Samantha Sotto Yambao's Blog, page 7
September 11, 2011
Living in The Third World
I know, I know. It's not politically correct to call it the Third World anymore. I'm supposed to say, "Developing Country," right? Well, I would use the more PC term if I were going to give a speech at the U.N. But I'm not. I'm here, talking with you guys and giving it to you straight. But perhaps, the more accurate statement would be, "I live in THREE worlds."
It's supposed to be scientifically impossible to be in more than one place at the same time. My kids will tell you otherwise. To them, this is exactly what living in Manila means.
And these are their three worlds:
There is this one.
And this one.
I understand that this last image is not easy to look at. And yet in Manila this is the world outside your car window if you stray beyond your gated subdivisions, business districts, and air-conditioned malls. It is a painful a reality – and it is also exactly why we have chosen to raise our children here. Social responsibility was simply not something we could teach them by googling it.
So here we are, in a home where our children are safe, but not sheltered, where they are comfortable, but not complacent, where they are hopeful, but not ignorant.
And what of the third world? My bet is that it's a place you're very familiar with, regardless of wherever you are on the planet now.
It is the largest of the three worlds even if you can hold it with two hands. Here, you can travel across a sea by swimming down a sentence. Here, you can battle with evil wizards while curled up in bed.
In this world, young minds stand on tiptoe to see past the horizon of the possible. They crane their necks. They stretch. They grow. And when they return to the worlds outside the pages of this one, their imaginations are always at least half an inch taller – able to see a little bit more of what's outside the car window and glimpse what is — while seeing what can be.
September 7, 2011
One Month After Before Ever After: How it Really Feels
Before we get to the real post, I need to lapse into a moment of shameless self-promotion:
Do you have any burning questions about Before Ever After? Chat with me LIVE on Goodreads on Wednesday Sept 7, 8PM EST (if you are based in the Philippines, that's Thursday Sept 8, 8AM). My editor, Kate Kennedy and my agent, Stephanie Kip Rostan will be there to join the fun!
If you are already a GoodReads member, all you have to do is follow this link and join the Read it Forward group. If you aren't a member – what are you waiting for? Sign up now! 
Looking forward to chatting with you. See you then!
Shameless self-promotion over. And now back to our regularly scheduled program…
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I've been putting off writing this blog post for a while now – not because I didn't have anything to say, but because there has been way too much. How could I possibly put the roller coaster ride I've been on into words? I go through every imaginable shade of emotion on a daily basis. Before I can even start processing what I'm feeling, a new emotion bumps the old one out and takes it place.
And then I remembered my ring.
My husband had this ring made for me as a present to celebrate my book deal. The mosaics I wrote about in Before Ever After inspired its design. Each stone has a meaning and pretty much sums up everything I've experienced so far on this odd journey.
Ruby – The ruby is my birthstone and is known as the stone of love. Anyone who knows me, however, will attest that I do not have a romantic bone in my body – despite having written a love story. What I like about the ruby is that it is supposed to give a person the courage to be the best person that he or she can be. And believe me, now that my little book is out in the wild and has to fend for itself, I need a double shot of courage straight up.
Finding your book in the bookstore may look like this on the outside…
But this is how you really feel.
Which is why this next stone comes in handy.
Some say that the emerald helps soothe a troubled mind. I thought that the most fretting I would do in my life was when my book went out on submission to publishers. Boy, was I wrong. This past month has gotten me well acquainted with the unparalleled terror of * gasp * REAL READERS.
Complete strangers are reading my little story – the little story I wrote because I needed to kill three hours at Starbucks while my son was in school. I'm worried that the gig will be up and people will find out that I'm not a real writer – just a mom who didn't want to drive back home after dropping her son off in school because she lived one and a half hours away.
And this is why my tiny green gems need reinforcement.
The sapphire gives peace of mind to the wearer by opening their minds to real beauty. It's easy to lose sight of joy if all you focus on are the stars you get or don't get on Goodreads.
