Naka-upo siya sa isa sa mga swivel chairs sa maliit kong office, at siguro sa unang pagkakataon mula nang ma-conceptualize ko siya, naka-civilian siya at hindi BDUs. Naka-jeans siya, kulay dark blue na polo at sneakers. Nakataas ang mga paa niya at nakapatong doon sa isa pang upuan. “Boss ma’am,” tawag niya sa ‘kin dahil ako nga naman ang dakilang “boss ma’am” ng mga Sentinels… well, actually si Bryce pero since me = Bryce…

“Boss ma’am,” sabi niya. “Seryoso ka bang isusulat mo ‘yong team ni Mac?”

Kumurap lang ako. After book 6 kasi, naisip kong gawan ng spin-off ang Sentinels. Ang nakaka-alam lang no’n noong una ay si Malou dahil pinaalam ko sa kanya. Sabi ko kung puwede ako magsulat ng series na puro Navy SEALs ang bida. Um-oo naman siya.

“Oo,” sagot ko kay Matt. “Matagal ko nang plano ‘yon ‘di ba? Pero wala ka pang kasama sa series. Puro naka-uniform pa lang ang kumakaway sa ‘kin, wala pa silang pangalan.”

Kinuha ni Riley ang isang bag ng gummy bears na madalas kong dala sa office at kumuha ng isa mula roon. “Gusto mo bang kuwentuhan na kita?”

Sinulyapan ko ang test na ginagawa ko para sa mga agents. Test? O manuscript? Siyempre, nanalo ang manuscript. Kinuha ko ang iPod ko at nagbukas ng document app. “Sige, go.”

“Promoted to commander na si Mac, ‘di ba?”

Tumango ako.

“Ibig sabihin, he’s going to handle one whole Navy SEAL Team with three platoons.”

Muli, tumango ako.

“Alam mo ba kung anong team ang hahawakan niya?”

Umiling ako dahil hindi ko ‘yon pa napa-plano. I was thinking SEAL Team One pa rin.

“United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group.”

Muntik akong masamid sa kinakain kong gummy bear. “SEAL Team Six?”

Ngumisi si Riley. “Wala nang Team Six ‘di ba?”

Nilunok ko ang gummy bear. “Pero DevGru… Rie…”

Nagkibit siya at namili ng kulay pulang gummy bear. Isinubo niya iyon. “Si dad?” muli niyang saad. “Sa start ng kwento niya, mapo-promote siya to commander of NSWC.”

Naningkit ako sa pagpipilit makilala ang acronym. Ang hirap kasi sa militar, lahat may acronym. Kung hindi ka military, mawawala ka.

“NSWC…” Tumango muli si Riley. “NAVSPECWARCOM,” sabi niya na para bang makakatulong iyon.

NAVSPECWARCOM… “Uh…Naval Special Warfare Command?” hula ko.

“Yup,” sabi niya na muling kumuha ng gummy bear. “Ikaw na bahala kung paano mo gagawin iyon. Anyway, si Macky…” Pang-asar niyang nickname iyon kay Mac na nagsimula noong mga bata pa sila at patpating hikain pa si Mac. “Siya ang magiging O-5 ng DEVGRU. Sulat mo para ma-research mo.”

Dahil mabuti akong bata, ni-type ko ang DEVGRU sa iPod. May stock knowledge naman na ako tungkol sa kanila so malamang hindi ko na ‘yon malilimutan. Ni-type ko rin ang Daddy John – NAVSPECWARCOM.

“Okay, go…” sabi ko.

“‘Di ba naisip mong ipahuli kami sa Benghazi?” muli niyang tanong. Tumango ako at sumimangot. Nakapag-sulat kasi ako ng prologue para sana sa kanya pero hindi ako kuntento. At dahil gawa siya ng utak ko, ngumising muli si Riley. Nababasa niya ang iniisip ko bilang kasama siya roon. “O, ‘di ba hindi mo masundan?”

