unfortunately, there are some cinemas who aren’t showing official MMFF entries in favor of those they’re sure will rake in money for them. I personally think this is unfair not only to the people involved in the films that qualified for this year’s festival, but also to the viewing public that’s been continuously shortchanged by being fed haphazardly done movies year after year after year.

If you’re of the same opinion, I encourage you to please please go to the cinemas, watch the films, and spread the word so that others may be interested to do the same. And because it’s Christmas–here’s a giveaway!