Get to know Claudio and Cristina
We’ve been blissfully married since 2005, and from the beginning, we shared a passion for reading books and watching animation movies. Over the years, our collection of books and DVDs has grown, but we had never ventured into writing our own story until one fateful night in November 2022. During those nights, something very unexpected happened. Allow Claudio to share everything in detail.
‘In early November 2022, I experienced a severe accident at work that left me with a cast-bound leg and unable to move for several months. As I pondered how to soothe my pain and lift my spirits in a lighthearted manner, a realization struck me.
There I was, confined to bed with a fractured leg and a heavy heart. However, amid my discomfort, I recognized the unique opportunity before me – to embark on the creative journey of crafting our own story.
On those nights, as I gazed up at the ceiling, an image of a duck came to me. And so, with my phone on my hand, I began to scribble down the story of Zack, the duck. But this was no ordinary story – it was a fable to remind to myself to count my blessings and maintain a positive attitude, even when life is tough.
I wanted to tell myself: ‘Don’t let sadness take over. Instead, be grateful for what you have and keep moving forward.’
That’s why, on that first night, I transformed into Zack, the duck. And from there, a whole new world of storytelling opened up to me.
The drawings you can see on "the Wood of Fools"
So, I wrote ten stories over the next few weeks, each one highlighting a specific quality of the heart I wanted to remind myself of. Of course, as you can learn from watching the cover, the very first story was about gratitude. Every morning, I eagerly shared my latest creation with my wife, who always gave me brutally honest feedback. Her input made the stories even more entertaining and captivating.
As we fine-tuned each tale, those seven zany characters – Zack, Susie, Jo, Fritz, Frank, Jim, and Gill – began to feel like our own kids. We laughed, cried, and watched them grow into the heroes and heroines we knew they could be.
Starting in January 2023, I began to draw each character, giving the “Fools of the Wood” a body and a face at last. The following images you can see below are just a few of them…