And finally we have the diamond. I looked it up and it's supposed to be good for, er, cough and mucus problems. I, um, don't know exactly how that fits into this post but since it's nice and sparkly, l decided to leave it in.
But the real message this ring has to share isn't its stones.
Look closely.
"Now."
It's a three-letter reminder to take a close look at the second I'm standing in and see the happiness outlined by the day's shades of gray.
August 22, 2011
Before Ever After's Book Birthday at NYC!
Hi, Campers! I'm back! I'm still in a jet lag fog so this will have to be a show and tell post. I haven't quite remembered how to spell yet.
We're not in Kansas anymore.
First stop - Shake Shack!
Feel free to lick your computer screen.
Why, hello there, Captain Jack! Say hi to The Doctor for me
Lunch with the awesome team from Crown/Random House
Book in the wild sighting at Barnes & Noble!
Was thrilled to see a friend's book at B&N. Deborah - look! look! It's THE LANTERN! (Guys, you have to check this out!)
Who says window shopping isn't fun?
Paying a visit to the Consul General Mario Lopez de Leon and Consul Elena Maningat
Gulp. No backing out now.
But first, mimosas at my literary agency. Cheers!
Celebrating with the first person who took a chance on me - my agent, Stephanie Kip Rostan
Before Ever After's cozy little home in the lobby of the Levine Greenberg Literary Agency
It's show time at the NYC Philippine Center! L to R: Deputy Consul General Tess de Vega, Stephanie Rostan, Terrified author, Catherine Cullen (Crown - publicity), my editor Kate Kennedy.
For the record, Kate has a way with words both on the page and off
So glad this blog post doesn't come with a sound clip.
And this is why I was so nervous.
Overwhelmed. Humbled. GRATEFUL.
Hands down, the highlight of my evening
Hmm. I wonder if anyone can actually decipher my handwriting?
Found a dear college friend! The last time I saw her was FIFTEEN years ago.
Capping the evening off with wine, tapas and good friends
No book birthday party would be complete without chocolate - FROZEN HOT CHOCOLATE at Serendipity 3, to be precise.
I needed the chocolate to fuel a quick trip to Washington D.C. to meet the...
...The Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Cuisia, Jr
I hope he enjoys the book. Eeep.
Huge thanks to Vice Consul Corina Apostol for arranging our visit to the embassy!
And another huge thanks to Tina and Nicole for sharing a lovely evening in DC with me!
And last, but definitely not the least, THANK YOU to JAY POBLADOR of THE NATIONAL at Lexington Ave for an unforgettable celebration dinner for Before Ever After!
The National is officially my new favorite restaurant. Best.Dinner.Ever.
Check out our PERSONALIZED menu!
Now that's what I call a happy ending
And because I am a woman of my word – I owe SOPHIA THE WRITER an EIGHTIES photo in exchange for the new hairdo she promises to debut on her blog.
A moment of silence for the can of hairspray that gave up its life for this photo...
That's all for now, campers! I have another crazy week coming up so I'm afraid I will continue to be scarce. See you soon!
August 7, 2011
Excerpt! Excerpt! Read All About It!
Hi, guys! I'm off to NYC to throw a little birthday party for Before Ever After and you're invited!
See you there!
I'll be travelling for a while so in case you miss me, please feel free to hang out over here. I've left an excerpt on the stove and there's some Diet Coke in the fridge. Help yourself. I'll see you soon!
CLICK HERE FOR AN EXCERPT OF BEFORE EVER AFTER
August 4, 2011
I will not stalk Amazon. I will not stalk Amazon. I will not stalk Amazon.
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Hi, campers! Life has yet to quiet down after the release of Before Ever After. I'm running on four hours of sleep and coffee.
* I will not stalk Amazon. I will not stalk Amazon. I will not stalk Amazon.*
Oh, dear. Did I just say that out loud? Oops. That's been my mantra since the book came out. If you've seen my tweets and Facebook page, you'll know just how miserably I've been failing at sticking to it.
Fortunately, the universe took pity on me and dropped a lovely book review on my lap to smile at and cuddle with. You can find it in this month's print issue of the Historical Novels Review Magazine.
