1. Please tell us what drew you to the comics medium.
When I began to think of The Story of Ace, I wanted to create a book that could make everyone – both young and old – smile and reflect, a “light” book, but not without meaning. Accompanying the text with vignettes was the ideal situation, and so I immediately saw Ace drawn by none other than Lele Corvi, a well-known Italian cartoonist and illustrator whom I have been following for years. Fortunately, Lele liked the idea!
2. What is the inspiration behind The Story of Ace?
Basically, I would say my own life, first of all, and the life that I see around me, just like for everything that I write. After that, I can’t deny that living with dogs for many years has helped!
3. Please tell us about your creative process.
Most of the time, whether it’s a poem, a short story, or a novel, I write on the spur of the moment. Images and ideas pop into my head, I see them, and I put them “on paper.” Then the subsequent necessary steps are done to realize an edited work. With Ace, the book was more “in my head,” since, for the first time, I wanted to experiment with a kind of language that was in my style, but that was also aimed at everyone, including children.
4. What are your influences as an author and artist?
Honestly? Life, itself, above all. The things that I hear, feel, perceive, see, re-elaborate…
5. The Story of Ace is a juxtaposition of comics and prose -- what made you want to create the work in this way?
As I mentioned earlier, the idea was born all of a sudden with precise goals, and I immediately imagined a book that would have the right balance between prose (which is the world I come from) and drawings – vignettes, to be more precise – that would get straight to the hearts and minds of all readers, regardless of their age. And then, of course, it’s always really important to me to reach not just my Italian readers, but also my international followers who read in English, whether it’s my recent published works or my blog. I’m so lucky to have found Starleen K. Meyer, a super translator (she’s blushing right now!), and I think that she feels enriched by translating my works, too, and now it’s my turn to blush.
6. What is next for you in your work?
Of course I want to continue to promote the books that I’ve published so far. In addition to this one, there is a short novel, Meeting Laura, and two collections of poetry, The Microscope and The Roller Coaster, of the series Some Call It Poetry, and my blog and my site, annina19.com, on which I post texts of various kinds, all marvelously translated by Star, and accompanied by photographs. Right now, I’m juggling a few things. I had promised my readers a sequel to my novel (sooner or later!), and the novel’s audiobook is ready in Italian (the English version is still in the works). I would like to add a third volume of poetry to the series, and to follow up with more of Ace’s adventures, and…I’ve no doubt that, with time, new ideas to try out will come to me, too. Or, anyway, at least I hope so! Otherwise, if we stay stock still, how are we going to grow, to learn, and to get better?