Thank you so much for sharing your talent and love of reading with our students this week. You had them in the palm of your hand from the time you sang out the first lines of Dancing, Prancing Lily. You did a great job of involving the students, even from 2,000 miles away via Skype, and shared a bit of your world with the students, showing us your office and gardens. The students loved getting the “inside scoop” on the illustrations in Heart of a Tiger. They loved being able to talk to you and ask their questions as well. Sharing your other stories with the students ahead of the visit built the anticipation and you didn’t disappoint us. Thank you for your generosity and enthusiasm for writing and books.

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My goal as a positive psychologist and an author of books for girls, tweens and teens is to reinforce that we all have talents, strengths and potential. We are all special and unique. I have done this through creating a character, a girl, who speaks to all of us, for all of us and is in many ways all of us. We follow her growing up issues and see her conquer lots of difficult situations like a first crush, moving, a new baby, a death in the family, being teased, not being understood by parents, moods, etc.
I'd love to know what you think about the issues of self-esteem in kids and also the topics that are most crtical to them as they move from late childhood to early teens.

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I am also an author on the Skype author network.I have written the Alphabet KIds Series of Multicultural books. We have 6 in the series with more to come.
You may be particularly interested in my book Isaac's Zoo co-authored by Neme Alperstein .
Would love to be in touch to share ideas.
All the best,
Pateice Samara

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The Fatherhood Task Force of South Florida (FTFSF) connects Fathers and Children encouraging them to play a more active role in their lives and is launching the Fatherhood Reading Squad to promote reading as a fun activity. FTFSF and Alphabet Kids are partnering with communities around the globe to create literacy and reading opportunities for dads, granddads, uncles, mentor and male role models to develop the life-long habit of reading. We are seeking educators, authors, parents and community groups to be come involved.

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Hello, Everyone
My name is Nina Williams and I am new to Author-Skype. I'm very interested in chatting with Y/A authors with my book club members. What is the procedure for contacting an author? What if an author is not listed on this site. Do I just contact the author via their website? Please advise.

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We have just embarked on a tour for the Alphabet Kids Multi-cultural Book Series. It is called the Alphabet Kids Many Face-Many Faces National Tour - Tolerance and Understanding from the Start.
The response has been very enthusiastic by school leaders, teachers, and community centers such as the Boys & Girls Clubs, hospitals, faith-based organization and charity events. We recently paid a visit to the Barbara Bush Hospital in Portland, Maine plus many other bookstores and schools from Maine to New Jersey. We have targeted ages 3-8 years. Additionally, children 9-11 have great interest and engagement when we discuss our stories.
Our next stops are Washington, DC on October 4, New Milford, CT on October 10, and Miami on November 11.
We are eager to visit additional communities. I would welcome hearing from you on your thoughts about diversity discussions in your schools and hometowns.

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I just received an email from Ellen saying that she is routing all author visits (including the virtual ones!) through her publisher. Send an email to Stasia at author.appearances@simonandschuster.com to schedule a visit.

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Author: Mary Calhoun Brown
Website Address: www.marycalhounbrown.com
Blog featuring student work: http://blog.marycalhounbrown.com
Genre: Historical and literary fiction for fourth grade through adults
Age Group: Mary speaks to children K-12, and adults in both classroom and library settings, as well as book clubs.
Fee Structure: "Meet the Author" visits are free (10-15 minutes in length)
"Creative Writing Workshops" are $65 an hour unless your class purchases 12 copies of my book, then the workshop is free.

Mary Calhoun Brown writes stories about things that matter to a generation that would rather be entertained than educated. Her award-winning book, There Are No Words, along with its curriculum guide, meets state content standards and objectives for fourth through eighth grades. Brown mixes her literary style with a story that appeals to both boys and girls alike. Her curriculum guide, which she gives free to educators, cuts across subject matter, integrating reading, language arts, history, writing, science, research and technology. Vocabulary words with definitions, insights into the subject matter, in-class discussion materials, writing assignments, research assignments and much needed values curriculum are all included.

Mary is a noted public speaker, often appearing at schools, in assemblies, at library association annual meetings, book festivals and book clubs. Her "Creative Writing Workshops" give students an inside look into how to improve their writing skills using a sensory approach and Youtube, which appeals even to the most reluctant writer. Teachers are never disappointed in the results from one of Mary's visits.

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I never took the time during a busy school year and summer to post my reactions to our visit with Kate Messner. But, as I begin to plan for my new school year, I realize what a highlight this visit truly was for our students. Kate was outstanding in her visit, talking to our 6th grade and interacting with them. She is a very special author and person and this became evident throughout her visit. She not only presented ideas, but she also took her computer outside her home and showed us Lake Champlain, the setting of Spitfire. Please read my reactions to her visit on my blog at http://dcaven.wordpress.com/. I hope that, once again, this incoming group of 6th graders has the opportunity to also be touched by Kate's dedication and caring for her craft.

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Ellen, we had a marvelous time talking with you this afternoon. Thank you so much for making it happen.

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