Thread by @tarafrejas

Hey guys, it’s 7PM, and that means it’s time for #AuthorAMATaraFrejas! ^_^ This’ll be an hour (maybe more) of me answering some questions YOU guys sent through Instagram or the #romanceclass form. I did get some lovely questions—THANK YOU! <3

#BuwanNgMgaAkdangPinoy

First, an introduction: My name is Tara Frejas, a #romanceclass author, bunny owner, KPop and K-Ent fan, and theatre aficionado. I like coffee and corgis and soft bois. <3 I have written and published eight books and contributed to three fiction anthologies since 2015.

At the end of this Author AMA, I will be raffling off a book or gadget sleeve by @bookshieldsph to a lucky PH participant. So yes, if you’ve sent in a question, you have a chance to win! YAY!

And so, without further ado: #AuthorAMATaraFrejas!

@bookshieldsph Q1, from @iamczari on IG: Do you ever have anxiety about what people might say about your books? Does this paralyze you from writing?

Re: Anxiety, yes. All the time. It doesn’t usually happen while I’m writing because that phase is often a different rollercoaster altogether ++

@bookshieldsph @iamczari ++ (it’s more of a This Idea Is So Good Lemme Write It Down - Shit I Don’t Know How To Words - Yay Words! - This Is Crap I Wanna Burn It cycle), but I do feel anxious at the end of the editing phase and toward the release of the book. I often wonder if people will read ++

@bookshieldsph @iamczari ++ and like my books, if they’ll recognize how special it is to me, and how much joy and love I poured into it as I wrote them. I also get scared that people will hate the book/s, but I don’t think that fear has ever stopped me from writing or wanting to write. ++

@bookshieldsph @iamczari ++ What paralyzes me, though, is another author’s brilliant writing. When I read something that really amazes me, I get a period of “Well, shit I’ll never be as good as (author) so what’s the point?” and step away from what I’m working on. ++

@bookshieldsph @iamczari ++ It’s always a short phase, though, and I return to my babies (manuscripts) after that with a renewed resolve to finish them. It's a WILD journey.

@bookshieldsph @iamczari Q2, from @thenoobwife: What inspired you to write "Paper Planes Back Home"?

It was this artwork I found on Tumblr back in 2013/2014. (I did a reverse image search to look for the artist, but I keep getting links to sketchy sites, so…) ++

@bookshieldsph @iamczari @thenoobwife ++ Anyway, I saw the illustration and wondered what the story was behind it. Within the week, I think I was already writing the first chapter and bugging my friend, @unstarred, to have a look at it. I think I was about ten chapters in when I started posting it on Tumblr and WP.😄

@bookshieldsph @iamczari @thenoobwife @unstarred #PaperPlanesBackHome is an urban fantasy that explores the idea of souls getting stuck in a limbo and how their loved ones can communicate with them through paper planes.

You may get it here: amazon.com/Paper-Planes-B…

@bookshieldsph @iamczari @thenoobwife @unstarred Q3, from @thenoobwife: Will there ever be a sequel to "The Forget You Brew"?

I had planned a spin-off for this, I really did. (PRAMIS!) But a whole bunch of other plunnies attacked me, and I’d let this one slip through my fingers. 😣

All I know for now is that Tim and Likha are happily together and have merged their establishments after getting married. Horhor. :P

(Sorry, I forgot to untag people in my previous tweets!!!)

#TheForgetYouBrew is another urban fantasy, completed during the #StrangeLit workshop in 2015. It has bunnies and coffee, and mustering up the courage to tell someone you love them.

You can get a copy here: amazon.com/gp/product/B01…

Q4, from @chachicsbooknook: What's your favorite Filipino and foreign musical?

I have a bottomless well of love for Rak of Aegis and Mula sa Buwan—I will never stop inviting people to see these shows, that’s how you know they’re my all time faves.

++ You can put Sa Wakas in the list, above, too!

For foreign musicals I’ve already actually seen, I’d say Wicked. And for those I’ve yet to see and will definitely pay good money to experience: Dear Evan Hansen, and Hamilton.

Q5, from @brijbautista: Do you have a character peg for
Ha Yoojung? Asking for a friend.

Yes, of course, I do. Her name is Lee Sunbin, and I first saw her in a Kdrama called Squad 38 where she played a con-artist.

@brijbautista Sunbin used to be a member of a girl group that disbanded within a year of their debut. She was supposed to debut with another group, but those plans fell through, and now she's a full-time actress. <3

@brijbautista Ha Yoojung is a character for a book I wrote called #PlayItByEar, released just last May. It's about a KPop band leader who meets a determined long-time trainee in a reality TV show.

