Storm Literary Agency

Boutique literary agency representing quality literature from exceptional authors and illustrators

First, there was a  teacher who loved books almost as much as she loved little children. Then, there was an artist who loved pirates, almost as much as he loved cats. As it turns out, that artist could also write, and that teacher loved the pirate stories he wrote. And she shared those stories with the children she taught. The children loved the pirate stories; they also loved the cats. They wanted more stories with pirates and cats. They also wanted an adventure. And the stories gave them so many adventures. And that is that: Storm Literary Agency came about because it needed to. The children requested it. And so did the cats. 

Storm Literary Agency welcomes submissions from unique and talented authors and illustrators, those who are not afraid to embrace their capacity to teach, to entertain, to engage and to honor people, young and old, who hopefully, will be changed by the work represented here.

 
Twitter: @mjguarda • Facebook: • Instagram: mjguarda_ilus • Website: mjguarda.com

Twitter: @mjguarda • Facebook: • Instagram: mjguarda_ilus • Website: mjguarda.com

María J. Guarda is a Chilean illustrator and graphic designer. She holds a Master of Arts in Illustration from Camberwell College of Arts (University of the Arts London) and a Master of Arts in Children’s Book Illustration from Cambridge School of Art (Anglia Ruskin University).

María enjoys working on fiction, humorous texts, and poetry, particularly those inspired by the lives and experiences of people she knows—especially female voices. She expands these personal stories to make them relatable to young readers.

Her work is inspired by young children, and she loves observing them at play to discover how they relate to people, creatures, and objects. María is particularly interested in capturing their unique perspectives and telling stories from their point of view.

She enjoys experimenting with different media and techniques, choosing the best approach depending on the story. Currently, María is writing and illustrating a new book with Candlewick Press.

In 2018, María won the first prize at the Macmillan Prize for Illustration for her project Paloma Flew, awarded by Pan Macmillan UK. This book was published in Spanish in 2021 by Planeta and will be published in English in 2025 by Candlewick Press in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Paloma Flies Away was awarded the Chilean IBBY Medal in 2022 and was included in the IBBY Honour List in 2024.

María, along with two colleagues, created the immersive illustrated exhibition "We the Children Have Rights!", which is currently being presented at the Cultural Center La Moneda, the Government House in Chile.

Based in Santiago, Chile, María lives with her husband and two children, balancing her time between freelance illustration work and teaching illustration.

Please visit her author’s page.