EVENTS & VISITS

Check back for author events coming soon!

Author Visits:

"To read a writer is for me not merely to get an idea of what he says, but to go off with him and travel in his company." —Andre Gide

Together, let's go on a walk 'n talk in the school yard, nearby park, creek, path, or trail to get familiar with the first step in writing imagery: observation and journaling.

I'm quite fond of creative author visits with small school groups. Or civic groups, libraries, MOPS, PTA, etc. For school visits, I prefer sitting on the floor/ground with the kids rather than being on stage in front of a crowd.

PRESENTATIONS:

Never Grow Out of Picture Books! (All ages)
A picture book may be a child's first glimpse of art and first exposure to poetry and prose. Carmela uses a fun and lively cross-section of current (and not so current) books that just might encourage students to glance with new eyes at these awe inspiring works.

What's It Like To Be An Author? (K-2)
See slides of Carmela's writing space, her messy desk, and find out what inspires her to write her books. She shares her journey from her very first story, Forget-me-not (written at age 10) to DO PRINCESSES WEAR HIKING BOOTS? along with a glimpse of what she's working on now. This power point includes reading DO SUPER HEROES HAVE TEDDY BEARS?

Idea to Shelf (3-6 grade)
Carmela covers the entire process of how a book comes to be. Her slide show takes students on a brisk journey of where ideas come from, through the writing and editing process, to publishing and printing, and beyond. Using Carmela's 2014 Colorado Book Award winning book, THE TUMBLEWEED CAME BACK, this presentation highlights how often the writer's content changes before they become books.

Email me for more visitation fees and other info!

SCHOOL/LIBRARY VIRTUAL VISITS:

I will "virtual visit" your classroom for 10-15 min for FREE, as long as you have Zoom/Google Hangouts! Meet Lulu, my black shi-poo pup; see what secret things (shhhhhh) I keep on my desk for inspiration; and maybe get a peek at my latest project.

Email me for details!

CARMELA'S HONORARIUM FEES:

Virtual visit 10-15 minutes Q&A FREE

In-person visits:
30-45 minute $300.00 per session
Up to 3 sessions per day.

*Travel fee applies for visits outside Denver/Boulder area. Contact Carmela for details.

Praise for visits:

"Thank you, thank you, thank you for making the trip to our store. We love your books, loved having you here and look forward to doing it again! We have sold about a dozen more books this morning! Have a great summer."
—Karen, The Next Page, Frisco, CO

"WHAT FUN! Thank you SO very much for giving our students such an amazing experience. They are simply buzzing with excitement. As one class was leaving, they were talking to other students in the hall saying, 'We just talked to a REAL author! She was so nice, and she showed us her cute dog Lulu!'
This meant the world to them. You have inspired our students to read and write more—what else could a teacher ask for?"
—Kathy (and students) Dougall Elementary, Ontario, Canada

"We truly enjoyed this experience with you! Thank you so much for being patient with me as we prepared for today. The kids REALLY loved it! The boys are looking forward to your super hero book coming out soon! We hope to stay in touch with you and hopefully continue this tradition for next year's kindergarten classes! Some of our classes are writing their own versions of your book using the question/answer format."
—Jenna Berry, Kindergarten Teacher, Cibolo Green Elementary, Texas

"Thank you again for Skyping with us! We all loved it! We had a fabulous lesson while preparing for the lesson, as well as afterwards."
—Heather Cox, 4th grader teacher, Crabapple Crossing ES, Georgia

See what some Kindergarten students are up to:

"Do Super Heroes Fly?" written, illustrated and read by Reid N.

"Do Princes Rool?" written, illustrated and read by Woods K.

A young author:

Veronica, a talented young writer in my sister-in-law's 4th grade class, made up her very own Do Monster's story inspired by my Do Princesses series. Click the image below to read it... Isn't she cool?

Preparing for a successful author visit:

Teachers: test equipment! If a virtual visit, I will do a test video call with the teacher a couple days before scheduled day.

Please familiarize the class with my books. Read at least two.
Have children prepare good questions before the day of the visit.
Teachers please check to see that student questions are relevant to my visit.
Review with me all aspects of the visit via email the week before.

Bookstore Events/Book Fairs:

Booksignings and Beyond:

Scavenger Hunts; Princess Parties; Tea Parties; Show 'n Tell Cardboard Competitions, Superheroes Amongst Us, and more...

Tattered Cover Book Event

"Princesses Pumpkins and Superheroes"
High Plains Library

Before and after photo of one of Carmela's fans
Princess Oryah in Idaho
Do Princesses Scrub Counters?

Find Carmela's books at her local favorites!

The Bookworm
The Bookies
Tattered Cover
The Collected Works
The Next Page
Second Star to the Right
Book Bar
MacDonalds Bookshop
Monkey See, Monkey, Do Bookshop