The Wizard of Oz: Holiday Edition with A Christmas in Kansas
by Márcio D’AstrainThe Wizard of Oz: Holiday Edition with A Christmas in Kansas is a special reimagining of L. Frank Baum’s timeless classic, created in collaboration with Amazon Books and Motion Bloom Studios. This edition preserves Baum’s original 1900 text while introducing an exclusive new Christmas tale - A Christmas in Kansas - written by filmmaker and author Márcio D’Astrain.Blending folklore, memory, and the emotional spirit of the holidays, D’Astrain’s story revisits the warmth and wonder of Dorothy’s world, offering readers a heartfelt reunion with beloved characters through a contemporary, seasonal lens. The edition also features restored W. W. Denslow illustrations and a festive new design curated to celebrate Oz’s enduring legacy.Released for pre-order in 2025, the book immediately reached international recognition. It debuted as a #1 Hot New Release in Children’s Trickster Tales Fiction and simultaneously achieved #1 Bestseller status in Children’s Trickster Folk Tales eBooks on Amazon.com. With this milestone, D’Astrain became the first Portuguese author to reach #1 in an Amazon USA category with a new edition connected to The Wizard of Oz.This accomplishment marks a significant step in D’Astrain’s literary career, affirming his growing presence in the American children’s literature market and strengthening his ongoing work in reinterpreting classic narratives for contemporary audiences.Through a blend of nostalgia, imagination, and emotional storytelling, A Christmas in Kansas enriches Baum’s universe with a tale of hope, tradition, and the enduring search for home - capturing the spirit that has made Oz cherished by generations around the world.
The Acting Art of Cher by Márcio D'AstrainThe Acting Art of Cher is the first in-depth critical monograph dedicated to Cher’s work as an actress. Written by filmmaker Márcio D’Astrain, it offers a meticulous scene-by-scene analysis of her performances, examining rhythm, restraint, emotional precision, and physical control.Released in 2025, the book quickly reached international recognition: it became a #1 Hot New Release in Acting & Auditioning, Individual Artist Monographs, and Movie History & Criticism, and was named Amazon’s Book of the Month in Individual Artist Monographs. It also entered the Top 10 Bestsellers in Acting & Auditioning, marking a historic milestone for Portuguese authors in the field.
On September 8, 2025, the book reached yet another landmark by achieving #1 Bestseller status on Amazon.com in the category Movies Documentary, further consolidating D’Astrain’s position as a Portuguese pioneer in the study of cinematic acting.Through rigorous analysis and close reading of performance, D’Astrain establishes Cher’s screen work as a subject of serious artistic study, offering valuable insight for actors, filmmakers, and students of cinema.
