Mina Esguerra is one of the Filipino authors most beloved by the blogging community, partly because she writes excellent “chick lit” stories in a Philippine context, and partly because she maintains a regular online presence. Her next romance novella is a YA book with speculative elements, so I jumped at the chance to have her on the blog for a short interview.

Tell us a bit about your new book, “Interim Goddess of Love”:

Interim Goddess of Love is my first YA romance novella, and it’s about Hannah, a sophomore scholarship student at a college just outside of Metro Manila. Her world changes pretty much overnight when her friend (and not-so-secret crush), reveals to her that he’s actually the god of the sun, and that he needs her to temporarily be the goddess of love. Because the original goddess is missing. It’s the first volume of what I’ve planned as a series. (Operative word is “planned” of course.)

In an interview last year, you mentioned how your first novel pitch was for a YA story that was not picked up. What made you decide to return to that genre now? How do you approach writing a YA novel as opposed to one that is not aimed at that market?

Before getting published that first time (My Imaginary Ex, a chick lit novella), I had only ever really written YA — stuff that was more Sweet Dreams- and Sweet Valley-ish. Writing chick lit now, I actually still take my YA concept and just age the characters by five to seven years. My books are not very “adult” or raunchy. (My mother will disagree, but anyway.) I’ve also used a lot of flashbacks to college, so I feel like I never really left that comfort zone.

I pay attention to readers mentioning my books in social media though, and I noticed that they’re young. Teenagers. Younger than I’d expected since the stories are about twenty-somethings.  So I thought maybe I could work on a story and keep the characters teenagers too, instead of aging them. That’s how Interim Goddess of Love started.

This is also the first of your published novels/novellas that uses fantasy/speculative elements. Why did you choose to take this approach? Did this make the writing process any different?

It started as a personal writing challenge, because by the time I had written IGoL I had finished five chick lit novellas and wanted to push myself in another direction. The process was a bit different, mostly because I had to keep pulling myself back, toning down the fantasy parts. I decided it would be a romance first, but it’s easy to get swept up in the mythology.

Writing in the romance genre, where readers expect (if not demand) a happy ending, what do you do in order to surprise or tantalize the reader?

I always work with the happy ending as a given. (Spoiler!) I guess my version of “surprise” is I usually try to play with stereotypes or what people think are wise decisions. But I make sure everyone’s happy in the end, to varying degrees.

Tell us a bit about your writing process. Are you an outliner? Do you make use of alpha/beta reader? A writing group?

I am a fan of the outline. I can go as specific as a chapter-by-chapter treatment sometimes. I only start something when I know how it ends, so outlining makes everything easier. When I finish a draft, I share it with three people usually: my editor/s (different people depending on how the work will be published), cover designer, and my husband (who provides the male perspective on things).

You and your husband (2006 Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards winner Michael A. R. Co) are both writers. Can you describe for us what that dynamic is like? Do you critique each other’s drafts, or do you go out of your way not to “influence” each other, or is it something in between?

We always come up with stories together, for fun, but those never really get written, much less published. It’s like the act of telling each other the idea completes it, in a weird way. Which isn’t so great if we actually want to produce something.

So if I want to seriously write and finish a story, I don’t involve him at all in the early stages. I let him read the draft when it’s finished. He’ll have some comments (or a lot), of which I’ll take a few (haha) into consideration and maybe do a revision. But that’s it. The next time he gets to read my work is when it’s been published.

Let’s dig up some behind-the-scenes info for fans of your work: Looking back at (any or all of) your earlier books, can you tell us about alternative choices that you could have made that would have drastically altered the stories? Any characters who were tweaked or removed, any plot twists left on the cutting room floor?

There’s a version of Fairy Tale Fail that has Lucas and Ellie on a road trip together. But that’s also the version where Ellie’s friend Charisse had a subplot that was meant to call her intentions into question, but I trashed that because I didn’t want to complicate things given the word count I was working with. (Also I felt bad about ruining a character for the sake of more drama.)

In my next chick lit novel (accepted for publication but not yet on the shelves), I imported two characters and their entire backstory from a failed manuscript attempt. Just plugged them in there as supporting characters. I had gotten attached to them and wanted them out in the world in some form, even though I had given up on their story.

You started your blog after your first book was accepted for publication, so it seems that you knew even then that you wanted to have an online presence as an author. What have been the advantages to this decision so far? What have been the disadvantages, if any?

