A Yummy Book: Lumpia Lane

Smooth would be the adjective I'd use to describe the creation of Lumpia Lane, a children's book published by Hiyas of OMF Literature about Chinoy (Chinese-Pinoy) culture, which I co-authored with Caitlin C. Wu of Cebu and illustrated by C.R. Chua. 

From the time it was envisioned up until it was written, everything went according to schedule.

It began with the two-day creative writing workshop that I conducted at the Philippine Christian Gospel School (PCGS) in Cebu, and which I blogged about thrice in a row! The 20 talented participants (from grades 7-10) were handpicked by their English teachers because of their interest in both reading and writing.

Our task was to come up with stories, the most outstanding of which would be published by Hiyas—the  very first book authored by a young writer in partnership with an old (very old) one.  

At the end of the second day, there was an avalanche of ideas. Credit goes to PCGS for training them to think out of the box. Their individual manucripts had to be further polished, based on our one-on-one critique session, and emailed to me after a week. Yes, the onus was on me. 

How does one choose from the pool of endearing stories? 

One, however, stood out: Lumpia Lane. It dwelt not only on values but also on Chinoy culture, which is so much a part of us.

From there, Caitlin and I exchanged ideas online on how to make it more compelling. After several revisions, we finally had the draft down pat.  I sent it to the editors of Hiyas of OMF Lit, who polished it further. After rigid scrutiny from the publications department (yes, books pass through the eye of a needle), it was ready to go to press. 

Then clonk, clop, and clank! The pandemic took center stage. Smooth slinked away. 

Many months later, Hiyas found a way to have it printed! And by God's surprising grace, it was launched online with Julia, her parents, C.R., PCGS's department head, the head of school, and me.  

I call it a yummy book because everyone who has read it says the lumpia makes them drool.

Also, when asked what part of the book she spent most of her time on, the illustrator said, making the lumpia scrumptious. 

But the lumpia in this story is more than a tasty treat. Its variety of colors, ingredients, and meticulous preparation symbolize everything good about a family on a fresh new day!