Emma Reynolds Illustration: Blog-a-thon 'The Next Big Thing'

Hello all!

I hope that you've all had an absolutely marvellous Christmas and New Year. Over Christmas I went down to Devon to see my family, went out for some lovely winter walks, went bowling, built an awesome camera with my Dad and skimmed stones on the beach :) It was wonderful!

So! Last month, the very lovely Kate Hindley asked me to be a part of a blog-it-and-pass-it-along post called 'The Next Big Thing' - As in, let's talk about the next big book project that we're working on! And then I pass it on to three more people.

Here we go!

What is the working title of your next book?

'Reynard the Detective'

Where did the idea come from for the book?

The idea of wanting to write a story about Reynard the Fox came about many years ago when I first read about him in 'The Book of Magic' (Chronicle Books) where it said that Reynard the Fox had a magic ring which made him invisible, but that it "existed only in his imagination"! This intrigued me greatly and stayed with me. I was also interested in the name 'Reynard' as my surname 'Reynolds' is related to it, and I found that the Reynolds Coat of Arms has a Fox as its crest. In my final year of University I knew I wanted to work on a story based on Reynard the Fox. But it was about a year and a half to two years ago when he became Reynard the Detective :)

What genre does your book fall under?

It is a crime, mystery, and adventure detective story! With a Film Noir twist :) I think it would fall under the 9-12 children's chapter fiction when shelving, but I think other age groups would enjoy it too.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Oh gosh.... It would have to be voice actors of course, and I really don't know for Reynard – But he is definitely British. For Brittany, perhaps Brian Blessed haha!

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

'The Chief Inspector is dead, the city is in chaos – Join Reynard the Freelance Fox Detective, and Detective Brittany from the police, as they team up for the first time and embark on a thrilling adventure, to solve the most baffling case they've encountered yet!'

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Top secret for now, but all will be revealed!

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

I'll let you know when it's finished!

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I really don't know!

My work is very influenced by Film Noir though, I love the long shadows, the lighting, and the objects of the time period.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

It has been my dream to write and illustrate my own book since I was five. I've been developing the story of Reynard for a while, and it is the characters and the illustrations I first produced for the story which have driven this book forward and kept me working on it.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

I didn't write the story starting at chapter one, I wrote the story in different sections and then pieced it together, filling in the gaps like jam in a giant tasty cake!

Delicious :)