Category: writing

Kristel Autencio posted a review about Philippine Speculative Fiction VI. This bit made me smile this Monday morning.

My favorite in the collection is Eliza Victoria’s “The Storyteller’s Curse,” about a writer receiving a gift that he never really wanted. This is the kind of formal ambition I really admire, juggling the different tropes of horror and metafiction to create a tight, tension-filled story. It has one of those double plot setups that can be challenging to maintain, but Victoria does it masterfully here. The convergence of the two narratives leads to a climax whose implications are as horrific as it is intoxicating. It has subtle nods towards the style of writers like Stephen King and Ray Bradbury, using gothic elements to tackle issues of artistic creation, survival, and choice. The last line was a sucker punch in the gut the first time I read it.

Thank you! And thanks to editor Kate Osias for posting the link online.

Buy the book! PSF VII coming soon! :)

 

Happy for the positive reviews Alternative Alamat is getting. We’re at #14 today on the Amazon Kindle Fantasy Anthology list!

Some reviews:

Deck Shoes (Catherine Batac Walder)

Kristine Ong Muslim on Goodreads

Bookish Little Me

One More Page

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It’s been a bit quiet here, huh.

Some highlights from the past week.

A (Board)Game of Thrones!

I have played this before but this is the new version. Thanks to Phil for hosting the game (and taking these pictures). We played two rounds. I was controlling the Lannisters in the first round (where the Tyrells won), and the Baratheons in the second (where the Greyjoys won).

The second round took forever, haha. Jaykie, who was controlling the Lannisters, almost conceded after losing so many troops. But I’m glad he didn’t because it was such a hilarious comeback No, actually, I wasn’t glad because if he had conceded I would have moved my troops and won two castles easy but anyway.

This goddamn Lannister ship

went to the Baratheon side on a whim and singlehandedly (well, with the help of the Tyrell ships) sank the Stark fleets and cut off Dragonstone from the rest of the continent.

It has to be the most entertaining gameplay I have ever seen that night. “For Lannisport!”

Thanks guys.

(This section should have a WARNING: GEEKERY tag.)

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Swensen’s last night, with the boyfriend, his sister, brother-in-law, and nephew. My happy place.

 

philippine speculative fiction 7 lineup + a guessing game!

Click here to learn more!

PSF7 stats and trivia:
 
 
14 males / 10 females
23 of the 24 will find its first home in PSF
1 story was written after an author realized she was broke (I have every faith she has recovered since then, folks!)
1 story is the last leg of a troika of erotica (it rhymes!) written over a period of 3 years
3 stories are from first time fiction authors
1 story’s idea was stolen from a pastor’s sermon
1 story is the last short fiction the author will be writing until he finishes his novel
0 stories were from time travelling Filipino Vikings (darn it, I was hoping with the numbers we would have at least 1!).
 
The Stories: Philippine Speculative Fiction VII
 
 
1. All That We May See by Kenneth Yu
2. All the Best of Dark and Bright by Victoria Isabel Yap
3. Bastard Sword by Nikki Alfar
4. Chasers by Chris Mariano
5. East of the Sun by Dean Francis Alfar
6. Faith in Fiction by James Constantino Bautista
7. Mother of Monsters by Philip Corpuz
8. Never Land by Mo Francisco
9. Oblation by Paolo Chikiamco
10. Pet by Kristine Ong Muslim
11. Sarsarita Time by Melissa Sipin
12. The Call of the Chained God by Dariel Quiogue
13. The Changes by Benito Vergara
14. The Commute to Paradiso by Charles Tan
15. The Day Nostalgia Swept Over a Town by F. Jordan Carnice
16. Dragon’s Orb by Vincent Michael Simbulan
17. The Likeness of God by Crystal Koo
18. The Little Things the Datu Did by Andrew Drilon
19. The Love Spell by Julian dela Cerna
20. The Nature of Apocalypse by Joseph Anthony Montecillo
21. The Scrap Collectors by Arlynn Despi
22. username: tanglaw by Eliza Victoria
23. What the Body Remembers by Tin Lao
24. What You See by Ian Rosales Casocot

links and plugs and other happy things

Estranghero Press’s science fiction anthology, Diaspora Ad Astra, is now live! Featuring my story, “Rizal“, as well as stories by Dean Francis Alfar, Alexander Osias, Carljoe Javier, Isabel Yap, Anne Lagamayo, and many others. Edited by Joseph Nacino and Prof. Emil Flores.

Philippine Speculative Fiction VI and Alternative Alamat are included in this list of Notable Books from 2011. Happy to have stories in both! PSF VI carries my story, “The Storyteller’s Curse”, while Alternative Alamat has “Ana’s Little Pawnshop on Makiling St.”

Katrina Stuart Santiago talks about Alternative Alamat, and five other books that she believes you must buy this year.

Buy, buy, buy! Read, read, read!

hear ye, hear ye

Late post! But I’m sure you know by now that

The day has come!

“Alternative Alamat“, our digital anthology of stories inspired by Philippine mythology, is now available for US$4.99 at the following fine establishments:

  • Amazon.com – US$4.99 (note there’s an extra US$2.00 charge for certain non-US territories/accounts, including, unfortunately, the Philippines)
  • Flipreads.com (epub file) – PHP235.00
  • [iTunes and Barnes & Noble/Nook editions to follow]

I hope that by now you’re all excited to get your hands on the book (or, rather, the hardware holding the file), and if so, thank you and what are you waiting for? If you’re still on the fence even after the preview of our contributor and story introductions, and our author interviews (Raissa, Mo, Eliza), then read on (or download the press release here)!

You heard the boss. Click here to see a glimpse of some of the non-fiction segments of the book, as well as the wonderful artwork of Mervin Malonzo, creator of “Tabi Po”.

What’s been happening? My maternal grandmother’s birthday on the 8th, my paternal grandmother’s birthday on the 11th. That was epic, because it was Lola’s 90th birthday (90th birthday!) and they had a reunion party with games and raffles and all. I brought Jaykie but knew and was able to introduce only at most five percent of my relatives there. (Fail!) It was nice to see the boyfriend mingling with family. Even family I didn’t know, haha.

On the 9th I visited the old office to see my friends.

Company Christmas party on the 14th. Theme was Famous Couples and I came in as Veronica with another officemate as Betty. But I don’t think anyone really understood I was supposed to be Veronica. At least Betty had a blonde wig.

Didn’t win anything at the raffle, as per usual. (One of the new girls won an iPad! Why can’t I be that lucky?)

Really looking forward to the holiday vacation so I can write, write, write, read, read, read.