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

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.

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My weekend with Pawssion Project

I don’t remember now how exactly I discovered Pawssion Project, but I do know it was before the pandemic happened, and I’d had aspirations of becoming a volunteer even back then. Fast forward to 2023, and I saw a call for volunteers on their Instagram page; I signed up and that was it! I became a Pawssion Project volunteer!

I initially signed up as one of their content creators, but immediately realized I couldn’t contribute as much because of my day job and other author-related activities. Even volunteering at events became a bit tricky schedule-wise, because my weekends were always busy. And when they’re not, I’m almost always catching up on sleep.

Anyway, I was able to volunteer at the Bobba’s Backyard Pet Expo event this weekend, and it was a lot of fun. We got to raise over P100,000 for the shelter and new rescues in need of urgent care! It was amazing to meet people who share the same love and compassion for strays and abandoned animals, and I truly hope to see a world where every stray and homeless dog and cat find their furever homes.

For more information about Pawssion Project, visit their website: pawssionproject.org.ph. You may also follow them on Instagram or Facebook for updates on rescues and details of upcoming events. There are upcoming events where you can participate and help us out, so please watch out for those, and we hope to see you there!

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#RomanceClass™ will be at KOMIKET next weekend!

Hey, hey, hey~ we are having our first event of the year! If you missed #RomanceClass™ (yes, we are officially trademarked now, hihi!) at any of our events in 2023, here’s your chance to catch us at this January!

We will be tabling at KOMIKET at the Ayala Market! Market! activity area on January 19-21 (Friday-Sunday), just look for one of the booths right in front of the stage—we’ll be there. Do follow us on social media @romanceclassbks on X and @romanceclasbooks on Instagram for more updates.

And of course, if you’re new to us, romanceclassbooks.com is your greatest resource. We’ve got over a hundred romance novels in English, featuring Filipino characters falling in love. <3

Hope to see you next week!

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Happy New Year — let’s meet up!

Hey #romanceclass ~ happy, happy new year! We’re having a small get-together on the 25th of January at Commune Cafe + Bar in Makati from 2:00 – 5:00 PM. Here’s what’s going to happen:

  • A #romanceclass intro lecture (this actually starts before 2:00 PM, so if you’re new to the community and want to know more about it, come in early!)
  • Book selling. You may contact your favorite author/s prior to the event to make sure the book/s you want are in stock!
  • Backlist promotions. #romanceclass authors may promote some books from their backlist you might have missed!
  • Book launch. I hear someone’s planning to launch something, but it’s not 100% confirmed yet, so we might actually get a SURPRISE!
  • Other #romanceclass shenanigans.

Wanna join us? Sign up here.

 

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