In Finnish mythology, a haltija (plural: haltijat) is a guardian spirit living in a liminal space: nature, homes, even within ourselves. The specific haltija that guards a place is called a tonttu (plural: tontut) – a newer word which comes from the Swedish “tomte.” Like the tomte (and the Norwegian/Danish nisse), a tonttu has a […]
Field guide to the Finnish tonttu Read More »
Tarot card poetry zine – if there was ever a more perfect Venn diagram for me, I’ve never seen it. I’m honoured to have poem based on The Chariot in the Major Arcana issue of Tiny Wren Lit. The issue looks gorgeous – and there’s a printable mini-zine to go along with it! Read it
Tarot-inspired poem in Tiny Wren Lit Read More »
Things have been evolving in my life and creativity. I’ve been regularly researching stories from Filipino & Finnish culture and having a blast. So starting in January 2026, I’ll be shifting to monthly reflections on folklore, cultural discoveries, and fragments that don’t always make it into my fiction. It’ll be part cultural storytelling and part
What’s changing with my Patreon in 2026 Read More »
As a kid, I was taught that certain spirits lived just beyond the edges of the path. In Filipino folklore, the nuno sa punso might curse you for disturbing its mound. In Finnish folklore, a type of haltija called a tonttu could guard your house and required certain behaviour. I grew up saying “tabi tabi
Boundary keepers & path shifters: forest spirits in Filipino & Finnish folklore Read More »
For my spring Undone Rituals Mixtape on Patreon, I made a zine! That sentence got an exclamation mark because I haven’t made a zine since I was 24. That’s over 20 years ago! Making a zine in 2025 was different in two main ways: 1) No longer having an office job where I could sneak
My first zine in over 20 years! Read More »
I’m excited to be appearing (virtually!) on a panel at the first Filipino-Canadian Book Festival next month. My event is on Saturday, July 13 at 10.15 am PT. Here are the details: World-building and Cultural Research for Storytelling Join us for this insightful author panel on creating immersive worlds, grounding them in reality, and ensuring
Event alert! Filipino-Canadian Book Festival on July 13 Read More »
I’m excited to have the chance to geek out about both character development and video games at the SFWA Blog! In my article “Character Development Lessons From Video Games,” I talk about some of my favourite character-driven fantasy and role-playing video games, and the lessons they taught me in developing characters in my sci-fi/fantasy books.
SFWA Blog: Character Development Lessons From Video Games Read More »
In writing my historically-inspired sci-fi/fantasy novels, I’ve noticed a few resources I return to often. These resources might be useful for other SF/F authors, so I thought I’d share them. Let me know if there are any that you use that aren’t on this list! 1) Wiktionary Because so many of the names (both for
The top 5 resources I use in writing SF/F novels Read More »
Today is Peter Gabriel’s 74th birthday, and it’s good timing. Lately I’ve been thinking about the way his Genesis years influenced my writing. Ed. note: This post was updated with more content in September 2025. It might not be obvious mainly because he’s a singer and I’m a writer. Of course, though, in Genesis he
The inevitability of Peter Gabriel: creative inspiration Read More »
⫸ (AKA If you like one or more of them you’ll probably find something you like in my work):⫷ ⌯ Robin Hobb: Thoughtful examinations of character and a wide range of relationships. Major events happen in the world but her books feel somehow intimate. Her “Fitz” books were a major inspiration for the tone and
My 5 most influential authors Read More »