When I started the blog, I didn’t have any grand plans for it. I just thought I should have an “official” place, in case people wanted to get in touch with me.

Now I’m on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and a few other places, which has been great because overall, the readers who contact me have been awesome and supportive.

A potential problem with this — not that I have it, so I’ll speak hypothetically – is when an author forgets that she has to remain professional, even though these social media accounts can lead to sharing personal thoughts and info. That includes not using “author” accounts to lash out at the crazy things one sees on the internets.

As someone who has published both on her own and through a traditional publishing house, what’s your opinion of the state of Philippine publishing today? Is there any hope that someday, the Philippines will have full-time authors?

I am even more excited about publishing now – as a Filipino author, living in the Philippines, writing about Filipinos — than when I started. I appreciate the support coming from a publisher like Summit, and I can tell that many readers know of me because of my work with them. At the same time, it’s great that digital publishing has made it easier for me to reach a larger market, and that this market has taken an interest in familiar stories set in unfamiliar places.

Can the Philippines have full-time authors? YES, definitely. Last year, I decided that I would take steps to eventually become one. But I’m not really sure what a “full-time author” makes, or can make, here in the Philippines, so I’ve set my own standard. At one point I described my book earnings as “my salary in 2001” – which is cool, but not something I’ll give up my day job for just yet.

In any case, I became a mom last year, so that will still have to be my priority. The “full-time writing” will happen while my daughter naps. J

What’s next for you, short-term and long-term?

Still working on the print version of Interim Goddess of Love. Hoping to finish the manuscripts and possibly publish Interim Goddess of Love #2 and #3 within the year. Waiting for the new chick lit title to come out. And then, will start outlining a new series (romance and crime!). After planning my daughter’s first birthday! Busy busy year ahead.

Good news for Barnes & Noble Nook readers–”Alternative Alamat” is not only available on the Nook, it’s also been discounted there to US$3.99 (B&N’s decision, not ours) so now would be a great time to check it out, or spread the word to a Nook loving friend.

I’d like to point to three recent reviews of “Alternaitve Alamat”. The first is by Filipina writer Kristine Ong Muslim, and is on the Amazon page of “Alternative Alamat”, Kristine calls it “fine volume which showcases the contemporary retelling of Philippine myths” and gives it 4 out of 5 stars. Thanks Kristine!

The second review comes from GMA News Online (courtesy of Melay Guanzon Lapeña), and it’s a very positive review, and she calls the book “an impressive collection of stories”.  Of Rochita Loenen Ruiz’s “Harinuo’s Love Song”, Melay says it is “[b]eautifully told, the words swirl as the story unfolds” and she also says that “[f]ans of Budjette Tan’s hit graphic novel “Trese” are in for a treat” with the Trese prose story, “Last Full Show”. Melay takes the time to say a little something about each story, even if it’s just a brief description, and that’s greatly appreciated. Thanks Melay!

The third review comes from book blogger (and fellow lawyer!) Monique, who gives the book a perfect 5 out of 5 rating, and calls it “[d]ifferent, but clever. Brilliant.” Thanks Monique!

Don’t forget, you can find Alternative Alamat at these fine establishments:

• Amazon.com
• Flipreads.com
• iTunes
• Barnes & Noble Nook

While it’s not a Rocket Kapre release, “High Society“, my steampunk comic book with Hannah Buena, is getting a book page on the site, to give me a central hub to post purchasing information (now that it’s available from four different online retailers), as well as reviews. One notable review has come from Frida Fantastic, over at Adarna SF. Here’s an excerpt:

The comic does a good job of immersing the reader in the setting while still keeping it accessible for readers who aren’t familiar with the Philippines. I love details like the use of Filipino sound effects (e.g “bog!” instead of “wham!”).

xxx

Buena’s art is expressive and dynamic, with a subtle manga influence that makes everything extra adorable. It has a bit of of a sketchy feel because some of the pencils are visible, but it I think it’s aesthetically pleasing.

It’s also relevant to mention that “On Wooden Wings”, my short story in Philippine Speculative Fiction volume 6 that is set in the same world as “High Society” (and which will become the first part of the “Wooden War” series) was the subject of an in-depth review/analysis by Jha over at Silver Goggles. It’s very interesting to read impressions of that alternative history from a reader who is not Filipino but who is a fellow Southeast Asian.

