EJ the Heroine

I may consider myself a full-time writer for Bookware Publishing Corp.’s My Special Valentine but I am also a freelancer, accepting offers for writing/editing/workshop/speaking engagements/media relations/corporate communication jobs from anyone who needs my professional services in those areas. My latest participation is with the creative team that put together Precious Hearts Romances‘ 25th Anniversary commemorative coffee table book titled 25 Most Precious. The book, launched last 28 February coinciding with PHR’s Grand Fans’ Day get-together, features twenty-five of PHR’s bestselling novelists throughout 25 years. I was contracted to be the technical editor and writer (for certain articles).

Working on the articles, I found it fun, and a little adventurous, to answer the same questionnaire filled out by the featured writers and I thought I would like to share my answers here. Some of the details herein are stuff that readers (and followers/stalkers of this blog) might already know about me, but anyway, here’s more about me.

* image from www.redbubble.com via Google Images

1. Personal Information and Family Background
Parents are both accountants. Dad Georgie graduated from a Management course from the University of the East, Mom Filomena graduated from Philippine College of Commerce (now PUP) in Commerce major in Accountancy. Both are now in the US as immigrants. Both worked there from 1999. My dad is retired now, laid off from work in 2013, mom has about 3 years more in the work force before she entertains thoughts of retiring.
I’m the older child, dalawa lang kami magkapatid. Glenn is turning 41 this June, married to Haidee, orgmate niya noon college at naging student pa. They have 2 kids: a boy, Karl, 13; and a girl, Natalie, 10. They live in Singapore now.
I also have 2 adopted brothers who are both priests. The older of the two, naging ‘ward’ ng nanay ko sa St. Paul, QC when he went there as an intern (nag-e-MA siya noon sa La Salle in Educational Management). Mom was then the school registrar. ‘Yung mas bata, a Franciscan from Cagayan Valley, tinulungan ng parents ko makatapos ng pagpapari.
I’m 42 as of this writing, studied elementary in Immaculate Heart of Mary College (near SM Centerpoint), high school in St. Paul College (hindi pa siya university noon), Quezon City, college at UP-Diliman, BS Tourism.
I sing, I dance, I drive a mean truck, I am a great cook…

2. Kailan mo naisipang magsulat at bakit?
Hindi ko actually naisipan magsulat. Pinagsulat ako dahil kasama iyon sa trabaho ko as a PR secretary sa trabahong kino-consider ko as my first real job. I was being trained to write articles which started out from me transcribing audio clips of interviews. Ang una kong tikim ng pagsusulat ng anything remotely like a love story was when BFF Queng (PHR’s Angel Bautista) would invite me to do wild mind writing with her. Sa kaniya ko rin nakuha iyong inspiration para makabuo ng tula kasi nabasa ko mga tula niya. Naisip ko noon, hindi naman profound pero maganda yung words. Presto! May tula ka na.
Iyong pagsusulat ng nobela, bunga yan ng pangangailangan ng additional income. Si Queng pa rin ang may hatak sa akin diyan. Pero in between the stint with transcriptions of celebrity/performer interviews and getting my novels published, ang naging linya ko talaga ay feature writing, business writing. Uminog sa pagiging marketing at public relations executive ang corporate career ko.
Sa totoo lang, prior to working on any kind of publish-worthy material, I thought my writing was not much more than a study in grammar, composition and vocabulary. They didn’t have any depth to them. I never really thought I could eventually learn the magic of integrating emotions with the words.