“Kasi ang kulit mo,” irap ko. “Laban ka ng laban.”

“SEAL ako,” tahimik niyang saad. “Sa tingin mo tatagal kaming hostage? Mamatay na lang kami bago kami mahuli.”

Suminghot ako. “Okay, fine. So ayaw mo sa Benghazi.”

“Naisip mo lang naman ‘yon kasi na-sense mo na magkagulo sa Benghazi noon. Anyway, ito ang kwento. Sa story ni dad, babalik sila sa Afghanistan…”

“Eh, Kuya Rie, ‘di ba kagigising lang ni daddy Joe nito?” sabat ko.

“Oo pero paka-usap mo kay Obama si daddy John. Ayon wala siyang laban do’n. Anyway, ito nga. Papapuntahin mo sila sa A-stan para sa isang meeting,” kumunot ang noo ni Matt. “Summit… kahit ano, basta nandoon sila. Hindi pwedeng combat sitch kasi masyado nang mataas ang ranggo nilang dalawa para sumama sa combat. Anyway, nandoon kami sa helicopter. Ako, si Mac… ‘yong ibang miyembro ng team. Gawin mo nang 16 SEALs… tapos, tatamaan kami ng RPG…”

“NAMAN!!!”

“O!” tawa niya. “Siyempre, bilang kwento mo ‘yan, konti lang kaming masasaktan. Siguro galos lang. Pilay, sugat, concussion… lagyan natin ng sugat sa mukha si Mac para mabawasan ang kaguwapuhan.”

Inirapan ko siya at muling tumawa si Matt. “Okay, basta ganoon. Tamaan kami ng RPG, magka-crash ‘yong Chinook tapos 12 hours kaming manlalaban na limitado ang baril, bala, explosives, supply ng dugo at wala kaming pagtataguan.”

Siguro mas lalong tumirintas ang kilay ko kung kaya’t inabot ni Matt ang aking kamay. “Nangyayari talaga ‘yan, Den,” mahina niyang saad. “‘Yan, at mas marami pang mas pangit na bagay. Diyan sa experience namin na ‘yan, diyan mo kunin ‘yong apat o lima pang isasama mo sa series mo na SEALs. Ipakita mo na nagiging ganito kami, na nagiging mas malakas, mas matatag, mas guwapo…”

Tinaasan ko siya ng kilay. “Mas mayabang?”

Tumawa siya pero mabilis ding nagseryoso. “Ipakita mo kung gaano kami ka-close sa isa’t isa. Kung anong klaseng mga karanasan ang nagbubuklod sa ‘min. Kung anong klase kaming mga tao. Dahil lang sa mga pinagdaraanan naming magkakasama. Hindi lang kami nagpapa-guwapo o nagpapamacho sa teams, Den. Nagpapakamatay kami para sa US kasi mahal namin ang bansa namin. Hindi lang romance novel heroes ang SEALs. Tao kami. And our lives do not get easier after BUD/s, after getting out tridents. It only gets harder.”

Marahan akong tumango at muling ngumiti si Matt. “Nakuha mo ba ‘yong mga details?”

Hindi ko alam ang sasabihin ko. Tumango na lamang ako. Medyo nao-overwhelm ako sa sinasabi ng ungas. “Sige,” sabi ko na lang. “Ako nang bahala sa mga pangyayari.” Muli kong sinulyapan ang mga nasulat ko bago ako umiling at natatawang tumingin sa kanya. “Pinapahirapan niyo ako! Level up kayo ng level up! Gusto ko lang naman eh apat na Sentinels! ‘Yon lang! Ngayon lahat na ng unit ng military ng Pilipinas AT ng US eh nagpapasulat sa ‘kin!”

Tumawa siya. “The only easy day was yesterday.” Tumayo siya para umalis pero sinulyapan niya ako bago siya tuluyang mawala. “Saka nakahanap kami ng writer na mabibigyan kami ng hustisya. Bakit pa kami magpapasulat sa iba, ‘di ba?” Kumindat siya at bago lumabas ng maliit kong opisina.

