Carroll, David (Toronto)

Writers’ Union Member. Award-winning author, ultra-marathoner and motivational speaker. Fiction. $250 for a 1-hour session, $450 for 2, $600 for 3 and $800 for 4 (no HST). No travel charge within the GTA. Continue reading “Carroll, David (Toronto)”

Torres, J (Whitby, ON)

Award-winning Filipino Canadian writer of comic books and graphic novels. Member of Writer’s Union of Canada, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, and Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators, and Performers. Middle grades. 

Rates are $350 for one session, $650 for two, $950 for three, plus mileage. Classroom or library setting preferred over gymnasium or auditorium. Limit of 50 students per session (negotiable). Projector and laptop required for slideshow presentation. 

Virtual rates: $200 for one session, $300 for two (within the same week).

Best suited for grades 4 to 6, each session is approximately 45-60 minutes consisting of a brief intro, a reading (excerpt or short comic story), presentation on how graphic novels are made, and a Q&A at the end. Book sales and signings available upon request.

J. has written for all the major North American comic book publishers including Archie, Dark Horse, DC, Image, and Marvel. He has also been published by Kids Can Press, Owlkids, Scholastic, and Tundra . He currently writes the Chirp comic in Chirp Magazine and the Adventure Comics motion comics for the DC Kids YouTube Channel. His graphic novels include Alison Dare (Eisner Award Nominee), Bigfoot Boy (Junior Library Guild Selection), Brobots (Kids Read Comics Award and Parents’ Choice Award), How to Spot a Sasquatch (Junior Library Guild Selection) , Lola: A Ghost Story (Aesop’s Accolade), Planet Hockey (Forest of Reading Honor Book), and Stealing Home (Forest of Reading Honor Book, Hackmatack Award Winner, nominated for Red Cedar, Bilson Award, and Sakura Medal).

CONTACT J TO BOOK A VISIT:

    Krossing, Karen (Toronto, ON)

    Karen Krossing June 2019

    Writers’ Union Member. YA and MG fiction. Picture books (nonfiction and fiction). K to 12. Karen’s rate is $250 plus HST for one session, $450 for two, $675 for three, $900 for a full day (4 sessions). Mileage within Toronto may be waived. A virtual visit is $150 plus HST.

    Karen Krossing is the author of many books for kids and teens, including picture books One Tiny Bubble and Sour Cakes, and novels Monster vs. Boy, Punch Like a Girl, Bog, and Cut the Lights.  She won the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for Canada in 2015 and 2023 and has been a finalist for the Ontario Library Association White Pine Award and the Joan F. Kaywell Books Save Lives Award, among other honors. Karen has been conducting book talks and workshops since 2002, and she has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She loves meeting readers and writers of all ages.

    Continue reading “Krossing, Karen (Toronto, ON)”

    Schmidt, René (Trenton, ON)

    René Schmidt is the author of four books by Scholastic Canada on Canadian Disasters series, and received the Red Maple Honour Book award for Leaving Fletchville.

    $275 for one session, $375 for two, $525 for three and for $750 for four sessions.  No travel charge will be asked within 100 km of Trenton Ontario. Skype sessions are available for $150 per session.

    FACT vs. FICTION.  Where do you get your information from?  As well as his regular presentations, René Schmidt is presenting on teaching students to separate known fact from rumours and fiction.

    Do you teach any students that don’t have a clue

    about fiction or non-fiction what’s opinion, what’s true?

    Because in our world of media confusion

    many students can’t tell between real and illusion.

    They research something and come up with actual

     opinions or hearsay but nothing proven factual.

    Did they read it on Facebook or other media social

    (because we all can be fooled by arguments emotional).

    So I tell what I found researching Canadian Disasters,

    including many times when rumors spread faster than truth…

    My rule is: don’t trust any source that can’t be fired

    for lying or misleading the public or whoever hired – them

    Be it books or newspapers, TV or Internet media;

    a lot of real facts can be found in Google or Wikipedia.

    But trust only sources with something valuable to lose,

     like a job, or tenure, or a reputation; they should have no excuse…

     for lying.

    To your students I’ll bring funny stories of misinformation

    and tragic ones too, that fooled our nation.

    Because the falsehoods we sift through are no real mystery

    bogus stories are endemic through Canada’s history.

    So invite me to your school if your principal has a budget

    and you and I will teach research and how to judge it.

    Q & A sessions follow all presentations.

    As a member of the Writer’s Union of Canada, René’s presentations qualify for the Ontario Writer’s In The Schools grants (WITS) program.

    Contact Rene to book a visit:

      Storms, Patricia (Toronto)

      Writers’ Union Member. Fun and funny cartoonist, children’s illustrator and picture book author and ukulele lady. $300 + HST for 1 session, $500 for 2, $800 for 3 and $1,000 for 4. Continue reading “Storms, Patricia (Toronto)”

      Kacer, Kathy (Toronto)

      Writers’ Union Member.Historical fiction and non-fiction, multi-award winner, and experienced speaker. Kathy’s rate in and around the GTA is $400 per session. HST and mileage charges are also applicable. Virtual Visits: $250 plus HST, 60 minutes, Skype/Google Talk Continue reading “Kacer, Kathy (Toronto)”

      Boudreau, Hélène (Markham ON)

      Not available for bookings at this time. Writers’ Union Member. Parents’ Choice Award. Fiction. Non-Fiction. Humour. Picture Book. Middle Grade. Tween. K to 8. Hélène’s rate is $250 for one 45-60 min session, $450 for 2, $650 for 3, $850 for 4 (max 4 per day), plus travel by car. HST extra. Continue reading “Boudreau, Hélène (Markham ON)”

      Zweig, Eric (Owen Sound ON)

      Writers’ Union Member. Hockey historian and author. Available for school and library visits. Eric’s rate is $300 for one session, $500 for two, or $750 for three, plus HST. Mileage costs can often be negotiated for multiple bookings or for presentations in the GTA. For virtual visits, the fee is $200 per session.
      Continue reading “Zweig, Eric (Owen Sound ON)”

      Winters, Kari-Lynn (St. Catharines)

      St. Catharines. Writers’ Union Member. World traveling picture book and non-fiction author, storyteller, and performer. $375.00 for one session (50-55 min), $600.00 2nd 50-55 min session, $850.00 3rd 50-55 min session, $1000.00 4th 50-55 min session. 30 min. sessions for kindergarten are $175.00 when booked with at least of one full 55 min session + return travel to St. Catharines.
      Continue reading “Winters, Kari-Lynn (St. Catharines)”