monster radio + kite launch + anvil fantasy

I was on RX93 last night, along with Gwen Galvez of Anvil, Kristin Mandigma of Read or Die, and Blooey Singson of Press Inc. to talk about the Book Fair - and of course my new book, The Kite of Stars and Other Stories - plus all sorts of questions such as "Are the Filipinos still reading?" and so on.

DJ Raffy Reyes was a great host and I think we managed to get a lot of information out into the aether. Thanks to the Book Fair folk and RX93 for having me there!


Kite Launch

First of all, the collection is available at the Book Fair, over at the Anvil booth, in two editions: book paper (P500+) and newsprint (P200+). I'm not sure, but I think it will be available in various bookstores after the launch - though it is also possible that it will be made available sooner.

I'd like to invite everyone to the launch of "The Kite of Stars and Other Stories" on September 29, 2007 (Saturday) at 4PM. The venue is Bestsellers at the top level of Robinson's Galleria.

Food, fun and fiction await! Bring friends and share the joy (and, he says with a grin, buy the book). If things go as planned, the LitCritters will perform the title story (I know, what are we thinking)!


Anvil Fantasy

Anvil Fantasy is the newest imprint of Anvil Publishing. If you have a manuscript, send it in (contact details are available over at their website). Bonus points if your novel is geared towards a young adult readership.

fun with roti

As part of understanding a client's needs, Nikki, Paolo, Nina and I sat down with a huge pile of various roti(s) and went to food heaven.

And now we can't move.

litcritters

Reading/Discussion story lists

This week:

Silence by Marianne Villanueva
The Girl Detective by Kelly Link
The Thief with Two Hearts by Chris Willrich
The Balloon by Donald Barthelme

Last week:

The Apollo Centennial by Gregorio Brilliantes
Dreaming Child by Isak Dinesen
The Scarf by Joyce Carol Oates
An End to All Things by Karina Sumner-Smith

Next week - Open Session at A Different Bookstore at Serendra, Sept 8, 4PM

Door 59 by F.H. Batacan
The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate by Ted Chiang
Private Detective Molly by A.B. Goelman

The LitCritters are readers who write and writers who read, based in Manila (moderated by Dean Francis Alfar) and in Dumaguete City (moderated by Ian Rosales Casocot).

We believe that there is much to learn from reading all sorts of fiction - from speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, horror, magic realism, surrealism and interstitial fiction) to realism and everything in between.

If you're interested, you can join the us in 3 easy steps:

Join the LitCritters Google Group. Click here.

Download the stories up for discussion and read them.

Attend the next Open Session at A Different Bookstore in Serendra (held every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month; we start at 4PM) and get ready to talk.

Everyone is welcome. No degrees, previous workshops, published stories, pedigrees/bloodlines and certainly no awards required. Note that all stories are for discussion purposes only.

busy final week of August

Work has piled up (which is always good, despite the stress), so writing time is curtailed. But that doesn't stop me from pushing agenda and having a little fun at the same time.

If you're at the Book Fair tomorrow afternoon, drop by the LitCritters panel at 2:30 at Function Room B - we'll talk about spec fic, of course, and how it can help more young people get into reading - and writing.

new story

A new story of mine, "Ever, After", appears in this week's issue of Philippines Free Press. It was written as part of the regular storywriting requirements of the LitCritters.

Thanks to Nikki for the final consult on the title (because, as friend Charlson Ong puts it, "title is important!").

new to the bookshelf

Despite the fact that the Book Fair is about a week away, and the backlog of things to read on the shelves and bedside continue to grow, I couldn't resist buying books.

The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
The Geographer's Library by Jon Fasman

Also new: Philippines' Best Restaurants 2007, and a smattering comic book trade collections.