Estranghero Press has released its third free, online, themed anthology of Philippine speculative fiction. “Diaspora Ad Astra” is a collection of fourteen science fiction stories by Filipino authors, edited by Joey Nacino and Prof. Emil Flores.

1. Introduction

2. Dean Francis Alfar, The Malaya

3. Alexander Marcos Osias, Oplan Sanction

4. Raymond P. Reyes, Ina Dolor’s Last Stand

5. Vince Torres, The Cost of Living

6. Isabel Yap, A List of Things We Know

7. Audrey Rose Villacorta, The Keeper

8. Carljoe Javier, The Day the Sexbomb Dancers Invaded Our Brains

9.  Dannah Ruth S. Ballesteros, Ashes/////Embers

10. Eliza Victoria, Rizal

11. Katya Oliva-Llego, Gene Rx

12. Raydon L. Reyes, Robots and a Slice of Pizza

13. Raven Guerrero, Lucky

14. Anne Lagamayo, Space Enough and Time

15. Professor Emil M. Flores, War Zone Angel

It’s the New Year–and wouldn’t it be great to land an international publishing deal before the End of the World? (Sadly, your book won’t see the light of day before the end of the Mayan Calendar, but hey, at least you’d know it WOULD have if not for the floods/rapture/snowpocalypse/supernova.) If you want to go this route, landing an agent is a necessity, so here’s some contact details that may help. This information comes from the always thoughtful Mia Tijam, who attended the Great Philippine Book Café (Manila International Literary Festival)

Jayapriya Vasudevan

Literary Agent

+65 9362 4559

jay@jacaranda-press.com

331 River Valley Road

09-03 Angsana Lobby 1

Yong An Park

Singapore 238363

Priya Doraswamy

Literary Agent

+1 973 379 4185

priya@jacaranda-press.com

39 Delwick Lane

Short Hills, NJ 07078. USA

Mia says: “These two ladies from Jacaranda are hands-on and pretty sweet. They were the ones who signed FH Batacan for her next novel. They like crime/suspense/adventure thrillers but they’ll read anything.”

You can also send your manuscripts straight to one particular editor-in-chief:

Ravi Mirchandani

Editor-In-Chief

Direct Line: (+44)- (0)20 7438 1202

Fax: 020 7430 0916

ravimirchandani@atlantic-books.co.uk

Ormond House, 26-27 Boswell Street, London WC1N 3JZ

Mia says: “Ravi’s inclined towards immigrant stories but he also reads everything.” She also mentions that Ravi is the editor of “House of Sand and Fog.”

Good luck, Pinoys!

I bought a physical copy of “Writing the Other” last year, but now that there’s an ebook edition out, I decided to write a review that will hopefully encourage more people to buy and read this very important writing. book. We Filipino authors especially should never forget that, as the book says, “difference is not monolithic.” You can find the review at Fantasy Faction, or just read on for the text:

I’m a Filipino, and a geek, but I’m not used to feeling like an Other, like I’m not a part of the mainstream. I live in the Philippines, so I am, in fact, part of the majority, and my geek-ish pursuits tend toward reading books, watching anime, and playing video games, all of which are activities I can indulge in by myself.

But in the world of mass media, particularly genre media, my race ensures that I’m not part of the majority. I know what it feels like to read a story where my country is never mentioned, or watching a movie when the only character that is Filipino is a maid. While I’d wish it were otherwise, I don’t generally view stories created outside of my country to be the venue where I’m going to find plentiful and authentic representations of Filipinos and Philippine culture. As a Filipino writer, I think that’s one of my responsibilities.

But as I mentioned, in the Philippines, I am part of the Dominant Paradigm, the person of Unmarked State (we’ll get to that later). The Philippines is home to many indigenous communities that have often been marginalized by both our local media and popular culture–as a contrast, I live in Metro Manila, “Imperial Manila” as some of our southern brethren call it, who grew up pretending to be part of G.I. Joe or one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, instead of being a Tikbalang or the hero Lam-Ang. And yet, as often as I can, I try to tap into the rich intangible heritage of our indigenous mythologies when I write… and, while I do it out of love and in order to promote those myths, it often scares me out of my mind. When I recently put together “Alternative Alamat“, my greatest fear was that I would be engaging in a form of colonization or appropriation (especially since the anthology is in English). And yet, I know that there are stories that need to be told, even if I’m not a member of the Ifugao, or the Mangyan, or the Tausug.

