It had already been written a few years ago, but, as with so many other books, it ended up sitting in a drawer, waiting for the right moment to reach the general public. And that moment has already arrived, for the book “O Portal Mágico”, by Fúlvia Almeida, the first adventure of the duo Taís and Rajá, the main characters of this work.
This book, written with younger people in mind, is the first released by the multifaceted author, who was a journalist for many years, directed Rádio Universitária do Algarve and has long dedicated herself to the performing arts, being co-founder and director of Associação ArQuente, of Faro.
And if there is something that Fúlvia Almeida has always used, in her different activities, it was her imagination and creativity, which are also the “culprits” of this new aspect of hers: that of a writer.
«Taís and Raja, her cat, are the main characters of this adventure. My idea is that it be the first of many, that it be a saga », she revealed to Sul Informação Fúlvia Almeida Baião, her official name as a writer.
This first adventure is set, mainly, in Tunisia, «despite the characters living in Loulé».
«But there is a quantum and magical leap that will take them to Tunisia. And the whole story takes place there, there is a mystery to solve and they can't go back until they solve it. It's a story that is full of mysteries to be discovered, strange things that happen», he revealed.
“Taís and Raja – The Magic Portal” is on pre-sale on the Writing Workshop website. «In other words, when the pre-sale period ends, people who ordered it will start receiving the book. It shouldn’t be long.”
«This is a project that I have had for a few years. I already wrote this book, perhaps, about 10 years ago. But what happened? I left it in the drawer,” she revealed.
«These are the things we write and find beautiful. At the time, I even sent it to my niece, for her to read, and she liked it. But that’s it, there it was,” she added.
The decision to take the book “out of the drawer” and show it to the world was taken after a conversation between Fúlvia Almeida and a friend, “maybe two years ago”.
«He said to me: well, but look, if you write so many things, you've even written a book for young people, it's an act of selfishness not to share it with the public», he recalled.
It was then that the writer decided to «take Taís and Rajah out of a computer folder, so that they could come into the world».
Once the decision was made, it was necessary «to give it a touch, of course, since some things were already out of date».
Afterwards, Fúlvia went looking for a publisher that was interested in editing the work and found it: Oficina da Escrita.
The next step was to find an illustrator to create the cover. And the choice fell on a friend, the illustrator Susana Correia, «because I wanted the book to have the image I dreamed of».
«I knew very well what Taís was like, what Raja was like and I described each character to Susana, I told Susana the setting where the story took place and Susana was wonderful, because she really managed to give life and body to what was going on. in my mind. And I think we were both thrilled, because she took on the project with so much enthusiasm, it was really beautiful!”
After having the cover and back cover ready, Fúlvia Almeida thought that the interior of the book could also benefit from some images and turned to Susana Correia again to «create specific images, in certain chapters, to give it that sparkle».
The idea of writing this book was “very spontaneous. There was a time when I was always thinking that I should write, I should write. One day, I'm at home and it was just like that: a plim!”.
«I had a cat, Pinho. And Pinho was gray, hairy, big, beautiful. And I looked at it and thought: I know, I'm going to do a story with a girl and a cat. And the cat will be based on my Pinho».
«And it was like that, and suddenly, as if the story started to come to my head. “Ah, that's it, there's going to be a magic portal, wow! And they will travel through this portal!” And I wrote the story very quickly,” she said.
As for Taís, Fúlvia Almeida confesses: «I see myself in her. She has her world, she has her friends, she is studying, she also likes traveling. Her father also has a profession that takes him to travel. She thrives on her father's trips. So there is this whole world here, which is very mystical, very dreamlike».
Fúlvia Almeida hopes to receive the first copies of the book in January, to «start thinking about the physical, official launch and presentations».
Fúlvia Almeida's desire is to give presentations in Faro, but also in Loulé, the land of the book's protagonists.
«I wanted it to be here first Faro, but do it in Loulé right after. It could be one on Saturday and another on Sunday, or do one one week and the other the next weekend after that. I want it to be very close. Why Faro is the city in which I live, and Loulé is the city that inspired me to give my characters a home», he said.
Afterwards, the idea is to “make presentations in schools, as I have already had friends who are teachers inviting me. And not just in the Algarve, I could travel a little around the country with Taís and Raja. I think it will be funny».
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