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January 19. 2018
#FilipinoBookFriday is a weekly Twitter chat by Filipino authors to help promote Filipino books, especially the independently published ones. Topics vary from certain genres, themes, holidays and seasons. There is also an Author Spotlight, where one Filipino author gets to be interviewed for 1 hour by the hosts, as well as anyone participating in the chat.
Last Friday, I was the author on spotlight. We talked about writing, about my publishing history, and about my books. If you missed the chat, don't worry, I have compiled the conversation below. This is limited to the #FBF questions and my answers only, though, so if you want to check out the full conversation, you can follow @FBFChat on Twitter, as well as the #FilipinoBookFriday hashtag.
Also, don't forget to join in future chats! It's every Friday, 8PM (PH Time) on Twitter. :)
**START**
#FilipinoBookFriday: Question 1. How long have you been writing? (We want to know more about author H. Bentham!)
H.Bentham: I've been writing fics on notebooks (pretending to take down notes in class, tbh) since HS, but I've only let other people read them on Wattpad in 2015. My first story, "Danse", is part dream, part projecting my ultimate fantasy into the universe! wahaha! If you've read it, you'll know a little bit about my ~aspirations. LOL
#FBF: Q2. What was your life like before becoming an author?
HB: WHOA! I still don't feel too different, tbh. I'm still beginning to find myself as an author, I guess...? But I can tell you it feels better. I actually like what I'm doing and what I'm sharing with the world now. :)
#FBF: Q3. Do you have a specific writing style or genre? (Are you a plotter or pantser? Narrative, dialogues, purpose prose writer? What genre(s) do you write?)
HB: I used to tell people I'm a bit of both, because I used to hate the feeling of being ~restrained by an outline. But the more I write, the more I find plotting to be more useful. Especially since my thoughts tend to run in several directions when left unattended. XD. Here's a sample of my outline for The Necromancer's Daughter. I have to write as specific as I can to the detail so I won't forget when I finally write it. Sometimes I use tables so the words would be in boxes. It helps visualize where I want the story to go. :)
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#FBF: Q4. What do you find most rewarding in writing?
HB: I can't quite put a finger on it but there's a certain satisfaction when I get to finish an MS. I mean, I have this 1st draft, nobody has read it yet and it's probably crap, but I DID IT. I MADE IT. And then, when everyone else gets to read it and they don't hate it, OMG. THAT'S THE BEST! <3 <3 <3
#FBF: Q5. Was your road to publication long and windy or short and sweet, or something in between? (Tell us about your publishing journey!)
HB: I feel like it's something in between. haha! Because it wasn't short (I'm naturally impatient) but I got really fortunate to be part of First off, I never would've had the courage to take the leap without 's ! I just couldn't do it on my own, so having others with me, old and new friends, make the jump was amazing! And I had some experience with self-publishing with before, but we weren't able to sell out first anthology (long story), so releasing last year was an awesome milestone, too! Now, I'm anticipating the release of with our amazing editors and ! I cant feel anything but excitement, as well as , because ugh, these new stories? They're friggin' AMAZEBALLS!!
#FBF: Q6. Outside of writing, what is your most favorite thing to do and why? (Most days, when not writing, what are you doing?)
HB: EAT. Lol. I wish I was kidding, but huhu, I LOVE FOOD SO MUCHHH! I also read a lot and I help man our little sarisari store. I discovered I'm actually okay with tindero-math. Marunong pala ako magsukli ng mabilis! wahaha! ooof, wait, I forgot that I'm a Licensed Architect, too! *LOL, kalat kalat ang thoughts ko tonight. Bat ko nakalimutan yun e pinaghirapan ko rin yun!? wahaha)
#FBF: Q7. Who is/are your favorite character(s) in your book(s) and why?
HB: How to answer this??? hahaha! My LI's are my favorite characters bec they're always modeled after people I like. (Okay fine, I admit it, based sila sa mga crush ko in one way or another, okay??) XD But I love my MC's, too! Bec I write them after some parts of me (*cringe*) but they always make better decisions or at least I allow them to be braver and experience more adventures. LOL I await that point where I can have an MC that's far from myself. Haha
#FBF: Q8. Congrats on your new anthology, START HERE. Tell us about your story, THE OTHER STORY, and what inspired you to write it.
HB: Thanks! Okay, where do I begin? Um, it's bastos (let's get it out there) but there's an HEA and I'm so happy and proud to have finally used all the smut words I've been reading for years! hahaha! As for inspiration, I'd have to say the Netflix series Eastsiders sort of helped me envision how liberated i want my characters to be. And oh, the setting there, the ~club, is an actual place in SG. (I'm not gonna say anything more. LOL)
Can I also just say Im V proud of this anthology not only bec this is the first Queer ROmance anthology in the roster but also bec the stories are all so good! This is cheesy to say - esp coming from me, an author in the book - but the reader in me was super satisfied with all the HEA and all the kilig. Queer Romance, heck, Queer STORIES in the PH don't always come this well written and we don't always get HEA. So to have this, an actual queer book that doesn't kill off the bidas, doesn't exploit the growing capitalism on queer media, is REFRESHING! I've had to imagine myself as someone else lots of time so I could get some stories, this time, we are well represented. o, yeah. Thank you so much for this opportunity to be part of something as wonderful as this. I will never be able to express how grateful I am. :) <3 <3 <3 Thank you,
#FBF: What Projects are you working on now? (What's next for you?)
HB: We're currently working on ebook ; a Paranormal Romance antho, my standalone NA Romance book, and a bunch of short stories I started last year and want to finish this year for closure. heh. I sound so busy but I've been procrastinating, tbh.
@heykebe: Yey, ebooks! Ben waiting for that! (Add your MS too? I want to read about ballet!)
HB: ACK! Yun pa nga pala! haha! nakapila na rin yun. yung pa! JSQ. natambakan na pala ako without me knowing. LOL
#FBF: Q10. What advice would you give to aspiring authors? (What advice do you have for someone who would like to become a published writer?)
HB: I don't feel like Im in a position to be giving advice yet so I'll just pass on some of the things people told me: WRITE. Just do it! There's an ocean of stuff happening between right now and finally publishing a book, but it starts when you WRITE. :) And then when you have this thing you wrote show it to the world. :) The most they can tell you is "YOU SUCK", but you still made something. :) And there's always someone, even one person, who's willing to help. Don't be afraid to ask. :)
#FBF: Thank for you taking your time chatting with us tonight ! We had so much fun! See yah next Friday everyone!
HB: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME! :) PLEASE BUY MY BOOKS! LOL
***END***
You can also see this chat on a Twitter Moment I made: http://twitter.com/i/moments/954652677262123008
Follow me @bentchbites everywhere (Twitter, IG, Wattpad)
