Upcoming Appearances

No, it's not I who will be appearing, but some of the pieces I've written a while back. These works, I've either submitted months ago or have only recently decided to submit at last (because I did not have the courage to even try).

"Laws of Stone" will appear in one of the anthologies that will be published by the Library of Science Fiction & Fantasy. This antho is entitled “Rockets, Swords, and Rainbows: New Stories of Fantasy,” and it’s got a queer slant. When I wrote my story, I wasn’t really thinking about whether it’s queer or straight or what, but when this got workshopped in Dumaguete, this aspect appears to be very strong. Fortunately, “Laws of Stone” is a perfect fit for this antho (cover below).

I didn't expect this work to be accepted anywhere since it's so darned long. Not really a short story, not really a novelette, certainly not a novel. I have this thing with writing such long short stories. I try to keep them short and sweet. But in the end, the story takes control of the wheel and things just don’t go where I originally planned.

Here’s a teaser of my story:

In the world called Spheria, there are two clashing cultures—the Pilgrims and the so-called Unbelievers, of which include the Draconic races. The two factions have a history of warfare, but have finally achieved a precarious peace with the Pilgrims’ dominance in the war. Two friends, Rael and Uliel, are on a Pilgrimage to become more powerful warriors, but little do they know that the Unbeliever territories have maintained their hostility toward Pilgrims and don’t give a damn about such things as diplomatic immunity. When Rael and Uliel are enslaved by a power greater than their own, they are faced with a struggle not only for freedom but for their very lives.

Secondly, my poem "Laws of Motion" will be published in the ezine called Damazine. I usually keep my poems hidden, but I felt I should try it out. I guess trying really pays of, literally and figuratively speaking. I’ll probably try submitting my other poems in the near future, so I’ve already taken down the ones I’ve placed in this blog.

Funny how both of these works begin with "laws" and were even accepted within two consecutive days. Is this a sign I should go to law school? :b

I was complaining about how bad luck comes in 3’s, but it seems it’s time for me to shut up with all this negativity, because the good things come in 3’s as well. Still waiting for the 3rd good news, if it hasn’t already come.

Will post more updates. Ciao.

Turn of Events

All this entering the workforce thing being a big change. It's real. At least for me.

I'm doing a lot of writing for Resorts World Manila, and I find that I'm enjoying it. Aside from learning guerrilla HTML (as in trial and error hehe), I get to check out the casino, and can I just say, I've been waiting for a chance to walk up and down these smoky (cigarette smoky) aisles for a long time, but it's only recently that I've reached the age where I can actually enter the place. It's not much different from an arcade, only I get to imagine under-the-table scenes like in the movies. I don't see mafia-worthy faces, though. Everyone just seems to be having fun. It's too bad we're not allowed to play, would like to try out the real thing and not those online games. However, I've found that I have to stop my ADHD tendency to press every button I see (i.e. Slot Machines). I bet that if I just get one chance, I'll get lucky. I have pretty good luck at these things, (and bad luck for everything else?).

In any case, the point I was making before I was distracted by my own thoughts is that, although I get to do a lot of writing, I pretty much have zero time for fiction. Here I am, blogging, which takes away another 10% from the time I could have spent writing the next page of a story I've already started but have now hidden away in some mental drawer and compartment of my PC.

What's funny is that I seem to thrive in such conditions--When I'm actually NOT free to write. It's like my mind has a panic button screaming "you must write!" and then it starts formulating all these story lines. I remember this is what happened back in school, when we were doing our thesis, and I at the same time, was finishing my first novel.

It remains to be seen whether I can finish my next story collection and novel in such conditions.

Pressure might be good after all.