3. What inspires you to write?
Sabi nga ni Neil Gaiman (non-verbatim), you get ideas from daydreaming. You get ideas everywhere. The difference is we writers recognize them more quickly or more frequently than most. This is true for me. Para siyang literal na bumbilyang bigla lang iilaw sa ibabaw ng ulo mo with matching ‘TING!’ sound. Conversations I hear/overhear, a photo, a song, a scene from a movie, book, television show, FB status, personal experiences, experiences ng iba. ‘Yan ang sources ko ng inspiration. Plus ‘yung prospect ng research. Masaya ‘yung marami ka natututunan na hindi mo matututunan kung hindi ka writer dahil mas receptive ka sa ideas because of your desire to present the facts straight – you go places kahit hindi ka umaalis ng bahay, you learn about other cultures and people, you learn about government, military, terrorism, espionage. Kaka-research ko, theoretically, marunong ako mag-construct ng bomba.
Hindi ko kaya, however, iyong parang may makikipag-usap sa akin purposefully to tell me their stories so I can make a novel out of them. Pwede siguro akong pumulot ng snippets pero mahirap for me ang gamitin bilang buong plot ang kwento sa akin. Or ‘yung mga tipong, pwede po ba akong maging heroine ng libro niyo. Best effort lang. No commitment. Maarte ako. Or rather, maarte ang characters ko. Namimili nga sila ng sarili nilang personality at trabaho, malamang mamili sila ng gusto nilang partner.

4. Style? Voice? As a writer
Hindi ako magaling sa drama so I steer clear of that. Nagkakataon lang kapag may naisulat akong nagpaiyak sa nagbasa. Gusto ko ng mga may kakaibang plot twist. Tipong posibleng ang iniisip ng reader ay… ganito ‘yan magtatapos… pero hahanapin ko ‘yung least common na resolution/conflict/peak para sa kwento ko. I like writing about military/action-romance. Scenes play out vividly in my head. Minsan nga ina-act out ko pa (mukha tuloy akong baliw sa bahay). Then I write the sequence.

5. If you are to go out of your comfort zone, anong susulatin mo?
Gusto ko makasulat ng erotica. Not that hindi ako nakakagawa ng mga kwentong may love scenes. Gusto ko lang subukan mga tipong pang-Ellora’s Cave o kaya Harlequin Blaze. Pwede rin sigurong futuristic. Alam ko mahihirapan ako doon kasi the future, to me, is techie. I’m not a techie person.

6. Sino sa mga characters na nasulat mo ang feeling mo ikaw na ikaw in terms of personality/physical attributes?
May ilan. Si Mikaela ng Kwentong Pag-Ibig Lang na isang writer. Si Kaye (na isinusulat ko pa lang) na nag-resign na marketing executive mula sa isang theater company at nagfu-full time writing. Si Pia ng Excuse Me, ‘Di Kita Type dahil kwento ko ‘yun at ng isang kaibigang namasyal sa Viet Nam. In a way, all my characters could be me, even the boys, because if they were not projections of some part of me, definitely my characters are who I wish I could be.

7. If you were a heroine in your novel, paano mo idedescribe ang sarili mo sa intro portion ng book?
Isang Plain Jane na insecure dahil nga plain jane siya. Pero dahil matalino, charming ngumiti, sweet ang boses kapag kumakanta, at magaling sa kusina, iyon ang mga plus points niya para mapansin siya ng isang romantic hero.

8. Ano sa palagay mo ang pinaka-memorable/sweetest na ginawa ng fan sa iyo?
‘Yung igawa ako ng fan page dahil sabi niya, napapanahon na. Salamat dito, Ivy Claire, Inday ko. ‘Yung gabing gabi na akong nakarating sa Iloilo dahil sa haba ng byahe mula Boracay. Handa na akong gumapang sa pagod, gutom na gutom na pero alam kong wala na akong mabibilhan ng pagkain. Nagprisinta siyang bilhan ako ng dinner. Thank you Novel Reina, sa pangangalaga. ‘Yung ipasyal at samahan akong mag-ikot sa Hong Kong – Alena, Danita, Shie, Joy, Imejoy, Ghie. ‘Yung kahit hindi ka pa nila nakikilala nang personal, pinapadalhan ka ng token gifts kahit pa galing abroad at mahal ang postage/courier cost. Kahit yung simpleng text o mensahe to let me know kung gaano sila natuwa, nagandahan, naiyak, sa gawa ko. Oh, and nakaka-flatter nang bongga iyong pag-agawan ng readers and heroes mo. It means you’ve made them fall in love with your guy. 

