Kuwentong Musmos Author Interview: Joshene Bersales

In this interview, Joshene Bersales, author of Sakto Lang (OMF-Hiyas, 2019) tells us how she started out in the children's book industry. Sakto Lang is illustrated by Domz Agsaway. 

Why are you writing for children?

I hope that through my stories, children will see that what they think and feel are real, important, and valid. 

What is your Philippine Children’s Literature origin story? (How did you start writing for kids and getting published)

I started writing stories when I was around eight years old. I’d write on the back of old notebooks and even draw comic strips sometimes. But I only seriously considered writing for children in college, after taking an elective on Writing and Illustrating for Children. My thesis was actually about Augie Rivera’s Batang Historyador Series! Then I joined Adarna House’s Barlaya workshop in 2006, where I wrote the draft of my first book, Bianca’s Big Secret. It took me ten years to revise (life got in the way), but I’m grateful that Adarna still considered my material worth publishing a decade later :) 

Give three words or phrases to describe your Kuwentong Musmos Workshop experience.

New doors

Less is more

Revision is the key

What is the book you wish you had written and why?

The Little Prince! I’ve always loved Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s writing style, how he managed to convey the pilot’s struggle between wanting to stay a child forever and needing to grow up. The fox is one of my favorite book characters of all time :) 

What advice or tips can you give aspiring children’s book writers?

Write something that you’d want to read over and over again, because you’ll spend a lot of time working on it (writing the first draft, revising, editing, proofreading).

Author bio

Joshene Bersales considers the Little Prince her hero and strives to have his childlike wonder wherever she goes. She graduated with a degree in English Literature from the Ateneo de Manila University. She is a writer, book editor, thespian, and sometimes a translator, too. Joshene likes anime and cats.