Bakit CJ Dee ang napili mong pen name?
Wala naman pong arte sa name ko liban sa gusto kong maging ka-apelyido si Enchong Dee (joke!). Initials ng real name ko ang letters C, D, at J, ni-rearrange ko lang or I stylized it. I have other projects at gusto kong maiwasan ang ilang minor conflicts. Iyon lang naman.
What are your inspirations in writing this BL novel?
First off, I’m not a BL writer when I started writing back in 2012. Mas nasanay lang talaga ako na gumawa ng kuwento na ang pinakabida ay lalake. I also love taking chances and challenges, at isa sa mga iyon ay ang magsulat ng romantic relationship between two guys. Mahilig rin ako sa mga unusual genres na lagi kong ikino-combine sa Romance since hindi naman pala-show ng feelings ang karamihan ng guys. Regarding naman sa setting ng story, ang masasabi kong major inspiration ko ay ang ‘The Alchemist’ ni Paulo Coelho, ‘The Little Prince’ ni Antoine de Saint Exupery. Nagustuhan ko kung paano nagkaroon ng kuwento sa disyerto. Pangarap ko rin ang makatuntong ng disyerto, eh. Idadagdag ko rin ang kuwentong ‘Rapunzel’ dahil gusto ko ‘yung tore doon! Sa plot naman, siguro inspired ako sa pagkarami-rami ko nang napanood na walkthroughs at movies ng zombie apocalypse.
Are you trying to prove something in writing this novel?
Wala naman. What’s important is that I’m happy with what I wrote. Pero kabado po talaga ako habang naghihintay ng feedback mula sa editors. Hahaha! Pero sa pag-o-online writing ko, I have lots of straight guy readers and most of them, hindi na napapansin ang BL content sa stories ko, as in accustomed na sila. They’re after the other contents. But some, which surprises me, told me kinilig daw sila. I think that’s just healthy. I don’t intend to mock or offend them in writing BL, rather, I want them to understand something.
Did you do research for this novel?
To tell you the truth, hindi ako gaanong nag-research due to busy scheds. But way back when I’m still studying, doon ako maraming inaalam na historical facts, binabasang libro, pinag-aaralang terms, at nilalarong RPG games. Masasabi kong stock knowledge ang katuwang ko sa pagsusulat. But I also ask Google for help kapag hindi na talaga kaya. I also consulted to a dear fujoshi friend kung may talab ba ang ginawa kong romance.
What’s the hardest part in the writing process of The Necromancer?
Hmm… revisions. May 10 chapters na ako since 2013 pero naisipan kong i-rewrite. Hindi ko akalain na sobrang hirap nu’ng magtanggal ka ng isang main character at isang sub-genre. Natamaan halos lahat ng chapters, and then I have to write fillers. Nagsimula na mga paragraphs lang, later on isang buong chapter na ang gap. Literal na masakit iyon sa ulo. Apat na beses ko ring tinapos isulat at ini-rewrite ang final chapter. Samakatuwid, may tatlong final chapter akong nai-dump sa recycle bin. Marami kasi akong naisip na possibilities sa last chapter. I hoped I picked the most suitable ending.
May mga facts or details ka sa story na hindi mo t-in-ackle masyado. How’s that?
Yeah. About Linus, how he became a powerful necromancer and his adventures. But also take note na POV ni Nero ang ginamit ko. From Nero’s Point of view, his personality, and his towering pride, it is really impossible to get to know more about Linus. Pero madali naman pong pag-usapan iyan kung gusto pa ng readers ng book 2, in fact, I will suggest it to my boss and editors.
Do you have any messages to the readers?
Merci! Siguro hindi ka naman makakarating dito sa Q and A kung hindi mo binili/ hiniram at binasa ang book na ito. I am honored to be worth your time. Sa uulitin! *winks*