My books - Where to find them, how to get them, as of August 2012

I'm going on a month-long trip, but before I go, an update to the "Where can I find your books?" question. I've been getting some emails, tweets and comments, for which I am excited and grateful, and I guess I can publicly answer this now.

So for the benefit of anyone else who wants to know, let's Choose Your Own Adventure this...

Are you looking for My Imaginary Ex/Fairy Tale Fail/No Strings Attached/Love Your Frenemies/Interim Goddess of Love/That Kind of Guy in ebook format?

Yes, and I have a credit card/Paypal account.
- Yay! All my books are available as ebooks, and can be purchased by anyone with a credit card. Go to this page and click on the links to Amazon, Smashwords, etc to choose which site you would like to buy them from.

Yes, but I prefer to pay cash.
- Go this this page and follow the "Flipreads" links. They accept cash payments. However, not all my books are available there just yet.

Yes, but I was hoping they'd be free.
- I do ebook giveaways all the time, just wait for it. Email me at minavesguerra@gmail.com if you can't wait. No promises though.

Are you looking for my self-published books Fairy Tale Fail/Love Your Frenemies/Interim Goddess of Love in paperback?

Yes, and I want them now now now, even if they cost P300 per book.
- Email me at minavesguerra@gmail.com. :)

Yes, but I'm willing to wait a few months for a new edition with spanking new covers.
- Summit Books is releasing Philippine print editions of Fairy Tale Fail, Love Your Frenemies and Interim Goddess of Love. If you can wait, you'll find them eventually in a bookstore near you!

If your answer is a combination, or none of the above, just comment or email me. :)

Three stories that explain Mina

Recently I was asked two questions that left thoughts bouncing around in my head for weeks.

"What is your favorite book?" and "Do you have a mentor?"

I answered them simply and quickly when I was asked, but of course with time I managed to figure out why I was still thinking about this: The answers are related.

To answer the first question, I said that my favorite book was Neil Gaiman's Smoke and Mirrors collection of short stories. How strange, the reaction was, that someone who identified herself as a chick lit author would have this kind of book as her favorite. I guess it's possible to have a writing personality that differs from my actual personality, or maybe I'm just waiting to let the darkness out.

The answer to the second question is that I didn't/don't have a mentor. (I didn't undergo the kind of training that allows one to meet mentor types.) What I have are stories that stayed with me. You could say I was influenced by them, and maybe my love for them explains why I write this way, what I've written -- and what I intend to write in the future.

Wrong-Way Romance (Sheri Cobb South, YA Romance)
A Sweet Dreams novel? Don't scoff at what is my favorite of the series, and still is one of my favorite novels today. It's sweet and laugh-out-loud funny, and has a plot that isn't about moving away or terminal illness. I like my love stories with bite instead of sap. Because of this novel, or was I like that all along? I can't tell anymore. (PS. Follow the link to Amazon and see how expensive a copy of this can get. If you find it in a Book Sale, consider it treasure! Or send it to me as a gift if it isn't your thing!)

Witch (Christopher Pike/Kevin Christopher McFadden, YA Fantasy/Horror)
I've been called out for writing that is more terse than flowery, and maybe that came about because of the Christopher Pike novels I collected in high school. Witch I single out because it is a heartwrenching story (for a fourteen-year-old definitely), even when told with his clipped tone and short sentences. It's not a style that's inherently better than any other, but I happen to prefer it.

Snow, Glass, Apples (Neil Gaiman, from Smoke and Mirrors)
Neil Gaiman's take on Snow White is special to me because this is how I think. That probably doesn't make any sense, but that story is perfectly logical to me, and none of it is a surprise. When I'm writing and find myself stuck, I remember this story and it helps me move on along. Unlike the first two examples I've named, the traces of this haven't shown up in anything I've done. This is a side of me I still have to develop, and exploit.

What are your stories?

Filipino book readers, yes, do convene!

If you happen to wander over to this blog because you're a Filipino reader, I hope you click next to fantaghiro23's Filipino Friday post asking for suggestions related to a Filipino readers convention. It's an exciting idea!

