I’ve had many requests for Skype visits these last few months, and I wanted to touch base here to let teachers, librarians, homeschooling families, and book clubs know I am available to chat with you.
If you’d like me to “visit”, simply drop me a line. I’m in the Mountain Time Zone and am typically free M-F from 10:30am -1:30pm. I’d also be available in the evening, if that works best for your group (though we might have to be creative with scheduling times). There are a number of things I’m happy to talk about, and as 2015 approaches and OVER IN THE WETLANDS and BLUE BIRDS are released, the list will continue to grow.
Here are a handful of mini lessons I can present to your readers:
- Poetry 101
- Verse Novels
- What’s the Point of Historical Fiction?
- Frontier Living
Of course, I’m always happy to start with a quick overview of MAY B. and the inspiration behind the book. I encourage readers to prepare questions ahead of time so that we might end with a question and answer session.
Ideally, readers have already read my book before we meet. This really helps make discussion rich and productive. There is nothing as thrilling for an author than hearing readers wonder and talk about her characters as if they were real. And they ARE real, aren’t they? Sometimes book characters feel more permanent in our lives than some people we know.
Rates:
Here’s the fun part: A Skype visit is much, much cheaper than an in-person event.
15 minutes = free
30 minutes = $50
45 minutes = $75
If you’re a part of a book club, consider having me “show up” for the end of your discussion (because you really wouldn’t want the author to be around for everything, would you? You might have some things to discuss you wouldn’t want her knowing, like all the parts of the book that didn’t work for you. Of course, if you want to tell this author those things, she could handle it. Promise.).
If you’re a homeschooling family, consider gathering with other local homeschooling friends and stage a Skype visit in your living room. Really the possibilities are endless.
Skype has allowed me to connect with readers I would have otherwise never known. Here’s to many more opportunities! And whether we talk via computer or in person, the same goofy expressions shown above are guaranteed.
Caroline,
I am a fourth grade teacher in Falmouth, Maine. We have just completed a poetry unit which included May. B. as our read aloud. If the funds were available, I would be writing to request a 45 minute Skype. Sadly, however, funds are very tight, so I am writing to ask if you might have 15 minutes available to Skype with my class about your book and/or what it is like to write a novel in verse. While my students have Skyped with many authors over the years, they have yet to meet an author of novel in verse books.
Might you have a time available next week when we could Skype with you for fifteen minutes? Since we are in Maine, that would mean we are available 1:45 – 2:30 Eastern time ( 11:45 – 12:30 Mountain time) with Thursday (4/14) being our best day. If next Thursday or another day next week does not work for you, perhaps we can look for a later date.
Thanks for considering. I look forward to hearing back from you.
Jen Merrifield
Hi, Jennifer. Sending an email along…