Author Visits

I’m a former teacher and a forever book lover. I enjoy sharing my love of reading and writing. My visits are educational, entertaining and engaging.

My visits include some of the following and more.

Interactive reading with props
Age-appropriate writing tips.
A book’s journey. Idea to draft to revision to publication.
Q & A.

Virtual Author Visits-2023-2024

(K-1st) 30-40 minutes
(2nd-3rd) 40-50 minutes
(4th-5th) 45-55 minutes

Cost: $200 per session.

To schedule a virtual visit, contact Penny HERE.

In-Person Author Visits-2023-2024

(K-1st) 30-40 minutes
(2nd-3rd) 40-50 minutes
(4th-5th) 45-55 minutes

Full-Day In-Person Author Visit
3-4 sessions
Cost in Texas: $900 (plus travel expenses)
Cost out-of-state: $1000 (plus travel expenses)

Half-Day In-Person Author Visit
2 sessions
Cost in Texas: $750 (plus travel expenses)
Cost out-of-state: $900 (plus travel expenses)

One In-Person Author Visit (only offered within 30 miles of Abilene, TX)
Cost: $400 (no travel expenses)

To schedule an in-person visit, contact Penny HERE.

***PRESENTATIONS MAY NOT BE RECORDED OR SHARED.

Resources to Help Fund Author Visits and More

There are ways to make an author visit affordable for your school. Thanks to The Booking Biz for this article for some great suggestions. 21 Ways to Fund an Author Visit. Thanks to author, Donna Jannell Bowman for this resource to find grants for books, author visits, and more. Education Grants for Books, Author Visits, School Programs, Professional Development & More.

Authors talk about successful school visits HERE.

Praise

She did an amazing job for us at all three performances. The pace was excellent and kept each age group engaged throughout. It is not easy to switch hats from a K/1 group to a 2/3/4 group to a mixed baby to 100 age group, but she never skipped a beat.

Ellen Fleming, Library Associate, Bryan Elementary

She was prepared and made the children aware of the writing process and how they too, could write and publish books. She took the time to answer the children’s questions about writing and the process of getting a book published.
Holly Hamilton, Reading Recovery Teacher, Adkins Elementary

She touched on things that I know the students are working on in their classrooms, which definitely helped reinforce certain writing skills and parts of the process.
Kim Krutka, Librarian, Blanton Elementary

Penny’s presentation was wonderful and a great combination of talking about her book and the writing/publishing process. She had fantastic energy and her presentations were very engaging for the students. She did a fantastic job tailoring the presentation the the age level of the students in each group.
Wendy Dickerson, Glen Oaks Elementary Librarian

Your visit to our campus was a great success. The kids loved it, and are still talking to me about the book! You involved the students in the telling of the story, making it fun for everyone. You spoke with our kids on their level, keeping their attention throughout the presentation. The students learned about writing stories. Even our teachers learned new things. We look forward to having you return in the future!
Suzie Haden, Elementary Librarian

The 2nd Grade teachers were all very pleased with your presentation. I especially enjoyed the steps you showed us about how your book was written and published.
Tricia McDaniel, Elementary LRC Associate

Wonderful job! Our students were engaged and excited. I have heard from the teachers that several of their students have wanted to write stories of their own after you were here.
Roger Thomas, Elementary Principal

You can contact me HERE to inquire about a school visit.

Dragon Cover High Res copy
No matter how many swallowed-fly titles you own, this one belongs on your shelf too. — Kirkus

The author has used a broad range of words—savory, shady, fattens, tassel, guzzled, bloat, quote, perchance, amass, and billow. These will add depth to the young listener’s vocabulary. — School Library Journal

*Sunshine State Young Readers Award Jr. List 2015-2016

*Washington Children’s Choice Picture Book Award Nominee 2017

*Named Best in Rhyme 2015 in conjunction with the Rhyming Picture Book Revolution Conference

*THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT is included in Scholastic Reading Clubs.

*I’m thrilled that THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT was published in the UK in December of 2016. The illustrator, Ben Mantle, resides in the UK, so that makes this especially exciting.

Klostermann’s triple-twisted tale is a cute concoction that children familiar with the traditional stories will enjoy. Mantle’s bright, cartoon illustrations pair neatly with the text and propel the story with whimsical sight gags and charm to spare. — Kirkus

— a fine recipe for a fractured fairy tale—blend familiar storybook characters with lots of dialogue, add a pinch of disharmony, and stir in a happy-ever-after ending. A fun read-aloud for fairy-tale units and a suggested general purchase for all libraries. — School Library Journal

While folktale twists are fairly old hat, this layers some tasty frosting on the well-worn joke, and viewers will enjoy picking out all the fairy-tale references scattered through the backgrounds of Mantle’s slick but energetic illustrations. This entry the fractured-fairy-tale genre will leave viewers hungry for more.
~The Bulletin of the Center For Children’s Books