Karina’s
Silver Shoes
Denise
Marques Leitao
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: Sparkly Wave
Date of Publication: September
18th, 2017
ISBN: 9781775063711
ASIN: B074T8RFWX
Number of pages: 250
Word Count: 70k
Tagline: She’s got the fate of a
kingdom in her hands—or rather, in her shoes.
Book Description:
When two princesses ask Karina to
go to Whyland, a kingdom in a parallel dimension, to destroy her fascinating
and potentially evil silver shoes, of course Karina accepts. Who would refuse a
free trip to an alternate world?
Advised by a wise master and threatened
by a beautiful stepmother, Karina goes on a journey with a princess to defeat a
powerful witch. But Whyland is nothing like she expected. Karina finds herself
stuck in a kingdom she doesn’t understand, with no clue on who to trust. Before
saving anyone, she’d better save herself—if she figures out how.
From
Brazilian / Canadian writer Denise Marques Leitaocomes Karina’s Silver Shoes,
a teen parody of fantasy and fairy-tale tropes with many female characters,
friendships between girls and women, and some subtle romance.
If
you like to read about strong girls and women, you’ve found your book.
Excerpt
1
Karina just
stared in amazement. After the so-called genie, now it was time for two
princesses. Special shoes can really make one feel important. In the dim glow,
all she could see was their shapes, their dresses and their dark hair. The
situation was too strange to be real, but too real to be a dream. She didn’t
know what to make of this visit, and had no idea where that light was coming
from. She looked around puzzled.
“What’s with the
orange glow?”
The room fell
dark.
“What orange
glow?” a voice asked in the darkness.
Some nerve these
girls had. The light from the window would have been enough to make shapes
distinguishable in the dark, but not right after a light had been turned off.
Still, Karina knew her room well enough to walk up to the switch on the wall, almost
stumbling on the older girl on her way, who let out a gasp.
Now clearly
visible for the first time, the girls were simply two normal looking teenagers.
They had the same very dark brown hair, but looked different. The older girl,
Cayla, who seemed to be about fifteen or sixteen, had sharp facial features and
her dress was actually yellow. In a plain blue dress, not green, Ayanna had a
pleasant round face with bright eyes. She seemed to be around twelve.
“What are you
doing here?” Karina asked.
Ayanna jumped
ahead and started apologizing, talking fast, “We’re really sorry, we didn’t
mean to disturb you, it’s important, we need your help, it’s the sh—”
“Pssst,” Cayla
interrupted.
“Let her talk,” Karina said.
But the younger
girl just looked down and remained silent.
“Continue,”
Karina urged.
“Right.” Ayanna
looked at her sister, who nodded, then took a deep breath and started,
“Sometime ago, a day or two, the witch came here.” She talked fast, almost
stumbling on her own words as she went. “We think she came here, to this room,
and talked to you. We think she wanted her shoes, we think you still have them,
and if she gets them, it is bad, like, really bad, the end of the world.” Then
she breathed again.
End of the
world? Witch? A day before? That was not making much sense. The girl’s fear and
urgency were probably contagious, because Karina started feeling a chill in her
stomach as she sat on her bed.
Cayla crouched
in front of Karina looking right in her eyes, and asked, “Do you still have the
shoes?”
“Yes.” It was no
occasion for lies. “But, no. I mean, the only visit I received was tonight, and
she didn’t seem to be a witch. I mean, I don’t know, but still, it was a little
less than an hour ago, not yesterday.”
Ayanna whispered
to her sister, “The time difference, it’s greater than Odell thought.”
“Yes,” Cayla
replied and turned to Karina. “So you’re saying she came tonight?”
“Yes. But, I’m
not really sure she’s this witch you are talking about. She seemed really
nice.”
Ayanna rolled
her eyes. “She had to seem nice! She’s cunning.”
“We followed her
path to get here, so we know it was her,” Cayla said. “Was she really
convincing?”
Spot on. Karina
nodded. She remembered with embarrassment her delight at the opportunity of
making a wish. But one thing bewildered her. “If she’s evil, why didn’t she
take the shoes?”
Denise Marques Leitao was born
and raised in Brazil. When she’s not creating worlds and characters, she’s
discussing the meaning of the Universe with her son, writing unintellectual
poetry, podcasting about popular culture, or teaching. She lives in Montreal, Canada,
and has a Master’s in English Literature.
Interview
What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
I
haven’t gone on any. But I’d like to go in the future. If I could choose
anywhere I’d pick something that I’d need a spaceship.
What is the first book that made you cry?
I
don’t think I’ve ever cried because of a book, but Hans Christian Anderson’s
The Nightingale made me sad when I was a kid. Not sad, but, I don’t know, it
touched me.
Does writing energize or exhaust you?
It
energizes me.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
Work.
Did you ever consider writing under a
pseudonym?
Yes.
But I didn’t want initials in the beginning, because I don’t want to hide that
I’m a female author. I’m freaking proud of being a woman, and if anyone has a
problem with that, I’m not sure I want them as readers. So I wanted Denise. Now, my real name doesn’t
sound like any Anglo fantasy or sci-fi author.
But then I decided it was cool not to sound like anyone else and picked
my real name. It was an odd choice.
What other authors are you friends with, and
how do they help you become a better writer?
I’m
friends with writers who went to university with me, but they write in
different genres. I’ve met writers in forums and groups that have helped me a
lot, though.
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or
are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
I
want each book to stand on its own, unless it’s a series.
What authors did you dislike at first but grew
into?
Jane
Austen. Not that I disliked her, I thought the writing was fun, but I didn’t
understand what the fuss was all about. Then I studied her and understood her
role in the development of the novel, and now I think she was a brilliant
writer.
As a writer, what would you choose as your
mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
A
dragon. I have a dragon tattoo in fact.
. What did you edit out of this book?
Oh,
boy, a lot. It started with 88k words, and I edited it down to 83k. Then I
edited it again and I ended up with around 70k words. That’s 20%. Or more,
because I rewrote some parts. I basically edited out anything that I thought
could be boring. I really hope there’s nothing boring left. There were some
parts where people sat and talked. There are a couple of those left, but I
think I edited out most of it.
13. If you didn’t write, what would you do for
work?
I
still work. I’m an ESL teacher.
14. Do you hide any secrets in your books that
only a few people will find?
Maybe.
A couple neat references.
15. What is your favorite childhood book?
I
like all books by a Brazilian author named Pedro Bandeira. Those were my
favorite books.
To learn more about Denise, get
news, bonus materials and preview chapters, visit http://denisemarquesleitao.com
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