Ask the Author: Jennifer Hallock
Answered Questions (6)
Jennifer Hallock
Glad we finally connected. Good luck on your research, Amelia!
Jennifer Hallock
I am working on the final full novel in the Sugar Sun series, Sugar Communion: Andrés Gabiana is a good priest. He cares for his congregation, looks out for those in need, and charges not a single centavo for a funeral. In everything he strives to be the opposite of the corrupt Spanish friars who soiled the cassock for centuries. And it was all going so well until Dr. Liddy Sheppard showed up. #UndressAndres
If you would like to know more about my research and writing process, please join my Facebook reader group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/histo...
If you would like to know more about my research and writing process, please join my Facebook reader group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/histo...
Jennifer Hallock
Hi Carol, just saw this post! Oh my goodness, how synchronous is this? All my books are set in Dumaguete or just outside (Bais), and my upcoming novel, Sugar Moon, features a veteran of the Philippine-American War. You can find all my books on Amazon, either print or Kindle. I do not yet have printed versions for sale in the Philippines, and that may take longer since I no longer live there. Feel free to dig deep on my website to find articles about the settings and history of the war, as well as find my books: www.jenniferhallock.com
I would love to know more about your grandfather and what you know about his experience and life after the war. Thank you for reaching out!
I would love to know more about your grandfather and what you know about his experience and life after the war. Thank you for reaching out!
Jennifer Hallock
Thanks for the question, Annabelle! And I am so glad you enjoyed the book and the setting! :)
Unfortunately, I have only visited Dumaguete, not lived there, but I so easily could live there. It is one of my favorite cities in the islands, which is saying a lot! I did live in Laguna, up in Luzon, for four years, during which time I visited both Negros and Samar for my research. I also read a LOT of first hand accounts written in the early American period and found as many photos as I could. The Silliman press, the Silliman museums, and several Negros Chronicle articles were essential to my research.
The hardest part of describing the city was reconciling the pre-Rizal Boulevard beach line of 1900 with what I saw in 2010. Such a seemingly trivial difference, but it really added a whole block onto the shore. I wrote about this (and other locations) on my blog: http://jenniferhallock.com/2016/04/07...
You can also see the seeds of Silliman University in my books, though I called the school Brinsmade because I wanted to use some artistic license to shape the characters as my novel needed them to be. I discuss this in my blog post, too. I love using real people, places, and events as inspiration, but when I start bending them to my story purposes, I need to change their names to separate truth from fiction!
I do LOVE Dumaguete, Bais, Tanjay, and all the places I mentioned. I'd love to do a reading or signing there sometime. Dare to dream! Thanks again for reading!
Unfortunately, I have only visited Dumaguete, not lived there, but I so easily could live there. It is one of my favorite cities in the islands, which is saying a lot! I did live in Laguna, up in Luzon, for four years, during which time I visited both Negros and Samar for my research. I also read a LOT of first hand accounts written in the early American period and found as many photos as I could. The Silliman press, the Silliman museums, and several Negros Chronicle articles were essential to my research.
The hardest part of describing the city was reconciling the pre-Rizal Boulevard beach line of 1900 with what I saw in 2010. Such a seemingly trivial difference, but it really added a whole block onto the shore. I wrote about this (and other locations) on my blog: http://jenniferhallock.com/2016/04/07...
You can also see the seeds of Silliman University in my books, though I called the school Brinsmade because I wanted to use some artistic license to shape the characters as my novel needed them to be. I discuss this in my blog post, too. I love using real people, places, and events as inspiration, but when I start bending them to my story purposes, I need to change their names to separate truth from fiction!
I do LOVE Dumaguete, Bais, Tanjay, and all the places I mentioned. I'd love to do a reading or signing there sometime. Dare to dream! Thanks again for reading!
Jennifer Hallock
Ah, what a great question! I already have the movie playing in my head, in which I've gotten to play the part of casting director—as well as location manager, producer, and costume designer. I think that's the best part of writing. For Javier, I have always imagined Enrique Iglesias in the part. He has the added benefit of being Filipino-Spanish himself, so it is not a stretch. On a horse, though, I imagine Javier a bit more like Nacho Figueras (Argentinian polo player).
Georgina was always Karen Gillan during the writing process, but there are two redheads from Game of Thrones who could easily fit the role: Sophie Turner or Rose Leslie. Bryce Dallas Howard has the right look, too. I have a public Pinterest page where I store images of my characters for inspiration: https://www.pinterest.com/undersugarsun/. Feel free to check it out. Who do you imagine in the movie in your head?
Georgina was always Karen Gillan during the writing process, but there are two redheads from Game of Thrones who could easily fit the role: Sophie Turner or Rose Leslie. Bryce Dallas Howard has the right look, too. I have a public Pinterest page where I store images of my characters for inspiration: https://www.pinterest.com/undersugarsun/. Feel free to check it out. Who do you imagine in the movie in your head?
Jennifer Hallock
I lived in the Philippines for four years and realized that this was such a rich setting for historical romance. Unfortunately, most Americans do not know of our history in this country. The Spanish-American War of 1898 ended with us buying the Philippines from Spain for $20 million, launching a debate in the United States about whether or not we were an imperial nation. This was as divisive a debate within the US from 1898-1902 as Vietnam and Iraq would be seventy and one hundred years later.
The Americans had to fight a costly war to pacify the islands. First, we had to expand our Army (which at the time was no larger than the current size of the New York City Police Department). We lost over 4000 soldiers and more were wounded, while the Philippines suffered 20,000 military deaths and 200,000 civilian deaths due to starvation and disease. In the end, the Americans managed to convince the Filipinos to put down their weapons, partly by bringing popular policies such as universal education and improved sanitation and health care. This is where I thought the story got interesting, so I made my heroine an American schoolteacher, one of 1000 who spread out across the islands to start secular, coeducational, public, English-language elementary schools.
The Americans had to fight a costly war to pacify the islands. First, we had to expand our Army (which at the time was no larger than the current size of the New York City Police Department). We lost over 4000 soldiers and more were wounded, while the Philippines suffered 20,000 military deaths and 200,000 civilian deaths due to starvation and disease. In the end, the Americans managed to convince the Filipinos to put down their weapons, partly by bringing popular policies such as universal education and improved sanitation and health care. This is where I thought the story got interesting, so I made my heroine an American schoolteacher, one of 1000 who spread out across the islands to start secular, coeducational, public, English-language elementary schools.
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