Showing posts with label story. Show all posts
Showing posts with label story. Show all posts
A lot happened this 2016, it was a year of first times. First April Feels Day, first Heist Club Launch, my first Manila International Book Fair, and first October Feels Day were the highlights in my writing endeavor.
...and I still have a long way to go. Aja!
April
The April Feels Day was the first #romaceclass event I attended and also where I met Elizabeth and Kim. Yay!
June
The Heist Club Launch was the first book launch I was able to attend to. It felt surreal. There were question and answer portion about our books. I was so thankful that I delivered answers during my turn. Heist Club people were amazing, hand-in-hand we could achieve goals set by the group. We also started writing Book 2 of our Heist Club Series and it was set to be launch on the first or second quarter of 2017.
September
MIBF! Finally, I was present during the 37th MIBF. It was a dream come true. Being surrounded by lots of books was like a taste of my addiction to paperback copies.
October
Feels Fest of #romanceclass was a day of kilig and book launch. Once Summer Days was blessed to be one of the books and the 5 minutes given to me at the event to speak about my book in front of readers and writers was nerve-wracking and blissful experience.
I met lots of awesome people because of #romanceclass. Yey! 💕😊
I have 3 self-published books in 2016. Yay! 💕
Chasing an Elusive Dream - August
Once Summer Days - October
None of these would happen if it wasn't for God's provision. More friends to meet! More stories to write and books to publish!
Fighting!
Arlene
Lots of things happened during the recent #romanceclass event #FeelsFest last October 22, at Glorietta 5 Atrium in partnership with Ayala Malls.
Reunited with them... ❤️
#FeelsFest is my second Feels Day. Swooned again by the live readings, still in awe with the performances of Rachel Coates, Gab Pangilinan, Herv Alvarez and Gio Gahol.
Scenes read during live readings were from the following books:
The Hometown Hazard by Dawn Lanuza
Sweeter by the Second by C.P. Santi
Tempting Victoria by Mina V. Esguerra
What You Wanted by Mina V. Esguerra
Save the Cake by Stella Torres
Keep the Faith by Ana Tejano
When Sparks Fly by Ines Bautista-Yao
'Holy kamote! He has abs now.' is a personal fave read by Gab Pangilinan with Gio Gahol from the book, Sweeter by the second of Ms. C. P. Santi, one of the stories in Maybe This Time short story anthology. This part of the live readings was hilarious and kakilig.
New Releases!!!
Me, given a chance to say something my book, fighting!
(Photo taken by Kim Derla, thanks!)
20 books were released and launched during #FeelsFest. How about that! Haha. One of my books, Once Summer Days, was fortunate to be one of those new books. Yay! 💕
Meet and greet, yey! Signing books made me blushed.
(Photo taken by Kim Derla, thanks!)
20 books were released and launched during #FeelsFest. How about that! Haha. One of my books, Once Summer Days, was fortunate to be one of those new books. Yay! 💕
Meet and greet, yey! Signing books made me blushed.
A cup of coffee before the day ended. Cheers! ☕️ Hehe.
Vincent De Jesus’ Changing Partners:
A Lovechild of Heartbreak and Music
Quezon City – The PETA Theater Center houses Vincent De Jesus’ newest production, CHANGING PARTNERS, a torch musical that explores the alchemy of relationships and questions the nature of fidelity and the complex issues partners face regardless of gender.
Opening at the PETA Theater Center in October, CHANGING PARTNERS is an intimate peek inside Cris and Alex’s challenging May-December relationship. Though most people would glance skeptically at May-December romances, they also accept them, depending on the couple’s gender and who gets to be ‘December’ and who gets to be ‘May’.
THE WRITING PROCESS
CHANGING PARTNERS was a staged-reading entry for the 2016 Virgin Labfest last July. A multi-awarded composer and writer, De Jesus has lent his talent to many theater productions and movies in his 33 years in the arts, including the PETA’s hit musicals Skin Deep, Juan Tamad, Batang Rizal, and Care Divas. “Many of my works for theater are commissioned pieces. Producers give me a theme and I work around that theme. Zsazsa Zaturnnah was a musical theater adaptation of Carlo Vergara’s highly popular graphic novel. Himala The Musical was a musical theater adaptation of Ishmael Bernal’s highly-acclaimed movie. Most of my PETA productions required a lot of research because of the company’s many advocacies like Children’s Rights and Women’s Rights. You have to arm yourself with facts and information. You can’t just wing through topics like that.” But this piece is obviously a very personal project for him. Does that mean no research was required? “I’ve lived it. I know the topic very well,” he said, smiling.
