Local Authors

A young woman is irresistibly drawn to the polluted Pasig River. A couple finds a baby on their doorstep that may not be human. The author of this book receives random phone calls from her dead father. And in this new edition, a B movie-inspired tale joins the ranks, told with the author’s signature meld of Filipino folk beliefs and modern settings. These are some of the stories in the critically acclaimed Waking the Dead and Other Stories, considered a significant work in Pinoy horror literature.

Zea Asis' first book of essays is about a young woman's coming-of-age in the Philippines as bound to the necessity of movement, physical, emotional and intellectual, which become the impetus for the constant discovery of selves, past and present. Through acts of consumption and romantic interludes, across thrift spaces, office spaces, and streets, Asis captures a womanhood that refuses romanticism, and instead revels in the interweaving of grit and grace necessary for contemporary survival.

Snakes in the Grass tells the dramatic and often disturbing story of life within the palace walls of Malacañang—home to Imelda and Ferdinand Marcos. This intriguing tale begins with murder and ends with murder. In a frightening twist of fate, Saduj, a young orphan, unwittingly gets caught up in the surreal and sinister Marcos dictatorship. Through his narration we follow the formidable rise of an elite student to president and eventual pariah. Privy to the inner dealings of both Ferdinand and Imelda, Saduj is at first flattered and proud to be such a close confidante of the president, but slowly over time he witnesses the true suffering caused by the barbaric regime. As it slowly dawns on him that he has been hoodwinked into some outlandish fairy tale, so does the chilling reality that he is now a target. With his own life in danger both within the palace walls and on the outside, and the dictatorship about to implode, can he survive long enough to find a way out? Although a work of fiction, the novel is based on true events, and in particular on one exceptional man, destined for greatness but only to end up diseased by power and greed whilst ably abetted by his duplicitous wife.

Nang maghasik yata ng kamalasan ang Diyos, sinalo lahat ni Jhustin. Una, naiinis siya sa ligaw na titik 'H' sa kanyang pangalan. Pangalawa, lagi siyang inaasar ng kanyang kapatid at mga kaklase dahil dito. Pangatlo, hindi naman niya masisi ang magulang na nagbigay sa kanya ng kakatwang pangalan dahil matagal nang pumanaw ang kanyang ama. Ang hindi alam ni Jhustin, ang kakaiba niyang pangalan ang maghahatid sa kanya ng kakaiba ring suwerte. Sa paborito niyang computer shop kung saan siya laging naglalaro ng online games, may makikilala siyang tao na may ligaw na titik 'H' din sa pangalan. Ang taong ito ang magbibigay ng bagong saysay at kabuluhan sa kanyang buhay sa munti nilang bayan. Lingid sa kanyang kaalaman, ang bago niyang kaibigan ay may itinatago palang lihim. Isang lihim na maaaring sumira sa lahat ng magagandang danas at makapagdala ng higit pang kamalasan sa kanyang buhay. Handa na kaya si Jhustin sa lihim na kanyang matutuklasan?

The first book in a new culinary cozy series full of sharp humor and delectable dishes—one that might just be killer.... When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. She's tasked with saving her Tita Rosie's failing restaurant, and she has to deal with a group of matchmaking aunties who shower her with love and judgment. But when a notoriously nasty food critic (who happens to be her ex-boyfriend) drops dead moments after a confrontation with Lila, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Agatha Christie case. With the cops treating her like she's the one and only suspect, and the shady landlord looking to finally kick the Macapagal family out and resell the storefront, Lila's left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation. Armed with the nosy auntie network, her barista best bud, and her trusted Dachshund, Longanisa, Lila takes on this tasty, twisted case and soon finds her own neck on the chopping block…

Immerse yourself in a fantasy world of Filipino myth, magic, and supernatural suspense! Lambana—the realm of supernatural fairies known as Diwata—has fallen, and the Magic Prohibition Act has been enacted. To add to his troubles, there’s something wrong with Conrad’s heart and only magic can prolong his life. He teams up with Ignacio, a well-connected friend who promises to hook him up with the Diwata and their magical treatments—a quest that’s not only risky but highly illegal! On the shadowy, noir-tinged streets of Manila, multiple realities co-exist and intertwine as the two friends seek a cure for the magical malady. Slinky sirens and roaming wraith-like spirits populate a parallel world ruled by corruption and greed, which Conrad must enter to find the cure he seeks. He has little idea of the creatures he will encounter and the truths to be revealed along the way. Will Lambana spill its secrets and provide the healing balm Conrad needs? Or will he perish in the process? Fans of Neil Gaiman, Emil Ferris and Charles Burns will love this new graphic novel!

