Oz Mari G.

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It couldn't come at a more perfect time. My favourite holiday is coming. Here's the interview my co-writer and I, SJ Powell did with Jhon Jatenjor. We talk about our dark fantasy series and the inspiration behind our stories - Philippine lore.

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Eskilibano - The non-atrocious Philippine World War 2 story

The teaser for my first ever attempt at scriptwriting. A story close to my heart — my mother's real life account of her World War 2 experience as a child.

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My interview with Shane of Fictionary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-3IhOCegsQ&t=4s

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One long country drive. A hitchhiking storyteller. 9 tales of horror. What could possibly go wrong?

HUSH... (Hidden & Untold Stories of Horror) | Oz Mari G. on Patreon

Official Post from Oz Mari G.

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A series of excerpts from the WORLD OF THE VISCEREBUS series.

(World of the Viscerebus series.) "When the creatures of your childhood nightmares are real—all 250Million strong, living and loving can be fatal."

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A glimpse of the royal life

Spare by Prince Harry My rating: 5 of 5 stars I read this and listened to the audiobook at the same time, which made for a more engaging experience. Prince Harry's voice came out very clearly, even through the written words. Kudos to his ghost writer, who captured the essence of his personality. I do not know much about Harry as I do not follow the escapades of the royal family, but I have heard snippets of his naughty scrapes in his youth. Prior to reading this book, to me, he was a privileged boy who does humanitarian work. How much and how involved, I had no idea. I must have had expectations, because the book disarmed me. The first part was about his childhood, especially right after his mother died, and how he coped with the pain and trauma of it. It brought me to tears as Harry's suffering reminded me of my own son's behaviour (who lost his father at 5years old). The second part was about his adulthood, and Harry was very honest and raw about his weaknesses, his mistakes, the coping mechanism he employed, and the salvation he found in the army. He was also very consistent with his loathing against the British media, his frustration at not being able to fight back, or at least the way the institution (his family and their minders) prevented him. Here, Harry was a frustrated, traumatised young man trying to find a way (any way, even temporary ones) to alleviate the pain, and to survive the restricted life he was forced into as a royal, including being the target of vitriol based on lies. He debunked more than a few of the stories written about him in the British tabloids. And confirmed a few basic truths. It was a really clever move as the media can no longer use those to make up stories about him. The third part was about his meeting Meghan and their life together. And what they went through. This was heart-wrenching. And my thought was, Meghan was his lifeline, the final rope that pulled him out of the golden quicksand he was neck-deep in, and into the freedom he now enjoys. At the expense of herself—her mental health, public image, and her own freedom. You can feel, almost taste, how much Harry adored his wife and kids. Maybe it was my love for romance novels, but one could not help but root for them. Their story is one of the most beautiful, torturous, and sweetest that I have every read. The book was also a study of human behaviour. About how the Royal Family operates, why they behave as they do. King Charles couldn't help what he is because he was trained to be like that, to the detriment of his sons. Especially his heir, William. Harry was the luckier one. And while there is glamour at being a royal, it is also very sad to be one. Harry and the other members of the family that were not heirs were like gold-plated, diamond-encrusted servants to the crown. It makes one think why would one even want to be born into it. A person born into a non-royal but rich family is so much better off. Harry lacked love, freedom, and money. Yes, money. Despite the net worth of the estate of the royal family, Harry was very dependent on his father's hand-outs (as most of the royals are including Charles brothers and sisters). And not because he was lazy, but because he wasn't permitted to have a career outside being a royal. His being a soldier was the only exception allowed, because it adds to the prestige of the Royal Family. King Charles was both Harry's father and employer, and the man wasn't very good in either role. Harry was a pauper underneath the princely trimmings. And Meghan was the warrior princess in a shining armour made of everything Harry didn't have but needed. She was educated, confident and free, both financially, emotionally and intellectually. And they bonded because they were made of the same empathetic heart. She came at the right time for him, when he was already restless, and finding a reason to break away. Spare was beautifully written, and Harry as the narrator for the audible file was perfect. I highly recommend it. View all my reviews

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Tamauro, elemental guide to Beliza, the main character of the Dark Allies Dark Adversaries (Book 1 - The Katalonan Chronicles).

He is very close to my heart as he reminds me of the same being I dream about now and again. My own gabay.

The concept of having elemental guide or guides is core to the culture and beliefs of Filipinos. They are sentient energies found in nature. As the name suggests, they can provide one guidance. Or in some cases, a lure to perdition.

However, Tamauro is not one of the common ones one mentioned by people. His kind is not known for choosing humans as an alaga, or a ward, because they are a warrior class in Hiwagaan, the ethereal realm.

