Summit Books

by Tara FT Sering

Publication Date: October 2003
Price: P150.00
Available at your favorite magazine stands

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW
by Lynn Lopez

Remember Getting Better, that special book released along with your copy of Cosmopolitan last October? I'm sure you do, because it served as a guide in going through life and love's up and downs. What about Karen, the quirky heroine whom you all loved and rooted for as she got over her cheating ex-boyfriend and found love in the arms of the man named Bert Reyno? Well, we've got a surprise for you! Summit Books is coming out with a sequel to Getting Better entitled Almost Married. You'll all be treated to a whole new story and a fun ride as Karen enters different phase in her life. This month, Female Network sat down with Almost Married's author Tara FT Sering. Read on as she talks about writing, Chick Lit, and her latest book.

Tell us what Almost Married is about.

Almost Married is the sequel to Getting Better, so it's next chapter in the life of Karen the Copywriter who is now engaged--again--to her boyfriend of one year, Bert Reyno. It's also about deciding when to get married, and under what circumstances, and about whether or not you have to get married at all.

What made you decide to write a sequel to Getting Better?

I decided to write a sequel because of the readers' response to the first book. They seemed to really like the characters and many of those who sent feedback to Summit Books were asking if there was going to be a sequel. Ano ba daw kasi ang tunay na ending.

There's been a really good response to Getting Better. Do you think Almost Married would generate the same buzz?

I hope it does! It's the first time Summit Books is doing a sequel, so if our readers enjoy continuing stories, we will hopefully ask our other authors to write sequels to the other books--Drama Queen and The Breakup Diaries.

You write about Karen's fears and paranoia so well. Have you ever found yourself in situations similar to hers?

Sometimes. I won't elaborate on which ones, but her fears are pretty much common to most women her age, and that's easy to see based on the lives of my friends. They might kill me for saying this but really, many of the anxieties of Karen are borrowed from the lives of my friends, so even if they're not necessarily my anxieties, I'm fairly familiar with them.

Everyone adored Karen in the first book. How much has she grown and changed in Almost Married?

Unfortunately, I don't know if she grew up at all, or if she displays any marked difference in outlook and mentality. Of course she changed because of her experiences, but the problem that confronts her this time around is somewhat new, so she reacts a bit differently. I don't know if it's the grown-up thing to do, but sometimes, in the face of grave stress, it's possible to maintain poise!

Do you have any plans to follow up Almost Married with another story about Karen's adventures as a bride-to-be or a newlywed?

Not at the moment. We'll be waiting for the response to Almost Married--if readers what to read more about Karen, then maybe we'll pursue that. But for now, we're getting ready with other titles but other writers. After Almost Married, we're releasing another book by another author with a different writing style and a different set of characters. It's called "Mr. Write".

What got you started on writing?

I started writing fiction when I was 15, but of course the things I wrote then sound crazy now. But it was good practice to spend hours on my typewriter (I'm slightly old) dreaming up stories.

Who are your literary influences?

For my foreign influences, I like the Dead White Guys Brigade: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, E.M. Forster. Then there's Joh Updike, but he's still around. For the women, I like Jane Austen, Lorrie Moore, Bharati Mukherjee, Ann Tyler, Isabel Huggan and my new idol Elizabeth McCracken, to name some. For local writers, my idol is Greg Brillantes and my female teachers, Jing Hidalgo and CJ Maraan, have made a big impact on me.

How would you describe your writing style?

I'd like to think of my style as contemporary. also, A lot of my characters are composites of all the people i know. I like mixing personalities to make a new fictional one.

When you write anything of the "Chick Lit" genre, what considerations do you take note of?

First, the main character. she has to be the kind that women can empathize with. It doesn't matter who she is as long as she's sympatica. and since this is Pinay chick lit, the Pinay world has to be felt--from the personal issues, to the physical setting, to the general locale of the story. As for language, it has to be quick and contemporary--chick lit is not out to burden the reader with intense emotional issues, although that's there in subtle instances.

Since you came out with Getting Better, a lot of women have been wondering if you would give writing workshops to aspiring writers. Any plans to take them up on that idea?

Oh yes! I actually give writing workshops when time permits, or when schools invite me for a day. I find it encouraging that many people want to write, although it takes more than a two-day writing workshop for good work to emerge. Our universities have very good writing programs--UP and DLSU are the schools I went to, and I really learned a lot. The teachers are very very generous with what they know.

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