Twist the Branch

historical inspiration for my fantasy novel: foreign rule in finland & the philippines

Historical inspiration for my fantasy novel: foreign rule in Finland & the Philippines

| Myth | Lore | History, Seeker of the Lost Song, Twist the Branch, Writing | 2 Comments

Why do I write historically-inspired SF/F set in societies that disregard personal autonomy? I admit, when I first noticed it I got a little concerned.⁠ Shouldn’t I be writing about dragons or something lighthearted and fun? ⁠ Then I took a step back and looked at the broad strokes history of my parents’ countries of […]

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How I wrote my first short story in years

| News, Seeker of the Lost Song, Twist the Branch, Writing | Leave a Comment

I’m excited to talk about this: I wrote a short story for the first time in years! ⁠Stone Grown is set in the greater world of my latest fantasy novel Twist the Branch and its sequel-in-progress. It’s historically-inspired, character-driven, and draws on Finnish and Filipino folklore and customs.⁠ Note: A slightly more detailed version of this

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Sci-fi/fantasy worldbuilding process

How I start my worldbuilding process as an SF/F author

| Seeker of the Lost Song, The Quiet is Loud, Twist the Branch, Writing | Leave a Comment

At my recent “World-building and Cultural Research for Storytelling” panel at the Filipino-Canadian Book Festival, one question asked where we start our respective worldbuilding processes. Here I’ll go into more detail about how I start worldbuilding as a sci-fi/fantasy author. /// Note: A slightly more detailed version of this post first appeared in my monthly

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Filipino & Finnish mythology & folklore in my recent work

| Seeker of the Lost Song, The Quiet is Loud, Twist the Branch, Writing | Leave a Comment

To celebrate crossing the midpoint in my science-fantasy novella, I’m sharing the Filipino & Finnish mythology & folklore I’ve incorporated in my work so far. This includes The Quiet is Loud, Twist the Branch (formerly known as Seeker of the Lost Song), TTB’s sequel, and the novella. Folklore/mythology from the Philippines:⁠ ✦ Nuno sa punso,

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The inevitability of Peter Gabriel: creative inspiration

| Misc., Seeker of the Lost Song, Twist the Branch, Writing | Leave a Comment

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

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Recommender Grants for Seeker of the Lost Song

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I’m grateful to ECW Press, Diaspora Dialogues, and the Ontario Arts Council for awarding me Recommender Grants for Writers to write Seeker of the Lost Song*, my fantasy novel-in-progress blending elements of Filipino and Finnish culture and history. It’s truly an honour to have this support. Arts funding is critically important not only to those

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