Brazilian influence in Day Leitao's writing | Guest Post

October 16, 2020

The Cup and The Prince (Kingdom of Curses and Shadows #1)

by Day Leitao
Release Date: October 15th, 2020
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Age: 15+
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One prince wants her out.
Another wants her as a pawn.
Someone wants her dead.

Zora wants to win the cup and tell them all to screw themselves.
Yes, 17-year-old Zora cheated her way into the Royal Games, but it was for a very good reason. Her ex-boyfriend thought she couldn't attain glory on her own. Just because she was a girl. And he was the real cheater. So she took his place.
Now she's competing for the legendary Blood Cup, representing the Dark Valley. It's her chance to prove her worth and bring glory for her people. If she wins, of course.
But winning is far from easy. The younger prince thinks she's a fragile damsel who doesn't belong in the competition. Determined to eliminate her at all costs, he's stacking the challenges against her. Zora hates him, hates him, hates him, and will do anything to prove him wrong.
The older prince is helping her, but the cost is getting Zora entangled in dangerous flirting games. Flirting, the last thing she wanted.
And then there's someone trying to kill her.
Disclaimer: Mentions of cheating, and alludes to virginity and sexual relationships. No steamy content.

I don’t think the influence is obvious. And I think that’s the thing, I find that people sometimes look for stereotypes when they interact with a different nationality or culture. Elements that are easily identifiable about a culture are often going to be stereotypes because they tend to represent how that culture is seen, not how it perceives itself.

I think there are few things that I’ve noticed that might have a Brazilian influence:

Characters are nonchalant about magic

I remember when I was a kid, watching American movies, and sometimes there’s something supernatural, and the main character goes ballistic, like, “No, no, no, it can’t be. Noooo. I’m going crazy!!! It can’t be, it can’t be!!!”

I always rolled my eyes. Like, seriously? You know, in the middle of whatever problem in the plot, you’re going to stop and worry whether you’re crazy or not? I find that in Brazil, some people believe in spirits, a few practice afro-Brazilian religions where a person incorporates a spirit, so there is a closer contact with the supernatural. I’m not saying everyone in Brazil does that, but I guarantee that everyone at least has heard about someone channeling a deity, incarnating a spirit, or communicating with a spirit, for example. I know that some Brazilian protestants think these religions and practices are evil. But they believe in them. Some other people might not believe in them. But still, it’s there, it’s in the culture. So I don’t know, freaking out about magic sounds strange.

And I actually think that’s where the idea of magical realism comes from and why it’s present in Latin American literature. I think it’s because magic is present to a certain extent in the real world, so there isn’t this separation, this shock, it’s not a system like fantasy, and it’s not like un urban fantasy, where finding magic in itself can be a traumatic process.

For me I can’t write characters freaking out about magic because I find it strange. I wouldn’t know where to pull the emotions from. I think if I encountered a supernatural being, I’d worry about whatever I encountered, not whether I was crazy. Then I was thinking, if I saw a supernatural being in my house I’d be terrified. But if a normal person showed up in my house I’d be terrified, too. But on the street, it’s all good. Unless it was a demon or something. But I’d be terrified of an aggressive animal, too.

Now, I think some books do this “OMG, magic, am I going crazy?” with grace and style. Maybe it means something for people in the US. I’m not even sure British books do that. Maybe there’s a reason why it’s a trope. I’ll confess I always read it and think it’s peak white. But maybe that’s just me.

Either way, I think my characters don’t have that “Oh, no, magic, am I crazy?” moment. They might be skeptical, but they don’t question their sanity. For the most part they’ll run with the new situation without any cultural shock. That said, in The Cup and the Prince, magic is quite normal, but they do find some unknown and rare magic, and the characters don’t freak out. I guess I’m thinking more about Portals to Whyland, where all the characters face new magic or new worlds for the first time. There is a process about coming in contact with magic, but more in the sense of understanding it and using its potential.

It’s hot up north.

Well, that’s a Southern Hemisphere influence, of course. I used it n my previous fantasy series. That’s how it is for me, who’s from a city in South Brasil, which is quite cold.

Names you can pronounce in Portuguese (and Spanish and Italian).

For the most part, I try to keep my names pronounceable by people who don’t speak English. I think when I was a child I came across a couple translated stories or books and I hated that I couldn’t pronounce the names. So I try to make sure the names are easy. That said, I think sometimes I fail in that. And sometimes the names are not easily pronounced in English. ooops.

Last names what?

I don’t like to use last names. In Brazil, we rarely use them. I think I never knew my classmate’s last names. Of course, now, with social media, I know people’s last names, but it’s not something we use a lot. It doesn’t help that I live in the province of Quebec, where last names are not favoured either. I just find it strange for young people to present themselves with first and last names. It helps that royalty don’t use last names, so I can run with it without worrying too much.

I think there might be more influences, but I’m probably not aware of them.

I'm originally from Brazil but I've been living in Canada for over 10 years now. I have some influence from Brazilian writers and Brazilian culture, but I also read popular books in English. I watched some Anime as a kid, my favorite being Yamato. I'm a longtime Star Wars fan and I'm active in the fandom podcasting at Lords of the Sith as Denise.
I've always loved to write stories, and I like to always include romance, action and humor in my writing. I think stories can touch us deeply. I live in Montreal, Canada, with my son.
My books include the Ya fantasy series Portals to Whyland, and the sci-fi standalones The Sphere of Infinity and Star Spark.
Check out my blog for some news, updates, and nonsensical ramblings.

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