Ilang buwan matapos noon, nagsulat ako ng isang writing exercise kung saan nakilala ni Mac ang ilan pang miyembro ng mga bago niyang team bago sila magpunta sa isang misyon para hulihin ang isang mataas na terrorist leader.

May 2, nabalita sa buong mundo ang DEVGRU dahil sa pagpatay nila kay Osama Bin Laden.

Kamakailan lang, sinulat ko ang sinasabi sa ‘kin ni Matt na “crash” na gagamitin ko sanang prologue sa lahat ng isusulat kong libro para sa SEAL series. Sinulat ko na rin kasi ang prologue ni daddy John kung saan tinawagan na siya ni Pres. Obama para papuntahin sa Afghanistan. Nag-crash ang Chinook helicopter nila nang pabalik na sila ng Kabul.

August 6, nag-crash ang isang Chinook transport helicopter sa Afghanistan matapos tamaan ng RPG kung saan namatay ang dalawamput dalawang Navy SEALs, tatlong Air Force combat controllers, isang dog handler at ang kanyang military dog at apat na crew members.

‘Di tulad ng sinulat ko para sa aking kuwento, walang nakasakay sa helicopter na iyon ang nag-survive sa crash.

Siguro, hindi dahil sa may psychic ek-ek ako kaya alam ko ang mga pangyayaring ito bago mangyari pero dahil naiintindihan ko ang buhay at trabaho nila. Kaya rin siguro ganito na lang ako ka-apektado kahit wala akong kilala, personally, na Navy SEAL at hindi naman ako Amerikano. Kahit na, nararamdaman ko pa rin ‘yong lungkot at galit.

Our prayers are with their families who are going through this time of tragedy. Rest in peace, brave warriors. Fair winds and following seas.

I have four pending 2010 manuscripts, one of which I started April 2010. Hanggang ngayon 2 pages pa rin siya . Looking forward to actually finishing them up.

Manuscript 01 for 2011

Working Title: Entranced
Pages: 96
Wordcount: 20,150
Chapters: P+10
Started: 12/18/10
Finished: 06/28/11
Submitted: 06/30/11
Status: Approved

Manuscript 02

Working Title: Joseph Herrera
Pages: 192
Wordcount: 39064
Chapters: P+21+E
Started: 9/13/10
Finished: 07/19/11
Submitted: 07/21/11
Status: Submitted

Let me talk about Entranced a bit. So far, this manuscript had been the scariest for me to submit. 1) Obvious namang matagal akong hindi nakasulat. Inabot ng buwan na kulang na lang siya ng ten pages then I had to delete almost half the manuscript because, sadly, the characters didn’t have enough chemistry and it doesn’t have an actual plot. Seriously. 2) Paranormal romance siya, and while Bookware is cautiously open to paranormal thanks to Carla Giopaolo’s Dreams Cafe, I’m not sure if they’re this open to paranormal. Lahat yata kasi ng aspeto ng paranormal (well, wala namang bampira saka werewolves) nandito sa series na ‘to.

Ang konsepto kasi ay kailangang i-break ng apat na magkakapatid ang sumpa sa pamilya nila kung gusto nila ng happily ever after. At hindi lang ‘yan. May powers sila. The eldest, Cleo, has the power of psychometry or to see the past associated with an object she touches. Cordelia can see the future. Soteria is an empath and telepath. She can read minds and feel other people’s emotions. Alethea can do astral projection.

Noong una ko nga pinropose kay Malou, kinakabahan pa ako. Sabi lang niya, basta wala namang magwa-wave ng wand at sisigaw ng spell ala Harry Potter, tignan na rin niya kung papasa.

Which is why my stomach had been in a constant state of the cramps for three weeks until I found out na tanggap siya. (Salamat, Edith Joaquin) Yay!