“Write what you know.” That’s always the exhortation. But especially for someone who wants to write about characters, cultures, and perspectives decidedly beyond my experience, as a writer of fantasy and science fiction… what do I do?

Simple. You write what you don’t know… but you do it right. (Or exert every effort to do so.) That’s where “Writing the Other” comes in. It’s a book that was released in 2005, but wasn’t widely distributed–but now that it’s been released as an ebook I wanted to take the time to extol its virtues as an essential textbook for every writer.

“During the 1992 Clarion West Writers Workshop attended by Nisi Shawl and Cynthia Ward, one of the students expressed the opinion that it is a mistake to write about people of ethnic backgrounds different from your own because you might get it wrong—horribly, offensively wrong—and so it is better not even to try.

This opinion, commonplace among published as well as aspiring writers, struck Nisi as taking the easy way out and spurred her to write an essay addressing the problem of how to write about characters marked by racial and ethnic differences. In the course of writing the essay, however, she realized that similar problems arise when writers try to create characters whose gender, sexual preference, and age differ significantly from their own.”

“Writing the Other” is the book that grew out of a workshop that Shawl and Ward put together to help writers portray characters who are outside the Dominant Paradigm. As such, each section of the book (or, rather, the main body) is composed of two parts: the first is an extended essay where the authors discuss a topic, or a set of related topics, explaining terminology and the pitfalls which can ensnare authors attempting to write “marked” characters, providing possible solutions along the way; the second part consists of writing exercises where the reader and prospective writer can attempt to apply the lessons learned from the essay.

The presence of the exercises–a holdover from the workshops–are a good indication that the book stays true to its subtitle (“A Practical Approach”) as most of the advice that is given is simple and concrete. (Note I didn’t say “easy”–invariably, research is involved as pointed out in Shawl’s essay, “Beautiful Strangers.”) This is particularly true in the aptly titles “Don’t Do This!” section, where the authors go through a series of missteps some authors make in their handling of marked characters, giving specific examples and counter-examples to reveal problematic assumptions and omissions. (Think, “the Dark Hordes attacked…”)

Even the more theoretical discussions can have an immediate and practical effect on readers (such as myself at the time) who are unused to the terminology–because certain words, once defined in the reader’s mind, cannot but cause a shift (big or small) in perspective. Terms such the Unmarked State (the default setting of a character not otherwise described – usually white, male, single, young, heterosexual, and without disability), Glory Syndrome (the story is about the problems of those marked by difference, but only insofar as they affect those who are unmarked), parallax (which involves being conscious of what a character with a particular history/context would consider to be “normal”), and resonance (a complex of ideas that reinforce and highlight one another) make visible issues in a text which may bother a reader, but which are very hard to identify if the author is not specifically on the lookout for them.

That need for writers to be aware of marked states and positions of privilege, and to be rigorous in our questioning of our own assumptions and presuppositions, is something that permeates the entire book. But in the main, what you’ll come away with after reading “Writing the Other” not only with the conviction that it is possible to write characters of a different race, or gender, or sexual orientation in a way that is authentic and believable, but you’ll come away with a desire to do just that. While the authors are blunt about what does and doesn’t work, they are also manage to be encouraging to authors who (I’m sure they are aware) may be growing more and more nervous as they realize what a minefield this aspect of fiction can be. It’s always possible–in fact, it’s likely–that we’ll still get something wrong about the Other even after reading the book, but that’s okay, in the same way that we’ll never write the perfect story. The goal is worth striving for anyway.

“Writing the Other” is a slim volume, with the main text only 75 pages long. (The remainder of the book is taken up by two of Nisi Shawl’s essays “Beautiful Strangers: Transracial Writing for the Sincere” and “Appropriate Cultural Appropriation”, and an excerpt from her novel, “The Blazing World”.) Nevertheless, it provides insight into an often overlooked aspect of the writing process, one of special resonance to those who seek to write science fiction and fantasy, and does so in a clear and concise manner.

