Interview with Debut Author and Illustrator Emma Reynolds

Happy Thursday Critters! Today we have an interview with author and illustrator Emma Reynolds, whose debut picture book, AMARA AND THE BATS just released with Atheneum Books for Young Readers. I’m such a fan of this book, and connected with it immediately. When my now six-year-old was a baby, he loved to watch the bats at the zoo— he would sit in the stroller staring up at them, fascinated. Now we have bats that live around us, and every once and while I catch him staring up just like he used to as a baby. Emma’s book is a wonderful story about activism, climate change, and how kids can make a difference in their own communities. There are also fun bat facts woven throughout the story too! I’m thrilled to have Emma with us today to chat about her new book, road to publication, and advice for up and coming authors and illustrators.

So without further ado, please welcome Emma Reynolds!

Where do you live?

Manchester UK!

How many years have you been in publishing?

I signed with my agent Thao Le in August 2018, and my first illustrated book came out in June 2020. My author-illustrator debut ‘Amara and the Bats’ is out now in July 2021! So about 3 years in total.

How did you first get published?

I got my first book deal as an illustrator shortly after signing with my agent, as Justin Chanda at Simon & Schuster had seen the announcement and my illustrations suited a book project.

‘Amara and the Bats’ began as a dummy book that I made when I was applying to agents, and was actually why my agent signed me. We then worked on the book some more, and pitched to publishers, and we announced the book deal with editor Julia McCarthy at Atheneum Simon & Schuster in May 2019!

Do you write/illustrate full-time?

Yes, and I currently also teach illustration one day a week at a university.

What inspires you to create picture books?

I absolutely love the format! For me they are the perfect balance of words and images, and I love how powerful picture books are, as humans first experiences of stories. They can change lives.

What surprised you the most working as an author/illustrator?

I used to work as a character designer for kid’s TV, and it was a very fast paced job. With publishing, I found the phrase ‘hurry up and wait’ to be true! It was a huge shock to me that a three week plus wait for the next round of feedback was normal, when I had been used to much quicker turnarounds. And then when final art is signed off it’s go go go! I am (almost haha) used to it now, but that was the hardest adjustment for me.

What is your favorite thing about being an author/illustrator?

I love love love telling my own stories! I am so excited that I get to craft a whole world, it is an amazing experience and job to have and I am so happy I get to do this.

What do you do to shake the rust off or get new ideas?

Live life! After a big project and a busy period, it’s good to take a break and live life, see friends, absorb some new experiences and remain curious. This is when I naturally find that I’m in a place for new ideas. It’s important to remember to take time off as a freelancer, or you’ll find yourself just working constantly, and that isn’t healthy or conducive to inspiration long term.

Anything you are habitual about when it comes to creativity?

I listen to the same music a lot. There are particular mixes I listen to a lot on YouTube, and I have listened to them so much there are no surprises that make me jump, so I can hyper focus and stay in the zone with them on.

Can you share a positive experience you’ve had in the Kid Lit community?

Yeah for sure – I met some absolutely lovely author-illustrators who are also repped by my agent, and we have become close friends. Having people in the industry to talk to, bounce ideas off and ask questions is so important, and I’m so grateful for this – they are my rocks!

Recommended reading?

Ooo so many! I recently really loved picture book ‘What Will You Be?’ written by Yamile Saied Méndez and illustrated by Kate Alizadeh. And for 16+ readers I love graphic novel ‘Woman World’ by Aminder Dhaliwal.

What has been the highlight of your career thus far?

Honestly, being able to make my dream book – ‘Amara and the Bats’, I have dreamed of making my own books since I was 5 years old, so 28 years later it is a reality and I am just so grateful and happy! Amara is my whole heart, and it was selected as a Junior Library Guild gold standard selection which is a huge honour and I am so proud of this.

What is something you wish someone had told you when you first started writing/illustrating?

Ooo definitely related to what I’ve said above – that long waits for feedback are normal, and to make sure to take down time, because you’ll need it! And, protect your weekends.

Can you tell us about your newest book?

