From Chilhood Hobby to a Full-time Career

For the aspiring novelists of our Power ng Pinoy show,  we’re proud to feature the story of best-selling and award-winning author, Geraldine Solon.

Next month,  Geraldine will be launching her latest novel, The Assignment at the Philippine Consulate  in San Francisco. The Assignment along with Geraldine’s other novel, Love Letters has been optioned for film. This event is sponsored by Power ng Pinoy TV along with the Literacy Initiatives International Foundation (LIIF), and the Philippine Consulate.

Geraldine grew up in Cebu to a French/ Spanish / Filipino family.  She moved to Manila when she was 14 years old.After graduating from St. Scholastica’s High School she went on to study business at Assumption College and the International Academy of Management and Economics, where she studied business.

She entered the professional world right after college, managing a swim and dance retail company in the Visayas before she moved back to Manila, where she worked for several private companies, the government, and the Mexican Embassy.  Not once did she imagine becoming a writer.

 “I took up communications in college but I didn’t really know”, comments Geraldine, “I’ve always loved to write, I started writing poems when I was 8, but it was more like a hobby.  I didn’t know I was capable of writing a book until I came to the U.S.”

Geraldine Solon: Award-winning Author (Photo Courtesy of Vincent Gotti)

She adds,

I believe that a wild imagination and the skill of writing put together and of course your heart, like taking that meaningful experience has played a great role in my life.

Her first novel, Love Letters, she said, was not based on real life but born completely out of her imagination. Despite her success in publishing, Geraldine has not denied Filipino influences on her novels. “Filipinos are very romantic, and this had greatly influenced my writing”.

Geraldine said she wrote poetry and dabbled in other kinds of writing, but found her passion in love stories. Since coming to the United States, Geraldine has published three novels including: Love Letters, Chocolicious, and The Assignment.

Next week, we will be sharing with you a more detailed interview we had with Geraldine about her life story and experiences as a novelist. In the meantime, here’s a brief summary of The Assignment:

“The Assignment” booklaunch event scheduled on March 8

“American travel journalist Sophie Matthews is searching for that elusive place called home. Working for Constar Communications has allowed her to see the world and experience different cultures, but the nomadic lifestyle has not enabled her to have much of a personal life.  As she approaches her fortieth birthday, Sophie’s priorities shift and she decides to quit her job to pursue a different dream–meeting a man, settling down, and starting a family. Her boss, Greg Sullivan, has one request–that Sophie complete her last assignment featuring the life of artist/writer Marina Suarez.

During World War II, Marina’s entire village was captured by Japanese soldiers leaving Marina as the sole survivor. How she was able to survive the slaughter of her village and family remains a mystery. Sophie is intrigued by the assignment, but hesitant to return to the Philippines, which left her with a broken heart ten years ago at the hands of Eric Santiago, the only man she has ever loved. As fate would have it, Sophie soon finds herself in the busy streets of Manila and crosses paths with Eric Santiago once again. As Sophie tries to unravel the mystery of Marina’s life, she learns that Eric is the only one who can help her put the pieces together.  But when she discovers Marina’s deep, dark secret, little does Sophie know that it will change her life forever.”

The book launch event for the  The Assignment  will be on March 8, 2013 at the Social Hall of  the SF Philippine Consulate at 447 Sutter St. San Francisco.  You can learn more about Geraldine by checking her website at www.geraldinesolon.com.

(Power ng Pinoy is a weekly TV show that features successful and inspiring Filipinos. For more information, please visit www.powerngpinoy.tv)