by KB Meniado She makes art, she writes stories, she puts them together, she self-publishes her first book. Meet 21-year-old Jay Pillerva, or better known as @jaaychaan online, and learn about how she began creating and how she made her first illustrated novel Quinn and the Metropolis happen. Jay Pillerva is an independent illustrator, novelist and animator from the…
Read MoreExploring through Confessional Writing: An Interview with Richsean Jeff Dy
by KB Meniado I met Richsean Jeff Dy at the Booklatan session led by the National Book Development Board last November 9 in Toril, Davao City. His table displayed a copy of his zine, sa ikapito, ako dapat ang maglaho, a collection of poems about how it means to love and to hurt, to let…
Read MoreMagic in Food, Magic in Words: Author Agay Llanera On Getting Writing Right
by Romy Peña Cruz Author Agay Llanera enjoys writing about food, and her readers are rewarded well for it. In her books like young adult novellas Choco Chip Hips and This Side of Sunny, she displays her talent for mixing topics of self acceptance, body image and family issues with scenes about baking confections and…
Read MoreBackstage Pass, Too: Author Tara Frejas on Sequels and Growing as a Writer
by Allana Luta Tara Frejas is a name that’s familiar to Bookbed readers who have been here for a while. We’ve done a couple of reviews of her works, recommended her to our readers, and had her as a featured author as part of the #romanceclass column. So to say that we’re fans would be…
Read More#ProjectSavingNoah, #GaleWatchCon and Other Stories of Hope: An Interview with Author Six de los Reyes
by Romy Peña Cruz It’s always great to find new stories and find yourself cheering for the characters who live in a world so unfamiliar but also interesting. This was how I felt after chatting with author and marine scientist Six de los Reyes about her latest book, Project Saving Noah, the second release from…
Read MoreOn Becoming Our Best Selves: How Romance Author Carla de Guzman Likes It
by Kristin Carao I first encountered Carla de Guzman on Twitter. I had just discovered #romanceclass, a community of readers and authors of Filipino contemporary romance, which she is a part of. I remember feeling excited when I first started reading their books. The settings and characters were so realistic and easy to relate to…
Read MoreEmbracing Sex Positivity and Empowering Women: An Interview with Author Bianca Mori
by KB Meniado “You read those stuff?” is something romance readers commonly hear from other people—and let’s be real, it often comes along with strong judgment. Funnily enough, when you drop by bookstores, chances are the romance section is usually the most packed. (And most likely, many people you know have “romance stuff” in their…
Read MoreLessons in Romance Writing, Self-Publishing and Community Building: An Interview with Author Mina V. Esguerra
by KB Meniado It’s hard to miss Mina V. Esguerra, especially if you’re looking at Filipino romance authors in English. With over 30 published novels and her fantastic work with #romanceclass, she has been helping make major breakthroughs in revolutionizing how the romance genre is recognized and appreciated among Filipino readers, and putting Filipino writers…
Read MoreWriting, Feeling, Believing: An Interview with Author Betsy Gacutan-Ochosa
by KB Meniado Most authors I’ve had the privilege to meet tell me it had been their dream to write and publish a book since they were young—and often because they were a reader first. Here, author Betsy Gacutan-Ochosa talks about the same, including what inspired her novella Twenty Years in Between… The Love Story of…
Read MoreChasing the Thrill: An Interview with Author Mayumi Cruz
by KB Meniado Local box office history tells us we like romance and suspense films—why not translate that level of investment into print too? Here, author Mayumi Cruz talks about what it means to write romantic thrillers, what she loves about engaging with readers and why she thinks self-publishing is worth it. Mayumi Cruz is…
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