Once Upon A Player Blog Tour: Interview with Agay Llanera

Visit Oops! I Read Again to see the entire tour sked!

Welcome to my stop on the Once Upon A Player blog tour! This is Agay Llanera's second contemporary romance and I'm glad I got the chance to ask her a few questions about her new book.

Interview with Agay Llanera

1. Congrats on finishing your new book! How did you find the time to do it?
Thanks, Mina! Though I do work from home, I also have an active toddler so it's really a challenge to carve out time to write a book. So what I'd do is write for 1-2 hours a day, during my son's nap time. I'd try not to doze off along with him so I could squeeze in some writing time. In about five months, I finished the book!

2. How did you get around to deciding what your next story would be about? Was it something you had always intended to do?
Since I'm new at this novella-writing thing, I'm basing my first, few books on my interests and/or what I know. I really love watching the UAAP volleyball games and while I was watching one, I suddenly had this epiphany of writing a book about a popular volleyball player and her quest for romance.

3. What challenges did you go through, focusing on a main character that wasn't exactly the nicest person there?
I actually had fun writing about a bitchy character. My first novella's main character (Crissy from Vintage Love) was your typical all-around nice girl so I wanted my second MC to be different. I loved reading about antiheroes/heroines so I was inspired to create my own. All I had to do was channel my inner bitchiness. I also followed some popular volleyball players on Twitter just to get a sense of what they're busy with in real life.

4. You posted chapters on Wattpad before publishing. How did that change the way you write, if at all?
It changed EVERYTHING. I purposedly posted each chapter after I finished it so I'd feel inspired to continue the story. If people were reading it and voting on it, I knew I'd write much faster, knowing that people were actually waiting for me to finish and upload the next part. I was surprised at the amount of reads it got--even all the way from Brazil! I guess I'm not the only one interested in volleyball.

5. What's the next book about? :) 
I started two novellas, but I honestly don't feel compelled to finish either ASAP. Who knows? I might start a new one about a young woman traveling to Europe in search of love. Whatever the book's about, I hope to publish it this coming year!

Gorgeous college senior Val Fabian is a player in every sense of the word. She's the star spiker of her university's volleyball team, and she never runs out of dates. But it seems that this year, she has finally been bitten by the commitment bug. She sets her sights on an unexpected target--the unassuming yet ultra-cute Jake Clementia. Val is used to getting what she wants, and is sure she'll snag him before graduation. But in the process of winning his heart, she is sideswiped by a surprise move that sends her tumbling from her pedestal.

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Purchase links: Amazon | Smashwords

About Agay Llanera

Agay Llanera is a freelance writer for television and a published writer of children’s books. She is a member of KUTING, a private, non-stock, non-profit organization, which aims to be the Philippines’ foremost writers’ organization for children.

Her first romance novella, Vintage Love is available on e-bookstores (Amazon, Kobo, Buqo, Smashwords).

Blog: http://agayisagirl.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/agayskee
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AgayLlanera
Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/AgayLlanera

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[Vintage Love] Excerpt Reveal + Giveaway

 

Welcome to my Vintage Love stop in the Hello+Vintage Love blog tour (organized by Book Junkie Blog Tours)! In case anything about Vintage Love looks familiar, it's because I've featured Agay Llanera's book before -- as one of the novellas completed during #romanceclass! 

 

26-year-old Crissy Lopez’s life is in dire need of a makeover. Her wardrobe revolves around ratty shirts and beat-up sneaks; her grueling schedule as a TV Executive leaves no room for a social life; and worst of all, she’s still hung up on the Evil Ex who left her five years ago.

When her fashionable grand-aunt passes away and leaves behind a roomful of vintage stuff, the Shy Stylista inside Crissy gradually resurfaces. Soon, she feels like she's making progress -- with a budding lovelife to boot! But the grim ghost of her past catches up with her, threatening to push her back into depression. To finally move on, Crissy learns that walking away is not enough. This time, she needs to take a leap of faith.

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Follow: Twitter  Author Website

Here's an excerpt -- read on and join the giveaway after!

For the first time, after a really long time, I took a long, hard look at my full-length reflection.  Underneath the hair awkwardly growing out of a year-old layered bob, dark circles under the eyes, and stubborn flab that had accumulated in the middle area, I tried tracing my old self five years and ten pounds ago.

Who was I before all this happened?

I remembered taking pride in how I looked, scouring department stores to regularly update my wardrobe and blowing off my allowance on occasional shopping sprees in designer stores.

I remembered regular visits to the neighborhood salon for my regular trims and nail care.
I was never a gym rat like Bea, but I did enjoy working up a sweat—whether it was a quick round of volleyball, swimming, or badminton. I even joined 5K runs just for the fun of it.

Mama Maring used to tell me that taking pains with your appearance is a form of public service. “You give people something nice to look at—at the same time, you feel good about yourself!”

Seeing all those people fawning over her clothes and accessories at the rummage sale made me realize that Mama’s fashion investments were still paying off—they were still nice to look at, and those who bought them felt good about their purchases. I wanted to feel the same way, so I had gathered all the leftover accessories and brought them home. I vowed to wear a piece of Mama’s history every day.

But I had also brought one more item with me from the rummage sale. I looked across the room, where Mama’s polka-dot dress stared back at me, as if contemplating its new owner. I unhooked it from its hanger, and held it up to my body. Like I said, it was a thin-dress. It would take a while for my figure to catch up.

Leo constantly told me that, in order to succeed, you had to visualize success. You had to “claim those goals” before they could truly be yours. So in the process of reclaiming myself, I would start with this dress—claiming that it would eventually look good on me.

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About Agay Llanera

Agay Llanera is a freelance writer for television and video, and a published writer of children’s books. She is a member of KUTING, a private, non-stock, non-profit organization, which aims to be the Philippines’ foremost writers’ organization for children. Email her at agay.llanera@gmail.com.


Buy: Amazon  Smashwords
Follow: Twitter  Author Website