It was his friend and mentor, the late Palanca Awards Hall of Famer and Writers Bloc moderator Rene Villanueva, who pushed him to write more. “I used to write only when I have the time or when I’m commissioned to write original material. Rene told me that I should just keep on writing because ‘a writer writes’. That’s what a writer does. He writes. So now, even when I’m not commissioned to write a play, I write. Poetry. Song lyrics. One-act plays. Full-length plays.”
His most personal works focused mostly on LGBT issues, from classic coming out stories of self-acceptance to gay bullying. CHANGING PARTNERS is his first piece that weaves heterosexual and LGBT relationships in the most unpredictable way possible.
His inspiration for the play’s form and content stems from watching a theater rehearsal. “There I was, watching a run-through. The male lead was absent. Naturally, the stage manager, who’s lesbian, read his part. It was a scene between a husband and his wife. The energy and dynamics of the scene felt completely different because of the fact that it was being read by two women. Very interesting, I thought. I could write a musical using this form --- one couple, played in different genders.”
Why call it a torch musical? “A torch song is a love song, a very sentimental love song. The singer usually tells a story about unrequited love or a dying love or a lost love. The term comes from the saying, ‘to carry a torch for someone’, or to keep aflame the light of unrequited love. Hashtag walang forever. Torch is not a music genre but more of a way of singing, a singing style that focuses more on the words and emotions rather than the melody of the song. That’s how I wrote the songs of the musical --- they are more ‘felt’ than ‘performed’.”
De Jesus did not only draw inspiration from his own experiences but also from people close to him as well. “I would go out with my dear friends and I would read them a few pages and get their opinion. I love it when they say, ‘That’s my story.’ They were very generous in discussing some issues and would share their own stories. They were very helpful. Through this musical, I hope to shed light on the fragile nuances of a relationship, the concept of fidelity and honesty, and the tension brought about by the age gap and sexual politics.”
A STELLAR TEAM
Truly a passion project, De Jesus personally called up talented theater friends to join him in staging this production. The musical is directed by Rem Zamora, recently cited for his outstanding direction for Red Turnip’s Constellations in the 2016 Midyear Philstage Gawad Buhay Awards. Lighting design is by Ian Torqueza, also cited for his outstanding lighting design for PETA’s 3 Stars and A Sun.
The musical features an ensemble of accomplished theater, film, and television actors composed of Agot Isidro, Jojit Lorenzo, Anna Luna, and Sandino Martin.
But the real man of the hour is De Jesus who wrote the book, libretto, and music for the play. He will also play his compositions live on the piano while the cast shed their emotional armor and sing their torch songs onstage.
CHANGING PARTNERS will have its limited run at the PETA Theater Center Studios on September 30, October 1 and 2 and on October 21, 22, and 23, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. Ticket prices are Php800 (Regular) and Php1000 (VIP). Book your tickets through Ticketworld or directly at the venue. You may also call (725) 6244 or (0927) 3917379 for inquiries and reservations.
Precious Pelikula
Project Brief
In April 2016, Precious Pages
Corp., the publisher of Precious Hearts Romances, called on amateur filmmakers
nationwide to participate in this momentous project. A total of 40 applicants,
from students to film enthusiasts sent in their portfolio in the hopes of being
able to enter the competition.
Ten applicants were shortlisted.
They chose from a selection of PHR titles on which they formulated a film
concept as out-of-the-box as they could while still maintaining the romantic
personality that Precious Hearts Romances has embodied. From their pitches,
five applicants and a “wild card” were granted a much-coveted spot. They each
were given P15,000 to produce their respective films by August 12, 2016.
