Authors’ Booking Service is pleased to announce that author Heather McLeod is now scheduling visits in the Thunder Bay and (in May 2012) the Greater Toronto Area. 
 
Heather would be delighted to visit to your school or library. Her rate is $200 per session, or $400 for a full morning. Heather has presented her book to groups ranging in size from two to three hundred and in age from daycares to high schools and the general public.

  
Heather’s picture book, Kiss Me! (I’m a Prince!), has been nominated this year for both Canada’s Blue Spruce award, and the international Amelia Bloomer project. It is her debut publication, although she has three CDs of her own songs, a couple of jazz albums and a dozen years touring North America’s coffeehouses and festivals to her credit. She also draws on her years as a host on CBC Radio in her presentations to kids and adults alike.

Heather is a member of The Writers' Union of Canada, and so schools wishing to invite her may be eligible for a travel and fee subsidy to off-set the cost of her visit. For details of this program, please contact us.

  

Published Works

Kiss Me! (I’m a Prince!), Fitzhenry & Whiteside 2011

 

Awards and Nominations

For Kiss Me! (I’m a Prince!)

• Short-listed for the 2012 Blue Spruce Award

• Short-listed for the 2012 Amelia Bloomer project

Presentation Details

Preschool to grade 3: (approximately 40 minutes) I start with a song or two about frogs to fully engage the group, then fold blank pages into a book and talk about authors and illustrators. Next I show them my book and talk about how it came to be from niggling idea through being “matched” with an illustrator to my first time seeing a copy. Finally I read and take questions. Through-out the presentation kids are actively taking part, singing along or filling in the missing words in the songs, making kissy frog faces and answering my questions about things like whether they’d like to learn to fence and why frogs can’t play baseball.

Grades 4, 5, 6: (approximately 50 minutes) I ask if anyone knows a storyteller, talk about storytellers around the dinner table in my family, how people tell stories all the time to make people laugh, or listen, or to make a point. I ask what kinds of stories they tell and they enjoy hearing. Then I talk about the difference between fiction and non-fiction. I explain that I love writing fiction because it allows me to imagine the answers to questions like: what would a prince turned frog not be able to do any longer? Or how would he respond if the princess he asks to kiss him decided she’d rather have a talking frog? Finally I read my book and take questions.

Grades 7 through high school: (approximately 50 minutes) I talk about dreaming and doing. I dreamed of writing books, playing and composing music and hosting a radio show. Those dreams led to me doing those things, but also led to me doing jobs just to pay the rent as I worked towards those dreams. I talk about reading, writing, accounting (aka math) and an active imagination as key to the realization of all those dreams – transferable skills. I read my story and I take questions.

I feel visiting schools and libraries to talk about my book are a highlight of being an author. The students educate and entertain me, and I aim to give them as much pleasure I can in return.

I will present to:

Grades pre-school to 12.

I will happily present to any number of students. I have presented to as few as 2 and as many as 300.

I will present in a classroom, library, gym or on a park bench.

I also offer: 

Presentations for Literacy Nights or Career Fairs

I require:

A table.

When presenting to grades 3 and under I also require: A chair (preferably with rungs and no arm rests).

When presenting to a large crowd in an auditorium or other acoustically-challenging space: A stool and a sound system with either two SM58 or equivalent vocal microphones on boom stands and either an on-stage board or someone to run the sound board.