Finished the draft for 'Prisoner of Love'. Sa wakas, mga dukha! I've just e-mailed the manuscript to Bookware Publishing.

Out na rin pala ang Second Chances, my second novel under My Special Valentine. Please buy n'yo po. Drama nga lang ang arrive niya. Available in National Bookstore outlets here in the Philippines. Meron din kaming online shop sa www.bookwarepublising.com.

And, as always, happy, happy birthday to Elana-chan-sensei. ^o^ In-advance ko na, matatagalan na naman me mag-online.

I must apologize to Ma'am Apple. Waaaaaah, gomen, gomen, ごめん なさい kasi sobrang late na ni Manuscript #5. Too many distractions. Kainis kasi si Rufus, sobrang pogi. Kahit alam ko na kailangan ko munang ma-reincarnate para makasama siya ulet... huhuhu.

It's been a while since I've gone online. May lalabas na na bagong MSV? 16 this time? WaheK? Dunno kung kasama 'yung sa 'kin, na HINDI naman pala 'I Guess You're the Only One' yung title. Sa ibang nobela 'yun. I must remind myself na bilhin 'yun when it comes out.

Unlocked the prologue for Deshy. Please read n'yo po. In Tagalog/Taglish 'yon, though, so gudlak.

Brick me if I don't e-mail #5 by the end of this month, ne?

Alright, finished cropping the manuscript. Down to 100 from 116 pages. I had to cut out the prologue and shorten the epilogue part. Strangely enough, I did not have to crop the love scene. Whee...

I've friends-locked the prologue for Dèshabille (Nancy's story). If you're in lj and you friend me, it would be viewable.

The following is the lj cut for the prologue of manuscript number 2. It got cut to keep to the 100-page limit. It's Nancy Suarez's story... you know, the girl that Jairus Espiritu (the handsome main char from My So-Called Boyfriend) supposedly got pregnant. She goes after her real true love, Lawrence, at the end. This is the prologue to what happens...

( Prologue: Deshabille )

It's truly fortunate that I decided to finally go online after weeks of virtual hermitage. Thanks to Ar Tonelico 2, I've procrastinated the nth revision of Prisoner of Love, current in-the-running for Manuscript #5. Then I checked my e-mail and found Ma'am Apple's letter. Need to revise Deshy (Manuscript #2), re-titled "I Guess You're the Only One" (from memory, haven't re-checked). It turns out that it needs to get cropped to at least a 100 pages. Well, at least it'll give me something more productive to do than play around with the 'time paradox'/'wither effect' theory in Azuriel (copyright by me! My own beloved RPG world!).

As for Prisoner of Love, I wish naman na magawa kong 'believable' kung paano magkaka-in-love-an sina Marco and Isabel. Huhu. T-T

Hehe the latest releases of MSV books are now available for order online! Please do visit http://www.pinoypocketbooks.com/

Ang aking abang libro (first ever tagalog romance pocketbook), "My So-Called Boyfriend" ay kasama sa puwede ninyong order-in. So if you're a fan of tagalog romance pocketbooks (or even if you're not) who happen to reside outside the Philippines, you can go ahead and buy it. Please!



I made a banner from my latest 'art' work. Don't click the 'click me'. It isn't licked to anything yet.

( View the so-called work of art. )

And I also solved a ( sudoku puzzle ).

Writer's block must die. (11 Eggs is giving me a hard time.)
Rosalinda is nice. All My Life is good. And I've become a total couch potato.

Otherwise known as... 'wala lang' post #1567893.

Working on fifth, si 11 Eggs. The long-delayed 11 Eggs. I don't know what its title would be, if and when it gets published (next year?), I just know it will always be '11 Eggs' to me.

... Naging a la Bourne Identity 'yung plot. Na romantic comedy pa rin. May bigla kasing sumulpot na international intrigue. Na magiging bagong arc pa yata for future stories/novels. I had to go and invent a purely fictional island country with a constitutional monarchy and assassination plots! Ano ba 'yan, Mica, ano ba 'yaaan...

In other news, really, really craving Ako Si Kim Sam Soon. Mostly because pinapanood ko tuwing hapon 'yung original Korean. Ngayon ko lang lubos na-realize na mas nakaka-relate ako sa Pinoy version natin. Mas nakakatawa pa. Maaaring dahil mababaw lang talaga ang kaligayahan ko. Maaari ring dahil solid Regine fan ako since forever.

Just watched Buzzer Beater sa siete. From the same sensei who created Slam Dunk siya, kaso more alternate/futuristic Earth 'yung setting. 'Gyuma'? As in 'Cow Demon'? Wahek?

Salamat nga pala sa mga nagbasa ng My So-Called Boyfriend!

Hello po! And welcome na rin!

( Obligatory welcome message. )

Malugod ko kayong binabati rito sa aking abang sulok ng cyberspace.