Hindi ko pa nasisimulan si Josh but I have an idea for an awesome (sa isip ko lang naman siya awesome haha) opening. This book will probably have my usual action sequences kasi si Jette ang bida dito and Josh is an NBI agent-turned-security officer for Ethan’s hotels. Plus, sundalo siya no’ng panahon ng Kastila. Also, the opening scene was inspired by our trip to Rizal Park. Hindi siya babarilin kasama ni Rizal sa Luneta pero malapit na.

In other news, after Daddy John’s opening scene sa chapter one, I can’t move on to chapter two because I made it look like Mommy Laurel was a helpless little damsel in distress. What is it with my heroines na gustong mas macho pa sila sa alpha male nilang counterparts? I just gave her a fever and daddy John just needed to help her stand up from the bed. Now I can’t move the story along because she wants to hold a gun and be the one to throw the grenade and she can’t do that if I made her as sick as she originally is .

But then again, Herrera women kick ass so…

Excited for my writing day with Jette at Bookware next week!

I can’t speak for all the writers though since siyempre, iba-iba kami ng style at ng pangangailangan to finish a book ha. Marami nang nagtanong sa ‘kin kung saan ako kumukuha ng inspiration para sa mga libro ko, at kung kailangan ko ba ma-inspire para makasulat. Simple lang po ang sagot. 1) Inspiration is everywhere and 2) hindi po, pero inspiration helps.

Minsan, bigla na lang dumarating ang inspiration. Makakita ka lang ng isang bagay, may naiisip ka nang kwento na nakapalibot sa bagay na iyon. ‘Nong isang araw, nag-post ako ng picture nang makita ko si kuya na handler yata ng elepante sa Manila Zoo. Nakakita ako ng scene sa isip ko na puwede kong gamitin sa isang manuscript. Minsan naman, makakita ka lang ng kotse na may cute na driver na naka-kunot ang noo, puwede mo na siyang isipan ng kuwento. Inspiration is everywhere. You can use anything and everything in a manuscript. Saan pa ba tayo kukuha ng ideas kundi sa totoong buhay, hindi ba? Just use your imagination para mapalawak ang mundo ng maliit na bagay na iyon.

Minsan, inspiration can also be forced. Noong nasa college ako, sa Comm I class, nagbigay ng writing exercise ‘yong teacher namin. Nagbigay siya ng “what if” scenarios. What if there was a troll waiting for you at the bridge? What if you could fly to the moon? What if you only had a coffin to sleep in at night? Bilang mahilig ako sa bampira noon pa, pinili kong magsulat ng kuwento tungkol sa coffin. It’s the same principle when it comes to getting your inspiration. Walang bagay ang one dimensional, IMO. Lahat ng bagay may kwento.

For example, maglalagay ako ng baso sa harap mo. To be able to write about that glass, puwede mong isipin kung sino ang huling gumamit ng baso na ‘yan. Build that person’s profile. Lalaki ba siya o babae? Anong itsura niya? Anong ugali niya? Saan siya galing at saan siya pupunta? Sino ang mga kaibigan niya? Try mo. Sa huli, sa simpleng baso na ‘yan, may manuscript ka na. Trust me ^^

Kung kailangan ko ng inspiration to write? Kung ‘yong sense na inspiration meaning isang bagay (or tao) na bibigyan ako ng gana na magsulat, hindi po. Kasi kung hintayin ko ang inspiration bago magsulat, baka isang ms lang ako sa isang taon. I think that waiting for inspiration to strike is just an excuse a person uses when he/she is not writing. Oo, may mga panahon na inspired ako na kaya kong magtapos ng ms sa dalawa o tatlong araw. But that’s very rare. At ‘yon nga, kung hihintayin ko siya, dalawang ms pa lang ang nasusulat ko ngayon.

Kung gusto mo talagang magsulat, you get a pen and paper or you fire up your laptop or PC and you write, inspired or not. You do it because you want to do it. You can’t not do it. If you can’t write if you’re not inspired, you go after your inspiration. Personally, I can write if I’m not inspired. Kapag hindi ako nagsusulat, ibig lang noon sabihin tamad ako. I don’t use the excuse na hindi ako inspired. Although kapag inspired ako, it definitely makes writing easy.

