A: To illustrate a book as "The Whispering Town" I had to make big efforts of graphic research. Both thanks to online images and pictures taken by the editor, I managed to study the places in which the story is set, the typical clothes and features of people in that period. Immersing myself in the colours and feelings of that historical context was amazing.

Q:  Your illustrations seem to come out of your background as a graphic artist, complete with speech bubbles and a comic-book style.  This look seems to make the story less frightening for young children.  Can you comment on your choice of style for this children's book on such a serious topic?  

A: We wanted to achieve a simple graphic design, not too harsh for our young readers, a style which could be appreciated even by very young ones. The final style is something between comics and illustration and it seemed the right choice.

Q:  Can you tell us about your influences as an artist?  I noticed Hobbes on your website; was Bill Watterson a major influence?

Q: Year after year I had many different influences. Comics, illustration, street art.  Watterson and Shultz are among my favourite authors, while, more recently, artists as Gipi, Isabelle Arsenault, Frédérique Bertrand have caught my attention.

Q:  How has your book been received in your native Italy?


 A: The book has been recently translated into Italian and published with the title "La città che sussurrò" by Giuntina.
Working often with foreign countries I had few occasions to join book presentations of my works, but now I can enjoy them myself!
The book is gaining its success; even if we are talking about a niche title, it is catching the attention of more and more 'quality readers'.