'Amara and the Bats' is about a little girl who loves bats and is sad when she moves to a new town and finds out that the bats no longer live there due to losing their habitat. She is inspired by real life youth climate activists to take action, and rallies her friends to save the bats! It is all about bat conservation and rewilding, showing how amazing bats are, and giving hope for the next generation struggling with climate anxiety. Bat facts are weaved in throughout, and there are practical steps to take action to help bats and useful links in the back too.

Interior art from AMARA AND THE BATS by Emma Reynolds, Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Interior art from AMARA AND THE BATS by Emma Reynolds, Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Interior art from AMARA AND THE BATS by Emma Reynolds, Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Interior art from AMARA AND THE BATS by Emma Reynolds, Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Interior art from AMARA AND THE BATS by Emma Reynolds, Atheneum Books for Young Readers

What’s up next for you?

Since the beginning of this year I’ve been working on my next book. We got the offer a year ago but we haven’t announced it yet, and I can’t wait to be able to share more about it soon! Hint – fans of the themes in Amara will enjoy this too.

Anything else you’d like to share with aspiring authors and illustrators?

Make the art of your dream project that you want to be hired for, and post it online and send it to clients and agents you want to work with! Manifest :D That is exactly what I did with ‘Amara and the Bats’, and it worked!

And last, but not least, favorite 80s movie?

PREDATOR!

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Huge thank you to Emma for stopping by Critter Lit today! Congrats on your debut!

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EMMA REYNOLDS is an illustrator and author based in Manchester, UK. Amara and the Bats is her author-illustrator debut. Passionate about storytelling and creating unique characters, Emma has been dreaming of making her own books since she was five. Emma started the #KidLit4Climate illustrated campaign, bringing together thousands of children’s illustrators and authors from more than fifty countries in solidarity with the youth climate strikes. She is inspired by nature, animals, adventure, and seeing the magic in the everyday.

FOR MORE INFORMATION about Emma, visit her online or follow her on social media:

http://www.twitter.com/emmaillustrate

http://www.instagram.com/emmaillustrate

Amara and the Bats is out now in the US and UK editions, order worldwide here:

emmareynoldsillustration.com/amaraandthebats

ORDER THIS BOOK To order a copy of AMARA AND THE BATS, click here.

WIN A COPY! Want to win a copy of AMARA AND THE BATS?! Leave a COMMENT below or RETWEET this post on Twitter. One lucky winner will be announced on Thursday, July 29th! US addresses only please.

Interview with Debut Author Kira Bigwood

Happy Thursday Critters! Today we have an interview with author Kira Bigwood to celebrate the release of her debut picture book, SECRET SECRET AGENT GUY, illustrated by Celia Krampien. I’m so excited about this book, which just released with Atheneum Books for Young Readers this week! Being a secret agent was always at the top of my list when I was a kid— let’s be honest should this whole book thing not work out I would totally become a secret agent (nevermind the fact that I zero skills for that). Needless to say, I’m thrilled share this book with all of you…

…so without further ado, please welcome Kira Bigwood!

Where do you live?

Just north of Chicago in idyllic Evanston, IL, home to THREE stellar independent bookstores. Shout-out to Booked, Bookends & Beginnings and Page 1!

When did you know you wanted to write picture books?

I’ve been a writer and a book lover all my life (a librarian mom will ensure that!), but I didn’t think about combining the two until my children came along (really original, right? 😆). It was seeing their reactions to different books…chatting with characters on a page, snort-laughing until they cried, asking really insightful questions…that got me thinking, “How can I do that?”

Tell us about your road to publication, what did that involve for you?

For me, it started in a class with Esther Hershenhorn at the Newberry here in Chicago, where I had my eyes opened wide. From there, I joined a critique group, SCBWI and the 12x12 Challenge. Then, after 6 years of reading, writing, revising, critiquing and submitting, I finally got my big break…acceptance into the RUCCL One-on-One Conference. I met Editor Alex Borbolla at the group lunch that day, where I was testing a theory, doing everything opposite of what I would normally do. So instead of retreating into my bagel and cream cheese (like any good introvert), I chatted up Alex about my spy story, and discovered…she loved spy stories! When I submitted to her afterwards, she said she was “charmed” by my manuscript, and the next thing I knew, I was signing a book deal. I couldn’t believe it (but Opposite Me could)!

