Can you take us on a journey through the “writer’s room” of your mind? What’s it like in there?

I admit, my ‘writer’s room’ is a mess and it’s packed with fragments of ideas here and there. Think of it as an obsessed investigator’s room chasing a criminal responsible for murders – the red connecting strings, photographs, and the works. To an outsider, the notes and pictures wouldn’t make sense, but for me, it makes a whole lot of sense. Sometimes, it doesn’t to me either lol. It’s an organized mess and I can’t imagine it in any other way.

What’s the most unexpected place or situation where you’ve found inspiration for your writing?

Sitting by a window or just being outside nature influences me to make new stories or come up with scenes that would slowly turn into stories. I think the view itself doesn’t influence me, it’s the right silence and breeze that makes my brain work. I love how the silence and the greenery jumpstart my brain to make colorful tales and create fixes on plot holes.

Share a “writer’s secret” with us—a quirky habit or ritual you have while writing that you’ve never told anyone about.

I think I shared this in LitFest 2022 in Cebu back then – staring at a blank wall without anything does help. It’s a weird hack and it’s certainly not for everyone, but my brain suddenly comes up with what-ifs and such to create a story or overcome writer’s block. It has helped me every single time!

If you could step into the world of one of your stories, which one would it be, and what adventure would you embark on?

I will be honest – NONE. Both of my published works (Loving Mr. Unlikeable and Necrosis) are based on the real world, and the short story I have is close to the beginning of World War II, so no. My unpublished works, which are Urban Fantasy stories, are also very stressful. Plus, if I have to interact with my characters and they find out I’m responsible for their spicy personality, I’ll be toast!

If you could co-write a book with any author, living or dead, who would it be, and what kind of story would you create together?

Haruki Murakami or Dan Brown. I like how Haruki takes the time to describe the scenes and make mundane scenarios appealing. He describes the scene well and fleshes out his characters’ habits perfectly. As for Dan Brown, I love his plots and I like his characters. He’s one of the first authors I actually indulged in when I was younger and he still captivates me.