Interview with #LunaEast author Chris Mariano

1. Describe your Luna East story in a few short sentences.
In "The Day of the Fish," shy and insecure Gela Basco wants to join the Arts & Crafts Fair to prove her place in her family of artists. When things don't go exactly as planned, she's surprised to find that her new nosy and stubborn classmate Sophie 'Mac' Macalintal is ready to help.

2. Did a real event from high school inspire your story?
Yes and no. The inspiration came from Japanese high school-themed movies like Swing Girls, Linda Linda Linda, and Fure Fure Girl, which revolve around friendship and defying the odds. But the AC Fest is based on my high school experience of securing and manning a booth for our school fair/Foundation Week.

3. What did you like to read when you were in high school?
A lot of Sweet Dreams! High school was also when I devoured fantasy series written by David Eddings, Mercedes Lackey, and Robert Jordan, among others.

4. Who do you think should be reading Luna East, and how do we get the books to them?
High school and college kids, primarily, but I think the stories are accessible enough for an older audience. I think high school libraries wouldn't mind getting a copy or two for their shelves this June!

5. What other stories are you planning for Luna East?

I want to write about students defying a school regulation that they find unreasonable. We had a number of incidents like this back when we were in high school and I'd like to revisit some. I am also thinking of writing more about artists Mac Macalintal, Aaron Basco, and Hiraya Chan-Cruz, who all have different styles and aim for very different kinds of success. It's nice to not be defined by just one thing and it's something I wish I had known when I was in high school. But these are vague plans at the moment :)

Chris scribbled romance stories during high school but has never published a single romance until her novella Cover (Story) Girl. Her other works have appeared in Philippines Free Press, Fully Booked's Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards Prose Anthology, and Ideomancer, among others. She divides her time between Manila and Aklan.

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.

Kwentillion, new YA magazine

Source: summitmedia.com.ph via Mina on Pinterest

Visited Komikon for the first time this weekend, and was able to witness the launch of this cool new thing: Kwentillion, a magazine for YA readers. It's got comics and fiction from Filipino artists, and also articles about what Filipino YA readers are, well, reading. The first issue is like a test run, and with enough support, it might just become a regular thing, and we want this to happen, people.

A pleasant surprise was also waiting in the first issue for me -- Interim Goddess of Love was featured in the YA books preview! (My thanks to Tina Matanguihan and Chachic Fernandez.) That list itself was quite helpful, and now I know what I'll be reading this year.

I haven't read the issue from cover to cover just yet, but am putting this out there for editors Paolo Chikiamco and Budjette Tan -- does YA include romance? Because the YA I grew up on, and the YA that got me into reading and writing (and the formula I admit I still use today) would be Sweet Dreams, Sweet Valley, and others like them. Trying to imagine a sweet, completely human, zero vampire romance story in a high school or college setting seems out of place in the magazine as it is now.

And maybe it's not a good idea to force it in anyway, because readers of YA romance probably already have their favorite magazines, and they would be Candy, Seventeen or Cosmo. But YA romance readers who also want to be future YA writers, like me back in the day?

What would make a younger version of me buy this magazine?

I actually thought of a few things.

- Character features. YA heroines, love interests, villains... putting them all side by side would showcase not just what would make good reading, but also what the tropes are. Younger Me would have appreciated this kind of cheat sheet, so I'd know what characters resonate and work, also what's been done and can be updated.

- Adaptation timelines. I was psyched to find out (from Kwentillion!) that exciting new YA novels were being crafted from classic stories. But this is hardly new, and I would like to know what else out there is adapted from something, and what were the updated elements. Younger Me would have been so inspired by this, and might have actually read more classics. I read Emma because Clueless was based on it, so.

Congratulations, Kwentillion! Hope you can all get a copy, for yourselves or for the young person in your life who might need a little inspiration.