Author Karen Clemens Warrick

I provide a little information about myself and my approach to the writing process.

I share slides of black and white photographs that illustrate my books and describe some of the fascinating facts I discovered during the research process.

I also read several passages from my more recent publications.

I have spoken to groups of all ages and presented programs for library summer programs for kids.

I am willing to participate in booksignings for stores and at book-related events in Arizona.

The unique opportunity of having a guest author (or illustrator) in the classroom will help your young writers understand that stories and books don't just happen. Listening to an author talk about all the revisions necessary to create believable characters, develop a plot that reaches a satisfying ending, and build a setting (real or imaginary), so that a book is publishable helps students understand that writing requires time, energy, and lots of hard work.

As a guest author, I have four specific objectives that I hope to achieve during my school visit:

· To help students understand how an author works
· To show how an idea grows into a published book
· To create excitement and interest for biographies and history
· To help students experience the writing process by participating in a writing activity

I can provide a one-day interactive Meet-the-Author program. (Limited to six sessions per day—after that my voice gives out!) With grades K-2, I read my picture book If I Had a Tail, show a book dummy, proof pages and share a “sad-but-true” story about how it took eight years for this picture book to be published. I wrap up my program by introducing a writing activity. A lesson plan is provided so classroom teachers can complete the activity with their students.

With grades 3-6, I show slides to introduce the biographies I have written and selections from my books to show students that biographies can be fun to read. I discuss how I research my characters, what happens after I write the first draft, and share an manuscript marked up by my editor, ready for my revisions. To wrap up the program, I again like to introduce a writing activity

With grades 7-8, I focus on how to research—finding reliable sources, taking notes, documenting information, and organizing facts. The writing activity introduced helps students with the outlining or paraphrasing skills.

I also provide multiple-day Writer-in-Residence workshops for grades 2-6 that can span two to four school days. Workshops allow me to schedule time with smaller groups and complete more steps of the writing process with students directly. Detailed lesson plans are provided to show author/teacher responsibilities. (I am also willing to create activities to meet your school's specific writing objectives.) Schools may wish to target specific grade levels for small group sessions.

Recommended time schedule for sessions:
Grades K-1: 20-25 minutes
Grades 2-3: 30-40 minutes
Grades 4-8: 45-60 minutes

When I spend more than one day at a school, I would be glad to do an event for parents and students. I can provide a 20-30 minute program sharing my experiences as an author. I will also autograph books after the program if the PTO would like to make them available. My books can be ordered directly from the publishers at a discounted rate.

My full-day fee is $575; half-day $300. (Fees may be negotiable in some circumstances)

In addition, my travel and lodging expenses would need to be paid by the schools. When booked for multiple schools in the same area, these expenses would be shared.

A full-day includes a maximum of six sessions; half-day would be three sessions.