Inviting Me to Speak

Visiting students is the best part of being an author. A student's time with a visiting author can be fun, entertaining and educational. Sometimes it can even be a memorable and life-enhancing experience.

Important Questions I'm Sure You Have

What do you do?
How do I contact you?
Where have you spoken before?
What books have you written?
Do you sign books?
How much do you charge?
So who are you anyway?
What if I want to invite a different author?

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What I do?

I love answering questions of all kinds. My presentation is tailored to meet the needs of your school. It does vary depending on age group but usually includes the following activities and themes:

We are all writers! All it takes is pencil, paper and imagination.
Writing workshop (for grades 3 and up).
Yes and No letters: How a book gets published.
Computers, the Internet and Writing.
Reading several of my books (of course!)
Questions and Answers

I talk with the students. I do not lecture to them. My presentations include lots of questions, humor and laughter.

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How can you contact me?

It's easy. Check out the How to Contact Me page.

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Where have I spoken before?

Lots of places. Here are some of them:

Conferences

California Reading Association Annual Conference
California School Library Association Annual Conference
California Association for the Gifted Annual Conference
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators National Conference on Writing and Illustrating for Children
Mills College Children’s Literature Conference
SCBWI's Beyond the Printed Page: Writers & Illustrators Conference in Children's Multimedia
The Read In!
San Francisco Book Festival
Santa Clara County Reading Association Asilomar Conference
SCBWI France
SCBWI Rocky Mountain
SCBWI Southern Breeze Fall Conference Keynote
SCCBA Book Trade Show
Bookpassage Children's Writers Conference
Claremont Young People’s Reading Conference

Festivals:

Camarillo Day With An Author
Rocky Mountain Children's Book Festival
Humboldt County Authors Festival
Huntington Beach Authors Festival
Kern County Authors Fair
Long Beach Authors Festival
Monterey Book Festival
Newport Mesa Authors Festival
SBARC Authors and Illustrators Fair
SBARC Conference on Literacy
Tustin Authors Festival
Westminster Authors Festival

Schools (partial list):

American School of Paris
American Library of Paris
Barcelona Hills Elementary
Bedford Open School
Bryant School
Carver Elementary
Clegg School
Crown Valley School
De Portola Elementary
Del Lago Elementary
Eucalyptus School
Faria School
Foothill Elementary
Fryberger School
Glen Yerma Elementary
Grant Elementary
Hickory Elementary
International Elementary
International School of Paris Elementary School
International School of Paris Middle School
John Adams Elementary
Kaiser Elementary
La Madera Elementary
Linda Vista Elementary
Lomarena Elementary

Maple Creek School
Mariners School
Montevideo Elementary
Muir Elementary
Naples Elementary
Newport Elementary
Nueva School
Pomeroy School
Rancho Canada Elementary
Riley Elementary
Rio Dell Elementary
Saint Andrew's School
Spruce School
Temecula Middle School
Torrance Elementary
Valencia Elementary
Valley View School
Van Meter Elementary
Wells Middle School
West Valley Elementary
Whisman Elementary
William Green School
Williams Elementary
Willmore Elementary
Zela Davis School

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What books have I written?

Wow. You don't even know what I've written and you want to invite me to your school? That's cool! But you should really check them out. Here they are.

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Do I sign books?

You bet! As long as the day is planned to allow time for it, I will delighted to sign as many books as the students want. I'll even sign more than they want. If you like, I'll sign the books of other authors. I once went to a school and signed every single book in the library. The librarian was not pleased.

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How much do I charge?

My fee is $900/day (plus transportation if out of my area). Discounts are available for Chapter One and special project schools. I will gladly provide you with a complete set of references upon request. I feel strongly that schools must receive value for their precious dollars. I provide a guarantee that you will be completely satisfied with my presentation.