We met on Twitter. And we finally had the most excellent hangs over Filipino comfort food at Manam in BGC.
That’s me, Rin Chupeco, Hazel Ureta, Isabelle Adrid, and Gail Villanueva. We’re all in different places in our careers as authors. Rin has published some creepy books (The Girl from the Well, The Suffering, The Bone Witch). Gail and I have our debut novels on submission to publishing houses (shout out to our awesome agents Alyssa and Caitie). Hazel is querying and has her manuscript out with agents. And Isabelle is doing a bit of R&R-ing to solidify her YA contemporary.
Since Gail and Isabelle recently celebrated their birthdays, they treated and dragged their husbands Marc and Nathan along to help us eat the food. Because it was A LOT of food. And it was good food too. The Chicken Inasal Skewers and House Crispy Sisig are life-changing. Get a bowl of Sinigang na Beef Short Rib & Watermelon–be as greedy as you want, no one’s gonna judge. Then down that with a tall glass of Ube + Sago Shake and/or a tubby cup of Mais con Hielo con Queso. Ay, Dios mío. Your taste buds will thank you.
Me, Rin, Gail, Hazel, Isabelle, and Nathan (Nathan doesn’t write but he plays video games)
TRIVIA: I am part-Bacoleña, therefore I am part-chicken inasal
“Pang commercial” pose
Mais con Hielo con Queso con LOVE.
After afternoon tea (without the tea), we surprised Rin with an ambush book signing at our table. We brought out our copies of The Bone Witch (but Hazel blasted Gail, Isabelle, and myself by whipping out a copy of The Girl from the Well), and got our books signed. Rin used my pen. She used my pen!
May this be the first of many Filipino author hangs with these brilliant ladies! We can’t wait to show the world what we built up in our noggins all this time.