Mina V. Esguerra's Blog, page 9

Cover Reveal: Interim Goddess of Love (10th anniversary)

Interim Goddess of Love has turned 10! The three books in this series were released through 2012 and 2013, and over the years has seen many editions and covers. I’m so excited to add a 10th anniversary cover, designed by Miles Tan.

Where to get it: Amazon | Gumroad | Ko-fi [More links soon]

About the book:

College sophomore Hannah Maquiling doesn’t know why everyone tells her their love problems. She’s never even had a boyfriend, but that doesn’t stop people from spilling their guts to her, and asking for advice. So maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise when the cutest guy in school tells her that she’s going to have to take on this responsibility — but for all humanity.

The Goddess of Love has gone AWOL. It’s a problem, because her job is to keep in check this world’s obsession with love (and lack of it). The God of the Sun, for now an impossibly handsome senior at an exclusive college just outside of Metro Manila, thinks Hannah has what it takes to (temporarily) do the job.

Our inspiration for this cover was the wood crafts of Laguna, an idea that’s been in my head since getting these souvenirs while at a workshop in Los Baños in 2016.

I’ve changed the cover and updated the inside pages on the different retailer platforms, and if you’ve purchased it previously, you will just see the changes in your ebook reader. If you have this through Gumroad, you will be able to get the updated ebook free, just go back to the book’s page in your library. The paperback edition available worldwide will switch over to this edition in a few days. A special edition hardcover with Miles Tan’s cover and Shai San Jose’s inside illustrations is available for pre-order now (for Philippine residents). (See promo photo below…adding photos/video of this soon!)

The Interim Goddess of Love trilogy and two prequel short stories are on Wattpad in full. If you’re a student or just want to catch up you can read everything free over there! Thank you for being part of this story’s journey! (And if you’re an author I hope this reminds you that a book from years ago still has a life today — there are so many readers waiting to discover it!)

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Fake Date Number Three [short story]

Frances and Sebastian are friends. Who agree to date, for show, when convenient. It’s fine and probably won’t cause feelings because Frances never actually dates anyone more than three times. But do fake dates count? (Set before 2020, no mentions of covid. Heat level 2.)

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New store + discounts!

In recent years I’ve taken my books “wide” — meaning I took every book off Amazon exclusivity. Being exclusive to Amazon has its advantages but many US retailers don’t accept Philippine payment apps (or just instantly reject cards issued here, problems like that). I’ve tweeted, posted, whined (possibly) many times hoping that a platform would step up and accept the payment apps that Filipinos use. And then Snack.ph invited me to be one of their founding creators. 

My books What Kind of Day, Kiss and Cry, So Forward, Totally Engaged, and Scambitious are on snack.ph/minavesguerrabooks now, and all only P100/$1.81 each (for a limited time!). 

Snack.ph accepts Gcash, Maya, GrabPay, Paypal, as well as credit and debit cards. These epub editions are already compatible with Kindle devices and apps. If you don’t have copies yet, I hope you consider getting through this new store! 

Another thing that is available there on discount is the 2022 edition of the #RomanceClass textbook. This compilation of lessons from the class has been available for 9 years, and updated 4 times. This new edition was something I’d been planning to do for a while and finally had the time to. If you already have it on Gumroad, just go to your library and download the new files! If you’re using this as a guide, definitely switch to the new one. I made a lot of edits to catch us all up on what’s relevant in 2022, added to the introduction, made MC/LI descriptions gender neutral, talked about how RomanceClass books have mentioned covid, and more. It’s also got a new layout, and an epub edition (with cover art by Shai San Jose) to go with the usual PDF. Get it on snack.ph MinaVEsguerraBooks.

PS: So this textbook as I mentioned has been around and available to purchase for 9 years. It’s also periodically free, or deeply discounted several times a year. People get it free when they join a class, or I offer it as a download when giving talks or lectures. I do think sometimes that anyone who would ever want this already has it…but then in the few days that this has been on Snack.ph (with Pinoy-friendly payments!) it has gotten all-new purchases again. Which reminds me of the value of finding the spaces that prioritize us.

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My Year in Books 2022

I made several resolutions at the start of my year of reading. How do I feel about those choices in December? I feel great.

A sample of my reading year:

Compared to the past three years, this year I’ve read less books, but reading more wasn’t the goal. As I’ve mentioned before, reading is work to me — and I don’t mean that as a negative. I don’t see reading, while being a Filipino author writing romance, as work that I’m forced to do. I’m still Filipino and a romance author when I read, so there’s no reading that doesn’t at all affect those parts of me.

