Books:

• Feliciana Feydra LeRoux A Cajun Tall Tale
• Feliciana Meets D'Loup Garou (2005, Pelican Publishing)
• Mimi's Tutu (2002, Scholastic Inc.)
• Cajun Through and Through (2000, formerly Little Brown and Company - rights have reverted back to author)
• 
• Currently working on an adult memoir, teaching Advanced Placement Literature, Public Speaking and Broadcast Journalism at West Orange High School in West Orange, New Jersey.
  

Honors:

• 2001 Louisiana Young Reader's Choice Honor Award: Feliciana Meets D'Loup Garou (3rd, 4th and 5th graders select their favorite reads of the year and Feliciana Meets D'Loup Garou placed second after Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)
• Publisher's Weekly starred review, School Library Journal starred review, Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies (National Council of Social Studies) for Feliciana Feydra LeRoux

Author Website: www.tyniathomassie.com

Presentations: I do them! Usually I speak about the Cajun culture, about growing up in Louisiana, alligator hunting, my special relationship with my grampa, I read portions of the book in a Cajun dialect and take questions from audience members. Somtimes I even teach how to two-step, although that could be a challenge dancing with a computer! With Mimi's Tutu, I show some of my dance fabrics (Kenta cloth and conch shell belts). For older children, I speak about how a book is written, drawn, published, I share my experiences as an author and a teacher, and for writers working on projects, I tailor the session to their desires/needs.

Audiences: All ages, although I prefer shorter sessions with younger children (K-1st)

Available Times: Must be arranged with author; After 2:30PM EST is usually good; During the day I have sporadic periods that are free and can arrange sessions depending on their duration. Email author tthomassie@aol.com for more specific information.

No recording of Skype Sessions without permission from the author. (Amen sisters and brothers!)

No Cost Meet the Author Visit: 10-15 minutes

In-Depth Visit Length: 30 minute for K-1st grade; 40 minutes for 2nd-5th grade; I also Skype with adult writers or children working on book projects

In-Depth Visit Cost: $100/ 30 minute session; $150 for 40 minute session

Prerequisites:

• I ask that children have a means of ordering the book/s (directed to website, or given a handout after the session that I can email to the teacher
  
• That teachers elect which book specifically they would like me to read from prior to the session
• That we test the connection prior to the Skype session with the children;
• While I read to the kids, I would like the teachers to turn pages of the book for me on their end
• It is important for the following information to be provided prior to our session: # of children in attendance, grade level, whether the children have read the book or not prior to our session; need sessions arranged at least one month in advance of the Skype session.

Contact Information: tthomassie@aol.com; tthomassie@woboe.org

Affiliations:

• Society of Children's Writers and Illustrators,
• NTCE,
• NJEA,
• H.U.M.A.N. B.E.I.N.G.S. Inc. (kidding about that last affiliation... sort of!)

Education: Louisiana State University, B.A. in theater and speech; American Conservatory Theater Advanced Acting program, pursuing Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. Have studied writing at Montclair State University, the 92nd St. Y, and the FAWC in Provincetown, Massachusetts

We'll have a good time y'all -- I ga-ron-tee!