Q&A

A few days back, a certain student e-mailed me some questions for her paper. Being the accommodating person that I am, I of course obliged. Here's how the e-mail interview went:

What made you start writing romance novels? And why do you write romance novels?
Reading romance novels has always been my passion since I was ten. To this day, I have yet to outgrow my fondness for the genre. Writing seemed like a natural progression for me. Save for when bouts of writer's block plague, I generally derive pleasure from writing romance novels. That's the primary reason why I write them. It's fun to create characters and make-up stories. The payoff comes from knowing that someone somewhere at one time or another found pleasure (even if it's in the slightest degree) in reading my work.

Who are or what are your inspirations?
I can't really give you a definite answer for this since I get my inspiration from any number of sources. As I've said, I love reading romance books. I also love watching films and I have this habit of observing people in public places, how they behave, how they react etc. all the while, I'm making up stories in my head as to why they're that way.

Describe your ideal man. Describe your ideal woman.
Human, that is he/she is not perfect (this makes them interesting, imo) but despite imperfections they strive to be better people. In essence, he/she must be good, kind and fair.

What are the primary insights and ideas you wish to convey when you write romance novels?
There was a time when I felt I had an obligation to make a conscious effort to incorporate socially relevant messages in my stories. That was before I realized that doing so would defeat the main purpose of the genre, which is to entertain the readers.

Readers read romance novels because they want to "escape" reality NOT be reminded of it. I figured, helping them forget their worries even for a while is service enough.

Do you aspire to be in similar situations depicted in your novels?
Of course. The key ingredient of a romance novel is a happily-ever-after (HEA) ending. Who wouldn't want that?

A common theme in romance novels is the damsel-in-distress rescued by the knight-in-shining-armor. This has been disputed by feminist theorists (such as Angela Carter and Jane Yolen) as anti-feminist. Following this, the romance novel genre, while almost exclusively consumed by women, is actually against women because it gives them the wrong perception of dependence on man. Can you please share your insights concerning this?

IMO, critics dwell on the damsel-in-distress character because this is another excuse for them to make potshots at the genre. They choose not to acknowledge the fact that this character type is only one of several heroine archetypes (the boss, the nurturer, the free spirit etc).

Further, the damsel in distress theme is passe already. Sure there's still some around but I believe they are few and far between. That is, as far as CONTEMPORARY romance novels are concerned. Why? The key to enjoying a romance novel is being able to empathize and relate with the main character (usually but not always the heroine). As such, there should be parity between the traits of the modern day reader and the heroine. The more recent contemporary romance novels depict a more independent breed of heroines because that's generally how modern day women are--independent, won’t take crap if their lives depended on it, and they know what they want (it just so happens that what they want is their man)

I'm not a fan of historical romances so I can't really say if the damsel in distress plot is prevalent in this sub-genre. What I know is, the more popular(?) historical romances depict heroines that are freethinkers and can stand their ground. Much like Jane Austen's Lizzie Bennet from Pride and Prejudice.

sardonic

i was out with bubba earlier doing our nightly stroll when i chanced upon this sign



my initial reaction when i read it was amusement and then it hit me
PAGTULUNGAN BUGBUGIN BAGO PAKULONG
wtf(?!)
how sad
it is sad, don't you agree?

foster pup

hard to beleive but this dog is vegan
he is (yes he) i swear
he likes tomatoes and bananas
kinda weird for a dog if you ask me
here's more, he never (as in never) drinks water
all he drinks is milk, just milk

his name is rocky and marie's dog sitting him for the week
cute right?

but then again, for me there's none more cuter
than my spunky kulotski

the boys are back in town

oh goody! the gang's back!! I'm talking about Vinnie and the rest of his crew here (read: ENTOURAGE). I just love, love, love that show. Too bad I wasn't able to catch the season opener. In fact I missed not one, not two but the first FOUR episodes! Argh! And to think that I've been waiting for the new episodes to air since the last season ended. Double Argh!



I haven't been watching much TV this past few, that's why I wasn't aware HBO was running the latest season already. It's true! This self confessed couch potato isn't pulling your leg. Honest. If I hadn't been channel surfing yesterday while waiting for the UST vs. UE match up to air I just might have totally missed the run altogether. That's about the only thing I look forward to watching these days. The UAAP games, I mean. And only if the Tigers are playing.

look who's back!

if you're not new to this blog then it's probably no secret to you that i'm a big rose tan fan. i just looove the way she writes! i love her witty one liners and her almost slapstick humor. most of all, i love her all too real characters.

one RT series that has truly been dear to me is her senorita serires. i distinctly remember it was my friend lorie from work that lent me a couple or so senorita books way back. she told me to try and read them because i'll surely like them. true enough, i did read 'em and did like 'em and since then you could say i was hooked

if i'm not mistaken, it's been two years give or take since the last senorita graced the shelves. i really thought the run was over. same goes for the senorito's which i like as well.

so imagine my surprise and delight when i saw this on the shelves earlier today



the teaser goes

Bituing sinapawan ang ningning. Iyan ang sinapit ni Georgia nang muli ay maglakad siya bilang Reyna Elena sa Santa-Krusan. Siya ang star of the night, ang supernova ng taunang Flore de Mayo.

But this year, someone took the limelight away from her. Not another sagala. Hindi lindol, hindi tsunami, hindi landlslide. Ang asteroid na tumakip sa kanyang ningning ay walang iba kundi si Ben Primero, ang eskorte niya. Tinilian, pinalakpakan, at dinumog ito ng tanan.

Hindi niya mapapatawad ito...

PS. I like the part with her sinigang analogy (p.76) because I can really relate with it besides sinigang is my favorite dish, hehe

nothingness

I keep meaning to write a post here for days now but try as I might, I just couldn't. So I'll just post this quote I picked up. It's from Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman's Practical Magic.

"Do you ever put your arms out and just spin and spin and spin? Well that's what love is like. Everything inside of you tells you to stop before you fall, but you just keep on going."

`Love it.