Marla Miniano: From Childhood Playwright to Summit Books Author

Marla Miniano knew she wanted to write books when she was a third grader, but it as in the sixth grade when she unofficially began her career as an author. She wrote the script for a play in the school program, and upon reviewing it, her English teacher told her, “This is really good. I think you should keep on doing this.” Young Marla took her mentor’s encouraging words to heart and continued working toward her dream of becoming a published author.

In 2008, two years after she graduated from college, Marla saw her dream come to fruition when Summit Books published her debut novel, Every Girl’s Guide to Heartache, the first in a trilogy of books that was well-received by readers all over the Philippines.

It wouldn’t have happened without the aid of Ines Bautista Yao, editor of Summit Books and Marla’s former boss at Candy Magazine, from her days as part of the Candy Council of Cool. During Marla’s final year in college, she got Ines to read her undergraduate thesis, which was a collection of short stories. Years later, Ines remembered her pieces and tapped her to write for Summit Books. “It helps to really let other people read your work. If Ines [had] never read my work before that, I don't think she would have asked me to write for Summit Books,” Marla, who is now also the deputy editor-in-chief of Candy Magazine, tells Female Network with a smile.

Three years have passed since then, and Marla has solidified her place as a Summit Books author, adding a short story collection called Table for Two to her list of published works as well as her newest novel, Fan Girl.

Fan Girl follows the story of Summer, a pretty average college student who engages in a love affair with Scott, the frontman of a popular local band called Violet Reaction. When Scott hits the big time and leaves for the US, Summer follows him and embarks on her own personal journey. Along the way, she learns new things--not just about Scott, but about herself as well. In the end, she must make another life-changing decision.