Monthly Archives

August 2015

Book Review

Review: World Cup Hook Up by Katrina Ramos Atienza

Posted on August 27, 2015

Stacy missed the excitement of the World Cup, but when a certain incognito guest checks into her dad’s inn, not even her craziest soccer dreams could have prepared her for this golden goal.

I know nothing about soccer. Or most sports for that matter. That’s why I was excited to read and review this book.

Stacy was stuck in a beautiful resort island in Greece, interning for her father who she doesn’t usually get to spend too much time with. Doesn’t paint a such terrible picture, does it? But Stacy was supposed to go to Brazil with her best friend (and best friend’s boyfriend) to watch the World Cup. And that’s enough for her to not see a free stay in Greece as a lucky draw. Until Adi, a soccer hero in the stunning flesh, shows up, that is.

World Cup Hook Up was a sweet, short, and educating read. Educating, because if it taught me anything, it is that soccer is a game I should consider following. Because all the hot guys. That said, I needed a Google image as a mental image reference for Adi before I could get into the groove of things, but once I did, it was a smooth, quick ride. Adi and Stacy’s chemistry was virtually instantaneous, sparked by a shouting match or two (aww gosh, you kids are too adorbs). Often I have a problem with insta-love tropes, but I think for World Cup Hook Up the paradise island setting pulled it off. I just wish the book was longer. Or is that me being selfish? Okay fine.

***

About Katrina Ramos Atienza

Katrina Ramos Atienza, born and bred in Manila, Philippines, has been writing all her life—and has been equally obsessed with style and design for roughly the same amount of time. Instead of a career in fashion, however, she’s worked in the fields of PR and corporate communications while blogging, freelancing and writing fiction. Four chick lit novels (Pink Shoes, 2006; The Hagette, 2006; If the Shoe Fits, 2008 and Shoes Off, 2010) are available in paperback in the Philippines, while her earlier short fiction works have been published in Philippine publications and collected in the Growing Up Filipino II anthology. Her latest contemporary romance, Well Played (2013) is independently published. She graduated from the University of the Philippines at Los Baños and is married with two kids.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

 

 

 

Music Dance and Lyrics Writing Now

Soundtrack of our Breakup

Posted on August 27, 2015

My second baby Songs of Our Breakup is out! *jumpshot* I’ve been hearing lovely things from the handful of people who’ve read it, and one common comment is that the book needs a soundtrack. Well, it kind of does have a soundtrack. Unofficially, that is.

Writing for me usually requires a vacuum. But sometimes, writing requires a playlist.

It made sense that I needed music to write a story about an indie rock band, taking on the task of penning lyrics for the first time ever. I was ambitious, I know. But it was super fun. The words came to me at the oddest moments. The lyrics to Slipstream for one, got into my head while I was waiting for the train at Ayala Station. By the time I got off at Quezon Avenue, the song’s first draft was complete.

The point is sometimes we need noise. A pounding drumbeat, a metallic guitar riff, or just some good old rock and roll.

Below are some (vintage) songs that accompanied me while I was deep inside my writer’s hole for Songs of Our Breakup.

Click, shuffle, and repeat.

The Script. Man on the Wire.

The Strokes. You Only Live Once

Sandwich. Masilungan

Sandwich. In Case of Fire

Eraserheads. Kailan

Ed Sheeran. The A Team

John Mayer. Slow Dancing in a Burning Room

The Killers. Shot At The Night

Maroon 5. Beautiful Goodbye

Arctic Monkeys. Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts.

Muse. Starlight

Video credits to owners.

Book Review

Review: Be Careful What You Wish For by CP Santi

Posted on August 7, 2015

Ana is in a rut.

For years, she had been focused on trying to carve out a niche for herself in a competitive, male-dominated, scientific world. On her 32nd birthday, she finally takes a step back and realises her life is . . . boring. With a little prodding from her friends, she decides to shake things up. She vows that this is the year she’ll finally capture the heart of Daniel Sato, the research associate she’s secretly loved for ages.

So she makes a birthday wish—to finally fall in love with someone (‘with’ being the operative word). But then, she hadn’t counted on crossing paths with hunky and opinionated actor Ken Nakamura.

Be careful what you wish for—Fate always answers—even if it isn’t exactly the answer that we were hoping for. Find out how even the best-laid plans go awry when the paths of two very different people suddenly collide.

