Creator Corner: Author Lorna Schultz Nicholson and Illustrator Emma FitzGerald

Welcome to Creator Corner, a blog series where we interview the creators of our recent and upcoming books. For this post, we interviewed The Man In Motion author Lorna Schultz Nicholson and illustrator Emma FitzGerald, whose book published April 7, 2026!

Owlkids Books: Lorna, why or how did you begin writing children’s books?

Lorna Schultz Nicholson: My first children’s book was published in 2004, and it was a hi-lo sports novel. I felt there was a need for “books for boys” and it filled a niche. My son was the age of my characters, and he wasn’t reading so I wanted to write books that boys like him would read. I had been writing adult mystery novels to little success and suddenly I found out I loved writing for children. The curiosity and honesty was incredible and I loved everything about the process, including going to schools and sharing my work. As the years went on, I continued writing middle grade fiction, but I also branched out to write non-fiction, YA fiction and picture books. For me it’s all about the story.

Owlkids Books: Emma, why or how did you begin illustrating children’s books?

Emma FitzGerald: The first children’s book I illustrated was called Princess Pinch Me, and was self published by a family, celebrating the strength and determination of young Hailey Fitzgerald (no relation) suffering from a rare, incurable disease, I was contacted by the editor they had hired. Like Rick, Hailey and her family were positive in the face of adversity. My next book was Hand Drawn Halifax (Formac Publishing) which I both wrote and illustrated, though not specifically for kids. It was that book that led author Sheree Fitch to notice my drawing style, and suggest me as an illustrator for her poem EveryBody’s Different on EveryBody Street (Nimbus Publishing), who was releasing it as a picture book.

OKB: Lorna, what inspired you to write this book?

LSN: I happened to meet Rick at an Edmonton Oilers hockey game, and we started chatting about all kinds of things, hockey included. Of course, I remembered his journey and had watched his progress in 1985–87 when he did his Man in Motion tour. Suddenly, I knew his incredible story needed to be told again for today’s kids and their parents.

Accessibility is an ongoing issue, and Rick has done so much work to change this. Of course, like any idea it needed to be percolated. How would I tell this story? Could I even get a publisher? Then…I went sturgeon fishing with Rick, and we talked in the boat about the book and I became more determined. I took it to Jennifer Stokes at Owlkids and she was keen. Thank you, Jennifer. We discussed the structure and a picture book was what we decided to do.

OKB: Emma, what was the inspiration for your illustrations in this book?

EF: I was inspired by Rick’s determination, the team aspect, and all the many countries that they traveled to, countries I have been to, and some that I have not. I added extra characters—birds and animals—who shared messages that the author, Lorna, had written. They became a more whimsical aspect of the story.

OKB: Lorna, what was the most enjoyable part of bringing this story to life? What was the most challenging part of the process?

LSN: Interviewing Rick and hearing the story from him was incredible. He has such a keen mind for detail. I loved all the stories, the hardships, the successes. But, of course, getting so much information made writing a picture book challenging. What did I put in? What did I leave out? The first draft was horrible. I was so scattered and was trying to make it into something appealing and almost cute, but it obviously didn’t work. I wasn’t getting Rick’s emotional journey into the story. Working with some great editors at Owlkids was helpful to making the story work.

OKB: Emma, what was the most enjoyable part of illustrating this book? What was the most challenging part?

EF: I really loved showing different landscapes, and moments of connection, when Rick interacted with children, nature, or team members. It was hard to fit so much into the picture book format, which is only so many pages, but I think we managed to succeed—thanks to helpful feedback from my editor and designer, and the inspiring story.

OKB: Lorna, what do you hope readers will take away from this book?

LSN: Rick had an incredible journey, and ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. But, also, there is still work to be done to make the world accessible. Since I’ve had grandchildren, I have found that navigating a stroller in public venues takes extra time. That is something that people in wheelchairs do daily.

OKB: Emma, what do you hope readers will take away from this book?

EF: I hope that readers see that it is worthwhile to do things that are hard, and to dream big. It is also ok to ask for help, take a rest, and face things one day at a time.

OKB: Lorna, what’s an interesting fact you learned while writing this book?

LSN: Rick told me that wheeling in Europe was so hard because of the cobblestone roads. And he didn’t drink as much water as he needed because going to the restroom was so
hard. The bouncing over the cobblestones also didn’t help. I have never thought about any of those issues. The obstacles that someone in a wheelchair must overcome is something we abled-bodies don’t even think about.

OKB: Emma, what’s an interesting fact you learned while illustrating this book?

EF: I learned so much! I read all the books that had written about Rick, printed out dozens of photographs from the tour, and spent time on the Rick Hansen Foundation website. I learned that sometimes the hardest moments were followed shortly after by the biggest victories, like leaving Vancouver and having the spare wheelchair break, followed the release of the song “The Man in Motion” for the film St. Elmo’s Fire which helped millions of people learn about the tour.

OKB: Lorna, what’s an interesting fact people may not know about you?

LSN: Oh gosh. This is a hard one. I was on the aerobics television show called Body Moves and we filmed in Victoria at Laurel Point.

OKB: Emma, what’s an interesting fact people may not know about you?

EF: I have lived in many countries, moving often. I began my life in Lesotho, in Southern Africa, where my parents were working at a hospital, but my passports are Irish and Canadian, due to their Irish origins, and our move to Canada when I was three years old, shortly before the time that the tour took place.

Thank you so much Lorna and Emma for taking the time to do this interview and creating a wonderful book! We hope readers enjoy The Man In Motion as much as we did!

Grab your copy today!