Interviewed by Lottie Eve, and a few questions for her

Book blogger Lottie Eve recently interviewed me, and it's now up on her blog. Go check it out!

One of the things I enjoy about reading reviews of my books is seeing which parts the reviewer chooses to mention. I can't predict what a reader will single out as memorable. And I actually want to know how a reader discovered my books. So I actually asked Lottie Eve! Thank you so much for answering! Here's what she said:

If I'm not mistaken, you discovered my books because of a friend book blogger from the Philippines. How did she get you interested in reading a book set in another country? 

Well, I first got interested in reading your books when Monica mentioned that Fairy Tale Fail perfectly described her life in the Philippines. That got me interested rather quickly. We had a quick conversation about the book and then I bought it. Then I read it and fell insanely in love with the book. Now I am a fan of your's :) 

I find it really cool that you say you can relate to Ellie, when you live on the other side of the world! Is there anything about the books that surprised you, like in terms of how similar and different things are here and there? 

What surprised me the most was how social people were in the workplace (the books I have read of your's took place in a workplace fairly often). Everyone on the same floor knew each other. It made me feel like I was reading about a group of people living in a small apartment building! There is also the use of the word barkada- a word that I learned the meaning of very quickly. Now I find myself using it (which kind of confuses my friends but they started catching on too)!

==============

Something about these answers makes me so giddy. :) There are a lot of things that we take for granted, even as writers who are aware that we're writing for the world now. Lottie Eve is the second person (who isn't in the Philippines) to point out that our workplaces seem so social, and I didn't even intend to make that a thing. It's just how it is here.

But barkada I deliberately didn't translate. I'm glad it's being understood in context! I wonder if we can make it a thing?