School Visits

I love to do author visits. When I was little, and even into high school, I loved listening to stories.  I never thought I would become a teacher or a writer, the fact that I’m now blessed with the opportunity to combine my love of writing with speaking to and working for kids… it’s humbling.  I’m filled with gratitude for what I get to do every day. When I say that everyone should Dream Big and believe in their dreams and story, I’m drawing from personal experience. Even though I didn’t step into this particular chapter of my story until my early 60s, it was undeniably worth the wait.

Author Visits & Materials: I currently offer three programs;  1.  Discuss life of a writer and a lesson on writing picture books. 2.  Reading and signing of a specific title.  I currently have eleven books to choose from.  I suggest one book at a time for a reading and signing.(see below)  There are nine picture books, one chapter book, and a young adult novel(Age 13-16) but I can add one or more of the others, based on the school’s preferences, and alter my presentation. 3. Read and discuss a book to a single class or small group: Free to schools within 10 miles of Westfield.

Writing Program:$50.00 per class (2 sessions 1 1/2 hours), $150.00 for a full day (up to 5 classes), More than 25 miles:$25.00 travel fee

In my writing program with students, I tailor my message and presentation for all ages/grades – from elementary to college.  As for group size, I’m extremely flexible; I’ve worked with group sizes from 15 to 100, from one period to a full day.  As for length of time, I suggest 40-50 minutes per session with a 10-minute break between each, for transition.

READING & SIGNING PROGRAMS: Fundraiser for school PTO's: 25% of gross to the organization.

As for teachers and children reading the book(s) prior to my coming, I encourage this (and we’ll happily donate a full set of books signed and dedicated to your school, as soon as a visit is scheduled).  It helps the students to know the stories, to think about and discuss them, so we can really dig in when I arrive. Also, I request the pre-selling and pre-signing of books before I arrive, for two reasons: 1. This helps me determine how many books to ship ahead/bring with me to the visit; and 2. it frees up my time from signing on the day of the visit, allowing more time to work directly with the staff and students.  For every school I visit, we create a personalized pre-sell flyer for the school, in pdf format.  This makes it easy for the school to make and distribute copies.  A day or two before my visit, all we need is an email with a listing of how many books have been pre-ordered, and to whom each book is to be dedicated. Then I can arrive with everything signed and ready to go.

Presentation Structure: I first work with the school or organization to determine the book(s) I’ll be using during my visit. For the visit itself, if the school has a large projection screen and an A/V set-up that accommodates PowerPoint, I find that projecting the book(s) onto a big screen helps to better engage a group of students.  I highly encourage this for all groups, but especially those larger than 30. I begin by reading through the chosen book(s), pointing out images and text of relevance to the chosen presentation theme.  Following the reading, I delve into the finer points of creating that book, often using interactive demonstrations with the students to keep thing fun and engaging.  Finally, if/when time allows (or when asked to do so) I open everything up to questions and comments.

One Last Note I’ve met some extraordinary teachers and administrators in this work.  I have the utmost respect for the incredibly difficult job you tackle – with joy and dedication – on a daily basis. I want to thank you for what you do.  Please know there are many who love and admire you for it, myself very much included.  If you are interested in a program at your school or district, please copy and paste the information below and e-mail me at starknight1966@hotmail.co.

Personal Appearance Request

 Please provide the following  information:

What Dates are you seeking for a Book Signing

Is this for a book store or an organization?  Please enter the full information.

How shall I contact you?

R. W. Thompson Books

Book Inventory List 

Book Title                                                  Medium                         Price

Mrs. Mouse’s Christmas                  Children’s Picture Book            10.00        

Daydreaming, a Baseball Story       Children’s Picture Book            10.00        

Icicle’s First Christmas                   Children’s Picture Book            10.00       

Icicle Flies (And Learns an Important Lesson)  Picture book           10.00       

Icicle Dreams (And Learns Dreams do Come True) Picture Book     10.00       

The Gift                                          Children's Picture book            10.00       

The Crystal Butterfly            Children’s Illustrated Story Book        10.00        

The Bears (A Family Legacy)            Children's Picture Book            10.00       

Waddle’s Big Adventure                  Chapter book                             9.00