FAQ
1. How did Mayet get into writing?
Although writing is her first love, Mayet was a visual artist and learned her drawing skills from painter Elaine Roberto-Navas. Other gifted teachers followed like Fernando Sena, and through the years she has has also taken classes wtih world-renowned portrait artist Daniel Greene in Boston and Gregg Kreutz at the Scottsdale Artists' School in Arizona.
Her last major art exhibit "Homage to the Masters" was held at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila in 2002 was considered a critical success. Her painting, "The Blue Gift", in homage to Pierre Bonnard, stood alongside works of National Artists Vicente Manansala, Napoleon Abuevaand Arturo Luz. Other artists in that exhibit included Romulo Galicano, Antonio Austria and Juvenal Sanso.
Mayet felt that she wanted to explore the world through words and beyond the canvas from which she was painting on. She published her first novel "Fourteen Days", a modern contemporary romance in 2010. In 2011, Mayet was recognized as "Author of the Month" by Powerbooks, one of the major bookstores in the Philippines.
2. How can I contact Mayet, and does she read my email?
If you have a specific question for Mayet, click on Contact. Mayet does read every e-mail, and will try to answer some herself.
3. May I send Mayet a book to be signed?
If you would like your books signed, send an e-mail through the Contact page. We will respond and tell you where to send them. You will need to include return postage with your books.
4. Does Mayet have any advise for aspiring writers?
The best advise she can give to aspiring writers is to write everyday. Mayet aims for 1,000 words a day, but during difficult times when she can't reach this goal, she tries her best with what she has.
She also uses the phrase "write drunk, edit sober", wrongly attributed to Ernest Hemingway but actually written by Peter de Vries. She writes drunk in imagination (not alcohol), and lets an idea run its course. Editing her work to its final form is one activity Mayet enjoys.
5. What is her favorite writing advice from another author?
Mayet follows Stephen King's advice on writing -“Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open. Your stuff starts out being just for you, in other words, but then it goes out. Once you know what the story is and get it right — as right as you can, anyway — it belongs to anyone who wants to read it. Or criticize it.”
6. What writers does Mayet like to read?
Mayet likes to reads thrillers, and she was fortunate to meet them many of them in person at the Thrillerfest writing conferences held in New York City every year.
She is a fan of Dan Brown, John Grisham, Robert Ludlum, Patricia Cornwell and Ken Follett. She is also drawn to the writing styles of Truman Capote, Harper Lee and John Steinbeck.
7. How best to keep up with what's happening with Mayet's books?
The website itself is a great way to catch up with Mayet, but the newsletter which is sent out periodically contains the latest and greatest news. Click here to sign up.
You can also follow Mayet's Facebook and Instagram pages in which she posts a lot of important updates on her work.
