Mina V. Esguerra's Blog, page 36
April 20, 2015
April 19, 2015
Rules We Like Breaking: ARC signup!
I have a new book coming out in June! Sign up at bit.ly/RulesARC to get a digital review copy. Am prioritizing active reviewers of romance, new adult, and my books in particular. If you’re not actively reviewing books, do leave a comment on the form if you want to be considered for the giveaway. I do giveaways often!
April 17, 2015
Romance/Chick Lit/NA/YA, by Filipino authors
If you’re looking for romance, chick lit, YA, and new adult by Filipino authors, we’ve got them right here:
Some indie-published romance authors and I started this after they successfully finished #romanceclass, #buqosteamyreads, and my other online writing classes. Thought we’d make it easier for readers to see our work, because most of them are indie-pubbed and each author has her own marketing and social media thing going on.
First of all, it’s amazing that in a few years we’ve gotten to the point where we have a catalog and over thirty books listed. (Once we start adding the 30 #buqoYA finished books, this would go up considerably.) Most of these titles are in English, right now, because they took a class under me and I write romance in English and in the beginning was comfortable teaching only that. But in the recent classes the authors have branched out, and we’ll have Tagalog/English titles on the site too.
There’s a lot of talk about diversity in publishing right now, and I must admit, we didn’t have that as a goal when the classes started. At least, not diversity the way the current discussion worldwide (US-centric, admittedly) is talking about it. We started #romanceclass because I had met some Filipino authors who read English-language contemporary romance and chick lit, and wanted to write it. We thought there weren’t enough books being published to cover every single theme, character, and situation we wanted. So we started writing it together.
Since then, we (meaning me and the other authors and readers) have:
1. Encouraged and published most of these titles as indies, to address what seemed (at the time) like a lack of interest by Philippine traditional publishers in English-language contemporary romance for adults
2. Supported digital editions of these books when they come out, because prioritizing print is too costly and not feasible for an indie author based here
3. Partnered with businesses willing to help the books reach more readers
4. Written more books with more sex, more non-Filipino characters, more international settings, more locations in the Philippines outside of Manila, more variety in occupations for the main characters — more than the Pinoy-authored contemporary romance that we’re used to, in any case.
The diversity question is slightly different for us who are Filipino and write/read romance in English. Locally published romance has its own tropes, similar to our popular Pinoy romcoms, and every author starting out here seems to instinctively want to bust at least one of them. I’m happy to say that every Pinoy indie romance author I know (even those who are friends and didn’t take my class) is doing an excellent job at that, and that’s why there’s so much variety and exciting new stuff coming out. I’ve been asking the authors to find out what their “thing” is, what they’re good at, what they can be known for. Everything’s better when we’re all in our zone.
Pinoy authors who write romance in English may feel trapped in the middle of two audiences. There are readers who may find her work “too Western” and those who will find it “too exotic.” I know there’s an overlap there, an audience that is perfectly willing to enjoy a book by a Filipino author whether or not it features Filipino characters and settings, and we need to find more of those people and get our books to them. I want these books in people’s device libraries, these authors doing signings, getting print deals, web series/TV/movie adaptations, audio editions, foreign language translations…I want it all, for everyone.
If you think you can help, head on over to romanceclass.co.vu and read a book. Thank you!
There’s more about the awesome things Pinoy romance authors are doing in the latest issue of Bookwatch, the publication of the National Book Development Board.
PS. I really really want to do a web series. Hi, universe.
April 15, 2015
Spark Books launch! April 25
This is happening! I hope you can drop by. Powerbooks Greenbelt 4, April 25, 3 pm.
April 11, 2015
Read Young and Scambitious (Scambitious #1) free on Wattpad
This week, my Wattpad account crossed the 50,000 follower mark! Thank you, Wattpad. Here, have a book! I’ve posted the complete Young and Scambitious short story there, with the last two chapters set to private. (Followers will be able to read it!)
I've moved! minavesguerra.com
April 8, 2015
Excerpt: My Imaginary Ex
My Imaginary Ex was the first of my books to be published. The idea for it had been in my head for a long time — through a short story that I had written almost ten years before. That story shows up in the book eventually as this part of Chapter 4.
***
“Problem? Did Zack talk to you about our ‘problem’?”
Perhaps I had caught Lena at a bad time. She wasn’t as relaxed as she usually was. She didn’t look like she was in a hurry to go somewhere, but she sure looked annoyed at me.
“No,” I said, quickly trying to save myself. “But he’s been moody lately. He thinks something’s wrong with the two of you, but he didn’t say what. He wants to fix it though.”
Lena petulantly hugged her binder, and I didn’t need to be a psych major to know that she had just put up a wall between us. “Whatever the ‘problem’ is, it’s none of your business, Jasmine. I amdone with the two of you, honestly. I should lock you two in a room and you can either fight it out or end up together. Either way, I’m done.”
