Pagsusumamo Sa Paggising

September 23, 2017 • Leave a Comment

A Plea For Awakening

What if the one you look up to

Your sworn defender

Behind his smile is an evil soul

Seemingly sweet words to unify and bind

But really, to mask and hide a future that’s bleak

Amidst the wailing, blood of your fellowmen flowing

Will you not think?

Will you not question?

Will you not fight?

Continue to be blind to what you perceive to be kind

Despite the fallacies and darkness there

Your silence, you bear

Will you not demand for respect

For their rights that’s akin to your own

When will you wake?

When will you understand life’s worth?

Life is precious beyond worth.

Sometime in July 2016, in my little house in a small town in Negros Oriental, I woke up to an email from my mom where she was “screaming” in excitement, telling me our schedule was on. She was referring to my petition for immigration to the US which she filed in December 2005. Finally, after 11 years of waiting, my priority date was being processed.

Hah!

First step was for my mom to file the needed supporting documents. Once that was done, it was my turn to fill out forms. I also started packing most of my belongings for shipping back to Manila – mostly books and ornaments. The furnishings would be left behind as I planned to rent out the house.

Eight years’ worth of belongings, packed in just a few boxes. What the photo and boxes don’t show are the memories accompanying those items, collected over the years I made that little house in Judyville my home.

The accomplished forms were sent in by late September and again, we needed to wait for a reply.

In the middle of all this, my maternal grandmother died. She was 95. I think she timed her passing, knowing that I was soon to be reunited with my parents. She’d always worried about me, especially when I left Manila to live alone in a place that could only be reached by getting on a plane. I worried too, about already being away if she passed. I felt her slipping as early as September, her birthday. How would I go home to be at her wake then, only a few months (or weeks) since setting foot on US soil? But I guess she was at peace with how her family was doing, she was at peace with herself. And though I miss her terribly, her passing didn’t make me feel like time cheated on us.

At the end of November, a new email told me my papers had been forwarded to the US Embassy in Manila and I will be contacted again for my interview schedule. Before 2016 ended, we had news: Interview in February.

It was a mad rush after that. Had to schedule my medical exam before the interview happened. That was nerve wracking. If the medical results happened to show I had some sort of ailment, my interview could be delayed for God knows how long. While this wasn’t bad news, more waiting wasn’t something we wanted. And so, when I returned for the second day and was asked to go straight to immunization, I almost cried. I passed! The interview (and packing!) would be the last hurdle.

And the flurry of saying goodbye to everyone. Of course, I’d be back to visit but that would take years for me to fulfill. So farewell get-togethers were essential. A trip to Baguio. Dinners and lunches. Parties. The most painful of these was saying goodbye to Block 11 Lot 14 in Judyville. My little home. And my little car, OmNom Bubu Chacha Stitch.

On March 10, 2017, roughly eight months from the time we confirmed that my priority date was in process, less than a month since I was interviewed, I left the Philippines to live as an immigrant in America.

At the Tom Bradley International Airport, emerging from the arrival area after going through immigration and hauling three boxes of belongings

Today, I’m a few days shy of celebrating my sixth month living abroad. Until now, it still feels surreal. Like this is a dream, and I’m a different me in an alternate universe because the real me is still in that little house in Judyville, shuttling to and from Manila once in a while to visit friends, driving to Cebu to hang out with more friends and to eat grilled chorizo at AA Bbq.

But no. I am here. In America. Trying to make a new life for myself. Looking forward to this new life I will make for myself. God be with me.

WHERE TO FIND MY PRINT BOOKS

June 7, 2017 • Leave a Comment

I know. I know. Sometimes it’s really complicated to avail of indie-pubbed books because they’re not available at your usual haunts, i.e., NBS, Powerbooks, Fully Booked, etc. Lucky for us, there are bookish events such as these and 8Letters will be there to sell print copies of Of Love And Special Things.

Haraya: Tadhana, Sa Unang Taon

[10 Jun | 6 – 1 0 pm | PETA Theater Center, New Manila, QC]

A night filled with music, dance, and heartfelt poetry you have not seen and heard performed before, and a tribute to our old ones that you have come to love.

CHAR (Walang Personalan, Charot Lamang)

[16 Jun | 6 – 9 PM | Splice Events and Restaurant, Greenfield District, Mandaluyong City]

Celebrate PRIDE MONTH! Black Table Productions crafted a rainbow-filled presentation about embracing each other’s identity and appreciating diversity through arts! CHAR! (Walang personalan, charot lang!) will take you to a different level of wit, openness, and “charutan” to celebrate individualism and uniqueness of the LGBT community; as well as their colloquial contribution in the Philippine culture. Whatever your reason may be, come with us and CHAR! will surely deliver unicorn of emotions!

You can also find my book at the following cafes via 8Letters:

Jess & Patt’s

Belleville Cafe

Forget Me Not Cafe

[BLOG TOUR + INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY] Summer Feels: A #romanceclass Anthology

May 9, 2017 • 2 Comments

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 in print (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:

Amazon
Goodreads
Print copy (Philippines only)

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

[COVER REVEAL] Summer Feels: A #romanceclass Anthology

April 18, 2017 • 16 Comments

Summer Feels
A #romanceclass anthology

Genre: Romance
Release Date: April 30, 2017

Blurb:

Featuring stories by:

Edited and compiled by Kate Sebastian

Cover and interior design by Miles Tan

About the Designer

Miles Tan likes inhabiting imaginary worlds, from fantasy books to sci-fi shows to cheeky mysteries to role-playing games. She works with websites, plays with graphics, and is now currently painting with words.

Finding X is her first published novella. Her short story “Something Real” is included in the YA Luna East anthology, Kids These Days.

To learn more about her books, visit milestanbooks.com. To see more of the cover art she’s designed, check out milestanbooks.com/works.

Book links: