Welcome Teachers and Librarians to my Website.
As a children’s book author, I believe in the importance of early reading to stimulate interest in learning.
I love meeting young readers at school/library visits and I welcome the opportunity to visit your school or library. Please scroll down to find out more about my in-person visits.
Please email me at stepintimebooks@gmail.com if you would like to inquire about booking a visit and to discuss format. Please get in touch if you would like a donated copy of one of my books for your school or library.
Recommended ages for my books is 1 – 6 years.
Years 1- 2 Format
Attention spans tend to be short so the session is typically 30 minutes. My idea is to engage them in questions around the subject of my books (dinosaurs, planets) and to introduce them to an idea (there’s a Dinosaur Forest or is there a man on the Moon) which helps lead into the story. I have fun, colorful illustrations from the book to accompany my telling of the story. Stickers are a fun, free hand outs for these little ones.
Years 3-4 Format
An interactive reading with the children where they are encouraged to participate as a character in the book. Pictures are most important in my books so I like to show them the difference before and after, and then, if there are no questions, involve the children in a crafting project which can easily be taken home.
Select one Crafting Idea:
(creating the headbands, bookmarks, paper plate arts involves selecting the pre-prepared pieces and assembling using glue sticks)
Years 5 – 6 Format
A general talk about the inspiration for the book, writing in general, and how the books are published. Taking time for questions and sharing topics about writing is always fun with this group. Free handouts include bookmarks, pencils, and erasers that are always a hit.
Inspiration for the book:
As a grandmother, I loved playing with my grandson. My favorite activity was reading stories, and he loved to listen. His favorite story, read many, many times was “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.” One day when we were out for a walk, my grandson said, “We’re Going on a dinosaur hunt. We’re not afraid.” So, we started on our journey. He enjoyed the adventure so much that I decided to create a little storybook of our time together.
As time went by, I wrote down each of our following adventures. With the encouragement from friends and family I decided to try publishing. We’re Going to the Dinosaur Forest was ‘self-published’ August 23, 2024.
Writing in general:
There are diverse types of writing such as: poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. Non-fiction is all about the truth as “facts, real life events, real people.” Fiction is all about creative writing as “untrue, invented, imagined.”
Creative writing begins with an idea, (like a dinosaur hunt), has at least one character (person, animal, or thing for instance), and different actions (either by or to the character) and the ending or how things are resolved.
For me, the creative writing part of self-publishing is the most enjoyable but there are other important parts with which I am usually involved.
How My Books Are Made:
Books are published in two methods “traditional” or “self-published.” In traditional publishing the author has a contract with a publishing company which oversees getting the book to market. A ‘self-published’ book author means that we can get our stories out to our readers more quickly, and it gives us more creative control from start to finish. This means that as well as writing the book I organize everything else – including finding an illustrator, finding editors/proofreaders, getting the book interior designed and formatted and then uploaded to the printer or Amazon.
Once the book is up there, there’s all the marketing to do – so that people know it’s available and can buy it.