As a reader I'm not very "social" about my hobby. I rarely blog or write reviews, am not as active as I could be in readers' groups... but I buy, borrow, and read just as passionately. I'm sure many people are like this too, and our tastes and interests are probably not counted because we don't speak up as much. Anyway -- if you're this kind of reader too, I hope you drop by that post and suggest something that'll make a Filipino Readers Convention great for you. :)

Heads up: "Mockingjay" (The Hunger Games Trilogy, Book 3) Book Launch

Found out about this via my Goodreads group. I haven't read any of the Hunger Games books (unless you count the few pages I browsed at a Fully Booked branch recently), but I support the idea of this launch.

I love that these books have enough of a fan base for a party. And that they're really excited about it. I wish them a great fandomy time. :)

Filipinos on my reading list

This year is shaping up to be the year of the Filipino author, at least as far as my reading list is concerned.

So far I've read...

Marla Miniano: Every Girl's Guide to Flings and Table for Two
Melissa Dela Cruz: Blue Bloods and Masquerade
Vince O. Teves: Getting Over Andrea and The Wedding
Miguel Syjuco: Ilustrado
Andrea Pasion: Have Baby, Will Date
Maya O. Calica: Undercover Tai Tai
Claire Betita: No Boyfriend Since Birth

The cool thing is that not all of them are locally published, and not all are necessarily "Pinoy" in subject matter either.

Now in editing

Finally finished the draft for what I've been calling the "FF Project." It's called Fling Flop, and it's about a 29-year-old girl who goes out with a 24-year-old guy.

The idea for it came from a friend. I wish her the best. :)

Consider me persuaded

I have to admit, I was going through the motions while reading Jane Austen's Persuasion. I've read Pride and Prejudice and Emma recently, and because I tend to see them occurring in the same universe, I became lazy when I read the latest one.

So I was ho-humming through maybe 80% of this novel... and then I got to THAT SCENE. (You know, when Anne and Harville were talking about men and women and Wentworth is writing a letter on the other side of the room.)

Man! It was kilig city from that point on. I'm sorry I doubted you, Jane. You brought so much more out of two people walking (and not even really talking) than I ever thought possible.

Get Persuasion free on Project Gutenberg.

Fairy Tale Fail is out!

Of all the twenty-something women who are hopeless romantics, Ellie Manuel is more “hopeless” than “romantic.”

Even after her Prince Charming broke up with her, she just won’t give up … because fairy tale heroines don’t live “happily ever after” right away, silly, they’re tested first!

Determined to pass the test, she spends the next year restoring herself to the girl Prince Charming had fallen in love with in the first place.

Until she discovers that life without him might not be so bad after all: her career is taking off, her confidence is back, and the cute guy at work is no longer a stranger.

So when is it okay to quit on a fairy tale?

My second novel, Fairy Tale Fail, is now available as an ebook on Amazon.com! It's another light romance for women in their twenties (or whatever, I won't judge!).

An account at Amazon is all you need to purchase it and start reading, yay. :)

Other fun stuff:

- You don't need a Kindle! Ebooks from Amazon can be downloaded and read via a special app for the PC, Mac, iPhone, Blackberry etc etc. Just install the app, purchase the ebook from Amazon, sync it up, and start reading.

- You can get a sample (equivalent to a chapter and a half) sent to you for free before buying.

- If your Amazon account is US-based, the list price of $1.89 will apply to you. Isn't that reasonable! :)

- Readers from Asia-Pacific will have to pay $3.89 (Amazon seems to be adding $2 as a rule for sales to this side of the world), but I hope you won't mind and try it anyway because you love me.

Update: Readers who use Stanza, Sony Reader, B&N Nook, Palm, and web browsers can now purchase Fairy Tale Fail for $1.89 via Smashwords.com!

All of this was made possible with the help of:
- Amazon and SmashWords (I love the Internet!)
- Bianca Pascual (for the cutest cover photo among other things)
- Louie Pilapil
- Michael Co (awesome husband, but I already said that)
- superfriends Chris Eugenio and Hazel Bernardo
- Ursula

And a shoutout to Vanessa in Trinidad, for making me consider other ways to publish. Hugs!

Winners all

So my husband Mike didn't win this year, but one story that I really liked ("A Kind of Flotsam" by Christelle Rhodamae Mariano) did. (Winners here.) As for the rest of the placings, I wouldn't have predicted how it turned out, but good for them anyway.