BOOK REVIEW: BEFORE EVER AFTER
Get ready for the unexpected when you pick up this offbeat, incredibly enjoyable novel, which will transport you on a memorable journey through Europe old and new. American expat Shelley Gallus had put her life on hold after her husband, Max, was killed in a Madrid train bombing three years earlier. When a man who is his spitting
image rings her doorbell in London, claiming to be Max's grandson, Paolo, Shelley refuses to believe this time-bending impossibility. That is, until the similarities between Max and Paolo's beloved and seemingly ageless "Nonno" become too profound to ignore.
She and Paolo board a plane for the Philippines, where he believes Max has resurfaced. Shelley's reminiscences about how she and Max first met form the heart of the novel, and although its structure jumps around a lot, the story is easy to follow. Max had been her guide on a laid-back package tour through the back roads of Europe that Shelley joined on impulse.
As the group's VW van rumbles along from the steps of Montmartre to Switzerland's Emmental Valley, and from the red-roofed skyline of Slovenia's capital to the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius, Max recounts folkloric vignettes from history, each one set further back in time. Each is a perfect little slice of the past featuring ordinary people, their difficult times, and how they fought to save their loved ones. Back on the plane with Paolo, Shelley realizes that perhaps Max's stories were more than that. Perhaps they were his way of telling the truth about himself.
Sotto's deceptively slim debut is as rich and satisfying as one of Max's famous baked egg and cheese breakfasts, minus the calories and cholesterol. Its tone moves from zany to thoughtful to painfully sad and back again, all the while evoking the lengths people travel for love.
* * * * *
Hope you can pay Sarah a visit on her READING THE PAST blog and say hi
* I will not stalk Amazon. I will not stalk Amazon. I will not stalk Amazon.*
source
August 2, 2011
Happy Birthday, Before Ever After!
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Let us all pause for a moment to remember our dearly departed companion, the countdown timer (see sidebar). May it rest in peace.We'll miss you, old friend.
NOT.
Boy, am I glad that thing is gone! Geez. I couldn't look at it without breaking into a cold sweat. Good riddance.
I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I had a love-hate affair with that timer, but I have to admit that in the end, it did its job. It kept me sane. Who knows what craziness I would have gotten into if I hadn't spent hours staring at it?
You'd think that given the amount of time I spent counting the seconds to this day, I would have memorized what each of those seconds contained. Unfortunately, my memory is about as good as my non-existent sense of direction. Luckily, The Doctor let me borrow the Tardis.
Since it's Before Ever After's US birthday today, I thought it would be nice to travel back in time to the moment this blog began. Back then, it used to be called The Slight Detour and I had started it as a "countdown to my debut novel's release and a chronicle of my attempt to not go stir crazy while waiting."
Hope you'll join me on the Tardis so that we can travel back to January 6, 2011 to see my first post.
* * * * *
January 6, 2011
Blog, Meet Word, World, Meet Blog.
Those who know me personally are most likely rushing to their windows in sheer panic to check for falling toads or fish or whatever unfortunate creature is supposed to rain from the sky to herald the apocalypse. Those who don't know me should probably do a quick check too. Really. I mean it. Do it now. I'll wait.
Did you go? No frogs? Guppies? Good. Check again in five minutes. I started a blog – the end is near. I'm sorry. I just couldn't think of any other way to keep myself sane while waiting for BEFORE EVER AFTER to be released into the wild. It's selfish, I know. Hopefully, I can make it up to you by keeping you sufficiently entertained as I take you along this crazy-fun journey I'm now on. (After a decade of navigating the Marketing industry, then making a sharp left at the corner of motherhood and the gourmet ice cream business, I, more than anyone else, am surprised by the latest turn my life has taken.) So relax, enjoy the detour, and follow the slightly disheveled guide with the red umbrella.
* * * * *
Thank you for sharing this journey with me. This is the last time we will be travelling back in time. From hereon, all our field trips together will only head in one direction: Tomorrow.
Happy Birthday, Before Ever After. Blow out the candles and make a wish.