·
Marco Mata of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila -
Fallin’ For You by Heide Colette
·
Ian Abaya
of Asian Pacific Film Institute - Her
Own Brand of Hero by Sofia
·
Paolo Pascual of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng
Maynila - Angel Bautista’s Dreams Café 4:
Dream Master
[Can't find it on Youtube, sorry...]
·
Miguel Potestades of Collosus Films - Mga Apo Ni Rustica: The Girl in His Arms
by Rose Tan
[Can't find it on Youtube, sorry...]
·
Richmond Cadsawan of Far Eastern University - Me, Myself and Peregrine by Jamie Black
·
Carl Ruiz of De La Salle College of St. Benilde
- Kensi’s Unconventional Love.
[Can't find it on Youtube, sorry...]
On September 3, 2016, 2pm, their
films will be screened and then uploaded online as the readers are called to
vote for their favorite.
The top three films will be awarded at the Manila International Book Fair on September 18, 2016.
Winners
will also receive the following cash prizes:
· 1st place - P100,000.00
· 2nd place - P50,000.00
· 3rd place - P25,000.00.
· 1st place - P100,000.00
· 2nd place - P50,000.00
· 3rd place - P25,000.00.
Loved the version on paper? Now it’s time to see it for reel. Watch it with us!
Mechanics for the Passes
Complimentary passes will be distributed in Precious Pages
outlets at SM Manila, SM North Edsa, and SM Mall of Asia. Readers only need to
buy any 3 of the 6 books included in the competition from August 19 to August
31, 2016, and they will automatically receive one (1) complimentary pass for
the screening.
Happy that finally, my path as an author has kicked off at the last quarter of this year--better late, than never. So, I'm wrapping up my 2015 with these titles:
•The Awakening (Vengeance Series, Book #1) - A fantasy story finished under #StrangeLit Class. It's part of the #KillerSeasons bundle, available at Buqo.ph.
Blurb:
Cleo Harwite, a simple college student, is aiming for a normal life. A life where she and her family can eat a complete set of meal three times a day. A life to live through simplicity.
Everything is going according to her plan. Graduating on the 4th year of her college is her main objective and finding a job will be her next, but not until Eve appears in her consciousness.
Eve, according to Cleo's judgment, is her conscience. An annoying conscience who is continually teasing and nagging her. Her disposition has lost its equilibrium ever since her existence. She has brought chaos in her life. And just when Cleo thought that there won't be anyone, "AS IN NO ONE", who's more annoying and disturbing than Eve, another one appears. Ikeda Takada.
Ikeda Takada, a Japanese exchange student for a week, has found a way to infiltrate the supposed to be Cleo's "NORMAL LIFE". Aside from being an exchange student, he is a model / actor who is just starting his career in Hollywood. Why would a Hollywood celebrity like him want in a public university? That is insanely ridiculous from her point of view.
With all these chaos and disturbance directed towards Cleo, would she be able to keep her NORMAL LIFE intact?
•The Gung Ho Lady - A crime fiction story under #HeistClub Class, target release date is on January 2016.
Blurb:
Darkness is buried within the deepest part of her soul. A blurry past unceasingly haunts her passive and calm universe and her distorted mind is a burden she can't get over with. Involved in a murder case, will she be able to prove her innocence?
Margaux Dela Cruz has always viewed the world as a place for repentance. A place to pay the debt of sins, a place where humans pay the price of being alive. The price that can never be sufficed by anyone in this world and while praying for the permanency of her everlasting solitude, a man, a creature from another herd, appears and bedlam begins to ensue in her once placid life.
A story of Sins. Repentance. And Love.
•My Hopeless Case (Fangirling Series, Book #1) - A seven-chapter, short story during the #WriteBreakupSongsAbout prompt. It's a RomFan (romance, fantasy), available on Kobo, Smashwords, Amazon, and soon at Buqo.ph.
Blurb:There you have it, I've got three stories to offer bookworms/readers/everyone. I pray that I'll be able to write more stories for the years to come and share them with all of you. Thankful for all the people who have been part of this journey. Grateful to God for making everything possible. That's it--a meaningful and productive 2016 ahead of us! TGBTG!
Seal it with a kiss.