Ako po si Monica Bautista, isang newbie author sa MSV, part-timer sa kung anu-anong pwedeng i-raket, and full-time dreamer. Matagal ko nang pangarap ang maging published (read: paid) writer. Kalalabas lamang ng una kong nobela under My Special Valentine, so siyempre mega-excited ako! So kung inyong mamarapatin, sana'y basahin n'yo siya. At kung nabasa n'yo na siya ay sana'y nagustuhan n'yo ang mga tauhan at ang kuwento.

'Yon lang po. :D

For now.

Besides this, of course ('kala n'yo nakalimutan ko na? Hehe):

My So-Called Boyfriend is lovingly dedicated to my dearest Mimay and the originalever-adorable Elaine-chan.

Maraming, maraming salamat.~♥

( ...and extra stuff. )

Update! For a pretty well-written account of how much the story sucked/rocked, please refer to this blog post by Siege Malvar. Nakakalurkey!

It's published! Woohoo! Went to Quezon City to pick up my check for #3, and Ma'am Apple surprised me with the news. I only got one sample copy (no contributor's copies, since I pretty much popped in unannounced), which as of typing is pretty much dog-eared, since neighbors and relatives have been practically all over it like white on rice.

So, yeah, my first novel My So-Called Boyfriend is now available in National Bookstore outlets here in the Philippines. Please browse through it, and if you happen to like the premise, do buy and read it!

Found this today! Along with the good news that I could pick up my third check for the lawyer novel:

Monica Bautista's My Special Valentine slumbook

Yes, 'Monica Bautista' is my pen name with Bookware. Ssh, Jedi. XD

Manuscript #4 is eight pages (roughly 2 chapters) away from completion. It's begging to have a book two, but I am so going for 11 Eggs.

Carpe diem!

Getting a book (novella) published is a really long, excruciatingly frustrating process. Nope, wala pa sa last weekend's release 'yung My So-Called Boyfriend, so that prolly means nasa May line-up 'yon. Well, releasing 12 titles in a single month 'yung target. Sa marvelous month of May na lang ako aasa.

Re Current Proj: I've rewritten/revised Chapters 1-2. Having problems with both Mia and Louisa's characterizations. Tried not to make them the 'opposites' cliche, though Mia is the more dominant (mas magaling mang-uto kasi ate nga) of the two. Researching more stuff about Thailand, including corn snacks. XD

Re Manny Pacquiao: Whoohoo! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! :D

Sa wakas po, matapos ang mahabang tagtuyot... umulan.

(Anong 'mahaba'? Eh wala pa namang two weeks...)

Ah, basta.

34 degrees Celsius, people. I'm sitting around doing nothing strenous and I'm sweating bullets. Take note, Batangas po ito. Now, hopefully, with this nice afternoon rain, it will be a little bit cooler.

Handa na rin pala second check ko with Bookware! Will go to Manila to pick it up and cash it in. Whee. Whether the editors will also OK number 3... wish me luck. And whether I'll be able to finish Number 4 any time by the end of April... wish me luck din.

Number 4: I totall abhor my opening chapter. As such, I shall rewrite. I-imagine-in ko na lang na manga in my head.

Speaking of manga--pero of the fruit kind, as in mangga/mangoes, pwede nga palang paghaluin ang Nido powedered milk plus Tang mango plus water plus sugar para gumawa ng... Mango milk! Masarap, lalo na pag may yelo. :D

... May job interview na si younger bro. Sa Teletech Lipa. Tech support. Bwaharhar...

It's already April, and still no writer's check for novel #2. Waaah. Semana Santa pa naman next week, so practically useless din if ever (sarado ang mga banks, except maybe on Tuesday and Wednesday). I won't submit novel #3 until I'm advised that I can claim the check for novel #2. Para kahit papaano ay tipid sa perang pang-luwas.

Novel # 1 still not in print, too. Pero may chatbox na sa publishing website! Nahihiya lang me mag-comment hangga't wala pa 'kong book in print. Siguro kailangan ko din palitan user name ko dun kung sakali.

In other news, labag man sa aking kalooban, mayroon na naman akong plot for Novel #4: involving twin sisters. Actually, baka maging two separate stories pa siya. Iyung una, sa mahiyaing twin (Louisa), 'yung ikalawa, sa malandivivacious na twin (Mia, short for 'Euphemia' -- Code Geass random ref, mwehehe). Magsisimula ang kwento ni Louisa sa isang Asian cruise! And no, so far eh hindi pa related ang mga characters sa unang manuscript ko.

... Na-delay na naman si 11 Eggs, ang kwento ni J. A. dela Cruz. Pero ano'ng magagawa? Sinusumpong ang aking Muse, sabi unahin ko raw 'tong Kambal na Hotties story...

... Pero Diyos na mahabagin, sana makuha ko na si tseke for number 2. Magbabasa pa ako ng Pasyon.

