Writers are Among Us

It is always a pleasure whenever I get an opportunity to make a school visit. In April I was extended the invitation to sit on a panel of experts at a local middle school, Glassford Hill MS. I was so excited!

I was greeted by the school librarian, Ann Carey, and her two awesome assistants. They immediately made me feel welcome and treated me like a celebrity. These ladies made sure I had everything I could possibly need, and then some.

I proceeded to give my presentation about the advantages and difficulties of being a writer. I asked if there were any in the group that had considered writing. Almost every hand reached toward the ceiling. Then I asked if any had put pen to paper or finger-tips to keyboard. Again, hands flew up like rockets from bottles. So I ended the presentation with throwing out a challenge. I told them that if any were willing to write an original piece of fiction or nonfiction, have it looked at by their English teachers, and then present it to me, I would give them a prize. Mind you, I never told them what the prize would be.

Within two weeks one of the students took me up on my offer and presented me with a story! Here is the prize: to showcase the story on my website and here it is! Hunter's Orders by S. K. James. I've created a new webpage on my site for young writers to introduce their work to the reading world and the work of S. K. James is the first!

Take a look at an example of the awesome talent that lurks within our reach and awaits us in our very near future. 

Authors are Popular!

Just about everyone is excited to meet an author, especially if it’s a book they've read. Those of us who write for kids love doing school visits. We get to meet the very ones we write for and they get to tell us what they think about our stories.

Lately, there has been a reduction in school budgets, so paid visits are at a minimum. As a debut author, I don’t command the big bucks for a presentation opportunity. But the saying, ‘money isn't everything,’ is really true.

Earlier this  month I was asked to present at one of our local middle schools, Glassford Hill Middle School. The best part was that ‘I’ was the reward for the kids that had met their reading goals for the year.
The kids were great! We had a blast laughing and talking together. At the end, several of the kids bought my books. There were some who had forgotten to bring their money, so the librarian, Ann Carey, asked if I would leave a few books for them to purchase within a few days. Of course I said ‘yes’ and they came back and bought them.

Now for the cherry. Without my knowledge, the librarian sent pictures of the presentation to the local newspaper and they printed the story! What a wonderful surprise! This was so much better than getting paid—I sold books and I got free publicity!


So fellow authors, the next time you’re asked to give a presentation, don’t let the money issue keep you from doing it. The moral of the story is, when we give, it comes back to us.

Where I’ve Been

I haven’t disappeared. I’ve been on book tour! I released PRINCESS KANDAKE in February and everything exploded! I have made several trips to California to present and sell my book and I have another planned for next month. Then I get to present in Arizona for a bit.

I had no idea there was so much work involved in being published. Talking about the history of the book and the ancient kingdom of Nubia have been a blast. I’m worn out, but I can’t wait to do more!

Now all I have to do is figure out how to maintain my writing schedule, my travel schedule and budget, blogs, Facebook, and Twitter. I’m not complaining, not by a long shot. It’s just that I had no idea the amount of work that would be involved. I’m open to suggestions, hints, and advice on that score.

Success is great! In the first six weeks of the book’s release, I’ve sold over 300 copies and the numbers are climbing. Am I excited? I’m delirious!

I’m adding a Book Tour page to my website. Check it out. Soon there will even be a picture of me with the cover model!