Winning Over Love and Writing: An Interview with Author Ana Tejano

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by Inah Peralta When a favorite romance author tweets about a new novel, you take heed and action. I know I did! Here, I talk to Ana Tejano about her upcoming book Win Meah Over, plus her writing process and favorite characters. Happy month of love and romance! Win Meah Over, Mar 2019 (not gonna make it to 2018, oops)– She's hopeless romantic + everyone's friend + event manager– He used to be a playboy + loves dogs– They hooked up 3 yrs ago and she'd rather forget it– he gets assigned to her event, surprise!– Enemies to lovers~ — Ana Tejano (@itstimeana)…

Falling for Romance: An Interview with Author Ines Bautista-Yao

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by KB Meniado Ines Bautista-Yao knows a lot about love—she’s a daughter, a wife, a mother, a teacher, and… an author and editor of romance fiction! To open the month of love ;), here she talks about writing kilig, learning from aspirations and living one’s passion. Ines Bautista-Yao is the author of young adult and contemporary, sweet romance books and short stories. Her first book, One Crazy Summer, was published in the Philippines by Summit Books in 2011. She is the former editor-in-chief of Candy and K-Zone magazines, and a former high school and college English and Literature teacher. She is also…

For His Love of Mother Tongue: Jerome Herrera on Translating ‘The Little Prince’ into Chavacano

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by Nove Patangan I spent most of my teenage years back in my hometown in Dipolog City in Zamboanga. There, I met different people who spoke different languages, of which Chavacano is one. Although I can only speak a few Chavacano words, this language speaks to me a volume of the people’s culture and identity. So when I came across of a news about the newly-released Chavacano-translated version of The Little Prince, a 1943 novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, I was curious of the man behind this endeavor. Jerome Herrera is a Chavacano enthusiast from Zamboanga City, Philippines. He translated…

Creating A Metropolis of Art and Memories: An Interview with Jay Pillerva

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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 Philippines who has been writing and drawing her whole life. She aspires to contribute professionally to the creative industry with her stories and illustrations. The Metropolis Series has been her passion project for years. It is a loose account of her teenage years and her overall…

Exploring through Confessional Writing: An Interview with Richsean Jeff Dy

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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 go and to grow. “It’s my first time to take part in something like this” was what Sean told me as I leafed through the pages. He said he’d always been hesitant to sell his zines—self-doubt, fear of rejection, lack of overall support, financial constraints……

Magic in Food, Magic in Words: Author Agay Llanera On Getting Writing Right

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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 sampling Pinoy delicacies. Mango Summer, her latest release—an adult contemporary romance, doesn’t delve too far away. In it, Agay once again adds a food (and fantasy!) element to the love story: (magical!) mangoes from our shores. Magic is in the air…  For the first time…

Backstage Pass, Too: Author Tara Frejas on Sequels and Growing as a Writer

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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 kind of redundant but we’ll never get tired of it. Tara has a way of telling romance stories that capture our attention and imagination. And with the sequel to Scandalized on the way (scheduled to be released in December!), we’re ready to dive back into…

#ProjectSavingNoah, #GaleWatchCon and Other Stories of Hope: An Interview with Author Six de los Reyes

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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 the #romanceclassFlair imprint. Like her previous book Beginner’s Guide: Love and Other Chemical Reactions, this new novella deals with characters in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) field—which definitely excites me as romance reader. Read on as she shares her thoughts on writing and mental…

On Becoming Our Best Selves: How Romance Author Carla de Guzman Likes It

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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 that I thought I was entering into a world familiar and new at the same time. It made me miss the Philippines, my first home. When I found out she was planning on visiting Melbourne (my second home), I gladly took the chance to meet…

Embracing Sex Positivity and Empowering Women: An Interview with Author Bianca Mori

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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 shelves, physical or digital.) Not surprisingly as well, several of them look for hot, sex positive romance. (Can we get a heck yeah?!) Good news: we can find some locally—and one in the form of Bianca Mori’s works. Here, she talks about why sexual agency…