Fresh Off the Boat to the Festival Of Books

We just hauled a bunch of books fresh off a boat, literally, and now we’re about to share them with the good folks at the LA Times Festival of Books!

If you’ve been following us, this is about the fanciest lit thing we’ve ever done. Feels like we beat a level boss. Shout out to our booth mates, Kwento Comics. They’re an amazing all-Asian women publishing team and the creators of The Mask of Haliya. They’re the ones who made this happen and got us on the LA Times radar!

If you don’t know us, Hot Tropiks is a publisher and distributor bringing books from the Philippines and its diaspora to the U.S. Most of these titles aren’t easily available here. So instead of waiting around, we go straight to the source, work directly with creators and publishers back home in the Philippines, and bring the books over ourselves or print them here.

If you didn’t know, the Philippines has one of the strongest publishing scenes in the world. It was recently named Guest of Honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair, and you can feel that energy across everything we’re bringing.

And now, to the books…

Featured Releases

Josefina – Russell L. Molina & Ace C. Enriquez
An award-winning Filipino graphic novel set during the Japanese occupation of World War II, following a manananggal caught between survival and morality as war reveals who the real monsters are, now translated into English and published in the U.S. by Hot Tropiks Press.

Tales for a Rainy Season by Wincy Aquino Ong
This one moves through rain-soaked Manila, folklore, and the supernatural. One of the stories has Sherlock Holmes meeting José Rizal. That alone should tell you what kind of ride this is.

Hot Tropiks Press Presents: Packing Sheets: Chapter Books
This one we’re really proud of. We teamed up with Packing Sheets, an indie publishing studio in the Philippines, to bring a new line of short-form books into the U.S. These are chapbook-style releases. Short, raw, and straight to the point.

Titles include:

A Single Sh*t (Isahang Bagsak) – Gabriela Baron
Flash fiction that just lets it all out.

With Love in Times of Anguish – Mary Franz C. De Paz
Poetry about rage, love, and pushing through.

Midnight Musings – Christian James Dequiña
A quiet, personal look at memory and healing.

Molten Light – CJ Peradilla
Stories about women figuring things out in real time.

An Atlas on an Ordinary – Weinn Dee
Finding meaning in everyday life.

The Becoming – Arabela Tiangco
Identity, growth, and everything in between.

 

More from Hot Tropiks Press

Hot Tropiks originals and books we co-publish here in America. These are the projects we’re helping bring into the U.S., working directly with creators to get these stories in front of a wider audience.

Maloles: The Reckoning – Ebony Soy
A dark fantasy journey through the underworld, blending Filipino mythology with themes of vengeance, identity, and inner struggle. It’s heavy, visual, and emotional, the kind of book that sticks with you.

Suspicious Activity – Nathan Cayanan
A Filipino-American accountant gets pulled into a crime syndicate and way over his head. What starts as a job turns into something much darker, as survival, identity, and morality begin to blur.

Philippine Spirits: Mythica Obscura Vol 1-4  – Karl Gaverza
A deep dive into Filipino mythology, documenting creatures, spirits, and stories from across the archipelago. This goes beyond the usual myths and brings in lesser-known beings with real cultural context.

Maharlika Vol. 1 to 3 – Rexy Dorado & John Ray Bumanglag
An alternate Philippines wins independence… and becomes something way more complicated. Corrupt, powerful, and on the edge of rebellion. It’s a sci-fi saga that flips the idea of freedom and asks what comes after.

 

 

Also at the Table

We have some new releases and some restocks making an appearance

Signos – Radix
A Filipino speculative anthology where myth, horror, and the supernatural collide, bringing together strange and unsettling stories rooted in local folklore and imagination.

The Indio & The Impaler – Wincy Aquino Ong
Set in colonial Philippines, José Rizal investigates a disappearance that leads him to an ancient and bloodthirsty force, turning history into a gothic horror story.

Mga Nilalang na Kagila-gilalas – Edgar Calabia Samar
A deep dive into Filipino folklore, exploring the creatures, spirits, and stories we grew up with, from aswang to gods across different regions of the Philippines.

Silk, Silver, Spices, Slaves – Lio Mangubat
A compelling look at Philippine history through trade, power, and global connections, uncovering the systems and stories that shaped the country long before and during colonization.

 

 

Our Boothmates: Kwento Comics

We’re sharing a table with Kwento Comics, an all-Asian women publishing team and the creators of The Mask of Haliya.

The Mask of Haliya: Heir to the Warrior Moon
A Cebu-set story where a mysterious mask unlocks visions and powers, pulling a teenage girl into a world of myth, danger, and transformation.

 

 

Apperances

We’re going to have some of the Hot Tropiks creators in person as well.

Saturday, April 18, 2026
Ebony Soy (Maloles) – 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Filipina American writer and artist whose work includes Jemini #2, Lumpia With a Vengeance, and collaborations with Kwento Comics. Maloles: The Reckoning is her first published book.

Nathan Cayanan (Suspicious Activity) – 2:00 to 4:00 PM
Filipino American writer and artist, DC Comics Milestone Initiative alum, with work in New Talent Showcase: The Milestone Initiative #1. Suspicious Activity is his debut graphic novel hybrid.

Sunday, April 19, 2026
Nathan Cayanan (Suspicious Activity) – 2:00 to 4:00 PM

 

Event Info

Hot Tropiks and Kwento Comics will be at the LA Times Festival of Books
April 18 to 19, 2026
University of Southern California
Saturday 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Sunday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Booth #879

Anyways, pull up. We’re going to have a bunch of komiks and kids lit as well. We’re nervous and excited. We hope to see you guys there.