One of the weird instructions from the manual that is engraved on a rusty and old dagger that suddenly turns novel on a drop of a red liquid entity. It is strange, and Arian has no escape from it. She has been bombarded with strange things from the moment she has decided to sleep. Sleep with a dream that may last forever...
A short story for #WriteBreakupSongsAbout.
P.S.
Seeing him...
It all started yesterday. I was all fun and excited because finally, finally, I can go to #MIBF2015. After long years of longing, I can meet my soulmates. Soulmates. Yep. Those books are. But there's one thing I must do along with my friends, we have to pay the fee for our Comprehensive Exams. BTW, I am currently taking up my master's degree, and passing a compre exam is a must to finish my degree with a defended thesis. Can't believe I am on my last semester and hoping to graduate this summer of 2016, in God's will.
It all started yesterday. I was all fun and excited because finally, finally, I can go to #MIBF2015. After long years of longing, I can meet my soulmates. Soulmates. Yep. Those books are. But there's one thing I must do along with my friends, we have to pay the fee for our Comprehensive Exams. BTW, I am currently taking up my master's degree, and passing a compre exam is a must to finish my degree with a defended thesis. Can't believe I am on my last semester and hoping to graduate this summer of 2016, in God's will.
As
I was saying I was all excited and fun, but as the saying goes expect the
unexpected or expects the 'UNKNOWN'. Aware that the lacking requirements in our
application had been processed and we assumed that we are 'Approved' as takers
of the exam, all things failed, and paying the fee wasn't easy as we expected
it. I could scream at the top lungs if only I could. A lacking requirement was
on the verge of preventing us from taking the compre this coming September
25, and it was a defeat, almost. But we won't give up, Arra, Grace, and Jabilah
weren't the type of friends who would let their pamasahe go to waste. Standing in front of the Registrar's Office on the 3rd floor of Ninoy
Aquino Building in PUP Santa Mesa was a struggle. Personnel at the Registrar's
The office was nice enough to deal with our concerns, but it seemed like they
wanted us to go back to Santa Rosa with a failed mission. And coming home
unaccomplished was not an option. It never was. Persistent, we asked if we
could talk to the OU's Director and that was Dr. Castolo. We were positive that
she could help us. But sadly, the man (who was very nice, really) advised us
that it wasn't a good idea. With hopes thinning bit by bit, the Registrar
herself, appeared when we most needed her. Telling her our dilemma that we
won't be able to get a test permit was taken to another level, in a good way.
She allowed us to proceed to the Director's Office and ask for help. That
didn't fail us. Waiting for the Director worth it. She practically solved our
problem. Signing a waiver and exchanging it with the test permit was a long
journey, but at least we were able to accomplish our mission. As a celebration,
we toasted our victory with the taho we bought along with the PUP Campus. It
was almost 6 in the afternoon when we left the campus. And unfortunately,
I wasn’t able to meet my soulmates. The books at #MIBF2015, probably next year,
again.
It
was a long day. By train or bus were the options we have to travel back to
Santa Rosa. The train was cheaper, so in a unison, it won. As if there was anyone who would
argue on that topic, we were frugal. We have waited for 30 minutes for the
arrival of PNR. It was long, but our patience was more abundant than the money
we had. So waiting was by choice. As expected, it was a jam-packed train, but it
was beyond their imagination. Well in my case, I was able to experience a
loaded train car a few years ago. We were practically packed like sardines. Jolly
as they were, I was able to laugh it off, we all did.
It
was one station before Alabang and the train felt conducive and breathable.
What a ride! was written on their faces. Arra who was a bit sleepy, Grace who
kept on texting her boyfriend and Jabilah talked to a Muslim woman, as she always
did whenever she met one, and I who was left alone standing as their asses
enjoyed the seats. It was 8 pm when we reached Alabang station and it was a
chance to fill our grumbling stomach. Refreshing ourselves in the restroom was
part of every woman's routine. Sweaty and smelly, Arra and Grace wore the
t-shirt we just bought from PUP and printed with the pride of our Alma Mater.
Jabilah, who didn't buy one was okay with her blouse and in my case, I just
didn't want to change. We ate at Greenwich and ordered the same meal, A1. Though we
waited for almost 15 minutes, with rice, spaghetti, fried chicken, and pineapple
juice for only 111, it was a feast.
