Update on Lauriat Copies and PSF 7

Lauriat, the Filipino-Chinese speculative fiction anthology that my story “The Perpetual Day” is in and which Publishers Weekly reviewed, is now available as an e-book! You can get it from Weightless Books (in EPUB / PDF / PRC formats) or from the publisher (in PDF). It’s 6.99 USD and no DRM! You can also get the e-book from Amazon (in AZW format) for 8.99 USD. The paperback will be available on August 15 in stores but you can order it now too from Amazon for 18 USD. Good responses to the book so far!

UPDATE: You can also now buy it from Wizard’s Tower Book (in EPUB / MOBI formats) for 4.49 GBP.

Philippine Speculative Fiction 7, which includes my story “The Likeness of God,” was launched on July 28, 2012. I couldn’t go but my friend Joanna represented me and apparently did a bang up job of it! Some pics of it at Eliza’s blog! You can also order the e-book here for 5.99 USD.

Kindle and PSF7

Guess who got a Kindle! (Finally. I don’t know why it took me this long.) It’s a Touch and I got it for a really good price from the Wan Chai Computer Centre. (Yes, from an authorized reseller. Wan Chai is losing its notoriety and going all legit.) This thing is brilliant.

And right on time for the release of Philippine Speculative Fiction 7, which includes my story “The Likeness of God”! It’s on Amazon right now and will be available in other venues soon. Congratulations to everyone and thanks again to Kate and Alex Osias!

Excerpt from “The Likeness of God”:

Aaat murmurs that my madness is a bigger hindrance than he had expected; he regrets not having approached me with greater care. When Maat asks me if I’m frightened about getting lost again on the road, her smugness makes me sick of the entire business and I don’t answer. But I can’t resist watching her walk to the car and lean against the hood, licking the corners of her dry lips while she crosses one slender leg over the other. She catches my gaze and pats the door of the truck, coaxing me to come over and be reasonable.

I bristle at her ridiculous superiority but the heat is unbearable. I return to the car, start the engine, and pull out of the bar. I tell them we’re going back home. A look of defeat crosses Aaat’s face and Maat consoles him, saying they can always find a more competent guide to take them to the Godmen. I beat the steering wheel with my palm and shout I’m the Godman they want and the two of them fall into whispers between themselves.

In other news, Philippine Speculative Fiction 6,which includes my story “Hollowbody”, has been nominated for the Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards! Come and vote!

Update!

So things have been going on!

Abyss and Apex has accepted my short story Heartland! This is a big deal because 1. Abyss and Apex, and 2. I wrote the story five years ago and it kept getting rejected and I kept revising it to its best reincarnation and now it feels like it’s all grown up. I don’t think I’ve ever had such faith on a story before. I’ll be posting here when it’s available!

Publishers Weekly reviewed Lauriat: A Filipino-Chinese Speculative Fiction Anthology, edited by specfic guru Charles Tan, and they spoke quite favorable about my story, The Perpetual Day, which understandably sent me into an overnight tizzy:

Two standouts are Crystal Koo’s amusing and surprising “The Perpetual Day,” wherein a worldwide pandemic curses people to eternal wakefulness…

Here’s the book description from the editor:

Filipinos and Chinese have a rich, vibrant literature when it comes to speculative fiction. But what about the fiction of the Filipino-Chinese, who draw their roots from both cultures? This is what this anthology attempts to answer. Featuring stories that deal with voyeur ghosts, taboo lovers, a town that cannot sleep, the Chinese zodiac, and an exile that finally comes home, Lauriat: A Filipino-Chinese Speculative Fiction Anthology covers a diverse selection of narratives from fresh, Southeast Asian voices.

And the TOC:

1. “Two Women Worth Watching” by Andrew Drilon
2. “Ho-We” by Erin Chupeco
3. “The Chinese Zodiac” by Kristine Ong Muslim
4. “Pure” by Isabel Yap
5. “Dimsum” by Christine V. Lao
6. “August Moon” by Gabriela Lee
7. “The Captain’s Nephew” by Paolo Chikiamco
8. “The Stranger at my Grandmother’s Wake” by Fidelis Tan
9. “Chopsticks” by Marc Gregory Yu
10. “Fold Up Boy” by Yvette Tan
11. “The Tiger Lady” by Margaret Kawsek
12. “The Perpetual Day” by Crystal Koo
13. “Cricket” by Kenneth Yu
14. “The Way of Those Who Stayed Behind” by Douglas Candano

Also, Philippine Speculative Fiction 7, edited by Alex and Kate Osias and includes my story The Likeness of God, will be launched this July! Details: 28 July 2012, 2PM, at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Shangri-la Plaza, EDSA. I can’t fly home for it because I have to be at work that day, but I’m sending a representative so they don’t have to pick a hapless stranger from the audience to stand in and breakdance the story for me. TOC:

1. All That We May See by Kenneth Yu
2. All the Best of Dark and Bright by Isabel Yap
3. Bastard Sword by Nikki Alfar
4. Chasers by Chris Mariano
5. East of the Sun by Dean Francis Alfar
6. Faith in Fiction by James Constantino Bautista
7. Mother of Monsters by Philip Corpuz
8. Never Land by Mo Francisco
9. Oblation by Paolo Chikiamco
10. Pet by Kristine Ong Muslim
11. Sarsarita Time by Melissa Sipin
12. The Call of the Chained God by Dariel Quiogue
13. The Changes by Benito Vergara
14. The Commute to Paradiso by Charles Tan
15. The Day Nostalgia Swept Over a Town by F. Jordan Carnice
16. Dragon’s Orb by Vincent Michael Simbulan
17. The Likeness of God by Crystal Koo
18. The Little Things the Datu Did by Andrew Drilon
19. The Love Spell by Julian dela Cerna
20. The Nature of Apocalypse by Joseph Anthony Montecillo
21. The Scrap Collectors by Arlynn Despi
22. username: tanglaw by Eliza Victoria
23. What the Body Remembers by Tin Lao
24. What You See by Ian Rosales Casocot

UPDATE ON THE PHILIPPINE SPECULATIVE FICTION SERIES: The anthologies have been published as ebooks by Flipreads  and are available on Amazon.com, Flipreads and iTunes! My stories are included in Philippine Speculative Fiction 4 and Philippine Speculative Fiction 6.

Pic from RocketKapre.com

I also have other things running in the background, so fingers crossed for more good news!