Moonsland: Book Presentation

  As I’ve probably mentioned in another article, I started writing this book in October 2021. At the time, I had no plan, no outline, no concrete idea - just the urge to keep alive a recent feeling that had really stuck with me: the joy of giving life to characters, something I had discovered through a Philosophy assignment that made me realize how much I loved creating stories. Writing this book was, in that sense, a leap into the unknown. A leap that took a little over two years to land, mostly because of school workload - but one that ended up becoming one of the biggest achievements of my life. After all, I had just written a book. A real book. The kind you see on bookstore shelves.
  Moonsland is a place that doesn’t exist on any map, but it comes alive in the pages - and in the imagination of those who read it. It’s where the story of James and Emily unfolds. And it’s there that, without meaning to, I ended up building a narrative that says a lot more than it first appears.
  The synopsis might already give away a lot, but here it is:

James is a 17-year-old boy, diagnosed with a neurological condition that makes him unable to tolerate being touched by others. However, refusing to believe in the diagnosis, James sets out in search of his own truth.
Emily is a girl who’s in love with acting - and with life itself. Unlike James, she has two parents who care too much, which sometimes feels suffocating.
What happens when the path of a girl who feels like a side character in her own life crosses with the path of a boy looking for answers - and for someone who might help him be happy?

  Even though I didn’t start with a clear purpose, as I kept writing, I realized that I wanted this book to feel like a hug - for anyone who, like me, has ever felt different. I wanted to show that being different isn’t a bad thing, and that even so, we can find love, understanding, and a place in the world. Although it’s not a didactic story, it does end up touching on topics like the differences in parenting styles, the pres
sures of growing up, and the emotional loneliness that often comes when the world labels us without really knowing us.
  My emotional connection to this story is exactly that: I wrote something I myself would like to read. Something honest, and meaningful. And the fact that everything takes place in Moonsland - a fictional city - makes the experience even more immersive and special. It’s like escaping reality for a while, diving into another world.
  The book carries many underlying messages: empathy for those who are different, courage to face those who try to bring us down, the power of our choices, and the importance of having someone by our side during that journey of growth and self-discovery. It’s a book about people - but also about paths. And about how, sometimes, we need to get lost to find something real.
  If you’re looking for a story with meaning, this might be your next read. At the moment I’m writing this, it’s only available on my Wattpad (link in bio), in both Portuguese and English. And if you’ve already read it, you might discover even more in the next article, where I’ll be sharing the behind-the-scenes - the writing process, fun facts, and inevitably... a few spoilers.

I’ll end with one of the quotes from the book that touched me the most while writing it:

“Being around you feels like falling in love with you every day, as if it were the first time.”

Happy reading!