random musings of a romance author
So excited to be hosting this book launch on Saturday! We will be having Angel C. Aquino, Ines Bautista-Yao, and Mina V. Esguerra talk about their books that were released (or, re-released) this year, namely:
You can watch the stream below—stream starts on Saturday, October 8 at 5:00 pm PHT. Or you can subscribe to the #romanceclass YouTube channel to be notified of our streams!
In case you missed it, I was in a #RomanceClass Podcast episode with Mina V. Esguerra two weeks ago where we talked about the origins of our characters’ names. It was a fun discussion and I enjoyed hearing how my fellow #romanceclass authors named their characters, too! Hope you can check out the stream posted above.
We are constantly brainstorming ideas for our online content. If you’re part of the #romanceclass community and would like to suggest anything for our streams and other social media posts, let us know via media@romanceclass.com.
Thank you in advance, and we hope you can join us for this Saturday’s stream! We have authors Brij Bautista, Chi Yu Rodriguez, Danice Mae P. Sison, H. Bentham, and Ronald Lim talking about Boys’ Love and Girls’ Love—why they enjoy it, what they want to see less/more of, and more! Set a reminder here.
Sometime in the middle of the community quarantine here in the Philippines, a bunch of romance authors decided to work on a web series. Yep. *snaps fingers* Just like that. I think it’s safe to say spite and pettiness and rage were very strong motivators, because man…did the scripts come out so fast!
(This might have been how we looked like within 48 hours of saying “Let’s do this!”)
Anyway, long story short: Things were shitty. We wanted to make things a little better. Therefore, Hello, Ever After was conceived.
Last Saturday (the 4th of April), we had our very first #romanceclass watch party, featuring four of our favorite live readings from past events. This was actually us testing some tech for our upcoming April Feels Day event on the 25th, but we figured, hey—why don’t we make this fun? ^_^ And we did have a lot of fun at the chat room!
If you missed the watch party, here’s an edited version of what we viewed that day. And if you’d like to join us on April Feels Day, simply sign up here. No registration fee required. All you need to do is show up (online!) on the day of the event!
Watch #RomanceClass Watch Party! from RomanceClass on www.twitch.tv
Pinoy Movie x Book Match is back for the new year! And hey, faux relationship trope fans…this one is for you! ^_^ My first Pinoy Movie x Book Match for 2020 features the Piolo Pascual-Judy Ann Santos film Till There Was You.
The hate-to-love / enemies-to-lovers trope takes center stage because the featured Pinoy rom-com this week is the Claudine Barretto-Rico Yan starrer, Got 2 Believe!
Got 2 Believe (2002) opens with a wedding, the perfect milieu for us to get to know wedding planner Toni (Claudine Barretto) and event photographer Lorenz (Rico Yan). Hopeless romantic Toni loves weddings and the promise of happy-ever-after, while marriage/relationship cynic Lorenz is only in it for the money and career advancement. Early in the film, we learn that for the longest time, Lorenz has been annoying the shizz out of Toni by taking the most unflattering photos of her at weddings they’ve both been part of. This causes her to vehemently swear off working with him ever again.
This is an unfortunate development for Lorenz, who gets a shot at being featured in Life Asia Magazine when his friend George (Nina Ricci Alagao) expresses her desire to write a story about Toni, the perennial bridesmaid. Mustering his confidence, he approaches Toni with the Life Asia Magazine deal, saying it’s the perfect way to promote her business. She turns it down in a heartbeat, but after her romantic fantasies with Arnold (Carlo Muñoz) fall apart when he gets married to her best friend Karen (Nikki Valdez), Lorenz changes his strategy and offers her not only the magazine feature, but also the prospect of finding her a match. Eventually, she agrees, but only after he promises he won’t ever bother her again after the magazine feature is published.
After a bunch of failed dates, Lorenz finally finds the “perfect boyfriend” for Toni. But while he shows her how to be the “perfect girlfriend,” he finds himself falling for her instead.
Oops?
Got 2 Believe is available for viewing on iWant.
^ Probably my favorite song off the soundtrack, because it plays just when Lorenz gets this epiphany that he is, in fact, in love with Toni.
After friends-to-lovers, perhaps enemies-to-lovers is my second favorite trope (tied very closely with faux dating) because there’s just something so delicious about two people who absolutely could not stand each other eventually realizing they have fallen in love. How inconvenient, right? How kilig!