Even when I read a different genre, or I consume media that isn’t a book, I understand something about that genre/medium that may have a parallel in mine, or I pick up a feeling/emotion/truth that will be useful in romance writing. I’m just like this now, so it makes sense to me to tailor my reading year in a way that satisfies me (as a reader and a person in the world of publishing).

So how did I do across different “resolutions”?

Read more Filipino authors. Filipino authors whose books I did not edit or help publish made up 32% of my year. I’ve read more, but I edited or helped publish some of the books, so they’re not counted as “choices.” I’m happy with this percentage by the way, and will likely maintain it.

Read more Southeast Asian authors. I have a separate post about this. It’s also 32% of my reading year, and I’d like to bump that up next year.

Is it possible to read zero books with [redacted]? For reasons, I won’t discuss this last resolution in detail, but will say that it was still 18% of my reading year (so I did not read zero of [that thing]). As far as ambitious goals go, I’ll still congratulate myself on this, and resolve to get that percentage closer to zero next year. (Realistically there are reasons for [redacted] to be part of my reading but 5% is probably a more fair allocation and still an ambitious target.)

Here are all the books I finished reading.

4-Eyes: An Online Malaysian Love Story by haiyatotheskyNoelle the First by Nicole FallsHer Pretend Christmas Date by Jackie LauThe Ballad of Citra Sidek and Her Terrible Taste in Men by Ellie PurnamaBreathless by Beverly JenkinsKSL by Chencia C. HigginsBlack Water Sister by Zen ChoLove Is All Around: An Alta Holiday Anthology by Carla de Guzman, Suzette de Borja, and Bianca Mori Bibliolepsy by Gina ApostolThe Five-Day Reunion by Mona ShroffSing Me to Sleep by RM VirtuesSo Yabang by Zara IrigoCherishing the Goddess by Lucy EdenA Match Made in Lipa by Carla de GuzmanGoing Public by Hudson LinAunty Lee’s Chilled Revenge by Ovidia YuHer Favorite Rebound by Jackie LauWatch Me by Liz LincolnMy Quarantine Diary by Ines Bautista-YaoLibby Lawrence Is Good At Pretending by Jodi McAlisterShe Said Yes by Tasha L. HarrisonThe Children of Bathala Volume One by Arnold ArreCafe con Lychee by Emery LeeScales and Sensibility by Stephanie BurgisTake Two by Kaith C. CimafrancaSomeone Like Me by Julissa ArceLove to Meet You by Jay E. TriaBlack Love Matters edited by Jessica P. PrydeAru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani ChokshiMorning Glory Milking Farm by C.M. NascostaGrand Theft N.Y.E. by Katrina JacksonKick at the Darkness by Suleikha SnyderHusband Material by Alexis HallRuby Fever by Ilona AndrewsCollision Course by Christina C. JonesControlled Chaos by Christina C. JonesClose Contact by Christina C. JonesTo Catch A Raven by Beverly Jenkins Mango Cake and Murder by Christy MurphyCrossword by qixingSet on You by Amy LeaAn Illicit Seduction by Chencia C. HigginsApple Pies and Alibis by Christy MurphyLetters to a Young Brown Girl by Barbara Jane ReyesSome Bali to Love by Carla de Guzmanf*ck around and find out by Nicole FallsTarantadong Kalbo vol. 2 by Kevin RaymundoA Career in Books by Kate GavinoMan vs Ipis Volume 1 by AJ BacarCompromised into a Scandalous Marriage by Lydia San AndresThe Austrian and the Asian by Eden BayleeOne Floor Up Volume 1 by Lady StorykeeperLive for Love by Saquina Karla C. GuiamSabbatical by Katrina JacksonHow to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria RessaMatch with the Demon by Chace VerityHani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

My Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2022/3862800

The post My Year in Books 2022 first appeared on Mina V. Esguerra.

New series, new titles [work in progress]

I am not releasing a new book after all in 2022 (and that’s okay!) but I’ve been working on these two books for approximately one year now. It took some time to figure out when/where to place this in the present covid/alert level situation, and also it took me several tries to figure out what my writing sounded like that isn’t just layers of 2022 election year anger and anxiety.

What happened was that I took my sweet time world-building, plotting, designing characters for one book, only for the story that I meant as a maybe-book 2 to form more solidly in my head. It’s fine, it’s fine, I’ll have two books I guess?

