Rebound Magazine -- The Championship Issue

The championship magazine for last year's college basketball tournaments will be out soon! Get your copies once they're out!

The Lam-Ang Experiment By PGS Contributor Michael Co

PGS contributor Michael Co has a new graphic novel out: "The Lam-Ang Experiment". You can watch the book trailer here. He says he "took a science fiction approach, setting the story hundreds of years in the future instead of the past". Buy the graphic novel once it's out!

"The Tower And The Kite" (Part 2)

The latest story on Philippine Genre Stories: "The Tower And The Kite" (Part 2) by Matthew Jacob F. Ramos. Guest-edited by Exie Abola.

"The Tower And The Kite" (Part 1)

The latest story on Philippine Genre Stories: "The Tower And The Kite" (Part 1) by Matthew Jacob F. Ramos. Guest-edited by Exie Abola.

"Under A Mound Of Earth" (Part 2)

The latest story on Philippine Genre Stories: "Under A Mound Of Earth" by Celestine Trinidad. Guest-edited by Exie Abola.

D.O.A.--Extreme Horror Collection Reviewed by Shaun Hamilton

D.O.A.--Extreme Horror Collection, an anthology in which my short story, "Cherry Clubbing", is included, is reviewed by Shaun Hamilton on The Horrifically Horrifying Horror Blog. He rates the anthology quite highly, and I'm grateful and flattered that he likes my story. An excerpt:

Firstly, BLOOD BOUND BOOKS appear to be a professional outfit who should be proud of their work. The stories are all well written, decently edited and presented in a professional manner. Respect has been shown to the stories, no matter what their content might be and for this they should be congratulated. Not only are they giving authors whose work is designed to shock and disturb even the strongest of wills the opportunity to actually see their work in print, they are treating the stories with the respect they deserve. These authors are people who might be fearful of the reaction their work would create, but BBB appears to be a publisher willing to defend what some might call the indefensible. And for that they must be congratulated.

As per usual with a lot of stories, the best one was the first one, CHERRY CLUBBING by Kenneth Yu. It managed to disgust with subtlety; not going overboard with the descriptions, letting the imagination run riot and asking questions of the reader. Other notables were CATERPILLAR by Craig Saunders, MY DARK LOVER by Stacy Bolli and SAVING RALPH by Alec Cizak.

Thank you for the kind review, Shaun! Click here to read his full review, and here for a copy of the anthology!

All Imported Books Are Tax-Free

The Philippines' Department of Finance has announced that all imported books are tax-free. An excerpt from the article:

All books imported into the Philippines, whether for personal or commercial use, are tax-free, according to the Department of Finance (DOF).

Last December 12, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima signed Department Order No. 57-2011 emphasizing the duty- and VAT-free status of imported books, and detailing guidelines covering clearance procedures from customs.

"All imported books, whether for commercial or personal use with the exception of those published by or for a private commercial enterprise essentially for advertising purposes as stated in Annex A of the Florence Agreement, are exempt from customs duties. Importation of books is likewise exempt from value-added tax (VAT) pursuant to Section 109 (R) of the National Internal Revenue Code," the order stated.

3 Good Things

3 good things to cheer about and support as we enter 2012:

First, the anthology Alternative Alamat was launched last December 14, 2011 by Rocket Kapre. Edited by Paolo Chikiamco, it "gathers stories, by contemporary authors of Philippine fantasy, which make innovative use of elements of Philippine mythology."

Second, Diaspora Ad Astra, the science fiction anthology from Estranghero Press, is now live, featuring 14 science fiction stories by Pinoy writers. The man behind Estranghero Press is Joseph Nacino.

Third, the lineup of stories and authors for Philippine Speculative Fiction 7 has been posted by editors Kate and Alex Osias. 24 stories will soon be made available to readers, most likely by mid-2012.

Pao, Joseph, Kate, and Alex have done great work, and they bring great reads for us to enjoy in 2012. All four of them are PGS contributors, and in each anthology's lineup I see current (and future!) PGS contributors as well. Fiction-wise, locally, 2012 is off to a great start!

"Under A Mound Of Earth" (Part 1)

The latest story on Philippine Genre Stories: "Under A Mound Of Earth" by Celestine Trinidad. Guest-edited by Exie Abola.