This year, at the Fair, I'm hoping to get more collections and anthologies of Filipino short stories. There's still a lot to read, enjoy and learn from.

palanca awards 2007: winners updated

Our continuing update as news comes in (latest update - 8.31.07)

English division

Short story

First Prize: "Flames" - Sarge Lacuesta
Second Prize: "Dreaming Valhalla" - Douglas Candano
Third Prize: "Benito Salazar's Last Creation" - Crystal Koo

Short story for children

First Prize: "The Elusive Banana Dog" - Lakambini Sitoy
Second Prize: “Poor, Poor Luisa” – Dean Francis Alfar
Third Prize: “The Last Days of Magic” – Ian Rosales Casocot

Poetry

First Prize: "Hands for a Fistful of Sand" – Mikael Co
Second Prize: "Geographies of Light" – Jodie Reyes
Third Prize: "Imaginary Numbers" – Dinah Roma

Essay

First Prize: “Lost in Childrensville” – Wilfredo Pascual
Second Prize: "Culture Shocked: A Story of Recovery” - Apol Lejano-Massebieu
Third Prize: ? - Allan Pastrana

One-Act Play

First Prize: "Time Waits" - Debbie Ann Tan
Second Prize: ? - Joshua So
Third Prize: “Battery Park” – Allan Lopez

Full-length Play

First Prize:
Second Prize: “Games People Play” – Glenn Sevilla Mas
Third Prize:


Filipino division

Short story

First Prize: “Paputian ng Laba” – Allan Derain
Second Prize: ? – Jerome Gomez
Third Prize:

Short story for children

First Prize: “Junior” – Shiela dela Cuesta
Second Prize:
Third Prize: ? – Michael Coroza

Poetry

First Prize: "Corpus" – Carlos Piocos
Second Prize: ? - Rebecca T. Añonuevo
Third Prize: ? – Jerry Gracio

Essay

First Prize:
Second Prize:
Third Prize:

One-Act Play

First Prize: “Our Lady of Arlugui” – Chris Martinez
Second Prize: “Baka Sakali” - J. Dennis Teodisio
Third Prize: “Ellas Inocentes” - Layeta Bucoy


Full-length Play

First Prize: ? - Nicholas Pichay (Hall of Fame this year)
Second Prize:
Third Prize: "Ang Mga Huwad" - Rody Vera

Teleplay

First Prize:.
Second Prize:
Third Prize:

Screenplay

First Prize: “Prisoner Alpha” – Mike Alcazaren
Second Prize:
Third Prize:


Iloko Short Story
First Prize: ? - Noli Dumlao
Second Prize:
Third Prize: ? - Aurelio S. Agcaolili

Cebuano Short Story
First Prize: "Pamato" - Merlie Alunan
Second Prize: Ferdinand Balino (not certain of placing)
Third Prize:

Hiligaynon Short Story
First Prize:
Second Prize:
Third Prize:

Kabataan Essay
Essay

First Prize:
Second Prize:
Third Prize:

Sanaysay (Filipino)

First Prize
Second Prize:
Third Prize: ? - Kathleen Teresa M. Ramos

____
Update 8.31.07

Lakambini Sitoy sent me an email:


Hi, Dean.
Your blog has an almost complete list of the 2007 Palanca winners. It was the same last year.
I don't know to what extent the internet and blogging has dispensed with formalities surrounding prizes like this.

What I do know is that way back in 1995, when a journalist called Mozart Pastrano tried to publish the news of my win in the Philippine Daily Inquirer around August 28, Jose Dalisay Jr. advised me that anticipating the Palanca Foundation's formal Sept. 1 announcement was an act of disrespect for that august body.

Accordingly, I called Mozart, and when that didn't work, the lifestyle editor, Eric Caruncho. I asked Eric to either pull the article about me, or edit it.

He very generously removed the reference to the Palanca win, although the difference was just a few days.

Of course, there've been leaks for years, so that many winners go to the Awards already knowing much of the lineup. But people have tended to keep the good news to themselves.
I suppose things have changed drastically. I wonder if anyone from either the writers' community or the Palancas has ever written you about this.

Congratulations on your win.

Best regards,
Bing


I wrote Bing back and apologized, and told her that "The internet has changed how we anticipate and share news, I think. My intent was to share good news and excitement, and many people, including winners themselves, shared news of their wins either via my blog or email or SMS", and removed her name - but she wrote back and said no offense taken, as she was just relating an event that happened to her ten years ago, as well as Butch's opinion of it. She requested for her name to be restored, so there it is, as well as for part or all of her original letter to be posted, which it is.

It was never my intention to disrespect the Palancas, just to share the happy news of winners. The list on this blog is neither official (I have no way of verifying news passed to me on the comments or text or email, for example) nor complete.

looking at six

Last weekend, I had lunch with my mother and my sisters. There were paintings, prints and blown-up photographs all over their condo unit - the smaller number of walls could not accommodate the influx of wall things from the old house.

