The
Gingerbread Man Loose at School was written as a
stand-alone picture book, but after it came out, I happily offered to write
more Gingerbread Man adventures if my editor was interested.
I was a teacher before becoming a writer
and I had fun drawing on that experience for story ideas. My hope was to mirror
some of my student’s favorite activities during the school year, with the GB
Man’s adventures. I proposed a GB Man/community
helpers idea next, and the publisher suggested a more specific Fire Station
setting. So the GB Man & his class went on their first field trip in The Gingerbread Man Loose on the Fire
Truck!
Later my editor asked if I’d be
interested in two more in the series, one with a holiday theme, and the other
being my choice. So the topic of The Gingerbread Man Loose at Christmas’
was their suggestion and The
Gingerbread Man Loose at the Zoo was mine.
There is also a fifth adventure coming
in 2018 that includes a feisty new character for the GB Man to match wits with.
More on that later in the post J.
2. My
school really enjoyed your author Skype. You were very organized from sending out emails
ahead of time with expectations and things the school should do. What advice would
you give new authors regarding Skype presentations?
Thank you! I thoroughly
enjoyed reading to and talking with your smart cookies in their cute GB Man
hats!
Being able to connect with classes all
over the world is such a thrill – I love to spread enthusiasm for reading and writing,
but I also love hearing the student’s ideas and connections! I would encourage new authors to start with
15 minute free Skypes for classrooms and do some research online as to how
other authors have organized their Skype Visits. To get started, take a look at Kate Messner’s Skype guidelines.
Here
are a few possible questions to send out to teachers/librarians to help
organize the details of the virtual visit ahead of time.
·
Name:
·
Email:
·
School:
·
City, State:
·
Time zone:
·
Skype Username:
·
Cell Phone or classroom phone (used
to reach you in case of tech difficulties):
·
Grades at the visit:
·
Approximate number of students:
·
Three dates when your class can Skype:
·
Three times or blocks of time when
your class can Skype:
Next steps:
o Let the T/L know your Skype and contact information,
as well as general format information.
o You can also ask if the students are interested in
ordering books (you can send signed bookplates.)
o Double check any time zone differences.
o While Skyping remember to look at your computer camera, talk slowly so the audio is
clear, use props if you have them, and be enthusiastic!
o It’s a good idea to test the Skype connection
beforehand if possible.
o
Follow up with a thank you. And
shout-outs on social media are always fun.
3. About
how many school visits or author Skypes do you do each month? Do you "market" yourself to schools
or wait for schools to contact you?
I thoroughly enjoy doing school visits,
and my in-person and Skype school visits vary monthly. With the Gingerbread
theme, I often do back-to-back in-person school visits in
November/December. Other months vary
depending on my writing schedule, conferences, family events, etc. I generally
stick to 20-30 in-person visits per school year, and about the same amount of
Skypes. I typically reserve January -
March to focus solely on my writing, so I usually don’t do in-person visits
then, but I do schedule a few Skype visits during those months.
This year I’ve planned three seasonal Skype
days via my website Activities Newsletter, where I schedule a full day of free
15 minute Skype Visits. If a teacher/librarian is interested, he/she can join
the newsletter and receive those dates, along with seasonal printables &
classroom activities. A new Skype winter date will go out in the Nov./Dec.
Activities Newsletter soon.
As for outreach, I’ve found that many
librarians hear about my presentations through positive word-of-mouth from
other schools I’ve visited, and through my website. I also try to seek out new
opportunities to support reading. Last year I participated in author Kate
Messner’s initiative to support World Read Aloud Day through volunteer author
skype visits. It was such a great way to connect with students about reading/writing
that I plan on participating again this year. Thanks, Kate!
4. Could
you give new authors a timeline of what they should be doing up to the day of
the author event?
Well, it depends on the event. In-person school visits, book
launches, book store or library visits, conference presentations, and Skype
Visit all have common elements, but can vary greatly in terms of preparation
and audience. Since we are talking about Skyping, I’ll stick with the topic of
Skype event planning. :)
It’s generally good to plan a Skype event at least a month in advance.
Start organizing by sending organizational questions to the teacher/librarian,
and giving them time to return the answers. If you’re planning a whole day of Skype
visits, organize a schedule (with time zones in mind,) and then send out Skypes
times and reminders about tech & connection to all the schools. Add the
school Skype name as a contact in your Skype account. I often send a few
book-related printables and activities to the school via email a week before
the visit. The day before the event, it is good to do a quick check of the
connection between you & the school.
