Raissa Claire R. Falgui is a Filipina author whose most recent speculative fiction publications include a story in the anthology Fly by Night, and several in her collection Dreaming of the Sea. Due to the knowledge she has picked up throughout her studies and various writing and editing jobs, most of her works have to do with history, culture, and mythology often combined with elements of romance. Her historical novel Woman in a Frame was shortlisted for the Philippine National Book Awards in 2015. Her collection Virtual Centre and other Science Fiction Stories, published by Penguin Random House SEA, includes an update of her Palanca-winning future fiction story. 

Now an editor at Milflores Publishing, she is a graduate of the University of the Philippines with an MA in Creative Writing and a BA in Art Studies. She is married to Ateneo English teacher Joel Falgui and they have three children.

Hi, Raissa! How does it feel to be published in Philippine Genre Stories?

Delightful! I’ve somehow managed to miss all past calls for submission, so glad I got to submit this time and got accepted. I know I’m in good company.

Glad to finally have you in PGS! So how did the idea for “The Shyest of All Flowers” come about?

I was out with the kids on the playground fooling around with some makahiya and that reminded me of the legend where a shy girl turns into makahiya. 

Once back home settling down to do my freelance work, I thought how unfair it was that women in legends get saved from rape by being turned into plants (Daphne from the Greek is another). Sure they’re saved but they’re also punished by becoming trapped in an inanimate form! Who wants to be alive and unhurt but unable to enjoy normal life again? I thought the deities involved were idiots. 

Then I literally heard the voice of Mariang Makiling in my head and started transcribing the story that came flowing out. My teen daughter read it soon after I finished and really enjoyed it. There’s been some editing of language and style, but the story here is exactly as I typed it in one go.

That voice definitely stood out! And what’s the next writing project that you’re working on?

I have several unfinished books and stories. The last one I was working on was a story telling the true heroic acts of Lapu-lapu. I have an almost finished historical novel on post-WW2 reconstruction and I have planned a novel on writers hired by an AI publisher. One part was published by 8letters as the novella Make it Real but I still hope to finish the others!  I also have to write a guest blog for Pen Around the World about my international book fair experience. 

Whoa, looks like a lot of writing needs to be done.:) And we’ll watch for when these come out. And what are you currently reading? It’s for what kind of readers? Please tell us more about it. 

I have a lot of unfinished reading too! I was in the middle of A Touch of Eternity by Durjoy Datta, a speculative romance novel I picked up in India. It’s very YA but I think anyone intrigued by the premise would enjoy it. It’s the story of young star-crossed soulmates who participate in an experiment which may make reincarnation of body along with soul possible.

Thanks for the recommendation! And in Philippine Genre Stories, which among the published stories do you like the most so far? Why?

Kapre: A Love Story is one of the last I remember reading. It’s tender and satisfying and maintains a constant tension with the Kapre behaving against his nature. And Rin Chupeco’s language is a pleasure to read, the detailed descriptions bringing the characters to life but never bogging down the narrative.

Indeed a crowd favorite. 🙂 Given your writing experience, what writing tips can you share for the aspiring storytellers out there?

You don’t become a productive writer just by shutting yourself up and forcing yourself to write. You need to have enriching experiences, what Julia Cameon calls in The Artist’s Way “filling the well.” I quit mindless TV watching in the days that we still had cable so that I could have more time to write, but I still made time to watch what really mattered to me and anything related to my writing projects.

A lot of people think you have to be reclusive and avoid as many commitments as possible (including having kids!) to have time to write.  But writing feeds off your life; you have to be out there having experiences too. I would just advise staying focused on the things you care most about, then carve out time for writing. I have other tips on my Goodreads blog: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5359215.Raissa_Rivera_Falgui/blog

And as an editor, what are the top three best editorial practices you can share with folks?  

Someone else has to read your work to assess it, but don’t pick just anyone. Pick someone who shares your taste, who is a reader of the genre you wrote in and someone who is not afraid to be honest with you—but isn’t mean or jealous!

It’s so easy now in the age of Google so make sure to fact check anything you’re not absolutely sure of. It can be distracting, easy to go down a rabbit hole when doing research. But I have often picked up other story ideas when doing so as well as made sure my story was watertight, so it’s well worth it. Even if it’s fiction, you don’t want to lose the respect of readers or miseducate. You can take liberties with facts in some contexts but make sure you  have a good reason.

My go-to stylebook is The Write Way by Richard Lederer and Richard Dowis. Any other editorial tip I can give you is right there!

Thank you again so much, Raissa, and we are really happy to have your company in 2024!