_“Am I dead?” Mebuyen sighs. She was hoping the girl would not ask._ Spells and stories, urban legends and immigrant tales: the magic in Isabel Yap’s debut collection jumps right off the page, from the joy in her new novella, 'A Spell for Foolish Hearts' to the terrifying tension of the urban legend 'Have You Heard the One About Anamaria Marquez'.

A coming-of-age story about grief, guilt, and the risks a Filipino-American teenager takes to uncover the truth about his cousin's murder. Jay Reguero plans to spend the last semester of his senior year playing video games before heading to the University of Michigan in the fall. But when he discovers that his Filipino cousin Jun was murdered as part of President Duterte's war on drugs, and no one in the family wants to talk about what happened, Jay travels to the Philippines to find out the real story. Hoping to uncover more about Jun and the events that led to his death, Jay is forced to reckon with the many sides of his cousin before he can face the whole horrible truth—and the part he played in it.

Regina was born and raised in the small town of Heridos, where gods and spirits walked the earth. Until they didn't. Ten years ago, the whole town produced a bad harvest - rice grains as black as soot - and the people of the town moved on, away from the soil and the farms, believing the gods and spirits have abandoned them. It is ten years later, on a Friday before a long weekend, and Regina ends her shift at an office in Makati. She walks home with a new colleague named Diana. Diana, following a strange and disturbing conversation with Regina, does not appear at the office on Monday, and the day after that. And the day after that. On Thursday, Regina opens her bag and finds a folded piece of paper filled with Diana's handwriting. On the page are two names and a strange map that will send Regina home.

Rule No. 1: You don't kill the body you inhabit. Rule No. 2: You should never again mention your previous name. Rule No. 3: You don't ever talk about your previous life. Ever. Two young men with the power to take over another body inhabit the bodies and lives of brothers Jonah and Louis. The takeover leads to a car crash, injuring Jonah's legs and forcing them to stay in the brothers' house for the time being. The street is quiet. The neighbors aren't nosy. Everything is okay. They are safe, for now. Until they find a dead body in the basement.

In this highly anticipated follow-up to 2012’s “A Bottle of Storm Clouds,” award-winning author Eliza Victoria returns with 17 stories of displacement, disillusionment, desperation, and loneliness. In “Seventeen Prayers to the Many-Eyed Mother,” characters seek solace – wittingly or unwittingly – in forces beyond human comprehension. A young woman agrees to make a blood sacrifice in exchange for an American visa. Strangers find themselves stuck in a fatal time loop in a convenience store. A plane crash survivor on a deserted island believes a deity’s name has been carved into the rocks. A broke tourist meets a being untouched by time and space. Diwata, in hopes of assimilation into human society, agree to have their wings surgically removed. And within the darkness of an old mansion, a figure in white appears by the doorway…

Something lives in a rotting house in the town of Santa Clara. Emilia has not thought of this house for years, until a chance meeting with Alma, an old friend from her hometown. When Alma suddenly dies, Emilia finds her way back to Santa Clara, to her circle of friends who rekindle memories of a bizarre ritual left unfinished. Of a dark visitor who sits by their bed at night, of a being who won’t let them sleep. Must they once again awaken whoever dwells in that lonely house?

Lillian is merely looking for a babysitting job for the summer, but a desperate man named Paul Dolores hires her to look after his 28-year-old brother, Caleb. Caleb is suffering from schizoaffective disorder, and Paul, who is about to start on his first office job in a long while, wants to make sure his brother takes his medication on time. Lillian, at first hesitant, accepts the job for the pay and the perks, but soon starts to wonder about the brothers she is working for. How come she can’t find any information online about the drugs Caleb is taking? And how come the national central database lists them as dead?

When Anthony found Flo dead, locked overnight in one of the reading rooms of the university library, he knew it must have something to do with Mary. Mary Prestosa, fourth year graduating Philosophy student, whom they had been investigating. Mary, who surprised her roommate one night by suddenly standing up from her bed, throwing the windows open, and jumping down, headfirst, to the dormitory grounds below. Mary, whose memory marked the trail of mysterious deaths and bizarre occurrences that followed her own fateful fall: the fifth-year Computer Engineering student who prowled the campus on all fours, thirsty for blood, believing he was a wolf; the revelation of an all-girls’ satanic cult; the demonic possession of a fourth-year student from the Department of Psychology; and now—Flo, dead.