Exiting
Star Mall, we aimed to arrive at South Station for a jeepney ride to Santa
Rosa. We were dead tired and we craved a good night's sleep, but the
market in Muntinlupa City mesmerized us with its wide night market as we passed
by the lengthy overpass. Vegetables, fruits, phone accessories, and a lot more
were on the side streets. Gleefully, we bought some and amazed at the cheap
price. Continuing with our walk-a-thon, Arra and Grace, who loves to dress up,
stopped at an already closed dress shop, but luckily they had clothes displayed
outside the store, so we were able to scrutinize some of the designs. Grace and
I bought high waist pants in different colors, and I thought we were being
frugal.
And
at last, after all those stops we made it to the terminal. There were already
few people inside the jeepney and I couldn't care less what were the looks of
those people, but I usually did. As my friends entered the jeep before me, a
person was looking right straight at me my face as I bent over, our eyes
met. I held my gaze at him as he did with mine, my friends were all sitting on
the left side, and I, alone on the right side still engrossed with our own
secret moments. It took me seconds before I surrendered, I looked away. A smile
kept on sprouting from my lips as I discreetly took a peek at the guy who was
two persons away from me. With the stolen shots I developed from my peripheral side
view, I was able to get worthy details. His tied long hair was a teased to my
hand, I could free those strands and lavishly brush them with my fingers. His face
deadpan and his ears accessorized with those round black earrings. He had that bad
boy aura, but he looked fresh with that fair white complexion. Being
embraced with those strong arms and his legs with solid muscles, he was a
man. A man with a tattooed face of a woman on his leg, it made me wonder if it was
a girlfriend or a wife, but he looked young. He is a young man who had awaken
the woman inside me. Nagising niya ang katuwang lupa ko as what the saying
goes.
An opportunity knocked and
I grabbed it like a rock.
Signing up to #StrangeLit Online
The workshop is one of the few right things I did so far in my life.
That's the answer I had in mind
when the writing guru, Mina V. Esguerra, asked us, the #StrangeLit Writers, to
evaluate the whole experience we had from the workshop during the second
a face-to-face meeting last September 5, 2015, at Summit Media Office,
Robinsons Cybergate Tower 3, Pioneer St. Mandaluyong City.
#StrangeLit is an online writing
workshop that aims to produce stories in Paranormal X Urban Fantasy Genre. The
workshop ran from August 1 to September 5 with two optional face-to-face
meeting (August 2 and September 5). It was sponsored by Buqo. The sponsor,
Buqo is a digital bookstore that aims to promote the digital age in reading
books. It means stories and mags in ebook format. And it was organized by
Mina V. Esguerra along with other people from different fields of
expertise.
#StrangeLit provided activities
and lessons that really helped the estimated 90 writers to meet the deadline in
submitting a finished and edited Manuscript. At the end of the workshop, 41
Paranormal X Urban Fantasy Stories will soon be ready to be downloaded and read
on your smartphone or tablet (very soon... I'll blog it, once they are out on
Buqo store).
Here are the activities and
challenges conquered by #StrangeLit Writers (a Yay for all the finishers):
ü Activity 1 (Introduction and
Reflection on Story Goals)
ü The challenge is TRUTH
ü Activity 2 (Concept)
ü Activity 3 (First 3 pages)
ü
Activity 4 (Last 3 pages)
ü
Manuscript Submission
Resource persons shared them
expertise with the #StrangeLit Writers through the list of lessons below:
Lesson
#1: Characters
ü Creatures of Change and Coherence by Paolo Chikiamco
Lesson #2: Paranormal Romance Basics
ü Basics of Paranormal Romance by Marian Tee
Lesson #3: World Building
ü World Building by Kate
Evangelista
Lesson #4: Starting a series, and visual
storytelling
ü Writing Your First Story by Budjette Tan
ü Writing and Publishing for the International Market by Marian Tee
ü Publishing is Not... by Kate Evangelista
ü Manuscript Submission Guidelines by Ariel Lim
#StrangeLit Online Writing
Workshop with all the challenges, activities, and lessons won't be possible
without the names mentioned above. Kudos to all of us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)