I’m calling this the Forty Sudden series (so far just two books though). These are the covers for the preview editions I have posted and will post online.

First Time for Everything (#1) is about Sabrina, 41, who upon getting laid off early into the pandemic, puts all of her savings into reviving an old dream of putting up her own little cafe. Like the beloved but short-lived coffee shop her parents ran when she was in college. The romance here is with Victor, who used to deliver sandwiches and cakes to the family coffee shop when they were in college, and is running his family’s food business today. Read a preview on Wattpad.

Exception to My Rule (#2) is about Erika, who is not a lawyer, even if everyone else in her family—three generations of San Ignacios so far—is one. At 40 she quits her high-powered corporate job to become cashier/barista at her best friend’s cute little cafe, a move that she doesn’t regret at all, but of course everything she does is a concern to them. Truth is, Erika relishes being her own person, going her own way far away from law–and to surprise her family even more she agrees to date the customer she has a crush on. Daniel, who works nearby…but guess what his job is?

Eventually book 1 will make its way to publication, and then I’ll share a preview of book 2. I can’t promise any release dates yet, but I’m posting updates on my progress here and we’ll see it all take shape I guess.

PS If you know anything about my life, you’ll know the inspiration for the San Ignacios. (Ssh don’t tell them anything, surprise natin to ha.)

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Currently #8

1. On any given day I can look outside and see various parts of Metro Manila. I’ve set probably 15 books in that part of the city. I don’t know if people still do this, but when I was starting out I was asked why Manila, a lot. For various reasons. Why the place? Why those particular people? Why that language? Who cares about this anyway?

I’m glad I didn’t stop (or at least, I kept going with some spite lol), while thinking about this. There are good reasons why people have said that, but I was not always the person meant to write the thing they wanted. I can be the person who buys the thing, reads and talks about the things, puts together a panel for the thing, sponsors the publication of a thing. For better or worse, what I’ve done is I’ve written all sorts of landian in this metro area. During a storm, on the beach, on a balcony, at a wedding, in traffic … it’s not that deep, but I also give myself credit for writing romance set in what some people will say is a level of, well, hell. And I’m still writing this place, because the words and feelings have not run out. I know, I can’t believe it either.

2. The first 2 chapters of Iris After the Incident audio edition are up! This is my first audiobook, narrated by Rachel Coates, and if you’re reading this for the first time please take note of the following content warnings: the “incident” is a sex video made public (in backstory), and toxic family relationships. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get all the chapters. Or get the audiobook at your preferred audio retailer.

3. I posted about having no plans for the RomanceClass 10th anniversary yet, but now, 6 days later, I am saying we will have some things.

As Miles Tan reminded me (on Twitter), this is not unusual for us nga. Sometimes we’re just thinking of something, and then suddenly there’s an event. Please keep reading my updates here, if you visit this blog anyway, so you don’t miss anything, especially if Twitter is no longer a reliable place to make announcements.

4. I had a great time at the Reddit r/RomanceBooks AMA! Read it here.

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Nothing is planned, but everything is a celebration #RomanceClass

Friends, it’s almost ten years since we started #RomanceClass. The first ever post inviting people to join the class is here on Blogger (old school!) and mirrored here on my website.

I’m not sure what to do to “celebrate” this. I’m not sure if I’m up to starting a new class just yet, and I’m waiting on a few things that if confirmed might occupy my time around anniversary day. I also have several ideas for Things To Do, but can’t really decide if that should be the thing we do.

So I’m posting this to let you know that as yet I have no plans, but also many plans, so I may just spontaneously announce things and consider it part of our anniversary.

I am very grateful to every author who decided to write with RomanceClass, every reader who has picked up our books, every artist/ editor/ photographer/ designer/ actor/ makeup artist/ stylist/ narrator/ printer/ publisher/ teacher/ student/ bookseller who contributed their skill, talked about our books, studied our books, made room for us in their spaces. Sometimes you feel you’re just picking up a book or doing your job—please know that just by doing what you do, you help sustain a creative community. That is by now one of the longest-running that continues to support authors from story development to writing to editing to publishing.

If you have ideas for celebrating this milestone anniversary, let me know too! Maybe we’ll do everything. Or nothing. Or everything is just going to be an anniversary thing. I’m not going to worry about it too much haha.

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Currently #7

1. Get the KILIG anthology at Paskomiket, Dec 3 and 4, at SM Megamall (Megatrade Hall 2)! I won’t be manning the table but I’ll drop by on one of those days. Kitakits!

