Twenty three. Count ’em t.w.e.n.t.y.t.h.r.e.e #romanceclass authors put their stuff together to come up with #SummerFeels, a collection of summer-themed romance short stories launched last 30 April during the #AprilFeelsDay event. The book is now available on Amazon Kindle and (PH only).
In this post, aside from learning more about the anthology, let us hear from one of the authors, Kit Salazar.
My Author Journey as a Romance Writer by Kit Salazar
I had always loved to create stories, although it didn’t start out with words. My childhood best friend and I used voice out dialogue as we draw in our notebooks. My first brush with romance were not teen novels, but fairy tales and Disney movies like Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and the Little Mermaid. I drew fanart and made up stories about them in my head.
Later on I discovered Sweet Dreams and Love Stories, thanks to my school best friend and her sisters, who weren’t shy about buying those books. During summer vacations, I turned to my grandmother’s bookshelves and read her collection of Mills & Boon and Harlequin novels. I was a bit shocked at the difference between that and my pa-tweetums idea of romance, but they had happy endings and a few kilig moments, so I was hooked.
By college, I was trying to write fanfiction. I had also discovered contemporary writers like Nora Roberts, which showed me a different side of romance than the early books I’ve read. I especially loved Nora Roberts, because not only were her heroines strong, independent, and won’t be pushed about, a lot of her heroes were alpha males with a soft, caring, and sensitive side, and would do anything for their love.
Actually writing romance didn’t start when I first tried Nanowrimo more than ten years ago. I attempted to write a speculative fiction story, but since I didn’t really read much of that back then, I failed. I tried to write romance the year after, but without much success. It wasn’t until I became friends with more writers, specifically romance writers, did I push myself to finish my stories (it was the main complaint from my college best friends that I had the strangest tendency to stop writing in the middle of a sentence). I did get to finish one in 2015, which was a huge achievement for me.
Chris Hastings was pretty happy with his life. He had a nice beachside apartment, good friends, and a job he enjoyed. He didn’t think he wanted anything more, until Lauren Ditas came into his life. She was outgoing, athletic, beautiful, and everything he thought he couldn’t have. Chris opened himself up to her, but then he realized that she wasn’t doing the same with him. Could they make things work if there were secrets between them?
“Ready to Run” is not the first story I finished nor published in any form. However, it’s the first one I did that was 1) printed and 2) had a release party, marketing stuff and all that. It also gave me more confidence that, hey! I can write. And I’ve met new amazing people who inspire me to write more —- and finish it.
Lately, I’m thinking of scenes that are about second chances and feature characters that are more mature than most of what we read now. I like the idea of people coming back together after they let their chance go years before. I also like to play with the idea of single parents finding a second chance at love (regardless of how or why they became single parents in the first place), and their kids being happy for them. My current work-in-progress story is like that, and I’m excited to explore it further.
* Because this IS a summer anthology, Kit also shares about summery thoughts of ideal destinations.
The top of my vacation destination list is Japan, in any season. Summer weather in Japan, according to my research, is just like the Philippines’: Hot and humid. Like the Philippines though, they have a lot of festivals, called matsuri, and it’s as varied as the ones we have. I’d love to experience any of these festivals, which I feel really reflect the Japanese spirit and culture.
Of course, sharing the same spot on top of my list is: to travel across the Philippines and experience everything it has to offer. I firmly believe that when it comes to beaches and scenic spots, the Philippines has the best ones. I’d love to see all of these places, talk to people who live there, and find inspiration for my stories there.
Thank you for sharing your story, Kit, and for gracing this blog. 😉
Kit Salazar on social media
Kit has always known what she wanted in life, but only recently took courage to go after it. She’s back to doing things things that she loves, including writing and illustrating, while juggling a side job that helps fuel her creativity.
To learn more about this author and for updates on new releases, please
Follow her on Twitter @KitSalazarAuthor
Like her Facebook page, facebook.com/kitsalazarauthor
Follow her on Amazon at amzn.to/2nZXLSd
Follow her on Goodreads at goodreads.com/kitsalazarauthor
Summer Feels:
A #romanceclass Anthology
Edited and compiled by Kate Sebastian
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 30, 2017
Blurb:
Summer loving happens so fast, as you’ll find with Summer Feels, an anthology of 23 stories of love under the summer sun by #romanceclass authors. Savor the candied thrill of firsts—first loves, first kisses, first solo vacations—and the bittersweet triumph of second chances. Tour the Philippines as the stories take you to mountain retreats and island paradises. Let the magic of the hot sun, clear blue skies, and lots of love take you on a roller coaster ride of feels. With stories ranging from sweet to sexy, there’s sure to be something for any fan of romance.
Featuring stories by:
Elea Andrea Almazora • Erleen Alvarez • Ella Banta • Rachelle Belaro • H. Bentham • Halina Cabrera • Charlie Dio • Mina V. Esguerra • Elizabeth Galit • Georgette S. Gonzales • Ami Granada • Irene Jurado • Catherine Lo • Arlene Manocot • Bianca Mori • Eris Peñaluna • Farrah F. Polestico • Kit Salazar • Miel Salva • Fay Sebastian • Kate Sebastian • Yeyet Soriano • Marian Tee
Read about the individual story blurbs and more about the authors here.
About #romanceclass
#romanceclass is a community of authors who attended various writing workshops organized by Mina V. Esguerra, readers of books by those authors, and readers of English-language romance books by Filipino authors. Visit www.romanceclassbooks.com to see the full catalog of books!
Book Links:
Giveaway:
To thank you for visiting this blog Join to win these awesome prizes:
- International: Amazon gift card worth $25
- Philippines Only: Print books from some of the authors:
- My Dutch Billionaire by Marian Tee
- Kate, Finally by Yeyet Soriano
- Old Enemies Make the Best Lovers by Kate Sebastian
Looking forward to reading all the new to me romance class writers and i hear there’s an m/m story in there? So looking forward to that one too!
Hey, Natalie! The authors all worked so hard for this anthology and we super appreciate all the support! YES! There’s M/M in there. Two of them! 🙂