Questions & Answers:
Can you tell us something about yourself?
I was born in 1971 in Rome, Italy. I started writing very early, and at the age of seven, I already had a crystal clear vision that I wanted to be a writer. I was writing all the time. And I always had a pen and paper with me, just like now.
I have worked with business organisations and management systems for most of my professional life, but at some point when I was 35, something inside of me cracked and my characters all jumped out. It was amazing; I remember that moment as a rebirth.
What else?
I am a quiet person, but I have boundless imagination, and a part of me is always… How can I say? “Elsewhere”... immersed in a world that is only mine and my characters. And extraordinarily colourful things always happen there.
What are your personal interests?
Aside from writing, I like travelling, art and poetry. And I love flowers; they are loyal and discreet friends and I love having them around.
Where do you find inspiration for your fairytales?
Let’s say that I have a very close relationship with nature and the seasons. In these two elements, I can always renew my creative energy. But my stories and characters are already all inside me; I just need to spend time with myself to bring them out.
How is your day when you write?
I always wake up very early in the morning and start writing before dawn.
It is a magical moment, and mine alone. There is perfect silence and I can easily hear the voices of all the things around me. I write until noon, never beyond. Then the enchantment vanishes, just like in fairy tales.
What do you need to stay focused while writing?
I need very simple things; it’s like a ritual: a cup of tea, my handwritten notes and a bit of my mess around—pens, paints and papers, and my beloved flowers, possibly.
What kinds of stories do you write?
I would say fairy tales, in the broadest sense of the term, because I like to give voice to the things around us and find magic, even in everyday life.
I write stories that first reassure children, that entertain them and make them daydream. I believe that the dream dimension is an extremely important dimension for everyone. Dreaming does not diminish reality at all; instead, it makes it much richer.
Tell us something about your characters.
I love tender characters—strawberries dancing among the mother’s leaves, a very shy red skullcap, baby dragons wandering in the woods, a fox all alone who just wants to be a kitten, a goose that lives in a place that is too small for his dreams. I like characters with kind hearts and something fun to say. There is always a child hidden inside each of them, of course.
What’s different about your stories?
I think they are different because the world that interests me is the inner world. Stories full of adventures are fun, but I believe that there is no greater and more extraordinary adventure than the one we can experience within ourselves. And children can feel it very easily and love it.
Why did you write a book about angels?
First, because I love angels immensely and I know that children like them too. Also, because I found in them a perfect combination of what I look for in my characters: kindness, reassurance, great fun and extraordinary adventures, of course.
In my book, I have tried to bring out their playful side because I have no doubt that angels love to play with the children . Don’t you think so, too?
What will there never be in your stories?
Fear, despair and violence.
Let’s get back to you: introverted or extroverted?
Cheerfully introverted.
What would you like to say to the children before concluding?
Don’t be afraid, but if you are, come to me. That’s why I’m here.
March 2025