I’ve already mentioned the devastation wrought by Typhoon Sendong over the weekend. As of this writing, at least 652 people have been confirmed dead as a result of flash floods that affected 135,000 people, nearly 47,000 of whom have been forced to evacuate to shelters. When Typhoon Ondoy slammed into Manila in 2009, Filipino writers and poets collaborated on a charity ebook I called “Ruin and Resolve” , for the benefit of typhoon victims. Since then, I’ve distributed the ebook for free as an incentive and a means to promote awareness during times of need. In the wake of the latest natural disaster to ravage my country, I am once more making Ruin and Resolve available for free–this time permanently–on Smashwords.com, and now on Flipreads.com (both are PDFs). I’m offering the book for free because I realize it would be easier/quicker for people to donate directly to entities such as the Red Cross, rather than course the donation through an ebook retailer as “payment” for the book. Here are a few links with information on how to help:

• http://cdocity.com/
  
• http://www.redcross.org.ph/donatenow

I hope that this ebook leads more people to those links, and if you do decide to donate and would like a small reward as a sign of our gratitude, please do feel free to download Ruin and Resolve. Thank you!

Here’s what people have said about Ruin and Resolve:

“Borne out of tragedy but driven by a spirit of triumph, Ruin and Resolve takes us to different worlds, fantastic and magical, futuristic and the mundane every day. The collection, meant to help Ondoy victims with is proceeds, provides us all with reasons to keep striving, to never surrender, never quit. It may sound corny to say that one finds inspiration, and yes, the resolve needed, in these texts. But that’s the fact of the matter. More than a few times the reader will find not just beauty of image and power of prose, but genuine uplift and the feeling of elevation.” – Carljoe Javier, author of “And the Geek Shall Inherit the Earth“ and the “Kobayashi Maru of Love“.

“But outside its being a charitable donation, this newest [Spec Fic] anthology isn’t a throwaway piece of literature; it’s worth buying for its own sake — lending credence to the publisher’s self-effacing introduction of “we hope our stories and poems make you feel all the happier to have helped those in need.” - Johanna Poblete, Business World.

The day has come!

“Alternative Alamat“, our digital anthology of stories inspired by Philippine mythology, is now available for US$4.99 at the following fine establishments:

• Amazon.com – US$4.99 (note there’s an extra US$2.00 charge for certain non-US territories/accounts, including, unfortunately, the Philippines)
• Flipreads.com (epub file) – PHP235.00
• [iTunes and Barnes & Noble/Nook editions to follow]

I hope that by now you’re all excited to get your hands on the book (or, rather, the hardware holding the file), and if so, thank you and what are you waiting for? If you’re still on the fence even after the preview of our contributor and story introductions, and our author interviews (Raissa, Mo, Eliza), then read on (or download the press release here)!

As a celebration of today’s launch, I’d like to give you a glimpse of some of the non-fiction segments of the book, as well as the wonderful artwork of Mervin Malonzo, creator of “Tabi Po“. You’ve already seen the beautiful cover Mervin made for us, but you may not have realized he’s also doing internal artwork as well. Each book is graced with eleven original illustrations by Mervin, where he gives his spin on eleven of the most interesting gods and goddesses of Philippine mythology. I don’t want to give too much away, so here’s a montage-teaser using elements from all eleven pieces:

After the cut: one full sample of Mervin’s interior artwork, the full text of the book’s introduction, and excerpts from my interviews with Professor Herminia Meñez Coben and Fernando N. Zialcita.

This is Mervin’s rendition of Balitok. Balitok comes from Ifugao mythology, and he is the son of Bugan of the Skyworld and Kinggauan, a mortal man. Due to the separation of his parents, he was eventually split in half: the upper half became a celestial being, and the lower half was converted into the animals that populate the Earth.

Introduction

“For the educated [Filipino] minority, Greek and Roman mythology is more familiar than their own. They can summon Apollo and Aphrodite or mentally wander around Olympus; but they are puzzled by Bugan and the seven levels of the Bukidnon sky-world. A vast area of our collective self, a self that is the product of generations of reflection upon life’s meaning, is thus submerged in darkness. In fact the ridges and valleys of this unexplored self continue to underlie our own view of the world, ‘modern’ though we are. A rediscovery of our myths unlocks this hidden continent.”

- “The Soul Book” by Francisco Demetrio, Gilda Cordero – Fernando, and Fernando Zialcita

In one sense, to speak of Philippine mythology is to use a term of convenience. We are a nation of many indigenous cultures–numbering anywhere from sixty to over a hundred, depending on who you ask–with distinct oral traditions.  This makes learning about our mythology somewhat more difficult than would be the case for other nations, but it also gives us a cumulative heritage that is rich and diverse.