Tamauro is a sarangay. These noble elementals are attached to the gems they wear. It is connected to their existence. The pair represents passion and reason. And if one is stolen, it results in lethal consequences for the thief, for a sarangay cannot be parted from their gems forever.

His personality was drawn from many of my mentors in life. Although none of them were this muscular, they were all, in essence, mighty warriors in their own field. Tamauro's wit and wisdom, in my opinion, was his best weapon.

He has a very mysterious backstory — one that demands a chapter or two, but that will not be until book 3. (Book 2 is under editing/revision process at the moment).

Our artist, Boyet Abrenica, drew him very well. He got the image, the facial expression of Tamauro very accurately. Impressive feat since his only basis was the books. He gets both Sol and I really well. We are now exploring collaborating on the graphic novels based on the series.

There are at least 9 elemental guides that appeared in this book, each unique and quirky.

And if you are interested in magical creatures, both mainstream and unique, the rich fantasy of the Philippine lore will provide you with so much variety, it is crazy. Read more of them in our book and the succeeding volumes in this series.

(We don't know yet how many books there will be, but we are leaning on 5).

Available now at your favorite digital store!

Dark Allies, Dark Adversaries by Oz Mari G., S.J. Powell

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Available now at your favorite digital store!

Dark Allies, Dark Adversaries by Oz Mari G., S.J. Powell

This book took a while to write, but every minute was fun. My co-writer and I (SJ Powell) spent many late nights (morning for him due to time zone difference), re-reading and editing what I had written. It wasn't easy for him because, between us, I was the local one who knew the lore. But his appreciation of the lore was very helpful. Sol provided the insight of someone who is not familiar with the lore, but was fascinated by it.

The wonderful Boyet Abrenica did the beautiful artwork, and we are very pleased with it — Sol and I, and our publisher.

We are proud of this work. It features characters, rituals, and magic as true to the lore as possible. The creatures in the book are unique, we guarantee, to whoever loves fantasy. The lore is very rich with fascinating beings, both mortal and immortal, corporeal and ethereal.

To foreign readers, if you want a break from vampires, werewolves, faes, angels, and demons — we want to tempt you with equally ominous, dangerous, yet oh so compelling creatures.

To the Filipinos who grew up with and loves horror and fantasy stories about the usual scary suspects — aswangs, manananggals, tiyanaks, etc. We dare you to read a more diverse spread of horrific impaktos and malignos. They are the staple in our books. I promise you; I didn't invent them. They have long existed in our culture. I just brought them to the fore. Sol can vouch for how gruesome a few of them were.

The main characters of the series are also particularly timely, although we didn't purposefully write it because of the current 'woke' culture pertaining to the LGBTQ ++ community. Feminine energy just happened to be crucial to the nature of a Katalonan. Hooray for the pre-colonial Filipinos for being so accepting. (Sometimes I wonder what happened to that mindset.)

We wrote the "bayoks/bayoguin" characters with little emphasis on their gender. We simply wrote them as humans, as people whose issues would resonate with anyone. Indeed, without the femininity born into them, they wouldn't be Katalonans.

But most especially, the series is more about the lore — fantastical, dark, natural and full of wisdom.

We hope you love it as much as we did. Below is the blurb of the first book.

Orphaned, bullied, and threatened with exorcism, Beliza flees her village despite having nowhere to go and nothing to her name. She encounters a mysterious woman they call the Chief Katalonan, who entices her to search for answers about the bizarre experiences in her life.

Together with eight others, Beliza finds herself in training to be a conduit between the intertwined ethereal and corporeal realms, Hiwagaan and Sansinukob. And for someone who had nothing, she can now wield the power over light and dark.

Beliza gains a father figure in her elemental guide, Tamauro. Powerful & ancient, he teaches her how to deal with entities that cross into both worlds — beings as dark & dangerous as her own childhood traumas.

Soon, she and her friends must face menacing and unknown adversaries sent by Sitan, the lord of darkness, at the cost of a life and friendship.

Let us know if you like it. (We would love a review in Amazon and/or Goodreads).

And if you do like it, how would you like to beta read book 2 - The Lair of Shadows and Light?

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Available now at your favorite digital store!

Dawn Of The Dual Apex: The Second Chronicle by Oz Mari G.

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Available now at your favorite digital store!

The Keeper by Oz Mari G.

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It's dark. It's sensual. It's the fantastical world of the #visceraeaters (#aswang). Another book in the #worldoftheviscerebus series. COMING SOON. If you want to read an advanced copy, like, share and DM me.

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https://books2read.com/Rise-Of-The-Viscerebus