How about you? Do you need to be inspired to write?

Anyway, this is my first attempt. Bahala na si Batman sa next attempt ^^

Marami nang nagsulat ng guide sa kung paano ka magsu-submit sa MSV at marami na ring sumagot. Sasagot na rin ako dahil I’m sure, marami pa ring magtatanong.

All submissions:

• 96 to 98 pages
• short bond paper
• double-spaced
• typewritten (ie. computerized, not hand written)
• Courier New, size 11 OR Times New Roman, size 11
• 1″ margin on all four sides
• maximum of ten (10) chapters
• submit teaser or synopsis of novel
• save computerized version as Microsoft Word (.doc)

Email .doc to:

manuscripts@bookwarepublishing.com

OR

Print out your manuscript and send it via courier (LBC, Air 21, Fed Ex, 2Go, etc.) to:

BOOKWARE PUBLISHING CORPORATION
Unit 301 3rd Floor Rizalina 2 Annex Building
1677 Quezon Avenue, Quezon City

Bilang andyan na po ang address, puwede niyo rin siyang personal na ihatid.

If your manuscript is typewritten, as in you used a typwriter, same goes. Although hindi niyo puwedeng palitan ang font or save it as a .doc. Hindi niyo rin siya puwedeng i-print, no, dahil naka-print na siya. (Sadly, kailangang ipaliwanag din ang mga bagay na ganyan dahil may mga kagulat-gulat na mga katanungan :p) Puwede pong ihatid nang personal sa Bookware o ipadala via courier.

‘Yan lang po ang simpleng kailangan to submit your manuscript. Ang mahalaga ay ang kwento mo, ang laman niyon at ang characters at plot at writing style. Hindi kasi makukuha ng magandang format ang editor. So don’t worry about the format, worry about the content.

At dahil ang writer ay dapat masipag magbasa, basahin niyo din ang mga nasa links na ito.

• Manuscript Submissions for Bookware
• A Comprehensive Guide for Aspiring Writers

Lahat – as in LAHAT – ng itatanong ninyo about how to submit a manuscript nasagot na po diyan.

Good luck! ^^

I took a break from editing Sentinel #11 because we were getting nowhere. Daddy Joe and I were getting bored with each other and you know that THAT is a bad thing when you’re writing, or when you’re reading what you’re writing and you get bored. The thing is it’s not a bad story. I like it, but I want the two dads to be more astig than their two sons. And while daddy Joe and mommy Carmen’s story is emotional and love story worthy, it’s not the story I want daddy to have. I don’t think it’s the story daddy Joe and mommy Carmen want to have. So I’m scrapping most of the mansucript and re-purposing some of the scenes, but mostly, I’m changing the tone. The plot generally remains the same but with less emo and drama and more “Sentinel” feel because that’s just like that.

UPDATE: Finished a better version of chapter one. I have a good feeling about this

In other news, it’s raining again. Falcon, GO AWAY!

To be fair to me, my characters aren’t all that unusual. In my former workplace, most everyone had varying degrees of psychic power. My former boss reads minds. His boss was an empath. Another officemate can see ghosts. I can read minds, have, to some degree, empathic abilities, and get glimpses of the immediate future. Another friend can do astral projection. So yes, it’s not THAT out of the blue, but still, it’s not usual, in the Philippine setting.

Kinakabahan talaga ako. I also didn’t really give it an in-depth editing because I’m kinda tired of reading it. I have six versions of the manuscript because I just – literally, on page 92 – realized what my characters wanted. I finished the 96 pointless pages at 4 p.m., but I had to rewrite about twenty pages so wrote “the end” at 8 p.m. then the final “the end” just a few minutes ago. I gave it a cursory editing, made sure that the scene which I cut and pasted doesn’t overlap, then shot an email to my editor. Bahala na si Batman.