Was pleasantly surprised to find out that My Imaginary Ex has a page on Livingsocial. And reviews! Thank you to people who bother to go on the Internet and write about the book. I know it's an effort, and whether it's praised, or panned, or mentioned nonchalantly as that thing you bought today, I appreciate it.

And, from the Fully Booked eZine:

Book Launch: Illustrado by Miguel Syjuco

Date: April 11, Sunday
Venue: Atrium, G/F, Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street
Time: 5:30 PM

Man Asian Literary Prize Winner Miguel Syjuco Launches his book on Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street. For more information contact Maria Riccia Angeles-Knust at shy.angeles@macmillan.com.hk

Airline schedules and Sunday traffic permitting, I'll be there.

New things

Female Network is giving Summit Books are prizes to lucky commenters this month. I'd join, but I already have all the books but two. :) Go get em!

Also, it's confirmed that My Imaginary Ex has reached the shores of Trinidad, on the other side of the world. Vanessa, it was cool of you to seek me out like that! You are in possession of the only copy of the book in the country. Hee!

Bagong Idol

Just finished my second Melissa Dela Cruz book, this time the first novel from her Blue Bloods series. (The first one I read was from Au Pairs.)

I'm going to read as much as I can of her work, if only because I like that she's becoming her own brand, and gets to cross genres while writing for the same audience. It's something I'd like to learn how to do, if I end up giving more time to writing.

Weddings and traveling books

Summit Books has a new title out: Vince's Life - The Wedding. I'm considering starting with this volume (even though I haven't yet read the previous Vince stories) because I just got married (yay!) and maybe it's a good time to read about it.

That's one thing about going through wedding prep -- suddenly I relate to those stories of people going through it. It wasn't as stressful as romantic comedies make it seem, but there's a bit of truth in everything.

Also, I got to meet (thanks Internet) Vanessa, who will soon be the only person in Trinidad & Tobago to have a copy of My Imaginary Ex. I'll post an update on that when she actually gets the book, it sure is traveling a long way to reach her!

Let's start 2010 with thanks

I caved and started commenting on some blogs reviewing the book. Mostly to thank the blog authors for first of all reading (and in many cases buying) the thing, which is a thrill every time. This led to my starting a Multiply blog to properly comment and say hello.

Thank you, Multiply people: totallylokaret, raejel, miamanalo, eiyeen, valry14, jamieo5, nearsightedme, lablab, syratot, dementedchris, and prophecygrrl!

Also, a special shoutout to Chris, who sent me the Best Email of 2010 (So Far).

Note: I'm reading Pride & Prejudice & Zombies right now. It's a trip!

New bedtime reading

Now reading The World for Lost Beings. (Author Miriam Delos Santos is a friend.)

Three chapters in and I'm getting a Coehlo vibe from it. Not exactly my thing, but I see that she's taking very real situations (I would say Pinoy but some of them are quite universal) and placing them in that philosophical space. More pages will be read tonight. :)

Not me for a day

I'm starting to see a personal trend. Romance novels work their magic on me when I'm not in a position to get into those wild and wacky situations.

When did I most enjoy reading this genre? In my early teens (no real romance to speak of) and now (that I'm happily in a relationship).

But in my early twenties and late teens, when all of this dating and playing the field was supposed to happen? Romance novels annoyed me. I stayed away from the genre, mostly. Maybe it was the pressure, because each story could have, in theory, easily happened to me if I just put myself out there a bit more. I don't really go for drama in real life, so that made for a day-to-day existence not worthy of a chick lit chronicle.

Why do I enjoy it again now? I think it's for the vicarious thrills. Being a teen and knowing I couldn't have those relationships yet, I enjoyed knowing one day I might, if I chose to. And being in a relationship now, I don't think of these heroines as mirroring my life too closely, and can enjoy each misadventure without thinking of what I should be doing.

The other day I finished Shoes Off by Katrina Ramos Atienza, and got caught up in being a Bridezilla, flirting with naughty balikbayans, and running off with island guys. None of which I'm inclined to do, personally, but I can appreciate how fun it all can be for girls who are the types who would.

Because it's not about me, when I read these books, but about the girl whose life I step into temporarily. When it's written in a way that feels right, I get her crazy decisions, even though I don't think I'd make the same ones.