Author Visits

Have books, will travel! I love connecting with kids, teachers, librarians, and parents during author visits. Based on the age and interests of my audience, I create customized presentations—from short Q&As to interactive workshops to full-day school visits. I'm also happy to presell books or bring them along for literacy nights and book fairs. Popular topics include . . .

Behind the Scenes of Wind Riders — I walk students through the inspiration for the popular series (written under the pen name "Jen Marlin") and then focus on characters, setting, and plot. How do I make characters feel real? How do I help settings come alive for readers? What problems or challenges did I insert to make the story more interesting and help the characters grow? I'll show illustrations and read text excerpts from the adventures of Max and Sofia. Best for students in grades 2 and up.

Get Ready to Write! — From great beginnings to compelling plot twists to satisfying endings, I walk students through story creation. Highlighting characters and text from my books,  I give students the tools and inspiration to write short stories of their own. And when they do? I'm happy to offer feedback (post-workshop, via email or snail mail) to those who accept the challenge! Best for students in grades 3 and up.

Meeting Beats — Through photographs and story excerpts, I introduce  students to my friend Beats, a kitty born with special challenges. We'll talk about the beginning, middle, and ending of Beats, the Amazing Kitten and showcase how his feelings changed throughout the story. Then I'll give students the chance to tell me how they think Beats might be feeling based on cute and funny photos. Can they come up with captions and dialogue of their own? Best for students in grades 

K and 1.