Among the frames, I spotted an enormous mounted black and white photo of me, taken when I was six years old. I stared at the little boy captured in that moment (just a year older than Sage) and remembered nothing of the occasion of the photograph, except for the fact that the color of my shirt was red.

"You're right," Mama told me, delighted that I had somehow managed to recall a part of my ancient history. "Red and white checkers. From Cinderella. At that time it was one of the most expensive stores, you know."

I smiled back at her, listening quietly as she went on to tell me how, despite being as poor as dirt, she wanted to make sure that I had the best clothes ("It's not just that they're expensive - they last longer; that's quality."), so that at the very least I did not look like I crawled in from the depths of some sordid place.

"My face has changed so much," I told Sage, who found me staring at the picture.

"Dad, it's your bigote," she said.

"Well, yes," I agreed. "But do you see me in there?"

She stood up, squinted at the photograph, and nodded. "A little."

"You should have it, Manong," Mo, my youngest sister, said from her chair.

Mama gave it to me.

I keep looking at the picture of me with the little boy haircut (oh Mama, what were you thinking), with that pseudo-smile of sly amusement. What was I looking at? What was in my head as I sat down in my red and white checkered Cinderella shirt? What was I like, then? Who was I?

I scour my memory and find next to nothing about that time in my life. I'm 38, and six years old seems impossibly far away, like another universe, an alternate timeline.

I look at that stranger who claims to be me and I'm saddened because I do not remember him.

litcritters

This week (Open Session on Aug 18th, 4PM at A Different Bookstore, Serendra)

Creation by Jeffrey Ford
The Women of Our Occupation by Cameron Hurley
Leda by M. Rickert

Last week

Shiva, Open Your Eye by Laird Barron
Rude Kate by July Lewis
Timmy Gobel's Bug Jar by Michael Libling
Under the Lake by Garth Nix

Next week

The Apollo Centennial by Gregorio Brilliantes
Dreaming Child by Isak Dinesen
The Scarf by Joyce Carol Oates
An End to All Things by Karina Sumner-Smith


The LitCritters are readers who write and writers who read, based in Manila (moderated by Dean Francis Alfar) and in Dumaguete City (moderated by Ian Rosales Casocot). We believe that there is much to learn from reading all sorts of fiction - from speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, horror, magic realism, surrealism and interstitial fiction) to realism and everything in between.

If you're interested, you can join the us in 3 easy steps:

Join the LitCritters Google Group. Click here.

Download the stories up for discussion and read them.

Attend the next Open Session at A Different Bookstore in Serendra (held every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month; we start at 4PM) and get ready to talk.

Everyone is welcome. No degrees, previous workshops, published stories, pedigrees/bloodlines and certainly no awards required. Note that all stories are for discussion purposes only.

palanca awards 2007: updated

At a day-long photo shoot, I get a call from Nikki who reads me a letter. It takes a couple of moments for my brain to process it, but it turns out that my story, "Poor, Poor Luisa", won 2nd prize (Short Story for Children) at this year's Palanca Awards.

I had to temper my happiness (I was with client, after all) and managed a degree of emotional restraint (haha). I am grateful to the Big Guy above for all his wonderful blessings (suddenly, the number '10' is the most fantastic number in the universe)!

You can read the story here.

If you know someone who won, let me know so we can add to the happy list below!

(Updated) Kudos to:

Apol Lejano-Massebieu - "Culture Shocked: A Story of Recovery (2nd Prize, Essay in English - her first Palanca! And she's one of the contributors for Phil Spec Fic V2, up for a National Book Award)
Crystal Koo - "Benito Salazar's Last Creation" (3rd Prize, Short Story in English - also her first, yay!)
Glenn Mas - "Games People Play" (2nd Prize, Full-Length Play in English - his umpteenth - he is such a wonderful playwright)
Sheila dela Cuesta - "Junior" (1st Prize, Short Story for Children in Filipino - also her first)
Wilfredo Pascual - (1st Prize, Essay in English - his second 1st prize in Essay, after his incredible Nora-centric piece "Devotion" in 2004)
Mikael Co - "Hands for a Fistful of Sand" (1st Prize, Poetry in English)
Mike Alcazaren - "Prisoner Alpha" (1st Prize, Screenplay in Filipino)
Michael Coroza - (3rd prize, Short Story for Children in Filipino)
Allan Derain - "Paputian ng Laba" (1st prize, Short Story in Filipino)
Jerome Gomez - (2nd prize, Short Story in Filipino)
Allan Lopez - "Battery Park" (3rd Prize, One-Act Play in English)
Rebecca Anonuevo - ? (2nd Prize, Poetry in Filipino)
Debbie Tan - ? (1st Prize, Play in ?)
Dina Roma - "Imaginary Numbers" (3rd Prize, Poetry in English)
Chris Martinez - "Our Lady of Arlegui" (1st Prize, One-Act Play in Filipino)

