Julio, Manuel, and Alia (sort-of a series)
As I write this post, the lockdown in Metro Manila has been reclassified as ”alert level 1,” meaning there is pretty much no lockdown anymore. We have to wear masks, and access to most places requires a vaccination card, but we can go out, eat at restaurants, meet friends.
I could go back to my life of writing at coffee shops if I wanted to, but I haven’t done that. The weekly livestreamed writing sprints I pivoted to…have been effective for me. I get to write for roughly the same amount of time a week, and say hello to friends who drop by the stream and also write with me. I managed to do this with enough regularity that…I finished a little series? Sort of a series. And here’s the reading order, in terms of chronology:
Pleasure to Meet You, a short story, is about youngest Monterojo sibling Julio, a minor celebrity via YouTube, who meets Natasha at the shoot of a dating show on cable (heat level 3, set pre-2020). Read it here.
See You Under the Counter, a short story, has middle sibling Manuel Monterojo, about the night when he gets stranded at a food park in Ortigas and…finds an old/new fave (heat level 0, set pre-2020). Part of the RomanceClass NomCom anthology for charity.
Your Place Next Year is a novelette about Alia the eldest Monterojo. So close to being promoted as country director of the firm she works for, but a surprise reunion makes her question her life/career choices (heat level 3, cw covid references, set post-2020). Available on Amazon and your preferred retailers. Or buy it from me.
There’s no print edition just yet but these stories will be released together as a collection! Thankful to these characters for showing up for me when I needed them. ☺️
