Cover Reveal: Where It All Begins
Surprise! (Or, sur-fries!)
I didn’t think I’d be releasing a new book again so soon after Meah, but here we are!
Okay, so it’s not a full book, but a companion book to celebrate Keep the Faith‘s 10th anniversary! I knew I wanted to do something special for this milestone, but I didn’t get to figure it out until after I returned to work from my thyroid surgery, because I was also working on another secret project then (haha that’s all I can say about that for now).
I already had two things I wanted to include, but I knew I needed a third one, and I wanted something from Nico’s point of view. So I thought…why not write about how he fell in love?
This was a writing exercise I used to do to get out of writer’s block and to pad my NaNoWriMo novels back in the day, but you know who did this, too? Stephenie Meyer. LOL.
But anyway. Behold, the cover!
The cover features original, commissioned artwork from Shai San Jose. I’m so, so happy to work with Shai, especially since she also drew the first-ever Faith and Nico fan art years ago that made me cry when she first posted it. ;_; It seems right to work with her again for the anniversary, and I swear, I swooned when she sent me the final artwork — Nico’s hand on Faith’s hip??? HOW PERFECT.
Where It All Begins is a collection of stories that explore Faith and Nico’s relationship as it begins and grows through the years.
In the title story, Nico Tamayo wakes up on a random Thursday morning and finds an angry girl with the saddest eyes he had ever seen, telling him off for sleeping at her desk. Despite starting on the wrong foot, Nico feels drawn to her and takes it upon himself to make her smile again.
No Giving Up finds Faith and Nico in the middle of the pandemic lockdown, as they grapple with a world that seems to get harder and harder to save.
Faith and Nico finally reunite for the first time during the lockdown in Let’s Run Away. As they figure out what to do next, Nico proposes an idea that’s almost too irresistible to refuse but could change the course of their relationship forever.
Heat level: 0 (see #RomanceClass heat level scale for more info)
Content warnings:
You will see some familiar titles here if you’ve been around, especially No Giving Up, which is episode 8 of Hello, Ever After, our pandemic series, and Let’s Run Away, also known as #TananFic. There are some updates to the latter, btw! The first story is brand new, and it’s the first act (and then some) of Keep the Faith, but from Nico’s point of view…because why not? At first, I thought it would be a straightforward retelling of the first few chapters of the novel, but as always, it grew a life of its own, and there would be some things that old readers would probably want to know…like why did Nico start calling Faith French Fries?
The ebook will be released on August 22, 2026, and you can pre-order from Amazon here. More retailers to follow!
I’m working on print copies and aim to have them available at #RomanceClass #FeelsFest2026 on August 22, 1:00-6:00 p.m. at Greek-to-Go Taverna, Quezon City. More details here!
