shares what inspired her to write about Bakunawa and other sea creatures, incorporate gamification to the story, and more.
Q: There are many references or โEaster eggsโ in the book that relate to Filipino pop culture or history (such as Gary Valenciano, โNo takeoutโ signs, and more). Can you share how you chose which ones to include and did you factor in whether an international audience would be able to get the references?
A: Canโt say I was intentionally choosing which ones to put in the book; I just pulled things from my everyday life and slipped them in. And honestly, I didnโt really stop to think, โHey, would people outside the Philippines get this?โ This wasnโt something I thought too deeply about. I just wrote my story and hoped for the best. If you consider how many people are familiar with Western culture and accept its stories, I figured the same should apply to Filipino culture and our folklore.