Sofia Gama and the Templar’s Prophecy follows a schoolgirl that inherits ancient magic and is part of a plan to save the world from evil. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?

The inspiration for this series and, in this case, the first volume “Sofia Gama and the Templar’s Prophecy” came to me during a bus ride from Lisbon to Nazaré, when I was listening to the song “I save the World today” by Eurythmics on the radio, which inspired me for this whole series. During the whole ride I wrote everything on everything I could get my hands on (I always carry a pen and some paper with me), including my checkbook, ruining the remaining 20 checks in the process…

The creation of “Sofia Gama and the Templar’s Prophecy” was very unusual. Curiously, it was all written during night time. I would wake several times to write, in the dark even, fall back asleep and so on and so forth till morning. During the day I’d transcribe my notes into the computer, because if it takes me more than three days to do so I won’t be able to figure out what I have written… I wrote very fast in order to keep up with my imagination and some times even I have a hard time deciphering my own handwriting, which can be a little bit frustrating!… The physical appearance of the character was inspired by my daughter Inês.

Sofia is a young girl that has to discover herself and her destiny. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?

The crucial plot is the presence of the Portuguese language in the World, spoken by roughly 260 million people spread out over the five continents. In my young adult books, I always strive to impart information that I deem valuable and enriching, knowledge that stimulate the thought process and which transmit human values that allow for a better development, as better citizens. I care about finding interesting facts related to the place or subject about which I am writing at the time, in order to provide the reader with this pleasure of learning something new. Learning something new while you read is very important to me. If we can associate the pleasure of reading with learning about different subjects, all the better.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

The Portuguese Discoveries, the Language, History, friendship, loyalty, courage, camaraderie, imagination. My main goal is to captivate youngsters into reading more and provide fun, adventure, mystery, excitement and suspense to my readers.

Sofia Gama and the Templar’s Prophecy was very special to me since it allowed me to enter a submarine belonging to the Portuguese Navy, since it was impossible to enter the German submarine from World War II that lays sunken in the depths off the shore of Nazaré. Not to mention the amazing experience of being in direct contact with the dolphins in the Lisbon Zoo, since I always visit the places where my books will take place. In addition to that, this book was an amazing hit in Portugal and Brasil, not only among the young, but among grownups as well, for it captivated them too – I received feedback from some amazing cases. From the many readers that read this book multiple times, two readers stand out: an eleven year old Portuguese boy who read it 13 times, and a Brazilian woman who read it 8 times.

What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?

I am currently writing my next historical novel, in Portuguese. Later this year, Underline Publishing will release “The Forgotten Treasure”, the second volume of The Port of the Grail trilogy, in succession of “The Quest for the Lost Map”. There will also be a new adventure: “The Adventurers in Underground River”.

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