If you liked Got 2 Believe, or enemies-to-lovers is your catnip, check out these #romanceclass titles which are right up your alley.
Noah might be the best oceanographer the Institute has seen in years, so he’s in no hurry to finish his Master’s degree…until a new arrival threatens his chance at a once-in-a-lifetime research grant. Suddenly, it’s sink or swim time.
Lise knows there’s a slot at the Institute’s newest project with her name on it. But she’s all math and very little science, and when it comes to the ocean, she’s completely out of her depth.
Lise and Noah are determined to win—even if it means working with each other to overcome their fears. But what begins as a shallow bargain lands them straight into the deep end when they realize they want the same thing—each other. Unable to ignore their physical chemistry, can they balance personal ambitions against an illogical attraction that threatens everything they’ve worked so hard to achieve?
Miri dela Merced’s film director grandfather and Pabs Paglinauan’s studio head grandmother had a huge falling out that ended Lolo Ikong’s career. At seventeen, Miri finds herself in the same summer film internship program as the down-to-earth film studio heir Pabs, whom she’s decided to automatically write off, just because of his lineage. As Miri gets a crash course in her expectations vs the reality of what’s it like to work on a real movie, her true feelings for Pabs become harder and harder to ignore. In between attending outdoor screenings of classic Pinoy movies and battling monster production assistants together, can flipping the script on a decades-old grudge be only a few sequences away?
Daphne Cardenas is the best wedding planner around, and everyone knows it. That’s why her friend Greg hired her as an emergency replacement one month before his wedding—because he fears his fiancée Helen is falling for the guy they first hired for the job.
Aaron Trinidad is new to the wedding industry but years of conference planning and loads of charm make him good at it. Really good at it. Planning the wedding of his friend Helen should be easy, and it is. To be unceremoniously fired isn’t good for his new career, but the chance to learn from the best might be the silver lining.
Aaron and Daphne have chemistry, but there’s history with Helen that at least one other person considers a threat. Who’s the planner who can fix this impending disaster?
(Part of the Chic Manila series, but can be read as a standalone.)
No bets. No fake relationships. Just a very real one that has to be kept under wraps.
Seventeen-year-old Melissa wants to dye her hair cotton candy pink and focus on her ukulele instead of Physics. But she can’t. As the daughter of a Catholic school principal, living up to her model student image 24/7 is a must. Something’s about to give under all the pressure. She only hopes it isn’t her.
Getting involved with a troublemaking basketball player is the last possible thing she needs…
Lance is used to getting what he wants. With a pretty face he uses to full advantage and his role as co-captain of the basketball team, the easy way is the only way he’s ever known. Until the day he notices the prim Melissa he’s known forever is actually hot and decides to ask her out. He has no idea he’s about to learn the lesson of a lifetime.
Not getting what he wants might exactly be what he needs…
For the first time in her life, Vinnie finds herself on the brink of academic suspension.
While standing up to a bully is something she’ll never regret, she has to take on additional responsibilities in lieu of punishment for the offense. This unfortunately involves working with Cholo, the head disciplinary prefect, who seems to take delight in other people’s blunders. Her determination to match his expectations eventually leads her into a crazy chase to keep up.
That’s it for this edition of Pinoy Movie x Book Match! If you love this trope, I hope you pick up any of the books listed above, and also maybe watch the movie? ^_^ I know, I know…it is pretty dated, but I still think it’s one of the best Pinoy rom-coms of its time. Hey, what’s your favorite hate-to-love rom-com movie / book? Mind sharing in the comments below?
See ya next post! ^_^
What is #romanceclass?
#romanceclass is a community of:
- Authors who attended #romanceclass, #romanceclass2016, the steamy reads, YA classes organized by Mina V. Esguerra
- Readers of the books by those authors
- Readers of English-language romance books by Filipino authors
- Actors and artists who are part of the event and publishing process
We are a community of Filipino writers and readers who gather together to do what we love.
Check out our website for more books and information on where to get them: romanceclassbooks.com
I had been planning this series of posts for a while now, but never really gotten around starting it because these past several months have been h e c t i c. But things are beginning to wind down for me now—I finished a manuscript! But that’s a story for later!—so I wanted to get the ball rolling on this new segment: Pinoy Movie x Book Match!