birthdays

Happy, happy birthday to LitCritters Andrew and Alex, born a day apart (with many years in between)! Here's to more stories and endless talk.

the kite of stars

No word on the formal launch date of the collection yet, but Karina Bolasco of Anvil tells me that Anvil will be featuring the book in their booth during the Book Fair. So if you're visiting the fair to load up on books (like we are - gah, the finances are strained!), drop by the Anvil booth and pick up a copy. :)

national book awards

Two of my books published last year are finalists for the National Book Awards this year.

ANTHOLOGY: Philippine Speculative Fiction Vol.2 (Kestrel)

JUAN C. LAYA AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE: Salamanca (Ateneo Press)

With the tough competition, it's an honor just to be on the list.

And I'm saddened that there is no comic book anywhere on the list.

Here's the complete set of finalists from the Manila Critics Circle blog, for books published in the Philippines in 2006.

happiness

Sage, along with the many who prayed for rain, is very happy today. The heavy downpour meant no school for her today.

"Good for you, not so good for me," I told her as I searched for an umbrella.

"Why, Dad?"

"Well, I still have to go to work, even if I have to swim to get there," I told her. "Now where's my giant umbrella?"

"I'll go with you, Dad!"

"What?"

"I'll stay with you in your office so you don't feel lonely."

I looked at my daughter, nodded my head and told her to put her boots on.

We held hands as we walked in the rain, tramping through shallow puddles, protected by my giant umbrella.

At my office, she sat by my side, spelling out things that make her happy on a piece of paper while munching on a hash brown. She laughed at her spelling of "beach" since she missed the "a".

"I spelled "bech", Dad," she said.

"Here," I said, offering the missing letter. "I'm glad the beach makes you happy."

"What about you, Dad? What makes you happy?"

And I was transfixed for a moment, looking into the eyes of the answer.

litcritters

This week:

• Shiva, Open Your Eye by Laird Barron
  
• Rude Kate by July Lewis
  
• Timmy Gobel's Bug Jar by Michael Libling
  
• Under the Lake by Garth Nix
  

Last week:

• Don Ysidro by Bruce Holland Rogers
• Eight Episodes by Robert Reed
• The Labrador Fiasco by Margaret Atwood

Next week (Open Session: 4PM at A Different Bookstore, Serendra)

• Creation by Jeffrey Ford
• The Women of Our Occupation by Cameron Hurley
• Leda by M. Rickert

The LitCritters are readers who write and writers who read, based in Manila (moderated by Dean Francis Alfar) and in Dumaguete City (moderated by Ian Rosales Casocot).

We believe that there is much to learn from reading all sorts of fiction - from speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, horror, magic realism, surrealism and interstitial fiction) to realism and everything in between.

If you're interested, you can join the us in 3 easy steps:

1. Join the LitCritters Google Group. Click here.
2. Download the stories up for discussion and read them.
3. Attend the next Open Session at A Different Bookstore in Serendra (held every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month; we start at 4PM) and get ready to talk.

Everyone is welcome. No degrees, previous workshops, published stories, pedigrees and certainly not awards required. Note that all stories are for discussion purposes only.

vignette: dazzling

MAIA:

Ok, then. My turn, right? I have to confess. There is this blog I visit once in a while that makes me smile.

RAM:

There you go. You're a secret stalker, laughing at other people's lives.

MAIA:

No, no. The author isn't trying to be funny, but the sheer mega-ego of the blogger is breathtaking - even putting my own ego to shame, I think, but my loving detractors would probably take umbrage.

RAM:

On behalf of half the blogging community, I take umbrage.

MAIA:

Right. But you know what I mean, right? Don't get me wrong: a certain level of ego is needed to keep writing blogs - it's the equivalent of "character" in terms of discourse, without which a blog is a dull read.

