Author Vivian Santos on Emotional Geography- plus a GIVEAWAY! « Lydia Lukidis
Author Vivian Santos on Emotional Geography- plus a GIVEAWAY!
Hello world!!
Welcome to my kidlit blog, Blissfully Bookish. This week, I’m delighted to feature a picture book that celebrates the comfort and connection we can find in the places we call home. Please say hello to Vivian Santos, here to make a guest post to discuss craft and her book When My Heart Feels Tight, New York Hugs Me Tighter, illustrated by Lia Marvins and published by Vivinha Books.
BUT first- YAY! Vivian is generously giving away either a FREE signed copy if her book When My Heart Feels Tight, New York Hugs Me Tighter to one reader in the USA. Contest ends October 23, 2026.
What Holds Us: The Heart Map and Heart Portrait
Craft can do something for me that brainstorming doesn’t always do. When I am stuck with a story and need to keep going, I need something more than a list of ideas. I need to see the character in front of me, write something on paper, move things around, draw, make a mess, and figure out what is going on inside that person.
This happened while I was writing When My Heart Feels Tight, New York Hugs Me Tighter. At the end of the book, two visual projects appear when Sofia (the main character) gives a school presentation. She first shows her Heart Map, a map of New York dotted with hearts representing the places that filled her heart with joy once again. Next comes her Heart Portrait, one large heart bringing together the things she loves.
Like the protagonist, I am Brazilian, and I adore Brazil and New York City, so writing her story felt personal to me. Writing about Sofia’s world through the Heart Portrait revealed details I had previously overlooked. Instead of pondering what Sofia should do next, my thoughts shifted to something far more intriguing: what made Sofia feel like Sofia.
The Heart Map
This is what I mean by emotional geography.
The map may be a mess. That’s okay. What interests me is what each location carries. This type of emotional geography helps me better understand a character when I write. Where did something start in them? Where did they first feel brave? Which places made an impact?
Take Spider-Man. A regular map can show us New York. A Heart Map could show us Peter Parker’s New York. Aunt May’s home would be more than just another house. A place associated with Uncle Ben would carry something entirely different. The same city begins to change when we see it through the eyes of one character.
Sofia’s map works in much the same way. At first, she searches for places that connect her to Brazil. As the story moves forward, other hearts begin appearing. New York starts collecting memories of its own.
The Heart Map asks: Where did it happen?
The Heart Portrait
By the end of the book, Brazil and New York are sitting side by side in Sofia’s heart. Her parents are there, along with soccer, books and foods from Brazil. New York starts to show up with Astoria, the ferry, bagels, her friends in New York and even waffles with whipped cream.
Looking at a Heart Portrait, I’m not really looking at paper. I’m looking into a little inner world.
No two hearts tell the same story.
The Heart Portrait asks: Why did it matter?
We see Sofia change page by page. As she learns more about New York and begins to feel at home, some of her old sparkle comes back. Her joy does not come back because Brazil matters less. Loving New York does not mean leaving Brazil behind.
Her Heart Map grows. Then her heart does too.
Now, Make Your Own!
Sofia’s journey gave me an exercise I wanted to share. Not only because it belongs to her story, but because it can spark new stories too. Writers can use it. Teachers and parents can too. Stuck on a story? This can be a good way to get your hands moving before the words come back.
Make a Heart Map. Make a Heart Portrait. Or make both.
For the Heart Map, take out some paper. The map’s accuracy is not important. It might be a fictional setting, a real-life city, a town from one’s youth, or even an imaginary neighborhood. Bring out the hearts. Use colored paper, crayons, markers, stickers, or just draw them.
A child may put one on Grandma’s house. Another could end up at a friend’s apartment or playground. Why did that place get a heart?
For the Heart Portrait, draw or cut out one big heart. Take out magazines, family photos, scraps of paper, crayons, stickers, yarn, fabric, or whatever you have handy. Then fill it up.
A child can add people, foods, pets, places, hobbies, funny memories or favorite things. A writer can do the same thing with a character.
What belongs inside that heart?
Hands are busy drawing and cutting, but stories start to come out too. Writers can suddenly have a better idea of a character.
The important part is to make it. Let it inspire something. It does not have to be perfect. It needs to exist.
The craft itself may finish on the page, but there is still plenty to talk about once the hearts are there.
Bio
Vivian Santos is a Brazilian author based in New York. Her books explore childhood, identity, belonging, multicultural experiences, and emotional development.
Links
Instagram:@vivianviajada
Website:https://viviiansantos.my.canva.site
Goodreads:Vivian Santos