So basically, it’s like this: I introduce a Filipino movie I really like (it doesn’t matter if it’s old or new), tell you a little bit about it, and recommend books that have a similar vibe to it! And because I’m a romance author, expect to see more rom-coms than any other film genre. You have been warned. v^_^v
For this first edition of Pinoy Movie x Book Match, I’m going to start with one of my most favorite 90s rom-coms ever: Labs Kita, Okey Ka Lang?
Labs Kita, Okey Ka Lang? is a 1998 romantic comedy that featured one of the hottest loveteams of their generation—Jolina Magdangal and Marvin Agustin. In this Star Cinema classic shot entirely in Baguio City, Jolina and Marvin play Bujoy and Ned, best friends and neighbors who have known each other all their lives. Early in the film, we see the dynamic between Bujoy and Ned and know for sure there’s no way these two don’t have any non-platonic feelings for each other. When Bujoy’s friend, Mary Ann (Vanessa del Bianco) enters the picture and Ned falls in love with her at first sight, he asks Bujoy to introduce them. At about the same time, Cenon (Gio Alvarez) joins Ned’s band and impresses the members with a cover of a popular song, unintentionally steamrolling Ned and his aspirations of playing an original song at their gigs.
Bujoy eventually gets around to introducing Mary Ann to Ned, and they hit it off well, much to her chagrin. Meanwhile, Cenon asks Ned to set him up with Bujoy, and they end up going on a couple of double dates. While spending more and more time with other people, the best friends slowly realize their feelings for each other but refuse to acknowledge them. Until of course, it’s a little too late.
Or is it?
You can watch Labs Kita, Okey Ka Lang? (again) on iWant.
(You will need a Premium membership, though. It’s P129/month I think.)
Oh, yes! Kaibigan mo ako! Kaibigan mo lang ako. And that’s all I ever was to you, Ned. Your best friend. Takbuhan mo ‘pag may problema ka, taga-sunod, taga-bigay ng advice, taga-enroll, taga-gawa ng assignment! Taga-pagpatawa sa iyo kapag nalulungkot ka, taga-tanggap ng kahit na ano—
And I am so stupid to make the biggest mistake of falling in love with my best friend. Dahil kahit kailan, hindi mo naman ako makikita eh. Kahit kailan hindi mo ako kayang mahalin nang higit pa sa isang kaibigan.
—Bujoy Santillan, 1998
Oof.
Looking back, I’m fairly confident I owe my love for the friends-to-lovers trope to this film. And if you’ve seen the movie and loved it, or if you’re a sucker for this trope like I am, here’s a few #romanceclass titles you need to check out:
Zack and Jasmine never dated, but no one else knows that. That story started in college, because she was being a good friend, and he needed help with something. The friendship and affection that followed were very real, but the lie kept causing trouble.
Years later, after a falling out and real relationships with other people, the lie resurfaces to bother Jasmine one more time–when Zack’s exes ask her to stop him from marrying someone they think is totally wrong for him. She’s the only one who can help him, they say, because she’s his best friend. They also believe that Zack loved Jasmine the most—and maybe still does.
Seventeen-year-old Alexa Zamora looks as if she’s always been the beautiful and graceful center of attention. If you knew her in grade school though, you’d remember a sad little girl, who had lost her parents, and spent most of her time on the martial art arnis—a rough sport, not something girls were supposed to like. If you knew her then, you might have ostracized her for it.
She learned from this mistake, and has done her best to hide all traces of her sport and skill in a new school, and now she’s New Hope Academy’s It Girl. But transfer student Theo Guevarra, who happens to be her old arnis buddy and first love, arrives and makes her question the life she’s been living. How long can she keep up appearances, before it all falls apart?
Rain De Castro has been in love with her best friend, Mark Velasco, for almost the entire time she has known him, but she’s clearly in the friend zone because he’s happily in a relationship. Or so she thought, until the news of his break-up reaches her. Now that Mark’s single again, she decides that it’s time to get out of the zone. But when her cousin Lissa comes into the picture and sets her eyes on Mark, Rain feels troubled when he gets a little too friendly with her. Rain is determined to fight for what she feels this time, but is it worth the effort if it’s a losing battle from the start? Will she back off to give way for her best friend’s happiness, even if it means losing him to someone else again?
At twenty-three, theatre actress Erin Javier has yet to fall in love or kiss a boy offstage, away from the klieg lights. She is the perfect leading lady—whose heart men would fight for, win, and protect—unfortunately, only until the curtains fall and the lights go down. In real life, Erin is a certified NBSB whose heart has been hoping for a song to dance to.