But know what? While I’d be disappointed if it gets rejected/returned, I’d also be mightily relieved. As in really, really, really relieved.

But still, I’m sending it off with good wishes and hopes and kisses. Feedback in three weeks.

Sentinel #10: Frederick

Sentinels 9 and 10 are directly connected. In Sentinels 9, a corrupt general tries to frame General Herrera (Cam’s father) for corruption and for forming a private army. Sa totoo lang naman, siya at hindi si General Herrera ang corrupt. He had been involved in an arms deal when his adopted daughter’s real father was killed. In Sentinels 10, this general, when confronted by the Sentinels, commits suicide (suicide by cop).

Then, Edith tells me that General Angelo Reyes, who, recently, was under investigation for corruption, committed suicide.

Sentinel #14: Riley

When I first wrote about Mac, I knew I was going to write about Matt Riley as well. I had to give him a setting that I thought was astig, but not as volatile as Afghanistan or Iraq, so I chose this setting from one of the books that I read that had a Navy SEAL for a hero. I was planning to tie daddy John’s book with Riley’s in a way that daddy John and Mac will be called away to rescue Riley who was captured while helping with this place where the government was dealing with civil disobedience. Riley’s own book was supposed to open after his rescue.

That place is Benghazi, Libya kung saan nagkaka-gulo ngayon. Of all the places na ilalagay ko si Riley, doon pa talaga.

Hindi ko alam kung magaling or scary.

P.S. Another coincidence pala. While I was writing Baste’s story, I wrote that daddy John was visiting Manila aboard the USS George Washington. Kaya ‘yong epilogue ni Baste ay nasa aircraft carrier sila. Tapos nabasa ko sa Inquirer na nasa Maynila pala ang George Washington ng mga panahon na ‘yon for a goodwill visit hehe wala lang.

Anyway, here is, as always, a recap:

1. The Sweetest Fling
2. Sentinels Book 3: Safe Harbor
3. Sentinels Book 4: Valiant Love
4 & 5. Sentinels Book 5: Dark Warrior
6 & 7. Sentinels Book 6: Immortal Beloved
8. Sentinels Book 7: Midnight Sun
9. Sentinels Book 8: Uncharted Heart
10. Sentinels Book 9: Beautiful Soul
11. Sentinels Book 10: Rebel Mine

My WIPs are as follows:

1. Nerds Series Book 1
2. Kaden and Olivia
3. Sentinels Book 11: Joseph and Carmen
4. Sentinels Book 12: John and Laurel
5. Wiccan Series Book 1
6. Calendar Series Book 1

I look forward to finishing another manuscript. I’m going to device a more efficient writing schedule. If I stick to that, I’ll be able to hit my next twelve for 2011.

Hope everyone has a blessed and prosperous New Year

Manuscript #7

Working Title: The Sweetest Fling
Wordcount: 20 148
Started: 7/09/09
Finished: 9/06/10

Manuscript #8

Working Title: Sentinels Book 7: Midnight Sun (Gage Aquino)
Wordcount: 20 301
Started: 9/15/10
Finished: 10/15/10

Manuscript #9

Working Title: Sentinels Book 8: Unchartered Heart (Sebastian Galvez)
Wordcount: 20 189
Started: 4/16/10
Finished: 4/25/10

Manuscript #10

Working Title: Sentinels Book 9: Beautiful Soul (Apollo Marasigan)
Wordcount: 20 034
Started: 7/15/10
Finished: 9/09/10

Manuscript #11

Working Title: Sentinels Book 10: Rebel Mine (Frederick Trinidad)
Wordcount: 19 957
Started: 10/26/10
Finished: 11/03/10

I’m still missing one para sa target ko na 12 this year pero nagsusulat pa naman ako at may roughly two weeks pa ako. Kaya pa siguro ang isa. Si Doc Jordan ko last year, buzzer beater ‘yon eh hehe If I don’t meet my target naman, okay lang din. Subukan ulit next year.

Salamat po, Lord.