There is a dual beauty to Philippine mythology: the stories that we know, and the stories that we don’t. From the former we gain gods of calamity and baldness, of cosmic time and lost things; we gain the bloodthirsty Banna, the lustful Labaw Donggon, the immortal Mungan; we gain the many-layered Skyworld, and weapons that fight their own battles; we gain a ship that is pulled to paradise by a chain, and a giant crab that controls the tides. These are ideas and images which inspire.

And yet, the stories we don’t know are just as fascinating. Philippine mythology is rife with those unfilled spaces that kindle the imagination, “those marginal regions named and labeled”, as Michael Chabon once put it. In some cases, all we have are fragments of a longer tale (as in the case of the Ibalon). In others, all that remains are the names of the gods and their divine functions, beautiful names and evocative duties, leaving us to wonder about the tales they once populated.

But here’s the thing: when writers are inspired, when writers wonder, they write.  This anthology is a product of that wonder and inspiration.

Within these pages, you won’t find straight retellings of old tales–”alamat” is the Filipino word for “legend”, and I’ve deliberately asked for stories that provide for “alternative” takes. Some stories build on what we know, or reexamine underlying assumptions. Others use names as catalysts, or play within the spaces where the myths are silent. What you will find in all these eleven stories, however, is a love for the myths, epics, and legends that reflect us, contain us, call to us.

In case the stories in this anthology whet your appetite for information about Philippine mythology, I’ve also included supplementary material in the form of interviews with experts in folklore and anthropology, as well as a rundown of notable Philippine gods and goddesses not featured in the anthology (interpreted visually by Mervin Malonzo in between the stories). This barely scratches the surface, of course, so you’ll also find a brief survey of other resources at the end of the book.

“The gods,” says Roberto Calasso in Literature and the Gods, “are fugitive guests of literature. They cross it with the trail of their names and are soon gone. Every time the writer sets down a word, he must fight to win them back.” I hope that the stories in this volume will help to make them more frequent visitors.

Excerpt from my interview with Professor Herminia Meñez Coben

Professor Herminia Meñez Coben has a Ph.D. in Folklore and Folklife from the University of Pennsylvania, was Professor of American Multicultural Studies at California State University, Sonoma, and taught “Philippine Folklore and Society” at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is the author of “Folklore Communication Among Filipinos in California” (1980), “Explorations in Philippine Folklore” (1996) and “Verbal Arts in Philippine Indigenous Communities: Poetics, Society, and History” (2009).

Do you have any favorites from the stories you’ve encountered in your studies of the various indigenous oral traditions?

My favorite stories and characters come from the epics. [The epics featured] women warriors, certainly, but also characters such as Mungan, the shaman from the Bukidnon and Ilianen Manobo. Leper and healer both, she gives her people the betelnut of immortality, which enables them to ascend to the Skyworld, while she remains on earth forever to guide future inhabitants on the path toward a life without death. I think that one of the short stories I’ll write will be about her.

Excerpt from my interview with Professor Fernando N. Zialcita

Fernando N. Zialcita is a Professor at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology of the Ateneo de Manila University, and is the head of its Cultural Heritage Studies Program. He is active in the battle to preserve our cultural identity, particularly our intangible heritage. He is also one of the co-authors of the “Soul Book”, one of the few attempts made in recent history at a popular introduction to Philippine mythology. He helped organize the Ateneo’s “Songs of Memory: International Conference on Epics and Ballads”, and he graciously allowed me to interview him after the events of the conference.

In one of your other books, “Authentic but Not Exotic”, you wrote about certain misconceptions Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike have about Filipino culture. What are some of those misconceptions about Philippine mythology and pre-history?

There’s a tendency to project monotheism into the past. I doubt many of our ancestors were monotheistic. Let me go back again to the material base of culture. You would expect monotheism to appear in a place where there is centralized authority, since religion is often related to social and political structures. But the pre-Hispanic was very decentralized, many different polities and many different leaders. So monotheism of the Judaic kind would be doubtful, although it is to be expected that some gods would be considered more powerful than others.

But that wouldn’t mean that this god could somehow give orders to the other gods.

Right. Of course, there was monotheism with those communities that adhered to Islam, but Islam was only in the Philippines around a century or so earlier than Catholicism, so it’s still a “new” religion.

——–

If I’ve piqued your interest with any of these content previews, I assure you that you won’t regret buying a copy of Alternative Alamat. I don’t think that it’s an exaggeration for me to say that this book is one of a kind (at the moment)–that’s one of the reasons I put it together. If you have any interest in Philippine mythology (or in mythology in general), in Philippine speculative fiction (or just in good stories), I think we’ve managed to put together a book well worth your time and money.

