I love doing author visits. Talking with kids and adults about reading and writing is the best! If you’re interested in an author visit please contact me HERE. See information about FREE Skype visits below. Click on a book cover to learn more about my books.
I tailor my presentations to fit the age group I’m speaking to and do my best to make my visits engaging, educational, and entertaining.
What To Expect
(Activities will vary according to age level and your needs.)
- Audience participation
- Education
- Entertainment
- Writing Tips
- Author inside scoop
- Q & A
About The Visit
During a full day visit, I will do three or four age-appropriate presentations. Presentations last from 30-50 minutes and can be tweaked to fit the schedule you need.
Fees
**Payment is expected the day of the visit.
Sponsor’s expenses include fee, transportation, lodging, and meals. Neighboring schools can arrange to share a day and split the cost. There are other ways to make an author visit affordable for your school. Check out this article for some great suggestions.—21 Ways to Fund an Author Visit.
- One presentation: $350 (only offered within 30 miles of Abilene, TX)
no mileage expense. - Two presentations: $450 (only offered within 60 miles of Abilene, TX)
*plus mileage over 30 miles
Instead of partial day visits (one or two presentations) consider splitting the full-day fee with a nearby school to save money.
- Full-day visits in-state $800 (three or four presentations)
*plus travel expenses: mileage, lodging, meals (Within 30 miles of Abilene no mileage charge) - Full-day out-of-State Visits: $1200 (three or four presentations)
*plus travel expenses: airfare, lodging, meals
Skype Visits
If your class has read either of my books I would be happy to set up a FREE 15 minute Q & A session. Longer Skype visits (45-50 minutes) are available for a $100 and include writing tips, inspiration, and fun information about my books from idea to publication.
If you have questions about my visits or would like to schedule a visit, please contact me HERE. I look forward to hearing from you.
Authors talk about successful school visits HERE.
You can find more details about my visits in my Author Visit Information Packet found HERE.
A Few Testimonials From School Visits
Holly Hamilton, Reading Recovery Teacher, Adkins Elementary
Her energy level was good, not too much and not too little. She had great interaction with the students. You could definitely tell she had been in education before.
Jamie Gandy, Reading Recovery/Early Intervention, McNair 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
Our students loved Penny’s book and learning how she went about writing and producing her book. The information about the writing process was just what our kids need to hear. They also loved being able to rewrite the story using our school. It was an excellent model showing how the students can rewrite other folktales.
Nancy Hartline, Elementary Librarian
I love that you showed students that even writers love to read other author’s books. It was a fantastic experience and my first graders enjoyed it immensely.
Tiffany Hibbard, Elementary LRC Associate
You can contact me HERE to inquire about a school visit.
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 will be included in Scholastic Reading Clubs starting in February of 2017 and in Scholastic Book Fairs in fall of 2017.
*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
