The past weeks, though crazy busy, worked pretty great for me. For starters, I got three ARCs, and one of which is Someday With You and other stories by Ines B. Yao.

It's been a week since the complete line-up of new #SparkNA books were released in the wild. To celebrate, Clare Elisabeth Marquez, ​author of Simply Joei, joins us in an interview and a giveaway. YAAAAY!
This is your debut novella ​and it got published by Anvil. Wow. How does that f​eel like?

It was an indescribable feeling of happiness and achievement. I had hoped and prayed for it and it was an answered prayer. I may have shed a tear when I got the unofficial news from Mina. It was exhilarating when I got the official confirmation from Anvil.

Give us an insight into your main character. What does she do that is so special?
Truth is, I never dreamed of being a published author. It was never in my vision, really. I never write with a publishing offer in mind because,

I guess, that part of me is the artist, the writer, who fears the audience will not like what they will see or hear or in my case, read. So I never tried to submit anything to any publishing firm or self-publish my own work. I truly just write for the pleasure of it.

But that being said, when I was fortunate enough to get an offer from a legit publishing firm, I realized I can share these stories I make to those who may give them a chance. There may be some audience who will like it and appreciate them. If there is one (maybe that's you, my friend Veronica!) - or twenty -who will tell me they liked what I wrote, that they feel happy or sad or kilig or hopeful, I think that makes my written words worthy. It might not achieve world peace or cure cancer but if it would have made one person smile or sigh or take a moment in reflection, it places some sort of value to it. That for me is success. My worth as a writer is the value that my audience put on my written work. ​If my stories reach far and wide and read by as many people possible - and liked it! - then that for me is good.​

I say literary success is more than the money it can earn but the respect and value your audience
will​ put into your work. The money will come later, I reckon. If they like your work, they will buy it, right? If my stories can earn as much as JK Rowling's or Erika James's novels, that too, is not a bad meaning of success, right? It would get me a massive writer's desk in a cabin where I can enjoy my coffee and the beauty of the snow-capped mountains I've always dreamed of.

Any upcoming projects we should look forward to?
I have finished writing my second full-length novel with a working title "She's A Basket Kate". If you have read Simply Joei, you would have met Joei's lunatic best friend Kate and Jake's equally crazy clown best friend Kiko. Those two are nemesis. Wors​e than cats and dogs! They have their own story to tell and just like with ​ Jake and Joei, fate had its way of aligning their stars for a chance in love. This is a romantic - comedy because the characters are simply unhinged. But I love them and how they have found to be together despite the odds presented to them in life. ​I have two other stories ​in mind and the characters in them have had appearances in the other stories I made/ am making. They sort of live in the same universe​, but don't we all do?

Connect with the author:
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter​

GIVEAWAY

I'm hosting my first giveaway here in the blog so I'm excited! Join the raffle below to get a chance to win a paperback signed copy of Simply Joei + a romanceclass ebook of your choice. Will pick two winners on Valentine's Day! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

As I have mentioned before, I was also a participant of the #SparkNA class back in 2015. I was glad to finish that class, but mainly because I found it difficult to write a story. It was important for me though, because not only did I learn about writing romance, I also discovered that I could do beta-reading and proofreading because I did it for Simply Joei. If this was Clare Elisabeth Marquez's first child, it was like a godchild to me.

If you've read a lot of romance books before, you might think that you've read about this story before. Make-believe relationships, family not approving of the relationship, and the comeback of a wicked ex are not exactly new ideas. That being said though, I still say this book is still worth reading because...

1. The pacing of the book is good. If you sit down and start to read this, you'd be finished in a couple of hours. If you're looking for a quick read that will entertain you, then check this one out. It's unputdownable. 
2. The main challenge for the #SparkNA class is to have a main character who is brave, and Josephine Telencio, also known as Joei, is just that. Sure, she was stupid at times. Like many of our romance book heroines, she's one you'd want to smack in the head, but I still say she's brave with the choices she made in the long run. 
3. The love interest, Jacob Calleja, is a darling. I know that there are readers, myself included, who like stories better when it's the guy who first falls in love with the girl. If you're that kind of reader, then you'll adore Jake. 
4. The supporting characters are golden. Kiko and Kate are funny and lovable characters. They are loyal friends and you'll want more of them. 
5. If you're a fan of grand gestures, then you'll swoon over this one. 
6. Clare Elisabeth Marquez, has a way with words. She uses imagery excellently that you find yourself smiling at how she describes things.

​​To be honest, I felt like Jake and Joei did not have a solid foundation for their relationship. They were only bound by circumstances that brought them together. Before the road trip, they haven't really spent so much time together, and that for me, was problematic. But I guess for some people, they just fall when they fall. Love, when we don't overthink things, is simply like that, right?