The Rumor About Me - A story about Carly Gonzaga, who suddenly became the most talked senior at Luna East Arts Academy after campus heartthrob Tristan Lobregat picked her on a Truth or Dare game at a party.
Carly's Dare - A follow-up story on Carly Gonzaga, who gets a dare from her best friend, Marge Altamirano, to ask campus heartthrob Tristan Lobregat to the prom. Will she take the risk and can she handle the consequences that goes with it?
One-on-One - A round of one-on-one basketball turns out more than a game for senior students Marge Altamirano and Jake Madrigal. It follows the story after Carly's Dare.
2. Did a real event from high school inspire your story?
Surprisingly, no. All ideas just came out of nowhere. But I had inspirations from the young adult books I've read and teenybopper movies I've watched.
3. What did you like to read when you were in high school?
I was addicted to Sweet Valley and Love Stories. Most of my savings from my allowance went to buying those books. I also loved Encyclopedia Brown. I remembered getting really excited solving those "crime" problems and then finding out if I solved it right by reading the solutions at the end of the book. I was also into Goosebumps and Christopher Pike, although I was always too afraid to read it late in the night.
4. Who do you think should be reading Luna East, and how do we get the books to them?
High school students and up, like PG-13. I think even readers who were already out in high school can still relate to the stories about Luna East. There's a sense of nostalgia whenever I write and read stories about this school.
Promoting the stories online is one of the best tools in reaching out to readers. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, blogs... But a lot of books and stories are already out there, so going old school is also a big plus: sharing it to friends, friends of friends, and... book tours!
I still haven't decided yet, but it will definitely not only about romance. I'd like to write more about the social challenges of high school students these days. I wrote The Rumor About Me to tackle about bullying, and how someone can fight it. Carly's Dare is about facing your fears of rejection and being true to yourself. One-on-One probably has the most serious subject. What happened with Marge was something that some students (high school or not) have experienced, and I wanted to show how she dealt with it. Also, I also showed the vulnerable side of two strong people.
Kristel S. Villar is a sportswriter by day and a newbie fiction writer by night. She lives in Manila with her husband and adorable son.
Write your #LunaEast story! Read the rules. Post your story on your blog, Wattpad, Figment, or http://lunaeastacademy.org. And then answer these interview questions and send to minavesguerra@gmail.com. :) Order the Volume 1 paperback, or get the ebook on Amazon.
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