A19 – Anna "Annina" Lorenzi – Writer, Author & more…

The Story of Ace, the Dog that Comes from Space –

“I try to act like the other dogs…
but if I come from space, and I’m not just like them, it’s not my fault, is it?”
– Ace 🐾

From the author’s introduction:

There are those who maintain that everything is preordained. So, what makes a real difference in a book isn’t the “what,” but the “how.” In brief, how the story is told, not what is told.

I don’t know if this is true, or not. I think that the what also has its role to play. But maybe I’m wrong. I’m ignorant in so many areas! (Even if, to tell you the truth… in my opinion, this story of a dog named Ace who comes from space hasn’t been told by anyone, yet, anyway….) So, one day I began to think about this how, and I said to myself, “After a novel and two collections of poetry, why not try to publish a book that doesn’t just makes readers think and feel, but also laugh, or at least smile? Some people tell me that I am capable of playing with irony….”

Two minutes later, I was already thinking about our courageous four-legged friend. Only… I also imagined him drawn!  And not drawn in just any ol’ way, but… drawn like a comic strip! And not just any ol’ comic strip, mind you!  (Oh no! Here things get done on a grand scale, or they don’t get done at all!)  Rather, a comic strip by the one and only Lele Corvi!

“Oh brother! – I thought to myself – And now?”  And a little voice in my head said, “Well, write him, and tell him about your idea, and see if he likes it… That’s all there is to it. Simple, no?!” (Sometimes the little voices in my head are a L-O-T smarter than I am. Yes, yes, I admit it. And, cross my heart, it really went like that!) It goes without saying (but I’m gonna, anyway 🙂 ) that, much to my great happiness, Lele really liked the idea. (…)

Anna “Annina” Lorenzi

From Lele Corvi’s preface:

How did I meet Ace?  Anna introduced him to me.

Anna is a volcano of ideas and projects. Whether it’s a story, a poem, an e-mail, or a message on some social, with a few words rich with enthusiasm she can create a world populated by her imagination and her thoughts as well as by her reader, whom she pulls into the whole thing. And that’s what happened to me with Ace.

In actuality, Anna didn’t only introduce Ace to me. She boldly rang the doorbell, and when the door was barely open, shoved him inside, giving me the possibility of taking care of him and observing him for a bit until I was convinced that Ace was a little mine, too.

It was easy. Ace, just like his creator, is always moving around, looking for adventures, wandering the streets of the cities where he ends up, and exploring fields of emotions. Ace is always ready to observe the behavior of us humans, but also to reflect on his own actions in this world, trying to adapt, but always without losing his own strong personality.

Ace is likeable because, even though he comes from another planet and is a dog, he is one of us. Ace is EVERYONE of us. With his vulnerability, his strengths, his uncertainty, and his non-negotiable points-of-reference, with his satisfactions and his delusions, he is able to make us identify with his thoughts.

And that’s how I found myself drawing Ace. Beyond the image of a dog, though, I also drew myself, and for this I thank Anna. (…)

Lele Corvi

The Story of Ace, the Dog that Comes from Space
by Anna “Annina” Lorenzi
– with illustrations and preface by Lele Corvi –

Available from 11/11/2021, in paperback and eBook formats, English and Italian editions,
on all Amazon stores.
Enjoy!

“The Story of Ace, the Dog that Comes from Space” (translated from Italian by Starleen K. Meyer), and its original title “La Storia di Ignazio, il cane che arriva dallo spazio” are an “Original A19” Project in collaboration with Lele Corvi. Copyright ©2021 Anna Lorenzi. All rights reserved. Texts: Anna “Annina” Lorenzi. Copyright ©2021 Anna Lorenzi. All rights reserved. Illustrations by Lele Corvi. Copyright ©2021 Gabriele Corvi. All rights reserved. English translation: Starleen K. Meyer