Can you share a bit about your process?

Because of my background in advertising, I usually like to start with some concepting. I’ll pick a topic that interests my kids, like narwhals, or butts, or narwhal butts. Then I’ll do some brainstorming around my topic…word mapping, word association kind of stuff. Hopefully that shows me how to twist my idea and turn it into something completely unique. Once I have my concept good and tight, I’ll start the writing, editing and revising process, checking in often with my critique partners, and then towards the end with my agent. I’ve found it’s easier to revise projects that have a solid concept at the core.

What do you do to shake the rust off or get new ideas?

I’m a big believer in “filling the well.” Watching movies with the hubs, reading outside my genre, enjoying a glass of wine, hiking and biking, strolling museums, rocking (or mellowing) out to some tunes, playing with my kids, definitely not playing with my kids, hanging with friends, enjoying another glass of wine…heck, even literally filling a well might “fill the well!”

Anything you can’t live without while you write/draw?

Background music. I tend to listen to instrumentals that match the theme of whatever story I’m working on. So, for SECRET, SECRET AGENT GUY, it was a lot of Henry Mancini! Also, caffeine (again, really original, right? 😆).

Any authors and/or illustrators who inspire you?

James Marshall, if we’re throwing back. I love his brand of smart-funny. George & Martha had me hooked from the beginning. Currently, can’t get enough of Ame Dyckman and Lucy Ruth Cummins (also smart-funnies), and find myself saying, “I wish I had written that,” after I read EVERY SINGLE ONE of their books. 

Dream project to work on?

Oh gosh, to publish more books! Even just one more would be a dream! Especially one where I could partner with Illustrator Celia Krampien again! Wait until you see her visual storytelling for SECRET, SECRET AGENT GUY. Smart, funny (what can I say? I have a type), creative, a little vintage-y, and don’t even get me started on her color palette. She is downright masterful, and I would consider myself lucky to be able to collaborate with her on another project one day.

Tell us about your debut book.

It’s a spy twist on the classic, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Your mission—should you choose to accept it—is to join Secret, Secret Agent Guy on his bedtime assignment, code name: Operation Lollipop. Equipped with night-vision goggles, a jetpack, and grappling hook, he is prepared for every eventuality...or is he? Will this 007-year-old complete his covert quest, or will he be outsmarted by an adversary he never saw coming?

Interior art from SECRE SECRET AGENT GUY written by Kira Bigwood, Illustrated by Celia Kramien

What’s up next for you?

I’m touching up some manuscripts for my agent right now, including some non-fiction science. Maybe one of them will be my next book!

And last, but not least, favorite 80s movie?

We’ll go with the Rule of Threes on this one…Goonies, The Great Outdoors, and of course, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (“Save the neck for me, Clark!”).

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Huge thank you to Kira for stopping by Critter Lit today! Congrats on your debut! We can’t wait to see what you come out with next.

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KIRA BIGWOOD writes children’s books, TV commercials, and much to her 10-year-old’s dismay, notes for her kids’ lunchboxes. She was once edited out of a My Little Pony ad because she was missing her two front teeth (not that she’s still hanging on to that or anything). Luckily, she has all her teeth now, and a much more positive attitude toward the editing process. Kira is a graduate of the University of North Carolina (go Heels!), and lives in Chicago with her husband and three children. Secret, Secret Agent Guy is her debut picture book.

FOR MORE INFORMATION about Kira or her book, visit her website, or follow her on social media:

IG: @kirabigwood

Twitter: @KBigwood

ORDER THIS BOOK To order a copy of SECRET SECRET AGENT GUY click here.

WIN A COPY! Want to win a SIGNED copy of SECRET SECRET AGENT GUY?! Leave a COMMENT below or RETWEET this post on Twitter. One lucky winner will be announced on Thursday, May 20th! US addresses only please.