Month: September 2012

diabolical plots reviews “fairy tales”

What a great way to end the workweek! Diabolical Plots reviews the June stories of Daily Science Fiction, including my own story, “Fairy Tales”.

“Fairy Tales” is aptly named. It speaks of a naïve girl’s hope and of the world a race has lost. It has flashbacks that aren’t written as flashbacks. The tactic turns the story into a disguised mystery, setting up a clever final scene. The story is not for people who gravitate to Daily SF’s short and sharp fiction, but it is a tale for the ones who appreciate personal struggles. The ending is a promise of a greater tale but is nevertheless satisfying.

DP also talked about DSF’s first print anthology.

Not Just Rockets And Robots – indeed

I have a few friends that don’t like reading on a computer screen. I also know of a few writers who will only submit to print publications. So a 21st century novel idea of a publisher sending a daily story via email is something that would never be their cup of tea. Too bad for them, or is it?

There were plenty of reasons for aspiring authors – and fans of – speculative fiction to attend this year’s Worldcon in Chicago. At the time of this writing, the con had yet to open, but if you were there hopefully you had a chance to attend Daily Science Fiction’s launch of their first print publication, Not Just Rockets and Robots – a collection of their first year of stories is now available for your bookshelf.

I haven’t purchased the book but have read enough of those stories to give it an enthusiastic recommendation. I am curious to know if the collection was set in chronological order or not. The collective work of the Alphabet Quartet would have been nice if it were assembled together or not. Regardless how it was done, if you know of a fan of fantasy and/or science fiction, NotJust Rockets and Robots may be the perfect gift for them this Christmas.

If you want to read “Fairy Tales”, it’s right here.

here be a recording of my WIT talk

For those who were not able to attend Visprint Inc.’s WIT 2 event (I will get your excuse letters later – loljk), Flipside Publishing has generously uploaded a recording of my talk (a mix of English and Filipino). Follow @Flipsidepub on Twitter for updates.

Click here for the recording! Might contain nuts and awkwardness.

From Flipside:

For our second podcast (you can find the first one here), we recorded the talk and Q&A panel that Eliza Victoria gave during Visprint’s WIT 2012 event held last September 8, 2012. Eliza Victoria is the author of Lower Myths and The Viewless Dark, and the collection A Bottle of Storm Clouds (from Visprint). Introducing her work during the event is Karl De Mesa, author of Damaged People: Tales of the Gothic-Punk and News of the Shaman: Four Novellas of Horror.

|MP3| 21.5 MB

If you enjoyed the podcast (or have suggestions who you’d like to hear from in the future), feel free to send us comments below, or via our other social networks like Facebook or Twitter (@flipsidepub).

We’ll have more recordings from Visprint’s WIT 2012 event in the next few days. Stay tuned!

We’re also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FlipsidePublishing and on Twitter@flipsidepub

https://www.facebook.com/Visprint

stuart: a life backwards

(Based on a true story. TV film by BBC and HBO – you might catch it on HBO one night.)

Alexander Masters (Benedict Cumberbatch) works for a charity group that helps homeless people. One day, their facility gets raided and the two charity workers in charge, later dubbed as the Cambridge Two, are arrested. Apparently, some of the homeless men they are helping have been selling drugs. Alexander helps set up a campaign to free the Cambridge Two, and in one meeting, he meets Stuart Shorter (Tom Hardy), who has brilliant ideas to help free the charity workers. “My name is Psycho, but you can call me Stuart,” he says, and he and Alexander become fast friends. Alexander tells Stuart that he wants to write a book about him, and though baffled by his interest, Stuart tells him to tell it backwards, to make it exciting, “like a Tom Clancy novel”.

In one scene, Stuart asks Alexander why he considers him – a criminal and a man with an unstable mind – as a friend. “Because you’re funny, intelligent, good company- what do you want, a fucking love letter?” Alexander says, but in the end that’s what Stuart gets. A love letter in the form of a biography, and later, this film, from a friend who has heard his darkest secrets but still loved him and wanted him understood and remembered.

Fine, fine performances from Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hardy. I can’t praise them enough.

stuff: compulsive hoarding and the meaning of things

Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of ThingsStuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things by Randy O. Frost

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A compassionate, well-written book about the psychology, compulsions, and distress of hoarders. Contains detailed, fascinating narration of some cases, and interviews with people afflicted with this disorder. The first case presented is the heartbreaking tale of the Collyer brothers, who died surrounded by 140 tons of their hoarded items. The tale hooks you and pulls you in. Good read.

View all my reviews

the towering tottering tbr pile

Most definitely in no particular order:

Photo from weheartit. I heart it.

Lauriat: A Filipino-Chinese Speculative Fiction Anthology edited by Charles Tan

Area 51: An Uncensored History of America’s Top-Secret Military Base by Annie Jacobsen

Philippine Speculative Fiction Vol. 1

Philippine Speculative Fiction Vol. 3

We Bury the Landscape by Kristine Ong Muslim

How To Traverse Terra Incognita by Dean Francis Alfar

Beneath Sea and Sky: Erotic Stories of Fantasy by Shanna Germain

The Language of Dying by Sarah Pinborough

The Witnesses Are Gone by Joel Lane

White Apples by Jonathan Carroll

Kikomachine Komix Blg. 7 by Manix Abrera

Kikomachine Komix Blg. 8 by Manix Abrera

Naermyth by Karen Francisco

11/22/63 by Stephen King

Mga Angst ng Isang Di Mahapayang-Gatang by Resty Cena

*

You understand why I’m stopping myself from buying any more books.

