Like Jo March of Little Women, one of the most admirable female protagonists in fiction, we’ve long grown past the narrative that “love is all a woman is fit for.” Women in diverse professional fields around the world have embodied this cultural shift through the years.
Amid persisting hardships and obstacles, Filipinas have taken charge, too—as community leaders, advocates, and artists who uplift each other’s stories without compromising their love for the world.
This year, the modern Filipina is taking her dreams, goals, purpose, and yes, even her love life to new heights with the revival of the Pinoy romance novel. Leading this new fun and flirty era of storytelling are the Indie Indays—five Filipina romance authors who are spreading all the feels across the country’s contemporary literary scene.
We’re getting to know them one by one this September—as prolific authors, “lover girls” by nature, and passionate working women with their hearts set on making their bestseller dreams come true.
Carina Gaskell and her romance novel, True North. Photo: Carina Gaskell
As Filipinos today learn to understand love through countless meanings and forms, Carina Gaskell is introducing her readers to sharper, more thorough, and more diverse views on romance. As a versatile writer across many fields and platforms, she breaks free from the common, toxic notions of love. She grounds her characters’ relationships in lifelong goals, purposes, and passions that still guarantee kilig by the handful.
Carina’s penchant for women’s fiction and feminist-leaning narratives plays out evidently in her contemporary romance novels:
- Second Chance Books, a slow-burn workplace romance,
- True North, where sparks fly on a tropical island,
- Trust Issues, a story of two paths colliding from contrasting backgrounds, and
- All’s Fair, where romance meets adventure as summer comes to an end.
We sat down with Carina to explore the nuances behind her ambitious female leads, as well as her ways of helping homegrown romance take its place in national literature.
Let’s start by sharing a little about yourself, your pen name if you go by one, and your early days as an author.
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Hi, I’m Carina Gaskell. I’m a Philippines-based author of contemporary romance fiction. My work blends emotional depth, lyrical prose, and cultural specificity. I primarily write for Filipino readers locally and abroad. My novels center on creative heroines, gentle heroes, and stories of love, growth, and belonging. My books have reached a global audience, with over a thousand readers across different countries and backgrounds.
Beyond fiction, I have experience in feature writing, copywriting, and editorial work, and I actively advocate for the visibility of homegrown Filipino romance. When I’m not writing, I’m reading at home, fangirling over musicians, going on art dates with my best friend, or doting on my three cats.
Tell us more about the books you write. What can Filipino readers and aspiring authors expect from them?
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My books are whip-smart and sexy—a blend of kilig and incisive explorations of social dynamics as influenced by culture, class, and race. Central to each one is the question of what it means for each character to be a Filipina falling in love and existing in this contemporary world, as well as the more general and political question of who gets their “happily ever after” or HEA.
I believe the romance genre isn’t just about HEAs. It’s such a fertile ground for tackling real-life issues that affect us in our day-to-day lives.
Which of your titles would you recommend to first-time readers of modern Filipino romance?
True North is a great place to start because it’s short and sweet. Perfect for hot days when you can’t sit still, or when your attention span is a little too frayed. I’m already gearing up to launch my upcoming novel, too, slated for next year. I think it better captures my intent with my writing, so stay tuned for that.
How would you describe a five-star Filipino romance novel?
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Given our courtship culture of ligaw, Filipinos have a natural sense of kilig baked into our culture. Because of this, romance books that don’t shy away from unapologetic depictions of Filipino dynamics in love, whether it’s familial, platonic, or romantic, are often five-star reads to me.
Beyond the general roadblocks to romance, such as the classic trope of star-crossed lovers, some problems also arise in romantic relationships that are unique to Filipinos, or perhaps, more generally, Southeast Asian cultures. Strict families, later starts in life—ultimately, it’s the writer’s love for their heritage that I think makes a book stand out. Otherwise, why write a distinctly Filipino romance instead of just romance, ‘di ba?
Where can we purchase your books?
You can order my books through Shopee or via DMs on Instagram!
ALSO READ: 4 Filipino Romance Films That Empower Female Writers and Storytellers
Who are your favorite female leads in Pinoy rom-coms? Share your picks with us in the comments below!
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