I was J-dorama starved when I first read the blurb for this book. I still am (God knows 24 hours is not enough for all the wonderful things in life), but this book quelled my hunger for feels that only a good fast-paced drama plot and an ikemen lead can give. And although my favorite girl-next-door meets superstar story will always be Rain and Song Hyekyo‘s Full House, CP Santi‘s take on the trope was refreshing and sweet.

Maybe because I’ve never read about anyone like a Ana Madrigal, an independent, strong-willed woman who makes lab coats sexy like no one’s business. I am seriously deficient in science (that branch of knowledge and I just don’t get along) so it was fun to read about a lead who actually had a microscope on her desk and truly owned it. It was like a sneaky little science lesson hiding inside my fiction.

Maybe because I fell for Ken Nakamura right off the bat (the author cheated here, because she mentioned somewhere that Ken was based on Oguri Shun. I couldn’t one-click fast enough). Handsome, aloof, but truly fluffy on the inside, it felt natural to root for him and Ana to have their happily ever after. Maybe it was also Ken’s fault that it was easy for me to ignore Daniel Sato, the third spoke in this love triangle. Make no mistake, I have a very gorgeous mental picture of Dr. Sato, but his belated efforts to win Ana’s heart were just too small compared to Ken’s sweet gestures.

The story wraps up with pages upon pages of swoon-worthy feels, and a bonus Nihongo lesson at that. Definitely puts author CP Santi in my reading list.

#BuwanNgMgaAkdangPinoy #TeamKen

Be Careful What You Wish For is available on Amazon.

About the Author

C.P. Santi is a Filipina writer based in Tokyo, Japan. She is a wife to an engineer / musician / jokester and a full-time mom to two energetic boys. She loves cooking and feeding people, gorging on chocolate, watching J-doramas, belting it out in the karaoke box, and running around the house playing tickle tag. She also loves dreaming up stories about the people she meets.

In another life, she is also an architect and academic.

C. P. Santi blogs about writing and creative stuff athttp://thejapayukichronicles.blogspot.jp. You can also view her other works in progress athttp://www.wattpad.com/user/cpsanti

Writing Now

Neil Gaiman on Worry, and Belief

Posted on August 2, 2015

Last month, I joined StrangeLit, an online writing workshop sponsored by Buqo. The goal is to produce an at least short-story length PN/PNR/UF work. The past week, work had been toxic and cruel (not complaining, just stating a fact, haha), and although I would end the work day exhausted, I always had enough energy to read the StrangeLit lessons from our mentors Paolo Chikiamco, Marian Tee, Kate Evangelista, and today Budjette Tan. Their words of advise were golden, and they revived me.

Today’s inspiration came in the form of a StrangeLit lesson from Budjette.  He said a lot of valuable things about writing your first story that I will try my hardest to take to heart. And he couldn’t have ended his lecture better than with the words of a man called Neil Gaiman.

Something to reread as many times as needed, in those days when self-doubt and a neurotic mind threatened to devour all sense of creativity.

We are creators. When we begin, separately or together, there’s a blank piece of paper. When we are done, we are giving people dreams and magic and journeys into minds and lives that they have never lived. And we must not forget that.

Don’t worry about trying to develop a style. Style is what you can’t help doing. If you write enough, you draw enough, you’ll have a style, whether you want it or not.

Don’t worry about whether you’re “commercial”. Tell your own stories, draw your own pictures. Let other people follow you.

If you believe in it, do it. If there’s a comic or a project you’ve always wanted to do, go out there and give it a try. If you fail, you’ll have given it a shot. If you succeed, then you succeeded with what you wanted to do.

Neil Gaiman

Book Review Writing Now

August is #BuwanNgMgaAkdangPinoy

Posted on August 2, 2015

I write this as I take a break from #StrangeLit duties (Activity 2 achievement unlocked!), and because I was super excited to find out that this month, August, is Buwan ng mga Akdang Pinoy. I’m thrilled to join this campaign, mostly because of two things. Firstly, these past few months I’ve been binging on works of Filipino authors, and secondly, I am also struggling to be a successful one myself (the struggle is fun and tiring and very real, guys).

This month, despite my own writing goals, I aim to finish reading the following works of super awesome Filipino authors: Continue Reading