Martha RodriguezThis is a featured page

Author Martha RodriguezSkype school visit with Sacred Hearts Academy, April 23, 2013

Hello and thanks for stopping by!

I am the author of the children’s picture book A Reel Cool Summer as well as a children's book of short stories, Smell My Feet! 10 Seriously Silly and Sweet Short Stories for Squirts and What About Barnaby? my first middle-grade fiction book. I am also the owner of Read To Me Publishing, LLC.

I was born in Havana, Cuba and immigrated to the United States with my family at the age of three. I'm a wife and the mom to three awesome kids. Like most moms, I've had many years of experience answering the question, “We’re bored, what can we do?” One answer to that question brought about the story behind A Reel Cool Summer. With encouragement from family and friends I decided to write and self-publish the book. My oldest son, Joey, illustrated the book, making it a fun family project. I'm currently working on a second book featuring the three wacky siblings from A Reel Cool Summer.

Smell My Feet! is a collection of eight short stories I had written for my blog, http://areelcoolsummer.blogspot.com, and two brand new ones. Some were inspired by family and friends or true events and others were sparked by writing prompts I found here or there, from this group or that.

In What About Barnaby? (A Gumshoe Crew Mystery) when Barnaby's disappearance comes to light, two friends, Zeke and Scotty, join together to try to decipher the mystery of the missing mutt. Will they be able to solve the mystery on their own or will they need help from old and new (furry and not so furry) friends?

I've been active in my church as well as my children’s schools; volunteering wherever my talents were in demand. I'm a supporter of literacy initiatives and have been a volunteer Adult Literacy Tutor with Literacy Volunteers of Leon County (LVLC). I served on the Board of Directors of LVLC from 2008-2011 as a member, the Vice President and as Fundraising Committee Chair.

My husband and I live in Tallahassee, Florida.

Author Website:
http://www.readtomepublishingllc.com

AuthVisit with Sacred Hearts Academy in February 2012or Address: Tallahassee, FL, USA


Genres:
Children's book
Picture book
Comic fiction
Short stories
Realistic fiction
Middle-grade fiction


Presentations:
1. Grades 1-3: Read-aloud of my book A Reel Cool Summer and/or various short stories from Smell My Feet! (includes question/answer session).

2. Grades 4 and above: Get Your Writing Juices Flowing! - We complete a MadLib-type writing prompt together and I encourage the students to continue the story and compete in a writing contest for a free copy of my book and/or other
prize(s). This presentation will include my experience writing and self-publishing my book and fun exercises on how to
"show" instead of "tell" when writing. (Includes question/answer session)

I can also customize a program to suit the need of your school, library or book club.

Visit to Sacred Hearts Academy
Audiences:
Grades 1-3 : read-aloud and question/answer session.
Grades 4 and above: Get Your Writing Juices Flowing! presentation.


Available Times: I'll do my best to be available when it is convenient for your school, library or book club. Please contact me to discuss.

No recording of Skype Sessions without permission from the author.


No Cost Meet the Author Visit: 15-20 minutes

In-Depth Visit Length: 1 hour
In-Depth Visit Cost: Please contact me to discuss.

Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites but I would like for the children to be exposed to my books before my visit. I would be happy to donate a copy of the book to your school, library or book club.


Contact Information: Please contact me via email at martha@readtomepublishingllc.com or by phone at (850) 321-9034


Affiliations:


Read what the Library Media Specialists from one school I visited are saying:
My students ages 4-8 read this book in the library and loved it! They couldn’t stop laughing and have been quoting that book for months now. A hilarious read aloud that inspires students to use their imaginations and work as a team. Five out of five stars!
--Laurel Taylor, Library Media Specialist JK-6

The book engaged listeners. It was funny and entertaining. A great book for summer!
--Heather Maggini-Mackay, Library Media Specialist JK-6

Author Visit Review
Martha Rodriguez is a true gem! She worked with me to develop lessons that aligned with our curriculum, and brought in props and teaching materials to keep students engaged.

Grades K-2nd were learning about authors so she talked to them about the writing and publishing process. She read them her story and at the end, they got to dress up as the characters! Students loved her silly story and enjoyed being able to ask her lots of questions about being an author. I loved how she made the book come to life for my students!

For Grades 4th-6th, she did a writer’s workshop to get their creative juices flowing. They learned a lot about using descriptive words and where to go to find inspiration for writing stories. By the end of the lesson, they couldn’t wait to start writing their own stories and share their ideas with others. I’ve never seen them more motivated in class!

Martha gets along wonderfully with students of all ages. What I appreciated the most about her was her flexibility with lesson planning and visits, her ability to make reading fun that helped motivate students to want to read and write, and her ability to develop a great rapport with all students. She made a huge impact on student learning for them to meet a real author, and I would love to have her back again!

My books:
A Reel Cool Summer
Smell My Feet! 10 Seriously Silly and Sweet Short Stories for Squirts
What About Barnaby (A Gumshoe Crew Mystery)



A Reel Cool SummerSmell My Feet! 10 Seriously Silly and Sweet Short Stories for SquirtsWhat About Barnaby? (A Gumshoe Crew Mystery)










MarthaRodriguez
MarthaRodriguez
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