Black Clouds in Manila: Fight or Flight

On December 8, 1941, Japanese troops attacks the Philippine Islands and catapults the Filipino people into the fray of World War II. A month later, Manila finds itself under full Japanese occupation. The occupants of Manila must now choose to remain in the city under full Japanese authority, or to take flight to other islands in the hope of remaining beyond the enemy’s immediate presence. Torio and Rissing Santos decide to flee Manila with their children. Many of their friends and relatives choose to stay. Book 1 chronicles their individual and joint struggles and adventures as they rise to the challenges of living in a war-ravaged country. Lucinda Trinidad, for one, chooses to stay and work with the commander at the Santo Tomas internment camp. She discovers that not all Filipinos are heroes, and not all Japanese are evil. As a Filipino Scout, Torio comes face to face with the enemy in battle… and finds it difficult to forget that Japanese soldiers too have children and wives like him. In order to protect and defend her children, Rissing finds herself rising to the challenge of simple survival tactics, even as she watches her children taking up weapons to defend themselves not only against the Japanese soldiers, but against their own kind… desperate people in desperate straits to survive.

On December 8, 1941, Japanese troops attacks the Philippine Islands and catapults the Filipino people into the fray of World War II. A month later, Manila finds itself under full Japanese occupation. The occupants of Manila must now choose to remain in the city under full Japanese authority, or to take flight to other islands in the hope of remaining beyond the enemy’s immediate presence. Torio and Rissing Santos decide to flee Manila with their children. Many of their friends and relatives choose to stay. Book 1 chronicles their individual and joint struggles and adventures as they rise to the challenges of living in a war-ravaged country. Lucinda Trinidad, for one, chooses to stay and work with the commander at the Santo Tomas internment camp. She discovers that not all Filipinos are heroes, and not all Japanese are evil. As a Filipino Scout, Torio comes face to face with the enemy in battle… and finds it difficult to forget that Japanese soldiers too have children and wives like him. In order to protect and defend her children, Rissing finds herself rising to the challenge of simple survival tactics, even as she watches her children taking up weapons to defend themselves not only against the Japanese soldiers, but against their own kind… desperate people in desperate straits to survive.

Tessie Jayme wrote her first novel when she was 16 years old during summer vacation before her senior year in Pittsburg Sr. High, California. She is a strong proponent of the concept that humans currently use only 10-12% of their brain capacities and strives always to enliven the other 88-90% of her potential. Her first novel needs a serious rewrite before publication… and may never get rewritten. However, she has since published two non-fiction works: “BOOK OF YES,” and “I DREAMT I WAS NAKED.” Additionally, she has published “ATOP PEGASUS,” a novel of forbidden love, and a science-fiction fantasy trilogy series, “PEACE WARRIORS OF THE GALAXY.” Many other novels are in the planning and research stages. Meanwhile, a sequel to “BLACK CLOUDS IN MANILA” is in the works… tentatively titled, “BLUE SKIES IN AMERICA.” Tessie’s home is in Arizona, but because she cannot resist the magic of the movie world, she often visits Los Angeles, California to spend time with her daughter and daughter-in-law and their cats at their home.