Is Pinguicha your real name? How do you pronounce it?
It is, indeed, my real name, and as far as I know, extremely uncommon and basically limited to my family. It’s pronounced pin-gee-SHA. Pin like in an enamel pin, gee with a silent “u” like in geek, and SHA like in a sea shanty.
Is A Miracle of Roses your first book?
While it’s my debut, it’s the 7th novel I’ve finished!
Are you queer?
Extremely so.
Can you refer me to your agent?
Sadly, unless I know you personally or have read your work, I cannot 😦
I really want to read your book, but I can’t afford it/can’t safely be seen reading it/it’s not available in my country! Can I get a free copy?
I’m of the firm belief that anyone who wants to read a book, SHOULD be able to read it regardless of location. So:
If you’re in the US, you can request a copy from your local library! Authors get paid for those too, so, win-win!
If you’re a reviewer, you can request a copy from my publicist!
If you’re an international marginalized reader, you can e-mail me and I’ll see what can be done! 🙂
Can you paint a portrait for me?
If you want to hire me to paint a portrait, just drop me a line. I do offer freebies once in a while, so if you want one without hiring me, you’ll have to wait for one of those.
How did you learn English?
Video games, movies, books, and the Internet! Although I’m mostly self-taught, I do have a Certificate of Proficiency in English from Cambridge Portugal/The British Council.
Why don’t you write in Portuguese?
Various reasons. One is that I was raised by the Internet, and wrote fanfic in English from ages 14-19 (who am I kidding, I still do lolol #secretpenname). Most of my friends growing up didn’t speak Portuguese (again, raised by the internet) and neither did most people reading fanfic online. By the time I found myself writing novels, doing so in English came naturally to me.
Can I know your secret fanfic penname?
No 😛 But if you know me, you know what it is.
I’m a Portuguese writer and also want to be published. What do I do?
If you write in English? Finish that book, get feedback, revise it, query it. Try to land an agent. Try indie presses, if you want to go that way.
If you’re writing in Portuguese… I can’t help you there. Sorry!
How many pets do you have?
Three. My two cats, Sushi and Jubas, and my bearded dragon Norberta. Any other cats on my feed either belong to my parents, my friends, or my friends’ parents!
You play a lot of video games! What are your favorites?
This is a huge list in itself, but essentially, if it has a good story, I’m DOWN. If it’s a dating sim? DOWN FOR THOSE TOO! Some of my favorites include Zelda, Planescape: Torment, Grim Fandango, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Fire Emblem, Spec Ops: The Line, Code: Realize, Baldur’s Gate 2, Pillars of Eternity, Transistor (and anything Supergiant Games has ever released,) Divinity: Original Sin 2, and the list goes on, and on, and on, and on.
Random facts:
- I have a Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico
- I started skating at five years old and played quad roller hockey competitively for nine years. We were finalists in the Portuguese National Cup and went to the Supercup!
- Dark chocolate is the only worthwhile chocolate
- I was born in Lisbon, but was raised in Estremoz, where half of A Curse of Roses takes place!
- I love cooking
- I was a ring-bearer at 27 years old, used a Lara doll I used to carry the rings (they were friends I met through the Tomb Raider fandom). The wedding is mentioned in the 20 Years of Tomb Raider book!
- One of the educational video games I wrote won awards!
- My bearded dragon, who rose to fame as Norbert, revealed herself a Norberta in June 2020
Diana Pinguicha 