Author-Illustrator Spotlight: Emma Reynolds

© Emma Reynolds

 

June 18, 2021

We are pleased to feature author-illustrator Emma Reynolds and her debut picture book, AMARA AND THE BATS (SimonKids), coming out July 20! Enter to win a copy!

Tell us about yourself and how you came to write and draw for children.

 

Hello! My name’s Emma Reynolds and I’m a children’s illustrator and author from Manchester, UK. I’ve always loved telling stories – When I was five I would draw and write little books and staple them together. Growing up I loved comics like the beano, picture books and then later graphic novels. I studied illustration at university where I became fascinated with learning about visual literacy and the interplay between word and image in the picture book format. Fast forward 11 years after graduating and my author-illustrator debut comes out this year!

© Emma Reynolds

 

 

Congrats on your debut picture book, Amara and the Bats! Tell us about it and what inspired you.

 

Thank you so much!! I’m so excited for this to be out in the world soon! It’s all about a little girl called Amara who LOVES bats! But when Amara and her family move to a new town, she is really upset to learn that bats no longer live there because they are losing their habitat. So, inspired by real life activists, Amara rallies her new friends and her community to save the bats! A book all about bat conservation, rewilding, hope, and finding a place to call home.

© Emma Reynolds

I’ve always loved bats, and there’s hardly any books about them – especially children’s books. They are one of the most misunderstood and persecuted animals in the world, so I wanted to tell a story about them that showed how AMAZING they are, and how vital to all life on earth. Bat facts are weaved in throughout the book, and the back matter has even more facts, as well as practical steps you can take to help bat conservation at home.

 

 Was your road to publication long and winding, short and sweet, or something in between?

 

Quite long! In terms of dreaming about this since I was five, and I’m now 32. But I’m glad it happened when it did, because I learnt so much freelancing for many years before this – and my artwork improved dramatically, that had it happened earlier I don’t think I would have been ready.

© Emma Reynolds

 

I first drew Amara 5 years ago in 2016, and I knew there was a story I wanted to tell about her. I was working as a senior character designer on kid’s TV show Pinkalicious at the time, and although I loved working in animation and I learnt so much – I knew I wanted to tell my own stories. So I spent the next two years working on my children’s illustration portfolio in my spare time and working on a dummy book for Amara and the Bats. I signed with my wonderful agent Thao Le in 2018, and shortly after was offered to illustrate Rescuing Mrs. Birdley, while we finalised my dummy book and had Amara on submission!

 

What projects are you working on now?

 

I actually got news of my next project being accepted last year in July 2020, but we haven’t announced it yet! I’m very excited to share it when I can.

© Emma Reynolds

What advice would you give to your younger self? Is this the same you'd give to aspiring authors?

 

Oof, a lot! It was very tough when I graduated as it was smack bang into the recession, and as many will tell you then – it was rough and some of the hardest years of my life. There are a lot of parallels with companies taking advantage of recent graduates now in Covid times as there was then – and I would always say don’t work for free, as exposure doesn’t pay your bills, and these ‘contests’ are just huge companies crowd sourcing ideas for free.

As far as advice for my younger self – I would say ‘It’s ok to take your time. Be kind to yourself. You’ve got this.’ For others ‘You don’t have to do everything in your 20s. You have time. Have fun, live life, the stories will come.’

 

What advice would you give to aspiring author-illustrators?

Read lots of picture books! Learn about visual literacy, and the interplay between word and image, what works and what doesn’t work. 

Don’t try to follow trends, as publishing takes years from pitch to publication, so by the time that happens it will be a new trend. So, instead - Make the stories that you’re personally passionate about – people can tell when it’s from the heart, and these authentic stories and illustrations will mean so much to you.

And lastly, don’t worry about making your art ‘universal’ – Be inspired by your unique background, culture, hobbies – let your unique self dance off the page and into reader’s hearts.

 

What is one thing most people don't know about you?

Oo! Probably that if I wasn’t an illustrator and author I’d be a conservationist/scientist/zoo keeper at a conservation focused place!

 

 Where can people find you online?

You can find me on Twitter & Instagram @emmaillustrate

Instagram - @emmaillustrate 

My website is www.emmareynoldsillustration.com

And you can join my newsletter here - http://eepurl.com/JEDYz

Amara and the Bats is available to pre-order here - https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Amara-and-the-Bats/Emma-Reynolds/9781534469013

 

 

Emma Reynolds is an illustrator and author based in Manchester, UK.
Her debut author-illustrator picture book ‘Amara and the Bats’ is out July 20th 2021 with Atheneum - Simon & Schuster. Emma started the #KidLit4Climate illustrated campaign, bringing together over 3,000 children's illustrators and authors from over 50 countries in solidarity with the youth climate strikes. She is inspired by nature, animals, adventure, and seeing the magic in the everyday.

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