“Wait! Lena, you don’t mean that. It’s not what you think—”
“It doesn’t matter what you say, Jasmine. It’s how it is.”
“No, please, don’t break up with him over this. Please, think about it—maybe you misunderstood? We don’t have feelings for each other. You might be seeing something completely innocent and giving it the wrong interpretation.”
Lena paused at this, and her tight grip on her binder loosened a little. “Why does he tell youeverything?”
“He doesn’t.”
“Well, fine, but why does he tell you everything he tells me? Shouldn’t I come first?”
“You do, Lena. I don’t even know where he is half the time. We don’t even hang out.”
Technically that was true. We spent most of our friendship in transit. On his way to the coffee shop? To the Internet cafe? The library? The Math department? Drive me home from choir practice?
He’d wander over to my usual spots, and if I had nothing to do, I went along.
“I’m not friends with any of my exes. It’s not healthy,” she looked at me accusingly.
We share a secret, and that can really bind people together. I did not say that.
“Lena, it’s not what you think. We’re just friends, really.”
“I don’t treat my friends the way he treats you.”
“Lena, you liked how mature he was when he forgave me and decided we should remain friends,” I reminded her desperately.
That seemed to work. If Lena’s defiance were a balloon, it started to deflate.
“Jasmine,” she said. “Thanks for standing up for him, but this still is none of your business.”
***
She broke up with him right before Christmas, but it looked like she stuck around and gave it a try three weeks after we talked.
I didn’t tell Zack about it, and from the looks of it, neither did Lena. So now that was a secret Lena and I shared. I probably had to write it all down at some point.
The news got to me on the last day of school, before the Christmas break. I was looking for Zack in his usual spot, and only saw Ramon, his block mate. I didn’t know many of Zack’s friends, but the year before, Ramon was my ballroom dancing partner for PE.
“Did he leave already?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he replied. “Went home. Lena finally broke up with him.”
“Just now?”
“They were talking by that tree for almost an hour.”
I showed up at Zack’s house with a half gallon of Double Dutch ice cream. The sight of me and my gift made him laugh. “I’m not a girl,” he said.
“Trust me, this will make you feel better.”
I stayed over for dinner, but I wasn’t hungry because I already had a few cups of ice cream in me.
Zack, at first, didn’t want to talk about Lena. I played the supportive friend and didn’t ask, so instead he told me about his economics teacher, the electives he was thinking of taking, and the business idea he wanted to use as his thesis the following year. There was also a movie he wanted to watch that weekend, maybe I wanted to see it with him?
Two hours later, I couldn’t wait anymore.
“Zack, about Lena…”
“I thought you wanted me to feel better.”
“Talking will help resolve your issues.”
“If you want to help, come with me to this movie. Robots at war! I’ll feel better after that, I know it.”
“Are you sure your problems weren’t caused by our fake relationship?” I asked.
“I’m sure,” he said, vehemently. Was he trying to protect me? He knew I’d feel bad if I had a role in their breakup, but he didn’t know that Lena had spilled the beans already, and some of those beans had my name on them.
“Well then. I think that next time, you shouldn’t even bring it up. I think Lena’s…impression of you was tainted by a lie. Next time, just be yourself.”
Zack exhaled dramatically. “I didn’t exactly think that one through, did I?”
“No.” I scooped out another cup of ice cream for myself, finally accepting that we both kind of ruined that relationship together. I needed chocolate.
I reached over and squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry about Lena. You should never again tell anyone I was your girlfriend.”
“That’s a good idea.”
Get My Imaginary Ex on buqo, and Amazon / Smashwords (through the Perfect Boyfriends compilation)
April 7, 2015
Excerpt: My Imaginary Ex
***
“Problem? Did Zack talk to you about our ‘problem’?”
Perhaps I had caught Lena
at a bad time. She wasn’t as relaxed as she usually
April 2, 2015
#SparkNA starts April 6
If you follow me on Twitter, you’re going to see me use the hashtag #SparkNA. That’s because my new online class, this time sponsored by Anvil’s Spark Books imprint, is starting on Monday.
So far there are 70 participants in the class, and they’ve signed up to write a New Adult Contemporary novella and submit their draft by June 6. What they will get (apart from the satisfaction of finishing a book?) is a possible book deal with Spark.
It’s going to be exciting to see what we can do to expand and diversify the portfolio of NA by Filipino authors.
If you’re all, “huh New Adult by Filipino authors, what’s that?” go here for a taste:
http://romanceclass.co.vu
April 1, 2015
#SparkNA starts April 6
So far there are 70 participants in the class, and they've signed up to write a New Adult Contemporary novella and submit their draft by June 6. What they will get (apart from the satisfaction of finishing a
