Q: First tell us something about yourself.
Hi! I’m E.M. Wynne, a children’s author, speech-language pathologist, and founder of Yellow Rocket Press. I live in Sacramento, California, and I’ve spent much of my professional life working with communication and language. I’ve always had a love for stories that feel whimsical and a little bit unexpected.
Never Trust a Wobbly Broom is my debut picture book, and seeing children and families connect with Poppy’s adventure has been incredible. Becoming a children’s author has been a dream come true, and I’m looking forward to continuing my author journey.
Q: How and when did your journey start as a writer?
I’ve been writing lyrically since I was a little girl. One of my earliest memories of realizing that writing might be something special for me was in sixth grade, when I wrote a poem for a school assignment. My teacher, Rosemary O’Grady, told me that I was talented and that I was a poet. She even submitted my work for publication. Her encouragement stayed with me.
As I grew older, I continued writing poetry and lyrical pieces, often as a way to process and heal during some of the most challenging times in my life. Eventually, though, I discovered that writing didn’t only have to come from difficult places. It could come from joy too.
That discovery changed my relationship with writing. I realized how much I loved world-building and the freedom of letting my imagination soar. Never Trust a Wobbly Broom grew from that part of me: my love of Halloween, whimsy, and creating a world where anything is possible.
Q: Tell us something more about your book series.
Never Trust a Wobbly Broom is currently a standalone picture book, although I’ve received some wonderful encouragement from industry professionals to continue Poppy’s story and develop it into a series. So we’ll see . I’m thinking about it.
The story follows Poppy, a young witch setting off on her very first Great Broom Flight to the Pumpkin Festival. Unfortunately, her broom seems to have ideas of its own. What follows is an unexpected adventure filled with transformations, humor, and plenty of Halloween fun.
I really want kids to have fun reading about Poppy and Cobweb’s adventure. If they close the book and begin to imagine all the things a broom could turn into, then I’ve done my job as an author.
Q: How did you create the magical system in your books and characters?
Growing up as a Disney kid in the ’90s really set the bar for what magic could feel like in my imagination. I fell in love with stories that could transport you to faraway places and take you on magic carpet rides. That sense of wonder has always stayed with me.
With Never Trust a Wobbly Broom, I didn’t set out to create a complicated system with a lot of rules. I wanted the magic to be playful and unpredictable. Poppy’s broom can transform at exactly the wrong moment, and neither Poppy nor the reader knows quite what it might become next.
Q: Do you want to leave any message for your readers?
I hope my readers come away from my books with a memorable experience. I want them to feel like they’ve gone somewhere they’ve never been before.
Most of all, I hope my stories inspire children to never stop imagining and believing.
Website: https://www.yellowrocketpress.com/
