MAYET

LIGAD

YUHICO

June 2025 update

Save the Date!

MONDAY, 08 DEC 2025

GOSPEL OF ELIANA

For two thousand years, an unthinkable truth has survived—inked on fragile papyrus by Eliana, a young follower of Jesus. Entrusted to five secret Apostles, her words defied time, persecution, and silence—passed down through 80 generations. Hidden. Suppressed. Protected by blood and sacrifice.

Now, art historian Simone Harper uncovers the final thread.

The Gospel of Eliana could rewrite everything we know about the last years of Christ—

but at what cost?

Would you risk your life for the truth?



Author's Notebook

iNSPIRATION FOR THE OPENING CHAPTER

After visiting Egypt in 2023, something about the mystical Giza pyramids made my writer's brain go overdrive. The whole trajectory of the novel changed when I added Egypt as one of the main settings in the novel.

One wonders what history transpired in those huge ancient slabs of limestone and granite. What secrets do they hold?

The pyramids were a perfect hiding place for an object of interest to many interested parties.

A hiding place, a secret. And so the story of the Gospel of Eliana begins.

Writing Rituals

Ernest Hemingway created a makeshift standing desk where his typewriter could rest. He stood up while working on his manuscript for hours.

Diana Gabaldon, author of Outlander, wrote starting midnight. She was a university professor and had a family, and nighttime was the only quiet time she could write. Toni Morrison, author of The Beloved and The Bluest Eye, wrote before dawn. She was a single working mother with two small children, and writing at 4 am gave her uninterrupted time before she worked as an editor at Random House.

I live in Singapore, and early sunlight here is around 7:15 a.m. We just transferred residence but for the past three years, I'd be ready to walk out the door by this time to catch Bus 180 or Bus 335, which will take me two stops to Lakeshore Gardens. I crave the early morning scenery by the lake. A cup of Cold brew or hot black coffee afterward starts me on the road to writing. An image in my head of post-its I created on the wall, of chapters I've written, reminds me of the task ahead.

What are your early morning rituals to start your day?



Writing Tools

PLAYLISTS

I use a very reliable playlist that works for me to accompany me in my writing journey. Sometimes, when events happening around me are too distracting, I retreat by listening to music. There's something about listening to the live version of the

Lola Amour:The Album Concert

that keeps me focused on the writing tasks ahead. Is it the song lyrics composed by Pio Dumayas, Raymond King, or David Yuhico (by the way, he's my son). Or is it the combination of the brassy accompanying sounds of the trumpet, saxophone, guitars, and other instruments?

I usually open Celine's Pomodoro New York street scene to switch things up. Something about the goings-about of people walking in a busy street calms me and sets me to write about characters and settings that are very different from my world.

There's also Soil & Pimp's Death Jazz - now, here's an album that can knock your socks off! For a more mellow vibe, Japanese City Pop is reviving from the 80s and 90s, and there are a good number of playlists from your favorite streaming platforms to explore this genre.

Enjoy the selections!