On the day of the event, you want to make sure your computer, Skype
account, props, etc. are all ready, but you can still wear your bunny slippers
;).
 |
| Laura's Skype with my school |
5. How
do you make your presentations interactive?
Student involvement is super
important, so that you are not just a “talking head” during a Skype Visit. I
try to involve the students in helping me read the book through a call and
response of certain parts. I ask
questions, and either request a whole group answer or ask the teacher to call
on students to answer. I love to use props. The question and answer session at
the end is one of my favorite parts because I get to hear the students’
creative ideas too!
6. How
many years have you been writing?
I’ve been writing for about
11 years now :)
7. You
said you're working on a MG novel. Do you think writing a novel is harder than
a picture book? As a pb writer who has to use a sparse amount of words, do you
find it difficult to write a novel with lots of description and details that a
picture book doesn't need?
I’ve been working on a
Middle Grade novel, but had to put it away for a bit to focus on the
Gingerbread Man stories and a couple of family moves. I’m pulling it back out this year and moving
forward with the writing, along with a few picture book ideas as well.
And yes, jumping to a
new genre definitely has “its positives and its challenges.” I’m sure I’ll have
more than a few hurdles to clear on the MG because it is my first one, but
there is also something thrilling about trying something new, and freeing about
having more words to play with. I’m hoping
that as I write the MG, my PB experience will continue to come into play when
choosing the right words and whittling them down to exactly what needs to be on
the page, with no “filler.” :)
8. You
have worked hard to create followers. Could you let our readers know some of
the tactics you use? (newsletter, blog, teacher resources...)
I genuinely enjoy connecting
with people who love books, reading, writing, children, and teaching. I have a
great deal of respect for children and an admiration for their sense of wonder
and creativity. Being a former teacher,
I know how hard educators work for their students, and it’s that teacher in me
that loves to provide fun lessons/activities for student engagement and
connection.
·
Website –
Includes MANY book-related GB Man printables, mentor text lessons, teacher’s
guides, book trailers, reader’s theater, activities, school visit information, etc.
·
Activities Newsletter – Sent
3-4 times a year. Highlights new activities & printables, Skype Visit
dates, events, and fun teacher-submitted ideas
·
Blog – I’ve just started
to post little blog tidbits on my website. They often highlight curriculum
connections, writing themes, pictures of class GB Man hunt ideas, etc.
·
Connections – I
try to make genuine connections with educators and “kidlit people” on Twitter,
Facebook, and Pinterest, as well as making personal connections through school
visits, book events, and book/writing conferences.
 |
| Gingerbread Man Hats I found on Laura's website and had my students make |
9. What's
in store for the G'man for the future?
The
Gingerbread Man & the Leprechaun Loose at School
will be fresh out of the oven in 2018, and is based on our own mess-making
classroom leprechaun. A mischievous
little leprechaun is wreaking havoc throughout the school, and the GB Man and
his class are determined to protect their classroom from this cheeky chap with a
very clever homemade trap.
10. For fun:
favorite
color: Sunny
& bright colors: Yellow, Robin’s Egg Blue, Red
favorite
food: Warm
cookies with a bit of icing ;)
favorite
children's author: I have SO many favorites, but if I had to pick just one
- JK Rowling
favorite
book: Harry
Potter Series, but again - SO hard, as I could list pages in each genre!
If
you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? Italy and France
– We love to travel and would like our kids to start to experience the wonder
of different cultures, different languages, and different ways of life.
About Laura...
Laura Murray was a teacher before becoming an author and had to
deal with many an escaped Gingerbread Man in her time. She is the author of the
award-winning rhyming picture book series – The Gingerbread Man Loose in the
School, The Gingerbread Man Loose on the Fire Truck, The
Gingerbread Man Loose at Christmas, and The Gingerbread Man Loose at the
Zoo. Laura lives with her family in northern Virginia and loves
speaking at schools about reading, writing, and creating. Visit her online at http://www.LauraMurrayBooks.com for fun educator resources, and on Twitter
@LauraMurrayBook.
A:
One of your hats is that of Publisher.
What were your reasons for starting P.R.A.? What is your background?
