Books

"Absurd Adventures is the quarry. Every other book is a sculpture."

Absurd Adventures is the foundation of the storytelling world behind RLC Projx, a collection of real-life experiences from which many of the stories written in the past, today, and still to come are sculpted. It is the starting point for the ideas, characters, and moments that continue to grow into new books and new journeys. If you are going down the RLC Projx rabbit hole, this is where the journey begins.

Excerpt from "The Centerfold" 

If you look at the 1984 John Marshall High School Varsity Baseball team photo, you’ll see exactly what you would expect.

A group of teenage ballplayers in their uniforms, sitting and standing in neat rows, looking serious the way high school athletes are supposed to look in team pictures. I’m in the front row, second from the left. Nothing unusual there.

But the real story from that photo day is the other picture that was taken. The one where I’m lying on the grass like a 1970s Playboy centerfold, holding a baseball bat across my body. 

Yes, that picture actually exists. And yes, it happened exactly the way it sounds. The question, of course, is how something like that was even allowed to happen during a high school baseball photo session. The answer is simple. I was that kid. 

The one some people used to call “Mikey.” It was a reference to the old Life cereal commercial — the one where the picky kid wouldn’t eat anything, and someone would say, “Let Mikey try it!” Because Mikey would try anything. That was me.

I have always been a sucker for experiences. In fact, if I’m being honest, I’ve treated experiences almost like a sport -- something to collect.

"The Legend of Lucia tells the story of a remarkable Filipina woman whose life spans a period of profound change in the Philippines. After the sudden death of her mentor, she is forced to leave school and step into the demanding world of midwifery, dedicating her life to serving mothers and families in her community. Through love, hardship, and sacrifice, Lucia quietly builds a legacy of strength, compassion, and resilience. Her story reveals how an ordinary life, lived with courage and devotion, can leave an extraordinary mark across generations."

Excerpt from The Prologue:

Lucia wipes her hands on a clean cloth. The mother is resting. The child is breathing. The room smells of warm water, sweat, and tobacco smoke. Successful.

Outside, under a dim sky heavy with Manila humidity, Mercedes — Lucia’s seventh daughter — sits on a wooden bench, half asleep. She is young. Curious. Her hair loosely braided.

Lucia steps out of the house and gently touches her shoulder.

“Let’s go home.”

Mercedes rubs her eyes and stands. They begin walking through narrow streets that only Lucia seems to fully own. She walks with steady steps. Never hurried. Never unsure.

Mercedes looks up at her mother. “Mom… why are babies always born in the middle of the night?”

Lucia does not slow down. “Because,” she says calmly, “that is when they were made.”