The online SF magazine Expanded Horizons is undertaking their holiday fundraising drive, and this time they aim to raise enough funds to pay their authors semi-pro rates nextyear. Expanded Horizons is a quality magazine, but that’s not the only reason it deserves support from Filipinos and from readers of Filipino Fantastic Fiction–Expanded Horizons was founded in order to “increase diversity in the field of speculative fiction, both in the authors who contribute and in the perspectives presented.” This includes a focus on fiction by authors of color, or featuring characters of color. You can read more specifics about their laudable mission here.

Expanded Horizons has published many stories/poems by Filipino authors, including Eliza Victoria, Kristine Ong Muslim, Katya Oliva-Llego, Anne Abad, Catherine Batac Walder, and Mia Tijam. A well funded Expanded Horizons can only benefit Filipino authors in search of markets for their fiction. To highlight the support that Expanded Horizons gives Filipino authors, here’s a hyperlinked list of all of the Filipino-written stories/poems they’ve published to date:

• “Night Out” by Eliza Victoria
• “I am the City” by Eliza Victoria
• “Twin Cities” by Catherine Batac Walder
• “The Ascension of Our Lady Boy” by Mia Tijam
• “Urban Phantoms” by Anne Abad
• “Once They Were Gods” by Eliza Victoria
• “Betamax for Starters” by Katya Oliva-Llego
• “Those Almost Perfect Hands” by Kristine Ong Muslim
• “Wishes Do Come True” by Mia Tijam
• “Parallel” by Eliza Victoria
• “Intersections” by Eliza Victoria
• “Conrad” by Kristine Ong Muslim

Kenneth: My name’s Kenneth Yu. I’m supposed to be By Implication’s writer and story director-guy, but because I studied Economics and Business in La Salle, I’ve seen been press-ganged into also being the team’s producer / project manager. This means, basically, that besides writing up copy and coming up with game concepts + stories, I have to do all the crap no one else wants to do. Like creating sound effects and ambiance, recording payments and purchases, bugging people to get stuff done, writing up hare-brained marketing schemes, buying everyone coffee and chicken sandwiches, keeping everyone on speaking terms, and beating down supervillains. The 2-3 hours per day I spend outside work go to reading, toy collecting and playing Batman: Arkham City (and, on occasion, eating and sleeping). All of these inevitably lead to new game and story ideas, and thus to more work in By Implication. Man.

Jim: My name is James Choa though I go by the nickname of Jim (or trigger-happy, if you play certain online games that are not considered as mmorpgs). Outside of being one of the programmers in the group, I also function as the resident Linux guy, programmer, non-teaching-guy-who-can-represent-programmers-in-most-meetings, hardcore gamer and programmer. My apologies, I think I left out the important detail of me being a programmer in the group.

Wil: This is the Wilhansen Li, self-proclaimed PROGRAMM_CAT, of the group. He smites anyone that dares defy the laws of Computational Complexity, using an Infinity (+1) Hammer forged from the very darkness of the universe. He has warped through the Universe-ity of Ateneo, obtaining the coveted combined degree of Computer Science and Math, only to end up back in the Universe-ity to bestow epiphany to those who are willing to accept the Enlightenment. He shall ensure and verify that all laws of any universes created by Implication neither explodes nor collapses to a singularity. The PROG_CAT balances; the PROG_CAT; the PROG_CAT listens.

Thomas: I’m Thomas Dy. I mostly do the other programming that neither Wil nor Jim particularly want (i.e. non-Apple and non-game programming). Like our almighty PROG_CAT, I’ve also taken up the challenge of bestowing Enlightenment upon those who are willing (to pay the Ateneo).

Philip: I’m Philip Cheang, one of the two designer-artists in the group. I graduated in Fine Arts, but have always been partly developer at heart, and continue to write some code here and there (though on a much smaller scale than our beloved developers above). In this regard, I sometimes mediate between the technical and non-technical sides of the team. I enjoy (and dread) nudging lines and shapes ten pixels to the left, then maybe five to the right, but wait-I-have-a-totally-different-idea-now- -I’ll-just-delete-everything, several times over the course of the day. Recently, I’ve also started teaching (like Wil and Thomas), but in Ateneo’s FA department.

A: Not… yet.