Ana Antunes wrote poems and short-stories for an anthology by Mackenzie Publishing. She finished high school in “Translator and Interpreter in English” at Mackenzie Institute. She graduated in Arts with License in Artistic Education at the University in Sao Paulo (FAAP), in French at Alliance Francaise, and Ballet with honour in artistic merit. She performed Carmina Burana at the Opera House, with Young Ballet of Sao Paulo, in international dance/theater companies, as staff member for the Metropolitan Ballet Theater in the United States. She attended courses in Transcendental Meditation at UCLA and dance at WAC (World Arts and Culture) in Los Angeles. She taught Creative Movements at the Montgomery College and at the Black Rock Center for the Arts, in Rockville and Germantown, choreographed the play “Man of La Mancha” at Santiago College. She illustrated many magazines as model and artist.
Ana’s writing is considered one of the young values of the Brazilian new cultural wave. Her interest in other cultures and her international background has inspired her to produce very profound writings mixing the value of the world cultures, their similarities and differences, always looking into the intrinsic values and observing the mythology that influence each of them to the current days.
BookBuzzr recently interviewed Ana Antunes who is the author of the book ‘Toy-a-Day‘ which is attracting plenty of interest on BookBuzzr.
A boy learns that every day there are lessons to obey. But he finds a way to take a toy each day and grows up successfully thinking that he can play and have fun while being responsible and learning how to live a plentiful life in much grace and joy. A more advanced Picture Book with musical compositions to play and sing along.
1. Ana, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you’ve been writing?
I began to write stories and act on plays and films and direct them at an early age, making movies with my brother’s Super 8 camera. The funny thing is that my sister created the main character for me which she named as “Sabrina” and she was a witch, making everything appear and disappear in a blink of an eye, and the use of pause and action was a real virtue with a side-effect of petrifying rather than having the resource of special effects. And all that back on 1977.
2. At what age did you discover writing and when were you first published? Tell us your story.
Being around so many creative minds (and I didn’t have to look any further than in my own room, that I shared with my medalist-owner sister as the best student at school) made me start to write and illustrate my poetic books and fictions, when I was only nine, just to entertain myself but I always dreamed of making other kids enjoy my creations as well. When I was eleven years old I created a series of comic books, which I still keep on my hometown treasure island of Santos in Brazil. Since then, I wrote novels for adults based upon my life and Picture Books and Nursery Rhymes for children. I wrote poems and short-stories for an anthology by Mackenzie Publishing (1984). I illustrated the cover of the magazine Magia in 1990 (Editora Ondas). My poems were published on the National Literary Magazine “Mirante” (sept/2006) and on the ezine Aphelion (July/2007). One of my stories is part of the anthology Spiritual Visitations by Zumaya Publications, and my book “Life is Too Short…Make it a Big Shot” was published by Devine Destinies.)
3. How do you write your books? Do you start with an outline and stick to it or do you compose the book as you go along?
I guess it varies, but I usually have a picture in my mind and I develop from that. And only God knows where the story goes…
4. Tell us about ‘Toy-a-Day’ and where it’s available.
I started to write “Toy-a-Day” when I was living in the US. I used to go to the library near home and I devoured each book about entertainment that I could find and I was delighted on how much I could learn from spending the entire day studying there. I was indeed looking for inspiration to make a more interactive book and I was decided to create a series of books with that n mind. And like my other books with the same tone, “Toy-a-Day” was supposed to be a book with lyrics and images only. Then I really got the finishing touch about a couple of months ago when I decided to make it as a Picture Book with a plus of having music added into that. My book is now available on my Virtual Bookstore at:
Lulu.
5. How and when did you first start marketing your book?
I just started marketing my book when I found out about www.BookBuzzr.com and the widgets they offer. I always wanted to created interactive books and I even tried to set pages in my site, but with BookBuzzr now I have got the visibility that I expect to get for my creations.
6. What authors do you read?
My taste on literature varies from mystery/suspense and detective such as Agatha Christie or Arthur Conan Doyle to romantics like Jane Austen, Katherine Mansfield, Andre Gide, Mario Vargas Llosa or authors with more esoteric subjects such as Paulo Coelho.
7. What can we expect from you next?
You never know…I’m a woman with many cards under my sleeves and I am like a Pandora’s box as a friend of mine once revealed to me. Right at this moment I am trying to make a movie with the producer of “The Lord of the Ring” Barry Osborne with a script to turn into a film that might be judged by Peter Jackson himself. You can reach here: your-big-break.com
And I just published another book, “The Pierrot’s Love” (createspace.com) and also available on Amazon. And my intentions are now to write a script from it and make this novel into a movie.
BookBuzzr thanks Ana for such a fantastic interview. Connect with Ana Antunes on fReado.
