MANILA, Philippines?Ushering in visitors to his bedroom/office, award-winning scriptwriter Ricky Lee says, ?Ito ang mundo ko.?

In front of the computer monitor is a pigeon hole crammed with paper work but neatly dividing his show biz assignments.

Lee?s day jobs?as creative manager in ABS-CBN and creative consultant in its film arm, Star Cinema?keep him busy.

He was in charge of the TV shows ?Lobo,? ?Maging Sino Ka Man? and ?Kahit Isang Saglit,? and is now working on upcoming shows like the teleseryes for Lorna Tolentino, Maja Salvador and KC Concepcion-Piolo Pascual.

In spite of his full schedule, Lee found the time to write his first novel, ?Para Kay B (O Kung Paano Dinevastate ng Pag-Ibig ang 4 Out of 5 Sa Atin).? Actually, he took a three-year break from scriptwriting to focus on the book.

And he has two other novels in the works?a satire on a gay manananggal revolutionary and a political saga spanning the 1970s through the 1990s.

On the big screen, Lee is due to make his comeback as scriptwriter with Joel Lamangan?s digital movie, ?Fuchsia.?

?Para Kay B? will be launched on Sunday at the Bahay Alumni of UP Diliman, Quezon City.

Who is B?

The lead character Lucas is a frustrated writer, whose lover B treats him badly. B also loves Lucas, but B is a complex person. So he wrote five love stories to offer to B.

Based on real life? Your life?

Based on my friends? love life! Composite ito.

We heard there are many claimants to B?s identity?

When I texted (scriptwriter-actress and friend) Bibeth Orteza about it, she said: I will tell everyone that this book is dedicated to me. (Actress) Malou de Guzman jested: Whoever B is ... Boy, Bebot, Bading, Bwisit... I will sing at your launch.

How many years did it take to finish the novel?

The writing itself took a year.

I hibernated for three years. I stopped writing movies, going to parties and conducting my workshop. I refused to go out until I felt I had earned the right to come out... with this book.

I ended up finishing drafts for three novels. The last one is ?Para Kay B,? which I chose as my debut because I [never] tackled love in my past short stories. I?m identified with politics kasi.

But the personal can also be political?

Love stories are also political in a way.

Why a novel only now?

I?ve always wanted to write a novel and I started in fiction. For my first short story, when I was fourth year high school, I was paid P50.

It was entitled ?Mayon? and it came out in Pilipino Free Press. I think the editor, Ben Medina, took pity on me because of my cover letter. I wrote that I was an orphan who wanted to escape the misery of my life in Daet, Camarines Norte.

I knew as early as then that writing could be a profession, like farming or fishing.

I also wrote ?Servando Magdamag,? which will be made into a film by Lav Diaz. It?s a short story, but since it?s Lav, it?ll become a long movie.

To think a novel is such a 19th-century medium, why not a digital movie?

While everyone is going right, I?ll go left, to challenge myself. I want MRT commuters and students to read me. I want people to go back to reading.

I?m going back to my roots; I just got sidetracked into writing for the movies.

Did you ever consider filmmaking?

Some people keep calling me direk, even though I haven?t tried directing yet. I?m scared of being on top of a multimillion project kasi.

But with digital technology, it can be cheaper?

Maybe I?ll try. But I?ll be a writer until I die. I still have lots of stories.

E-mail: bayanisandiego@hotmail.com