August 1, 2011
T'was The Night Before Ever After…
Guys, popping in for a quick post to say that I'm sorry that I haven't been able to visit your blogs recently. Things have been INSANE over here. How insane? Well, let's just say that on the day before the US release of Before Ever After, I am in FOUR different amazing places at the same time:
HOLLYWOOD SPY - Where I make a pitch to HBO…
GIRLI CHEF - Where I dig into to some baked eggs and cheese…
PRESENCE OF MAGIC - Where I chat about magic and inspiration…
BEYOND THE MARGINS – Where I talk about what it's like to live in the "future" …
Hope to see you there! 
July 28, 2011
Before Ever After Philippine Launch: Gulp! :D
Yesterday was D-Day for Before Ever After in the Philippines and
I was scared *bleep*less.
Shaking off the nerves with blogger friends before the launch
Must.Remember.To.Breathe.
Inhale...
Exhale...
Inhale...
Xandra Ramos of National Book Store opened the launch. I wonder if she heard my heart thundering in my ears.
Exhale...
Rino Balatbat of Random House was there to hold my hand. He was kind enough not to mention that it was shaking.
Showtime! Dear God, please don't let me forget how to read.
...or write.
...or talk.
photo credit: Mickey Blanco
Luckily, I didn't drink too much water that evening.
The line to the bathroom was pretty long 
I think only one toilet was working.
...so some people killed time by watching me make random doodles on books.
While others read books...
Or stood beside books.
I found out too late that it was wrong to write my name on books that didn't belong to me and wound up on the seven o'clock news.
They even interviewed witnesses.
I was made to stand in a police line up.
So that they could ask people to identify me as the mad doodler.
They had a strong case. I was caught red handed.
photo credit: Mickey Blanco
Exhibit A
photo credit: manila mommy
Boy, was I relieved when National Book Store let me off the hook when I promised to be good!
After the event, they released me into my friends' custody :D
Phew!
July 26, 2011
Welcome to the CRAZIEST WEEK of My Life
Quick question: Do you know what it's like to give birth to twins — twins that come out almost two weeks apart? Yeah, I didn't either…until now.
Before Ever After trade paperback edition was released in the Philippines late last week and since then, life has been beyond crazy. I can't imagine how I'm going to feel when its hardcover sibling comes out in the US on August 2. (911 is on speed dial.)
I don't even know how to begin telling you this story, so I suppose I'll just have to show you. Campers, who's up for a field trip to Manila?
It's alive! (Before Ever After is available at National Book Store, Powerbooks, and Bestseller branches nationwide)
And to make things even more surreal…
Guess what was staring up at me from my Sunday paper (Philippine Star)
and featured in two of the coolest blogs on the planet: Manila Fashion Observer and Chuvaness?
And the week was just beginning.
I met with the Filipino Goodreads Group and participated in a Q&A portion about Before Ever After. The afteroon had all the ingredients of a great get-together:
Good food,
Books,
A birthday cake (with my name on it!) and…
Great new friends!
Just when I thought things couldn't get any more exciting…
…I did a live interview with DJ Vince and Tracy on Mellow 94.7′s The Wake Up Show!
Can you hear my heart pounding?
Luckily, I survived the show to pose for this photo…and to do an interview with…
…Monica of Spot.ph
And because I just love getting panic attacks, I headed over to…
…Wave 89.1 for an interview with DJ Pam
The stretcher was waiting for me outside to take me to…
An interview and photo shoot with Preview Magazine!
Can you say "deer in the headlights?"
Here's the amazing Preview Team that made the shoot so much fun: Pat, Kissa, Cathy, and Jerry.
Since it was such a shame to waste a perfectly good makeover…
I had another interview with Ron of Manila Bulletin…
and capped the day with dinner with Blooey of Sumthinblue.com
*puff* *puff*
I hope you aren't too tired. You need to save your strength for tomorrow — because you're all invited to Before Ever After's Book Birthday Party at 6PM at National Book Store, Glorietta 5. See you then!
