Glimmers at Dusk: A Family Overcomes Darkness with Hope
My Lifelong Memoir Project. Status: Manuscript complete, looking for a Agent/Publisher
“Five beautiful sisters.
A charmed life.
A talented, loving, enormous extended family.
The exotic beauty of tropical Brazil.
And then, unspeakable tragedy: one of the girls is killed by the father of her two young children.
How does a family survive?
This unforgettable, true story spans the vibrancy of Sao Paulo to the austerity of a small Brazilian island in the state of Bahia, and onto new beginnings in Canada. Experience the love, joys and bitter pain of this vivacious family through the eyes of the author, whose honesty and insight provide a rare glimpse into the beautiful world of her childhood and the lives of the fascinating characters who surrounded her.
Shining a spotlight on life in Brazil in the 60’s and 70’s, the author reflects on politics, economics and social change as they affect her family and friends. Within an evolving culture of misogyny and femicide, conservative parents desperately seek to understand a daughter’s bohemian transformation, and then its fatal consequences.
Struggling to recover, they are dealt another lethal blow. And yet, the powerful bonds between this fiercely loving, resilient family enable them to emerge from the darkness engulfing them, blossoming into new generations that have taken root in Brazil, Canada and the U.S. This evocative story of love, hope and forgiveness attests to how any of us can change ourselves and the world around us for the better.”
Lena Samson, Editor, Writer and Ottawa Independent Writers Vice-President.
Possible Book Cover?
T is for Anteater – Children’s Picture Book
Status: Manuscript complete/looking for an agent/publisher
When Thomas turns six, he asks for a pet that starts with his favorite letter: T. After examining the options, as Thomas also speaks Portuguese,he settles on a giant anteater. Indigenous Brazilians coined the word Tamanduá to mean anteaters, big or small. Follow the adventures of the anteater Mandy Bandeira in Canada.
Cover illustration by Gabriela Sakita (gabisakita.com)
The Land of Happy Thoughts
Status: The author has adapted the Brazilian Picture Book to a Children’s Chapter Book and is looking for an agent or publisher.
Originally written in English, the manuscript was translated to Portuguese by the author and published in Brazil as a Children’s picture book by Evoluir Cultural, in 2010: A Terra dos Bons Pensamentos. Through a tax incentive program in Brazil, Kraft Foods chose this book to be distributed to public schools in two different Brazilian states. This book is no longer in print in Brazil..
Guida’s Hands
Non-Fiction book. Status: In progress
The book is a biographical portrait of Margarida Lopes de Almeida (known to friends and family as Guida) who dedicated her career to sculpting and the performance of poetry recitals. In Paris, Guida sculpted the hands of the iconic Rio de Janeiro statue Christ the Redeemer using her own hands as a model. The Christ statue is considered by UNESCO as one of the wonders of the Modern World but Guida’s contribution is not generally recognized.
Lucia Cavalcanti de Albuquerque 