But when two (two!) men enter from stage left and right, Erin is confused. Who deserves to take center stage in her heart—Mr. Theatre Royalty whose attention and displays of affection make her pulse race, or a good friend whose steady support has helped steer her to success and fulfill her dream?
When she was nine-years-old, Katie knew she wanted Chris to give her her first kiss. It wasn’t because she was in love with him (no way, he was her best friend! Besides, she was in love with his fourteen-year-old big brother), it was because she could make him do anything she wanted.
Besides, it didn’t really mean anything. It was only a kiss after all.
But then things started to change. They grew up. They parted ways and went to different high schools. And other girls and boys—well, just one particular boy—came into the picture, throwing their lives upside down.
Told from the alternating points of view of Katie and Chris, this love story between two best friends will tug at your heartstrings and leave you thinking how the simplest things can mean so much.
And there you have it—my first Pinoy Movie x Book Match post! <3 If you haven’t seen the movie yet, I really hope you’ll be able to soon (what’s taking Netflix so long to get the remastered version, I wonder), and if you already have…well, no harm in watching it again, right? I also hope you’ll try any of the titles listed above, and hey—maybe drop a line in the comments if you’ve decided to read any of them! Let me know what you think of my recs! ^_^
Till next!
What is #romanceclass?
#romanceclass is a community of:
- Authors who attended #romanceclass, #romanceclass2016, the steamy reads, YA classes organized by Mina V. Esguerra
- Readers of the books by those authors
- Readers of English-language romance books by Filipino authors
- Actors and artists who are part of the event and publishing process
We are a community of Filipino writers and readers who gather together to do what we love.
Check out our website for more books and information on where to get them: romanceclassbooks.com
I’ve been noticing how iWant has been producing new and original streaming content for the past year, but it’s only this year I’ve actually tried watching them because Bagman was really good. I’ve yet to try John en Martian too, but last week, I was able to watch their latest offering, MOMOL Nights, which starred Kim Molina and Kit Thompson.
iWant didn’t have to work hard to sell me this because 1) I adore Kim, and; 2) the trailer had rom-com beats, which I really liked. <3 Did I want to watch it? HELL YES. But was it a romance? That remained to be seen.
In case you’re wondering why the second question was important, here’s a quick explanation: As a romance author, I am very particular about certain media (books, movies, etc) being branded as a romance when they are very clearly not. Romancelandia’s rule is simple: If it doesn’t have a happy ending, it’s NOT romance.
So is MOMOL Nights a romance? Yes. And here are some things I liked about it:
And now for the things that didn’t quite work for me:
At a happening music festival north of Manila, Miss No-Room-For-Love Jett is asked to play five-minute girlfriend to band leader Adrian, who recently had his heart broken.
AJ doesn’t know the name of the girl she last had a one-night stand with, but damn if the Universe wasn’t a prankster, bringing Jackie back into her life and throwing in AJ’s ex-boyfriend in the mix, too.
Isabel, a CEO-in-training and heiress to a cosmetics company, needs to hire an assistant, stat. What happens when the eligible applicant in front of her is the same man she was in bed with the night before?
MMA fighter Niccolo and snarky feminist Rose have nothing in common. Save maybe for that insanely hot night in Vegas.
All of the book recommendations may also be found on romanceclassbooks.com and are available for purchase in print during our events and straight from the authors. For questions on any of the books, feel free to leave a comment below.
Last Saturday, March 2, #romanceclass had a “double-feature” book launch for Danice Mae P. Sison’s Flipping the Script (#romanceclassFlicker #2) and Mina V. Esguerra’s Kiss and Cry (#Six32Central #2).
As always, it was a fun morning day, filled with stories and good food (and tea, lots of it). I don’t know about you, but I like #romanceclass book launches. Apart from the fact that I like seeing our books being displayed and photographed in various venues, they’re always so casual and fun, and we usually play a lot of musical chairs — as in people transferring from one seat to another to socialize or simply to say hello.
For last Saturday’s launch, we were treated to brunch (braunch, anyone?) at Kanto Freestyle in Annapolis, Greenhills. There was Chocnut Champorado (yes, it’s A Thing!) and Pulled Beef Pares Nachos for everyone, while I ordered some Chili Garlic Longganisa and coffee for myself. In the middle of brunching and chatting, people bought books, asked for them to be signed, took pictures, and Instagrammed the day away. Very chill. ^_^
If you don’t already know, here’s what Flipping the Script and Kiss and Cry are about.