How Do You Prepare For A Feelsplosion?

#romanceclass FeelsFest 2017

Take it from me: You don’t. Or rather, you can’t.

It’s been more than a week since #romanceclass Feels Fest 2017, and I think it’s safe to say those who were able to attend the event are still reeling from everything that’s happened that rainy afternoon at Commune. I know I was/still am. My body couldn’t handle all the feels it felt like it needed to shut down for the entire week that followed so that I could recover. (I seriously slept A LOT.)

Anyway… my Feels Fest 2017 experience didn’t begin on the day of the event, but rather, weeks prior to it. As part of the organizing committee, I helped put together some fun stuff you’ve probably seen on #romanceclass’ Instagram and Facebook accounts. Yeap, if you felt like we flooded your feed with everything #romanceclass, that’s because we wanted to. We had a 30 Days of #romanceclass social media campaign where authors and readers shared their favorite things about the books, the characters, and the community as a whole. I’m a bit embarrassed to say I wasn’t able to complete all 30 days (and I don’t wanna make excuses but the week prior to the event was a doozy), but I know there were those who did and it was always heartwarming to see the responses. Nakakakilig po, thank you.

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Book Cover Crazy: My 1st #RomanceClassCovers Experience

#romanceclasscovers shoot day
THAT’S A WRAP! #romanceclasscovers 3.0 featured Fred Lo and Vanya Castor. Photo by Chi Yu Rodriguez. Styling by Alex V. Lapa. Overall coordination by Mina V. Esguerra. Additional, panggulo feels by Ana Tejano, Jay E. Tria, Tania Arpa, and yours truly.

“Aga-aga daming feelings!” -Lo, 2017

^ Now THAT is a pretty accurate description of what went down at the citruSnap studio last May 14, to be honest. There we were, six giddy authors (one of whom is also the photographer, the other, a book cover designer), two gorgeous models, and one badass stylist, trying our best to stay on our toes and be ~productive on a hot, Sunday morning. While this wasn’t the first time I got involved in a photo shoot, this was the first time I sponsored one for a personal project.

I wasn’t prepared. *insert sweating emoji here* Yes, even when I’ve saved a bunch of reference photos on my Pinterest board and sent it over to Mina to compile. Even when I had already outlined 2/3 of the book for which some of the photos will be shot. Even when I’ve rehearsed in my head what kind of direction I’d be giving Fred and Vanya so I can achieve the look I wanted. Nope. I wasn’t.

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Here’s your open invitation to #AprilFeelsDay!

april feels day 2017 banner

You’re coming, right?

I mean, because you can’t miss all the fun, especially not the live readings… when we’ve got these amazing people:

Also, there are 15 new books being launched that day.

Just in case… y’know, you need more on your humongous TBR pile. *wink*

And just in case it’s your first time–and even if it’s not–here’s a guide you might find helpful. <3 See you on Sunday!

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#RomanceClass x Ayala Museum: A GIF + Video Post

First things first: Please DO NOT expect much coherence from this post. I know, I know. I’m a writer… I should at least manage to string together some decent words, yes? But Too Many Feelings and Too Few Hours of Sleep can do things to the brain, so… anyway.

February 11 was another day of firsts for #romanceclass. Let me enumerate them:

  • First time holding an event at the Ayala Museum
  • First time having six actors live read scenes from our books
  • First time having a How to Write a Romance Novel lecture read by the live readers
  • First time having a three-way live reading
  • First time having Vanya Castor as a live reader

Did I miss anything?

I probably did.

So yeah, anyway… we did a lot of other stuff before the live reading. That included book and merch selling, eating FREE cookies (thanks, Abbie! :D), browsing new books at the Book Cafe (thanks Caryn! :D), finding book blind dates, and playing games. To be honest, I only had two hours of sleep prior to the event, but the energy in the room (where it happened) kept me going.

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