DJ Kristine Dera has turned into a legitimate book author with the launch of the printed edition of ‘FYI’Love Radio’s Kristine Dera chronicles her success“Be happy with who you are. Never let someone else make you feel bad about yourself.”Quotes like these make up the posts on FM Love Radio DJ Kristine Dera’s Facebook fan page. Often accompanied by photoshop graphics done by the social media savvy disc jock herself, her uploads from the heart are an effort to inspire her listeners even when she is off the air.Dera’s pieces of advice have always been a hit since she started posting them online, garnering hundreds of thousands of likes and shares among her 461,000-strong followers. Naturally, they made their way from the World Wide Web to FM radio via the program TLC The Drama Special Interactive, which she hosts alongside Yes FM’s Tanya Chinita. A special segment was even created just for the DJ’s nuggets of wisdom, dubbed “FYI: For Your Inspiration” was born.Dera, who is known on air as the gregarious “Miss K ng Radyo,” has lately opened a new avenue in her career as she turned into a legitimate book author this March, with the launch of the printed edition of FYI. In 2014, Rising Star Publishing took notice of her online and on air success and compiled her one- to two-liners into a book that is now available on shelves of major bookstores.Born Ivanne Colleen Parilla, the Mass Communications graduate from Lyceum of the Philippines University never expected to be a DJ, much less an author. A former writer/researcher for Imbestigador on DZBB, she originally aspired to become a journalist or a TV anchor. Radio, she thought was not a fit for her for he had no confidence in her voice or wit.“Eh maganda lang ako (I’m just pretty),” she playfully quips to The Sunday Times Magazine.Fate took over though and she suddenly found herself auditioning for a DJ post on Love Radio. Obviously, she had what she though she lacked, and has been thriving on air for the last seven years.Parilla’s adlibs, as she describes, are characterized by loud “palengkera” remarks and rambunctious laughter—a transformation that surprised those who knew her as a reserved broadcasting major.“Even my professors back in Lyceum thought I was the serious type; they never thought I’d be a DJ,” she laughs again.“Kristine Dera,” a DJ name she coined from the word “tindera,” according to Parilla is just a personality. In real life, she is quieter and more pensive, which somehow comes out when she begins giving inspirational quotes to her listeners. Meanwhile, the strength of “Miss K” also emerges when she needs to give those who seek her advice the harsh truth they have to hear.“I don’t just give out words of inspiration. I also want to teach my audience what’s right. But that’s not to say I’m perfect and that I know how to solve every problem that’s out there because it’s still up to the listener to take my advice or not. At the end of the day, they have to decide what to do,” she explained.But with the success of For Your Inspiration since its launch—taking the No. 5 spot on National Book Store’s bestselling titles over the summer—it seems like Parilla’s audience trusts her enough to help them through their heartaches.“My book features an inbox chapter where I responded to actual questions posted by my fans online. Even now, I always take time to answer their questions,” she says.Parilla is certainly more inspired than ever to carry on her brand of giving advice, what with her work and name published as a book author today.“I can’t ask for more,” the newly married personality says with gratitude. “I used to think I was just a DJ and while I dreamt of someday writing a book—because I’ve always loved writing since I was a little girl—I can’t believe this has happened.”Asked what her secret to success is, DJ Kristine Dera remerges as she blurts the acronym, “STD”—“sipag, tiyaga at diskarte/dasal.”FYI: For Your Inspiration is available in National Bookstore branches nationwide.