Oh, and Congrats kay dear little brother Benjo-kun, na graduating today. Antagal mag-download ng lintek mong NWN module, gago. XDDDDD Pero OK lang.

Finally, finally, finally finished novel number 3, My Lady Athena. A bit rushed nga lang yung ending, pero weh.
'Accepted' naman daw si number 2, yung Deshabille... pero hindi pa handa check. Sana mahanda na para mayroon pang-liwaliw... :D But I'm happy na accepted naman pala siya.
As for Old Maid... ang title na niya pala ay My So-Called Boyfriend. May teaser na and everything, up for editing na raw. Sana lumabas na! Whoohoo!

... Still not sure kung uuwi galing Saudi si younger brother. Huling pasabi niya ay April 1 or 2, but so far no word. Graduating na kasi si bunsong otouto.

Warg, I'm nervous to bits. Almost, almost done with Marrying Athena -- now the title is 'My Lady Athena'. Still no word from the editors whether they've accepted Deshabille, though. Too many French words? Too long flashback (italicized) sequences? I kinda liked how the ending to Deshy turned out, though.

As for My Lady Athena, finally managed to put in a kissing scene. And an implied bed scene. (Really, Deshy bore the first sorta full-length het love scene I've ever written in Taglish...) Now all I need to do is compress the kidnapping and the resolution to the main protagonists' problems in six single-spaced pages. Whee.

As for other RL, baka mapilitan na naman akong maging call center whore. Pero wag naman sana... T-T Thank God for selling tube ice... Kahit sobra init ngayon.

Checked out the publisher's website today. Well, they've got the Bestsellers line up posted, not the regular. Almost went whack. Very, very nervous.

Still not sure if Deshabille's accepted or not. Also, currently about two chapters away from finishing Marrying Athena (although at this point, I'm considering changing the title, since the plot went and took a left turn, so there's no 'marriage' involved. At least, until the ending).

At dahil Sunday ngayon, mananalangin na lang me in the mean time. Please, Lord. Sana po ma-accept sila. Sana. ♥

Too busy to post much of anything this week, yes?
Finally got to submit Novel # 2 to the publisher last Monday. All hail LBC!
And I was going to work on Novel # 3 (na 'yung kwento na ang main character ay si 'Jedi'... fufufu)... pero nagka-brownout. Tapos nagka-kuryente ulit, pero humara si Computer Science major na kapatid sa PC.
That left me with nothing else to do but write on my notebook (na bahagi ng Kris Kringle namin sa dati kong opisina). Not for the Eggs novel, but...
*drum roll*
A brand new novel, out of the blue!
Like the main character's name (Athena), the plot simply seemed to spring, fully-formed, mula sa diwang-tao ni me.
Which leaves me with VERY minimal internet access (at least once a week... Waah) and 12 single-spaced pages and counting of the (tentative title 'to ha) "Marrying Athena" manuscript.

As for other life-quirks:
Totoy Bato rules.
I was going to mention to the editors that one of the old male characters Don Emilioin Novel #2 was heavily inspired by vintage Eddie Garcia in a 'bad guy' role, but subsequently deleted it.
Assistant Editor-san, who is the light of my life (and many other writers' lives, no doubt), said Novel #1 might come out in print late March. Whoopee!

Persona 4 fic bunnies:
(fandom randomness... Too shy to post it at bad bad bath house, since I can't go online too frequently and can't respond.)
* Naoto and Kanji. Omiai - 'arranged meeting', very much in the intent that both parties will get married. They are in their late 20s, and receiving certain pressure from their folks to get hitched. They have no idea they would be seeing each other. Romance, of course.
* All characters. Phoenix Featherman cosplay! Because the guys who were going to do the show at Junes had to beg off. (Traffic? A sudden gas explosion near the trains?) Plus points if Kanji plays the 'monster' they hafta defeat (he was going to be Featherman Black, but he's too tall, mwaar.)

... Bakit pa nga ba ako umaasa?

Just checked out the publisher's website today. Wala na naman ang nobela ko sa lineup. Huhuhu...

Times like these makes one wonder kung talagang i-pi-print pa ever si novel-san. *hikbi*

Let's see... mula September, which was when I signed the contract for the publishing rights... that would make it four going on five months ng kawalan.

Nakaka-depress.

Pero siguro kasalanan ko rin naman na umasa. Eh hindi pa ako nag-sa-submit ng follow-up novel.

Pero...

Souji and Yosuke, rough sketch by ~Marmochi on deviantART

Suzaku, Lelouch, and (traumatized) Rolo in the background.

Also available at:
http://marmochi.deviantart.com/art/Pocky-Kiss-Reload-2-105749640

http://marmochi.deviantart.com/art/Pocky-Kiss-Reload-1-105749520

( Inspired by Code Geass R2 Sound Episode 6. )