BUY LINK! amazon.com/gp/product/B07…

@brijbautista Q6, from iamczari: Where do you get inspiration when writing?

This sounds like a total cliche, but EVERYWHERE. Sometimes I accidentally become privy to a conversation, and that inspires me to write something similar or in response to it. ++

++ Sometimes it could be as simple as seeing two good-looking people and writing a story I'd like them to star in...a movie in my mind, if you may. :P

So, yeah. Everywhere.

Q7, from @carlakdeguzman: The most challenging thing about your current WIP?

The short answer: My feelings.

The problem with Datu (actually, these Alvez boys) is that they have so many emotions!

(You only need two: Anger and confusion! —Michael, The Good Place)

@carlakdeguzman ++ But what makes Datu and Kalila more difficult to write is the fact that they have so much history together, and every time I call back to a certain memory, whether or not it’s a happy one, I feel like I’m always getting attacked. ++

@carlakdeguzman ++ And I find myself needing a break from them. All the time.

(This is SO unlike the time I was writing Pio’s book, which was like…a sprint all the way. Very Pio.)

@carlakdeguzman Q8, from @stella_meimei: What can we expect from #ProjectDatu?

So #ProjectDatu is a second-chance romance between childhood friends-turned-sweethearts. She’s pregnant (by choice, this is not an accidental/unwanted baby), and he knows this, but wants her back anyway.

Things to expect:
- A whipped AF Datu Alvez
- H O R M O N E S *eye emoji*
- 90s Pinoy rom-com references
- The Alvez boys + Teatro Lakambini peeps
- A (hopefully) well-earned HEA :P

#ProjectDatu

Q9, from @stella_meimei: Will Steven Bae get his book soon?
(No pressure)

Yes, he will definitely get his book (the Play It By Ear epilogue hints at this), but I can’t tell if it’s happening soon. >_< (Sorry! The Alvezes are taking over my life!)

Q10, from @angelamc23: Among all the books you've written, which one is your favorite and why?

I shouldn’t play favorites, really, because each and every book I’ve written carries different memories from various times of my life. ++

@angelamc23 ++HOWEVER (wow, dami pang sinabi e), I hold Waiting in the Wings closest to my heart because writing that book shifted something within me, as an author and a person with unresolved (romantic) feelings.

HUWOW, DRAMA!!! :P

@angelamc23 But srsly, it was Waiting in the Wings that made me decide that YES, I want to be a romance author. And if, for the rest of my life I could write the many ways people fall in love, discover they’re worth being loved, and earn their own happy ever afters—that would be just GREAT.

#WaitingInTheWings is a PH theatre set story of a single-since-birth theatre actress who wishes to find a real romance. When the universe throws two very eligible bachelors her way, it's just a matter of choosing who she wants to be with.

BUY LINK!
bit.ly/WITWNovel

We're now down to the last two questions! Whew! Time flies FAST!

Q11, from @leersucks: Which of your characters is more like you?

It’s always a conscious choice to assign a certain Tara attribute to my main characters.

@leersucks ++ Doing so helps me connect with them, like they’re a friend with a common trait or hobby or like/dislike.

But I think of all the characters I wrote, I would be most like Fi from Scandalized, and Erin AND Ramon from Waiting in the Wings. ^_^

Last submitted Q!

Q12, from @lapinwolffe on IG: When will we get to see theatre adaptation of your theatre books?

Soon. CHAROT!

I really don't know yet. I recently signed up for an online playwriting course, so we'll see what I can learn from it and maybe that could be my ++

++ first step to adapting my own book for stage. ^_^

Of course, I'm also open to other people adapting it *cough* just as long as they stay faithful to the material and all that jazz.

Aaaaand that's it for me and #AuthorAMATaraFrejas! ^_^ Thanks so much to everyone who sent in questions and "tuned in" to this thread.

For more information about my books and where to get them, feel free to visit tarafrejas.com/my-books!

I'll be announcing winners to my Book Shields giveaway later tonight (because now I need to cook dinner)!

And if you guys have any other follow-up questions, you're welcome to reply to this thread. <3 I'll try my best to answer them as soon as I can.

This also ends Week 2 of the #romanceclass x #BuwanNgMgaAkdangPinoy virtual panels. We'll have a different set next week, so please watch out for that. Follow @ romanceclassbooks on IG or track the hashtags here on TWT.

Again, thank you everyone. Hope you all have a good night!

Hi @threadreaderapp — could you help unroll this, please? Thank you.