SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA– For the last couple of years, I’ve been working on my debut novel that included the Filipino mythology and takes it outside of the Philippines. After four years of writing, editing, and pitching, Anvil Publishing picked up my book last year.
The Girl between Two Worlds is my first ever attempt at writing a novel. It is about a 16-year-old girl named Karina who starts to manifest supernatural powers and she has no idea why. Her mother, who disappeared soon after they migrated from the Philippines to America, speaks to her in prophetic dreams.
Stranger still is the old man who turns up at her house one day, and claims to be her grandfather, even though Karina’s mother had told her he died a long time ago.
Karina discovers that her mother is an Engkanto princess who ran away from Engkantasia. Karina is now of age to take the throne, and must do so to prevent a war between Engkantasia and the human world. She must learn to control her powers, and fight a range of weird creatures trying to kill her and her family. To make matters worse, she finally meets a boy she likes, and there’s something about him she can’t quite figure out.
I vividly remember where the concept came from. I was wondering why, when Filipinos migrate to other countries, we stop ‘seeing’ spirits, ghosts, and monsters everywhere. I remember saying, Tabi, apo as a child, and being scared of kicking ant hills because a Nuno sa Punso might be living there.
I remember freaking out when I heard bat wings because it might be a manananggal. And who wasn’t scared of the harmless banga in the corner of the house? A Tiyanak might be living in there, you never know.
But when I moved here to Australia, all of those creatures suddenly disappeared. I stopped saying Tabi, apo and highways at night weren’t homes of the white lady anymore. I did feel a bit sad. Like all magic had disappeared and took with it the memories of my childhood.
So I wondered, what if, even after you migrate to another country, these creatures still haunt you? What if there was a Tiyanak in the park where you take your kids? What if there was a manananggal living close to your house? What if there were still Engkantos living in the forest in America? That was how The Girl between Two Worlds was born.
The other reason I wanted to write the story was because there was a huge part of me that wanted to showcase our Filipino folklore to the whole world. Those vampires and werewolves are puppies compared to our aswangs and manananggals. We grew up with very rich stories — some scarier than others. Why not share this with the world?
I am hoping that with this first book in a trilogy, we will be able to spread the fear and terror to other countries around the world.
Wouldn’t that be nice?
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Author’s email: kmlevis@gmail.com
