Imagine waking up on an ordinary day without any memory of your own life. You are not aware of your own name and you are not even sure if you are human. All he has are a letter with an enigmatic phrase, a crown kept in his bag and the fact that he is invisible to other people’s eyes. This is the situation of the self-styled character Aurora, in the book “Blue Light” written by Camila do Carmo Falcão. She needs to unravel the mysteries of her own existence from these seemingly disconnected fragments.
The story takes place in the 2050s, in the city of Skylight, a modern metropolis ruled by a royal family that keeps itself aloof from the public. In this populous city, Aurora decides to place the crown on her head and, suddenly, it lights up completely, causing commotion among the residents who believe they are in front of an angel.
Frightened and with her clothes in a precarious state, Aurora seeks refuge and orders new garments. It is at this moment that she crosses paths with Dominique, a young and humble seamstress responsible for making clothes for the poorest population. Together, they embark on a journey to unravel the mysteries surrounding Aurora’s existence, but Dominique also holds supernatural secrets of great importance.
Committed to her ethics and discovering her magical powers to control light, Aurora finds herself facing a gang that plans to attack royalty members, institutionalized corruption in the police and a figure similar to her, but representing darkness. However, the plot does not end only in this book, as the author planned a saga composed of seven works entitled “Brilliant Lights”.
With fluent writing, short chapters, illustrations that complement the narrative and details that anticipate future twists, Camila do Carmo Falcão keeps readers attentive until the last page of “Blue Light”. The work is a Christian fantasy that uses religious precepts to explore themes such as morality, goodness and justice. However, its appeal extends to all age groups, presenting these elements implicitly, as in the case of the presence of angels.
Born in Belém, Pará, Camila do Carmo Falcão is a screenwriter, writer of Christian fantasy books and student of Animation Design. She makes her debut in the literary world with the book “Blue Light”, the first volume of the series “Luzes Brilhantes”, whose sequels are being written and are expected to be released in the coming years. Currently, at the age of 21, the author resides in the city of São Paulo.
What was the inspiration behind creating the character of Aurora and the story of “Blue Light”?
To create Aurora, I was inspired by several references, including angels and supernatural creatures. I was also inspired by superheroes to create the character’s powers. The inspiration behind the story was fantasy, adventure and mystery books and movies.
The book addresses themes such as morality, goodness and justice. How did you incorporate these concepts implicitly into the plot?
I incorporated them in a way where fantasy and reality meet. For even though it is a very imaginative fiction, it teaches real and necessary concepts for the reader. In addition, I incorporated them in order to show that even fantastic beings and fictional worlds are not so different from our real world. Every story has ups and downs, but the light will always shine in the concepts of goodness, serving as consolation amidst the darkness of real difficulties.
“Blue Light” is the first book in a series of seven works called “Bright Lights”. What can readers expect from the series’ upcoming sequels?
“Blue Light” doesn’t stop there! It is the first book in a saga called Bright Lights, in which readers will follow the trajectory and development of great characters, such as young Aurora and Dominique – in addition to the dark girl, of course. Readers can expect big twists, lots of mysteries and a completely new world. Lots of action and adventure, but mostly great lessons and lifelong learnings. The writing process for the other books is ongoing and well under way; soon the next part of the adventures of the little and big blue light called Aurora will be available.
You mentioned that the protagonist, Aurora, discovers her magical powers to control light. How did you develop this magical aspect within the context of Christian fantasy?
Just as we see in movies, drawings and stories, there is a power capable of performing miracles and impossible things, it is also like this in the book – mainly as an analogy to faith to accomplish great things. As Aurora’s ironic phrase says: “may the incredible become believable, when the impossible is seen”.
In addition to the engaging plot, the book has complementary illustrations to the story. How do these illustrations contribute to the reading experience?
The illustrations serve as a visualization and deepening resource in the world of the story, so that readers can get an idea of what the characters are like and the world where they live.
In addition, “Blue Light” has several literary resources: one of them is the use of easter eggs hidden throughout the book, which will be extremely important for the next ones. As they hide the mysteries of the work, this increases the reader’s curiosity so that he continues to follow the entire saga. The narrative also has great enigmas, which help to lead the reader to become an investigator of the story. He will have to be attentive to discover the secrets of the book’s plot.
How is the writing process for you? Do you already have definite plans for the next books in the “Bright Lights” series?
My writing process is based on benchmark searches, creativity spikes, and bedtime dreams. Yes, a lot of what I write comes when I’m sleeping, and when I wake up, I write everything I can remember for the development of the story. As for “Brilliant Lights”, I already have plans defined in the writing process, with the other works in development.
How does your background in Animation Design influence your writing and the visual development of characters and settings?
In animation design, we study literary techniques and resources for story development, as well as character and scenario creation, both narratively and aesthetically. This all helps to create a more conducive and believable narrative world, especially for the reader to visualize the story.
How would you describe “Blue Light” for readers new to the book? What are the key elements that make this story special?
What sets her apart is that she has a special light. And it is exactly this word that describes “Blue Light”: special. Because the book was created with the intention of showing that even in the midst of so much chaos in the world, we can still have hope and believe that there will always be a light to shine on our path, which will help us to see the goodness around us. This is the message I would like to leave for readers.
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