Pinoy mother publishes new trilogy on Amazon

EVER SINCE she wrote her very first story on yellow ruled paper using a manual typewriter some 30 years ago, I.S.A. Crisostomo Lopez knew writing would always play a great part in her life.

After working for 15 years as a corporate communications officer in a multi-national company, she retired several years ago and became a full time wife and mother. Now she has her hands full, running a household - cooking, washing, cleaning, and taking care of three daughters and an 18-month-old son. Having a baby late in life who would pull her arthritic hand and ask to be carried despite a bad back was part of her daily struggles.

As a Catholic, she always found solace in prayer. During times when she felt low, she turned to prayer and began writing down her thoughts. Writing, according to her, never failed to lift her spirit. “We all get our low moments. But we need to ask for grace and pick ourselves up because no one will do it for us,” she said.

She would write in between house chores or late at night, particularly when her baby is asleep. “One big realization I have is that we’re living on borrowed time, literally and figuratively. So we should not put off doing the things that we know we ought to do,” she said. 

Thinking about her growing children and how many young people today are struggling silently with peer pressure, bullying, addiction, isolation, depression, and many other issues, she thought about writing a story about a young Filipino immigrant who is trying to find his place in the world. This formed the germ of the idea for “58 Minutes in Driftland,” the first book in the Driftand trilogy. 

“58 Minutes in Driftland is my first attempt at combining my faith journey with science fiction. It’s a story of struggle and hope, a story about nightmares and dreams, about friends and bullies. It’s also about believing in yourself. Or if you don’t, it’s about believing in the self which you have yet to discover,” Lopez said.

Lopez said she hopes that her stories can delight and amuse, inspire and motivate young people to find light and hope in whatever situation they may be. (Mindanao Examiner)