9. Ano pa ang pinapangrap mo bilang writer? Bilang tao?
• Bilang writer, gusto ko mag-venture into self-publishing pero English ang gagamitin kong medium para mas malawak ang reach. Pwedeng international. I want to be a Paulo Coelho. Or a Neil Gaiman. Or a Sherrilyn Kenyon. Or a Sharon Sala. Or Tom Clancy. Kahit posibleng hindi ko naman marating ang kalibre nila, but I will aim for something close. Gusto ko makasulat ng tipong medyo may philosophy at life-lessons. Tas gusto ko ng fantasy-suspense-gothic-romance pero based sa Filipino mythical creatures ang mga characters ko. Or pwede rin ako bumuo ng isang bagong mythological world complete with gods and goddesses and monsters. At saka suspense/action/military/espionage. Gusto ko rin makapag-publish ng non-fiction work. Something like a self-help book that features life lessons and philosophies I learned and tried my best to live by. Before those things happen, may simpleng pangarap ako sa realm ng Tagalog romance. Gusto kong makagawa ng napakagandang obra such that mga editor ko at mga kapwa ko manunulat ay hindi manghihinayang at mag-uunahan pang i-endorse sa mundo ng mga mambabasa na bilhin ang libro ko dahil hinding hindi nila pagsisisihan iyon.
• Bilang tao, magbyahe. Makarating sa US para makasama na ang parents ko. Magkaroon ng ranch. Or makapag-asawa ng nagmamay-ari ng isang ranch. Matuto mag-skydive, mag-deep sea diving, makapag-rapel sa bundok, makasakay ng C-130 at tumalon (skydive) na may ka-tandem na Navy SEAL. O kahit Marine o Airborne, pwede na. (Kinikilig ako sa idea.) Gusto ko mag-ampon legally ng kahit isang bata para maging anak ko kasi hindi na yata ako mabubuntis pa sa edad ko. Gusto ko ng alagang aso – Huskie or German Shepherd. Kung magiging mayaman ako, gusto ko ng isang malaking lote na pwede kong gawing ampunan ng mga ligaw na aso tsaka pusa.

10. Kung ‘di writer, anong ginagawa mo?
Baka slave ng corporate world. Or baka naman nag-aral at nagtapos na ako ng culinary arts at pwede akong chef sa isang luxury cruiser o sa isang 5-star hotel. Or I could have been a singer. Hindi necessarily nasa level ng sikat tulad nina Regine or Lea Salonga o kung sino pa man. Tamang lounge singer na regular na nakakapag-gig sa hotels both here and abroad.

11. Sa totoong buhay, romantic?
Yes, very. I like dinner and candlelight. Slow walks. Slow dances. Holding hands. Hugs. Pet names for each other. Footsies under the table. Mornings in bed. Watching stars habang nakahiga sa beach. Lovey dovey messages and phone calls. Chocolates and flowers. Pero mas gusto ko maregaluhan ng kotse o bahay at lupa.

12. Saan ang dream place mo to live?
Kung saan may snow at English ang salita ng mga tao kahit hindi iyon ang native language nila. Basta marunong mag-English. Okay lang din ako sa maaraw at malapit sa dagat tulad ng Santorini sa Greece o kaya sa Positano sa Italy. Maybe London or New York para pwede akong manood ng West End/Broadway plays. Hehe… Pero I think I would prefer a more rural setting than an urban one. Tama na ang fast-paced living. Gusto ko ng tahimik.

13. How do you set your writing mood?
Nagbabasa, nakikipag-story conference, nakikinig ng music, nanonood ng tv, katahimikan. Kaya gusto ko sa gabi. Plus komportable na ang temperature kapag gabi. Hirap ako mag-concentrate kapag naiinitan ako masyado.
Pero talaga, importante sa akin ‘yung may nachichika bilang sounding board ko.

Ayan. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing down my answers. I will not say I dream of becoming part of PHR’s roster but I just simply want to be able to continue to write and write well. I hope, and I pray, I can continue to do so.