RAM:

Stop, stop with the erudition. You're losing me. Nobody I know talks like you.

MAIA (smiling):

Review-style, then. "In a nutshell, this one delightfully takes the baton, rushes through the course once, twice, thrice, and runs all the way to ends of the earth."

RAM:

To the ends of the earth?

MAIA:

And back. Ten more times.

RAM:

Oh boy.

MAIA:

Dazzling, so dazzling.

RAM (laughing):

So judgmental. I'm shocked.

MAIA:

Really. The blog has such character, such delicious and unabashed narcissism, that I immediately forgive the intellectual arrogance -being an afficionado of such myself-

(RAM laughs.)

RAM:

Wicked, wicked woman!

MAIA:

- and, and simply revel in the me-me-me nature of the author's immense -though lonely-ponderings, sometimes poignantly self-aware, but more often blithely oblivious.

RAM:

You sound like you've thought this through, like you knew I'd ask you something like this.

MAIA:

Do I?

RAM:

You do.

MAIA:

Maybe I have. I love the site.

RAM:

But?

MAIA:

But I've never commented, never engaged. But I return and return.

RAM:

You're horrible.

MAIA:

I know.

RAM:

Wait. It isn't my blog, is it?

(They laugh.)

manila international book fair 2007

The LitCritters will be at the upcoming Manila International Book Fair to deliver a talk entitled: Unlocking The Literature of the Fantastic: Philippine Speculative Fiction.

From the programme:

The Filipino is no stranger to wonder and the fantastic. Join multi-awarded fictionist Dean Francis Alfar and the LitCritters as they discuss the emergence and growth of Philippine Speculative Fiction on August 29, 2007 at the 28th Manila International Book Fair. Fantasy, science fiction, horror and the literature of the imagination are alive and here to stay.

The event will take place at Function Room A of the World Trade Center from 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM and is sponsored by Powerbooks.

The LitCritters is a reading and writing group founded by Dean Alfar and based in Manila, as well as in Dumaguete. Every week, the group reads and discusses several pieces of short fiction from various genres from different writers with the goal of expanding reading horizons, improving the ability to critique, and learning how to write from the good texts. In addition to speculative fiction, the LitCritters read Philippine literature in English, as well as world literature.

where are you, pinoy crime fiction?

An ice cream-free Ichi Batacan (author of "Smaller and Smaller Circles", Palanca Grand Prize for the Novel) considers the question and offers her first answer (with the promise of more pondering to come).

This would be of interest to Kenneth Yu of Philippine Genre Stories, since the scope of his publication includes crime, romance, and other genres, in addition to fantastic genres of fantasy, scifi and horror.

Yes, one day Kenneth Yu and I will simply have to mudwrestle over terminology (genre vs. spec fic).

Anyway, this is a wonderful post and has successfully made me guilty enough to return to my ruminations on Philippine spec fic - next week.

litcritters august originals

We are currently critiquing and workshopping the new LitCritters stories for August. Unlike the previous wriitng assingments, there was no predefined parameter in terms of length (our last two texts had to be novella and short story length); each author was just told to write.

• Mang Marcing and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by Vin Simbulan
• Adrift on the Street Formerly known as Buendia by Nikki Alfar
• Definition by Kate Aton-Osias
• The Corded Lips of Aristeo Lara by Andrew Drilon
• Fading Echoes by Alexander Osias
• EVer, After by Dean Francis Alfar

The workshop session last night was blistering with observations and strong opinions as we cut through elements of story and discourse. I believe that we need to harsher when looking at our creations, and deliberately eschew any back-patting. While we support each other's writerly endeavors, we are not a support group for fragile egos. The last thing I want us to be is a group that always finds something nice to say about a text, for the sake of being a "good person" or a "good friend", or for the sake of simply having something nice to say. That kind of "critical approach" (the "friendly-wendy" Filipino style of not wanting to ruffle feathers) provokes my scathing rebuke haha. The demands of good fiction are tough, and we must toughen up too.

This is not to say that we must demolish each other or find something negative in a text when there is none. Simply put, the Filipino writer must learn how to handle critique, and not take personal offense. I've seen too much of the "praise the author" mentality, where even the most dismal writing from whichever famous author is given a thumbs-up - because the said author is in attendance and the critic doesn't want to burn bridges.