2. I read Kate Gavino’s graphic novel A Career in Books and enjoyed it so much. So so much. The author/illustrator is Filipino American, and I first encountered her via her book Sanpaku, available at the local author display of Brazos Bookstore in Houston. (ICYMI I have family in Houston.)

Some things I just had to show my Twitter timeline friends:

3. I’ve crossed 15,000 words on this work-in-progress (documented via my weekly Wednesday writing sprint #KiligCafe).

This was a good thing to note because for most of 2021 I could not finish writing anything longer than that. I already don’t believe in padding a story or artificially inflating it to meet a word count, but 2021 really was a year of short work for me. But for this one, words are still showing up, whew.

Short work is still work, and I’ve compiled the Julio, Manuel, and Alia stories for an upcoming print edition. Get it on Gumroad. [Code to get it free is the name of the restaurant in the compound where Alia lives. Two words, lowercase, no space.]

4. I have a Reddit AMA at r/RomanceBooks on November 20 10 AM EST!

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Reading More SEA 2022

Earlier this year I wrote about wanting to read more books by Southeast Asian authors, set in Southeast Asia. This is how that’s been going!

For some years now I’ve also been more intentional about reading more Filipino authors, so this list will include those books too. I’ve included #RomanceClass books that I did not help edit or publish. If someone else reading this would like to include books I helped edit and publish this year, check out Feels Like Home by Angel C. Aquino, the KILIG anthology published by Komiket (available here), and the 14-story NomCom anthology by RomanceClass authors.

As much as possible I’d like to read contemporary romance, but am counting and have been reading other genres as well for now. I can only read in English and Tagalog. For contemporary romance or YA there seem to be more choices on reading apps like Wattpad, and more if I decided to include fic and RPF. Interesting that a search using a country name will lead to lots of romance written as fanfic for various BL series, and royal romance RPF for one country in particular and I haven’t decided yet if I should include those. (But maybe I should. If I do that do I count Pinoy loveteam fic? This is what I think about lol.)

Books/stories that I’ve read and where to read:

These are what I’ve finished, but this isn’t all that I’ve tried to read. One of the consequences of embarking on this reading project is encountering trad-pubbed books that contain terrible treatment of Filipinos, for very unexamined reasons. Editors of these books should flag these micro- (and macro!) aggressions at the manuscript stage and please workshop with the author why punching down at another country in their region is just passed off as their “lived experience.” In a romance or women’s fic! Many of these books I discovered and subsequently dnf-ed are US-published and marketed in my country as “representation.” Can we be better about this, trad pub???

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Currently #6

Currently? Like now? Twitter is falling apart. More than usual. If you’ve been visiting this blog more often because I really have been more active here, writing thoughts and stuff — welcome and yay.

1. If you want #RomanceClass stuff in your email inbox, subscribe here. We’ve had this list for a while but did not update in 2 years. Well, we will start updating this more often!

2. I am, in a very small way, also on Mastodon at @minavesguerra@mastodon.social. Mas makalat pa rin tayo dito though. Perhaps drop this blog URL into your RSS reader instead. (Like in 2005.)

3. I watched TWO Discovery Plus Christmas movies that have Filipino love interests. Designing Christmas and One Delicious Christmas — watch those if you can!

4. Carla de Guzman’s A Match Made in Lipa came out in ebook earlier this year and…a print edition is here and I have a copy! It’s an author copy from Carla (thank you, Carla!).

The cool thing about the Harlequin/Carina Press Laneways duology by Carla de Guzman? These books are by a Filipino author, the characters are Filipinos in the Philippines, the covers feature Filipino cover models, and Sweet on You’s audio edition has a Filipino narrator. This is awesome, and any fellow Filipino author should ask the multi-million dollar corporation if they’re sure when they say there’s no money for a Filipino editor/sensitivity reader, a Filipino cover model, a Filipino artist/designer, a Filipino narrator, distribution to the Philippines.

That is, if the Filipino author wants this support and believes they should have it. Some authors don’t, so they never ask, and the cycle of publishing never building systems of support for our books continues.

But I write this post for those who work on the books, so that they make better choices. Your first Filipino author? Is not the only Filipino author. Learn from those who actually work on books by Filipino authors as a career, and in fact, work with them too. Do better.

5. My “How I Publish Worldwide” lecture (slides and script 2022 version) is now up on Gumroad. This was presented free to those who attended RomanceClass2022 and a few other guests. If you attended that, it’s the same thing! Maybe don’t purchase it especially if you took notes naman.

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