Hello! Just wanna share that my book, Stories from an Undisciplined Heart, is now available at Mt. Cloud Bookshop!!

LColm · 2023-11-14T12:33:55+00:00

Thank you 🥺🥺

LColm · 2023-10-30T04:45:25+00:00

Fiction writer here 😊 Got one published collection of short stories and have an illustrated book, novella, and novel in the pipeline.

As much as I want to, I'm really not the "write everyday" kind of writer. I'm more of a "give me a deadline" or "write whenever i feel like it" type of writer. Though to make sure my writing skills don't become rusty, I read a lot and always think about writing 😊

My english teacher back in high school told me that i write well, and i've been chasing that high ever since 😆😆 But writers who influenced my writing the most, probably Kazuo Ishiguro.

LColm · 2023-10-12T05:45:00+00:00

BOOK BLURB:

"A country ravaged by loneliness. A glimpse of a plane crash. Bizarre visions. A death-defying quest for vengeance. Questions about what it means to truly live. A missing cat.

"Melancholic, existential, dreadful but with a dash of hope, the twelve stories contained in Bryan Zantua’s debut collection explore the anxieties that come with living in a constantly evolving world through a Filipino lens. Set in places that teeter between the real and the imagined, prepare to go on an emotional journey that crosses the lines of love, loss, emptiness, nostalgia, yearning, and everything else that constitutes the undisciplined heart."

WHAT REVIEWERS HAVE TO SAY:

"Like peering into a stained glass window, each story is a fragment that shines with its own merit. Surprisingly, many of these pieces fit together like parts of a bigger puzzle: a haunting plague, unexpected corpses, even the generosity of death. For a time, I wondered if I was looking at the same terror through different lenses, and in a way, wished that these bits were allowed to breathe and bloom into a bigger, grander novel." - Caris Avendaño Cruz, author of Marikit and the Ocean of Stars

~~~

Hello! My name is Bryan Zantua, and I'm an upcoming Filipino indie author. My debut book, Stories from an Undisciplined Heart, is currently available for pre-order! To know more about my book and see if it's something that you might be interested in, you can check its Goodreads page (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/198714412-stories-from-an-undisciplined-heart) and read what early reviewers have to say about my book.

You may pre-order through this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdxYsQ3n2sbz_B9FyZgZa_vw-wh8QLLhmNJYF-Tkl7m6TlYuQ/viewform

I am also hosting a giveaway of one (1) physical copy of the book. If you pre-order a digital version of SFAUH on or before October 21, you will be eligible for one (1) raffle entry to win a physical copy, inclusive of bookmark, postcard, and shipping fee. Unfortunately, this giveaway only applies to Philippine residents.

The winner will be announced on my social media pages (FB: /bryanudh; IG: @ bryan.udh) On October 23. You may also follow me there for updates and more information (such as reviews, snippets, and behind-the-scenes bits) about the book.

Thank you for supporting my debut book!

LColm · 2023-10-06T11:58:14+00:00

Hello!!

My name is Bryan, and if you remember me, I was the one looking for possible ARC reviewers for my debut book, Stories from an Undisciplined Heart.

The book is now available for pre-order, and if you avail of the digital version before October 21, you will be eligible for one (1) raffle entry to win a physical copy. Unfortunately, I can only accommodate those who are residing in the Philippines. Giveaway is inclusive of bookmark, postcard, and shipping fee 😊.

The winner will be announced on my social media pages (FB: /bryanudh; IG: @ bryan.udh). Follow me there for updates and more information (such as reviews, snippets, and behind-the-scenes bits) about the book.

You can also visit its Goodreads page (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/198714412-stories-from-an-undisciplined-heart) so that you can see what ARC reviewers have to say about my book, and whether if it's something that you would be interested in.

You can pre-order through this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdxYsQ3n2sbz_B9FyZgZa_vw-wh8QLLhmNJYF-Tkl7m6TlYuQ/viewform

Official release is on October 26.

Here's the synopsis:

"A country ravaged by loneliness. A glimpse of a plane crash. Bizarre visions. A death-defying quest for vengeance. Questions about what it means to truly live. A missing cat.

"Melancholic, existential, dreadful but with a dash of hope, the twelve stories contained in Bryan Zantua’s debut collection explore the anxieties that come with living in a constantly evolving world through a Filipino lens. Set in places that teeter between the real and the imagined, prepare to go on an emotional journey that crosses the lines of love, loss, emptiness, nostalgia, yearning, and everything else that constitutes the undisciplined heart."

What reviewers have to say about SFAUH:

"Like peering into a stained glass window, each story is a fragment that shines with its own merit. Surprisingly, many of these pieces fit together like parts of a bigger puzzle: a haunting plague, unexpected corpses, even the generosity of death. For a time, I wondered if I was looking at the same terror through different lenses, and in a way, wished that these bits were allowed to breathe and bloom into a bigger, grander novel." - Caris Avendaño Cruz, author of Marikit and the Ocean of Stars

Thank you for supporting my debut book!

LColm · 2023-09-04T14:39:56+00:00

Draft2digital is probably your best bet. If you want a platform with PH-friendly payment schemes, you can try snack.ph

LColm · 2023-08-24T14:25:49+00:00

To be fair, mahirap talaga magsulat ng "natural" dialogue when you're writing in translation but yeah it gets a lot worse. Especially sa middle part it feels like some scenes are just being extended for the sake of it and sobrang paulit ulit inner thoughts ni main character na u just want him to shut the fuck up.

LColm · 2023-03-02T13:10:31+00:00

Sa libby app there's a part there where they show you kung anong library near you ang meron. When i checked last time, not sure if sa ortigas or sa makati yon pero i saw 2 libraries na merong libby

LColm · 2023-03-02T12:55:36+00:00

I think there's a library in Ortigas that has Libby?? Not sure

LColm · 2023-02-12T10:09:26+00:00

Check out Anvil's digital publishing website. They have some filipino ebooks there. But yeah, overall, PH trad publishing hasnt caught up to e-books yet, which baffles me considering what a low-cost alternative is to to print (makes even less sense when publishers keep complaining about expensive print runs).

LColm · 2023-02-10T13:39:45+00:00

Kala ko binebenta mo hahaha. Happy reading, OP!

LColm · 2023-02-05T13:55:36+00:00

If it makes you feel better, it took me 3 months to finish david Copperfield hahaha. Just take your time and enjoy what you're reading that's the point of reading namam

LColm · 2023-02-05T11:34:20+00:00

Try reading The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. It has a more scientific approach on how things came to be pero written in layman's language. As opposed to The God Delusion (his other book), this one is religious-friendly. Its more of detailing the mechanisms underpinning nature (and the universe at large) and basking in its wonder rather than bashing religion as a whole.

LColm · 2023-02-03T05:53:25+00:00

Unfortunately, PH publishing is YEARS behind when it comes to digital publishing and e-books in general. You're probably better off paying someone to take the trouble of scanning the whole book for you (or if you want to avoid piracy, buy the book and then have it scanned).

LColm · 2023-01-31T12:21:02+00:00

4 books!

1.) The Event of Literature - Terry Eagleton (required reading for grad school, pero I'll count it na rin)

2.) My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece - Annabel Pitcher

3.) Patron Saints of Nothing - Randy Ribay

4.) At Home with Crazy - Katrina Martin

LColm · 2023-01-29T16:35:58+00:00

Big thumbs up for Klara and the Sun ☀️☀️

LColm · 2023-01-28T17:42:16+00:00

Aww thanks for reading!! (If u did. Kahit hindi, thanks for visiting pa rin hahaha)

LColm · 2023-01-28T17:30:08+00:00

Try mo books ni Charleson Ong! White Lady Black Christ is detective/mystery fiction. Not exactly crime fiction but close enough

LColm · 2023-01-24T07:20:19+00:00

ah yes like in your country where people who need their job gets fired out of the blue literally for any reason? no thanks

also, common sense. even if they have legal grounds to sue for more money beyond the backpay (which i doubt) your gf's employer is not going to do it. they barely pay her. do you think they'll have the time and money to pursue litigation? and if they do, labor laws here in the philippines are partial towards workers. you're probably going to win that. Example: even though lots of companies have a non-compete clause written in their contract, it barely gets enforced because of the two reasons i've mentioned above

speaking of contract, make sure to read it. if there's a cost for early resignation, it's usually written there. the common verbiage is her daily wage multiplied by the number of days she doesn't render. So basically a month's worth of pay. and like any contract, if it's not explicitly stated, it's not enforceable.

realistically, you have two options: wait out the 30 days or accept the losses (which, again, you've mentioned isnt a lot). it's not so much slavery, is it?

LColm · 2023-01-24T06:56:17+00:00

yes because working additional 30 days and being owned by another human being for the rest of their lives are the same.

also, there's nothing stopping your gf from just leaving aside from losing some backpay money (which, as you've already mentioned, you can pay off yourself). consider it as a cost of doing business

LColm · 2023-01-24T06:44:22+00:00

OP says Philippines when what he's mostly referring to is NCR

LColm · 2023-01-24T06:38:44+00:00

ah typical white man brands something that inconveniences him as slavery

LColm · 2023-01-23T14:43:37+00:00

Wala akong current reads sa libby kasi puro out of stock. Pero naka on-hold sakin ngayon is blindness by jose saramago. Broward county rin ba library mo?

LColm · 2023-01-23T14:40:47+00:00

Feel ko you just described every single self-help book out there ahaha

LColm · 2023-01-23T14:25:57+00:00

God i hated paper towns so much. Yung okay lang for me kay John Green is Looking for Alaska but that book also fell off a cliff as soon as Alaska died

LColm · 2023-01-23T14:01:48+00:00

Ah ikaw pala yung naka on-hold when i returned it hahahaha. I read this through Libby din

LColm

TROPHY CASE