How’s your pile looking?

philippine speculative fiction 7

Philippine Speculative Fiction Vol. 7Philippine Speculative Fiction Vol. 7 by Kate Osias

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

(Disclaimer: I have a story in this anthology.)

Probably the strongest PSF volume to date. The quality of stories this time around is just staggering, with several stories worthy of treasured re-reading.

My favorites: “All the Best of Dark and Bright” by Isabel Yap, “East of the Sun” by Dean Francis Alfar, “Pet” by Kristine Ong Muslim, “The Changes” by Benito Vergara, “The Likeness of God” by Crystal Koo, “The Little Things the Datu Did” by Andrew Drilon, “What You See” by Ian Rosales Casocot, and “The Love Spell” by Julian dela Cerna.

Huh, that seems like 80 percent of the book.

These three stories I also liked, but I had problems with. (Spoiler warning.) “Chasers” by Chris Mariano is beautifully written, but I think I’m missing something here. I’m trying to look for the speculative element in the story (since this is a spec fic anthology) but couldn’t find it. I loved the haunting ending of “Sarsarita Time” by Melissa Sipin but I was bothered by the plot error in Alamat ng Pinya (the girl was turned into a pineapple because she kept saying that she couldn’t find things, so she was given many eyes) and how the name “Archangel” was introduced but not used. She was named Archangel and turned into a mirror? Loved the details and the language of “The Nature of Apocalypse” by Joseph Anthony Montecillo, but I wished it pumped up its oddness, its magical realism.

All in all, a great read.

View all my reviews

#wit2012na,or visprint’s 2nd annual readers’ day

The short version: I was floored by the love and support shown by Visprint, and the fans and readers of Visprint’s books. Who says the Philippines does not have a reading public? This event just proved that notion wrong. Maraming salamat po!

The long, chronological version (with pictures):

J and I didn’t wake up early enough to catch the opening of WIT (Writers in Talks) 2, but we hurried to catch the Comics panel. Donned this flowery dress as a departure from my usual blues and blacks.

We just took a cab because we had no idea about the parking situation in Alphaland, and woe is you who gets stuck with Makati’s notorious traffic police. We got to the venue, said hi to Ms Nida, and I wrote in J as my plus-one.

I heard that attendees lined up as early as 6! (!!!) Kaloka!

Said hi to Andrea, who said the staff had gotten new stock of my book because it was selling well. Yehey!

Mortal Kombat!

This was the Comics Panel with Manix Abrera, Budjette Tan, and Paolo Fabregas. Look at the size of that crowd.

We checked the other room and saw Karen Francisco (author of Naermyth and the artist who designed my gorgeous book cover) giving a talk in the Fiction panel.

The Fiction panel was composed of Karen, Eros Atalia, and Siege Malvar.

Here was Ms Nida talking about story rejection, from the point of view of the publisher. She said: “Parang-awa niyo na, huwag niyo kaming aawayin.”

The morning sessions went on overtime, so Visprint decided on an early lunch, and moved the Creative Non-Fiction Panel to 12:30.

Forgot to take a picture! CNF panelists were Karl de Mesa, Bebang Siy, and Alan Navarra.

A Bottle of Storm Clouds onstage.

Enjoyed the performances of Eros Atalia, Siege Malvar, and special guest G.P. Abrajano. Seige Malvar, during the Fiction panel, asked attendees to drop their deepest, darkest secrets in a box, which he used in his Sotto performance. Hilarious.

Siege and G.P. performing a balagtasan on books and reading, men and women, and love.

G.M. Coronel also came onstage to deliver a talk about suspense and his new book, Tomb Keeper.

Then it’s my turn! Karl de Mesa introduced me and gave me a cookie.

Cookie from Karl, with the symbol for calling the voodoo goddess of love. J and I ate it. :3

I hope the attendees learned something from my blather! I got pretty nervous and forgot to look at my notes to guide me hahaha!

Grabbed from Visprint’s album on Facebook.
Thank you to Elyss Punsalan for her amazing reading of an excerpt of “The Storyteller’s Curse”. Visit Pakinggan Pilipinas!

Photo-op for the Visprint writers who stayed behind.

Photo by Fernando Hernandez, posted on Facebook.

After the event, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people who approached me to have Storm Clouds signed, have my picture taken, chat, ask questions, etc. I was like, Really? You want a photo with me? Haha. You are all dears.

Happy to finally meet Karen Francisco!

Bb. Bebang Siy!

We had dinner with Charles, who actually ate something. (No photographic evidence.)

My Visprint loot!

Thank you Ms Nida and Visprint and Visprint fans and friends! Thank you for buying our books! Hope you had a great time! Exclamation points!

We took a cab again but we would’ve carried this into the MRT. LIKE A BOSS.
Till next WIT!