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| Photo: Dan Whale/Unsplash |
I'm back again to share with you my interview with C.P. Santi, author of Bucket List To Love. I am excited with this one because the setting of her book is in Japan, one of my dream destinations.
- What is your inspiration in writing “Bucket List To Love”?In a nutshell, Bucket List to Love is the story of a young architect (Aya) who does her masters in Tokyo and falls in love with her senpai (Ryo).
People who know me will think this is my story. After all, I’m an architect who went to Tokyo to do grad school (under the same program and at the same university I mention in this book) and I fell in love with someone who was (technically) a senpai or senior. Even my own husband (aforementionedsenpai) thinks this is about us. I really hate to disillusion him, but it’s not.
This is the second book I’ve written that is set in Japan. Whereas the first one (Be Careful What You Wish For, 2015) deals with older Filipino characters who are professionals in their respective fields, this story takes inspiration from the young and vibrant (and amazingly proactive) Filipino student community in Tokyo, of which I was once a part of. I want to show people what our life as students in Japan is like---the wonder of living in a foreign country for the very first time, the fields of study and the research we undertake, how we interact with and adapt to people of different cultures, what food we eat, how we party, and how we fall in love.
Because yes, falling in love with your tutor is a thing. I’ve seen it happen often enough to know.
And no, it didn't happen to me. Hahaha! - How is your writing process like? Do you have any quirks in your writing process?My writing process varies. I’m a mom of two young boys, so I write whenever and wherever I can. I’ve seriously gotten used to writing steamy scenes with Barney or Mickey Mouse in the background.
I usually write in the kitchen, with my laptop perched on my breadmaker, as I cook meals for my family. Or late at night when they’re all snug in their beds.
My first book took five long years to write. But for this book, we all had to adhere to a strict 2-month schedule. It was really crazy! But I’ve found that having a deadline (and an outline) really helps. I’m a pantser no more! - If you will be given a minute of face to face encounter with any of your book characters, who would you want it to be with and what would you say to him or her?I’d talk to Kit, Aya’s younger sister in Bucket List to Love. I’d tell her that I’m working hard on her story and I hope that I publish it before the end of the year. I’d also ask her to tell Yumi (Aya’s older sister) that she’s next.
- Do you believe in love at first sight? Why or why not?I believe that there are people who ‘recognize’ each other---maybe their energies match or they knew each other in another lifetime (this is the tarot reader in me talking)---and I believe that attraction at first sight can lead to love.
But love is something a lot stronger than that initial attraction. You cannot exist in that moment, frozen in a time bubble. There are many challenges, both external and internal, that you have to deal with sooner or later.
You have to work to deserve love. It’s never as easy as it seems. But it's oh-so-worth it :-) - Give us your best banat or pick-up line.Hahaha! Borrowing this from my husband. He used this when he tried to ask me out the first time.
Him: I hope you don’t find this awkward since I’m so much older than you.
Me: Bakit? Ilang taon ka na ba?
Him: 24
Me: Wow. You’re really older ha.
Him: Bakit? How old are you?
Me: 23
In all fairness, flattery will always score you points. Hahaha! - Finally, use “spark” in a sentence.A spark is a start, but you’ve got to continually fan the flames to keep the fire alive.
Naaaks. Ang corny ko.
C. P. Santi is a Filipina writer based in Tokyo, Japan. She is a wife to an engineer / musician / jokester and a full-time mom to two energetic boys. She loves cooking and feeding people, gorging on chocolate, watching J-doramas, belting it out in the karaoke box, and running around the house playing tickle tag. She also loves dreaming up stories about the people she meets.
In another life, she is also an architect and academic.
Aya Contreras is thrilled to be studying in the land of sakura and sushi. Tokyo is a fascinating city to live in—vending machines, cosplayers, karaoke boxes, and bright, colorful conbinis on every corner. And the architectural design program she’s in is everything she dreamed it to be.
The only problem? Her tutor doesn't seem to like her.
Well, she doesn't like him very much either. Sure, Ryohei Mori is talented, and there's no denying he's hot. But he's also a surly, bossy know-it-all who eats too many cookies.
Another annoying thing about him is he's nosy. And when he stumbles upon the crazy bucket list Aya's sisters forced on her, he teases her mercilessly about it.
But when their professor pairs them up for a design competition, things get . . . interesting. Fueled by beer and a whole lot of cookies, can Aya and Ryo cross out some items on her bucket list without killing each other? Or will they realize there's much more to each other than they'd originally thought?
Publisher: Spark Books, an imprint of Anvil Publishing
ISBN: 9786214201020
Year Published: 2017
Number of Pages: 160
Bucket List To Love is available at National Book Store and Powerbooks branches or order online here.
ISBN: 9786214201020
Year Published: 2017
Number of Pages: 160
Bucket List To Love is available at National Book Store and Powerbooks branches or order online here.
