In this #POPFICASKS, we take a step back down memory lane for the collaboration we all fell in love with when it was released in February of 2019. Your Smile In Another Life introduced us to Chance and Luna, two lovers destined to meet over and over again in different lifetimes. Their destined meetings would not be possible without the authors behind the collaboration, all of whom have found success in their own published works: whenitcomestolove (A Hundred Days With You series), HelenaElise (The King of Jerks), and Yam-Yam28 (Girlfriend For Hire series).

What would a parallel version of you be like?

Whenitcomestolove: A parallel version of me would maybe be like a K-Pop idol or something like that.

Helenaelise: I’m not sure but it would be cool if she was a super genius! Like Chance Leventis in the book. It’s quite evident from my writings that I am fascinated by geniuses and it would be so cool to think that in a parallel universe a genius Helenaelise exists.

Yam-Yam28: For me, I hope that the parallel version of me would be better than I am. [I hope] That whatever she does, she is following her heart and not her mind. For me, when she chooses to follow her mind, yes, she is fulfilled, she gets what she wants. But I know my love for my craft will transcend into a different universe. I hope that whatever she does, she still touches other people’s lives.  

Would you rather: receive a confession through DMs, a letter, or in person?

W: I would like to receive a confession in an old school way. Most of the time, confessions are done online. For me, I would rather prefer to receive a confession face-to-face.

H: I am a hopeless romantic yet a socially awkward human being, so an in-person confession would just leave me speechless or flustered. DM is good but as a hopeless romantic, I prefer letters—old fashioned and classic. I would keep it as a memento as the years pass by.

Y: For me, it is better if I receive a confession in person. If it’s a DM, I feel like I will not take it seriously because I cannot find the sincerity in it. You can just type fast, but in person, you can see the expression, the tone of the voice, the mannerism. Through that, you can see the sincerity of a person.

Fate and romance is a big theme in this novel. Being a romance writer, what are some of your favorite romance tropes? 

W: I don’t know what I should call this, but it’s angst with a happy ending. It’s like the two characters like each other, but they don’t do anything about it. Then they will still end up with each other.

H: As a romance writer I personally like the “hate-to-love” trope. If you hate a person, you tend to show your worst side, no pretenses to win favors, no best-foot-forward moves, and no perfectly choreographed actions. If they’ve fallen in love despite showing your worst, think about how it would be when you’ve shown your best.

Y: [A favorite] romantic trope for me is the “love and hate” relationship. For me, I’m not into mushy stories and I don’t like the ones with the whole “I will give you the moon” thing. I like those stories that say, “I’m asking for the moon, but why would I give you the moon?” 

What brings out your biggest smile?

W: Well, honestly, my pet dog. Like, every time I am not in the mood and I see my pet, it immediately brings out the biggest smile from me.

H: The messages of gratitude for simply being there or doing your best for them. At times I tend to get too critical with myself. I always strive to give my best but then I disappoint myself when I don’t reach my unrealistic standards. But words like “Thank you” or “I’m glad you were there” just fuels my energy to become even a better version of me right now.

Y: The thing that brings out the biggest smile from me is when I see genuine kindness because that is when my trust in humanity was restored.

What can readers expect upon reading your story?

W: Well what they will expect is that Luna is a fangirl, while Chad is a celebrity. So, it’s like they met through social media. And the reason how they do that… it’s for the readers to find out.

H: For my part… raw emotions. I poured my heart out on this story, [and] it’s quite personal and precious to me. I wrote this story when my personal life and my career were in chaos. Luna and Chance became my escape. They were my silver lining. So I hope I have conveyed my emotions properly through them.

Y: The readers should expect that these are not my usual characters. They are [more] mature. They will see that the characters understand each other well and that they are not childish.

What platform did you use in your story and why?

W: Twitter, because Luna is a fangirl, and nowadays the platform where there are a lot of fangirls is Twitter. So, for the story to be relatable, I used Twitter.

H: I used love letters, and wrote it as a semi-epistolary. I like the anonymity of the ones exchanging the letters. I love the thought of falling in love with writings.

Y: E-mail. I'm an old soul and an introvert, so it's just right up my alley. The concept of communicating there instead of the usual chat or text, and actually developing feelings there seems cool to me. 

What are the characteristics of Luna and Chance in the story?

W: They’re both finding something in their lives that they didn’t know until they meet each other.

H: Well for my part, Luna started off as carefree, free-spirited, a bit spunky, and someone not mature enough to know who she is and is in the path of self-discovery. Chance was the complete opposite. He was mature for his age, burdened by a lot of thoughts of his life, a perfectionist, strict and somewhat emotionless. Like a robot.

Y: They both lost something, and they cannot pinpoint what it is, however, they’re sure enough that something was lost.

How does it feel to be a part of this collaboration?

W: Exciting. But at first, I had a lot of anxieties, because as of now, I don’t usually write. I was in the middle of writer’s block. But when Pop Fiction contacted me for a collaboration, I was shocked because I didn’t know if I could do it. But I accepted the offer as a challenge. And then, later on, I found myself having fun working with other co-writers, and they inspire me to write more.

H: Then and now, still thankful. This collab made me go back to writing, [even if] I still am on an indefinite hiatus in the online writing community. When I look back on YSIAL it made me feel that no matter how busy I get in real life, writing will always be my first love and not even time can take it away from me.

Y: I felt excited but nervous at the same time. At first, I did not know how this collab would work because each of us has different genres in writing, so I did not know how we would work in harmony.  I was excited but I also had doubts if I was going in the right way.

Your Smile In Another Life is available on the Summit Books Shop, Lazada, and Shopee for P199.