We, myself included, need to grow up. If not, then all we'll have are juvenile works and bloated egos - happy people, yes, but poor writers with poor works.

kestrel ddm

We're done with our rebranding and have all our materials ready, including the website.

Kestrel DDM is the continued evolution of the company my partner and I put up years ago (Kestrel IMC), which we refocused and calibrated in terms of service offerings to meet the increased needs of clients.

DDM stands for Design, Digital and Media. We're still a design company at the core, handling print and digital requirements for corporate and brand clients. We develop integrated campaigns that cut across offline and online, and handle media planning and placement. We do writing, content development, video production and all sorts of fun stuff.

And, by the way, I'm looking to hire a new designer. Web design a must. If you're interested, let me know by emailing me.

Here's the website of Kestrel DDM.

inventory

Writing is a demanding task, there's truly no easy way about it - at least for me. I condition myself to just write during my disciplined writing time (usually late evenings or in the wee hours of the morning) or during odd breaks in my work day (guerrilla writing).

I'm not rolling over in delight at the paucity of my spec fic inventory (completed stories that I consider publishable). Right now, I have:

1. Strange Weather - off to a magazine to seek its fortune
2. Poor, Poor Luisa - ready to send...somewhere
3. Once Upon A Time (used to be "Listing")- off to the Free Press by Monday
4. Something Like That - off to an antho call
5. In the Dim Plane - accepted (PGS), and therefore formally out of inventory
6. Princes of the Sultanate - ditto (Story Phil)
7. Princess Ribbit (co-written with Nikki) - ditto
8. two older stories for another antho - pending acceptance
9. The Many Loves of Ramil Alonzo - done, but for one last bit of poetry ("poetry?!" - I know, I know, but hopefully the prose mitigates the verses

In a folder marked "Fiction 2007", I have some stories that I'm working on. These are in various distressing states, from a couple of thousand words to simply notes. I'll attempt to complete one or two by the end of the month. When my first collection comes out, I'd like to have a respectable number of new stories - if these would just cooperate.

1. The Levitation of Princess Karnak - which continues to confound me. I am near my breaking point and am readying myself to simply dump this mess of words.
2. Saint - which I think I am not technically capable of writing at this time in my life. There are some complex issues to be solved that leave me scratching my head and opting to play Acquire over at GetHostile instead.
3. Walking Goodbye - I started, only to stop when I realized that I was revisiting the very theme of L'Aquilone du Estrellas - Gah.
4. The Gondola of Tears - another Forlorn story. Forlorn is a world shared by Vin Simbulan and myself. We take turns writing stories to define this strange and terrible world. My concession to traditional fantasy (and it makes my best friend happy).
5. Chasing Aurora - one of the novelists I admire wrote that her first exposure to my fiction was this incomplete piece (you know how I usually post vignettes or works-in-progress here). Happily, I was tinkering with the story every now and then. It seems I need to roll up my sleeves on this one.
6. Smoke Signals - Which began as an attempt at erotica but crossed the line to porn. Sigh.
7. Red - I was inspired by Nikki's Emberwilde (which was wonderfully cited by Kelly Link and Gavin Grant in last year's Year's Best, along with Vin's In the Arms of Beishu and Kit Kwe's Lovelore), which was set in a bordello. So of course I had to have my own bordello story - which is developing very very slowly.

Now the thing is, the stories in this folder are not even guaranteed. I keep them because of their potential, but am as likely to start something new as complete any one of them. In the folder marked "Fiction 2006" are stories that are truly dead, including one that I was trying to write for almost two years, but just gave up on, The Muse of Graveltown. It had a nice little conceit but was a pain in the ass. So, goodbye, goodbye.

And there is the spectre of the next novel. I have two ideas that I'm considering. One is linked to Salamanca, but set earlier, like a prequel of sorts. I need to do a lot of research but I've already made friends with the librarians over at the Ortigas Foundation. The other one is more suited for young adults, a fantasy about an irritable boy. The thing is, I'd like to write both but find myself dismayed with the thought of the time I'll need. We'll see what happens. After all, with Anvil Fantasy a sudden welcome reality, there is a market for spec fic novels now (I can always hope, right?).

To be perfectly honest, there are times I simply want to vegetate. But after a while, a kind of writerly guilt overcomes me (well, most of the time - there are times I just give it the finger) and I boot up my laptop and stare at the blank screen until something gives.

Anyway, as my good buddy Marco says, it's back to salt mines.