Author Visits
I can honestly say that, of all the author visits I have seen so far, yours was the best.
Inspiring Young Minds
to Dream, Write & Create
One of my greatest joys as a children’s author and teacher is helping children discover the magic of storytelling and, even more importantly, the power of their own imaginations.
I wrote and illustrated my first picture book when I was five and my first novel at eleven. They were both absolutely dreadful and never saw the light of day, but that didn’t matter! What mattered was the dream, the imagination and the determination to keep going.
That’s at the heart of my author visits. I want children to discover that no idea is too small, no dream too big and no story too silly to write down.
My author visits are lively, interactive experiences designed especially for primary-aged children. As an early childhood teacher, I know that sitting and listening for an hour isn’t always easy! My sessions are filled with storytelling, humour, audience participation, movement and brain breaks, with plenty of opportunities for children to join in.
Together, we might explore how a tiny idea becomes a published book, peek behind the scenes at messy drafts and illustrations, play with words and rhyme, meet some of my characters, create a story together, try a guided drawing, or discover some of the wonderfully unexpected things that can happen when an author lets their imagination run wild.
Most importantly, I want every child to leave knowing that they are a storyteller too. Whether their story is told aloud, drawn in pictures or written across pages, their ideas matter and their voices deserve to be heard. Don’t be surprised if your students race back to class asking for a pencil and paper. Literally!
Ready to create some story magic? I'd love to visit your school. Get in touch to chat about your students, year levels and the experience that would work best for you.
You engaged the students in such a fascinating and entertaining way that they were completely captivated.
Choose Your Author Visit
Every school is different, and so are its young readers and writers! Choose from a range of lively, interactive author experiences designed to get students laughing, thinking, moving, imagining and, most importantly, excited about books and storytelling. Each experience can be adapted to suit different year levels,
group sizes and the learning focus of your school.
✨ DREAM IT. WRITE IT. CREATE IT!
Signature Author Presentation | PP–Year 6
Where do authors get their ideas? What happens after a story is written? And how does a book actually end up on the shelves of a bookstore or library?
In this fun and inspiring signature presentation, students come behind the scenes of my life as an author, from writing my very first novel in Year 6 to becoming a published children’s author today.
Through real manuscripts, early drafts, illustrations and plenty of stories from along the way, students discover how a tiny spark of an idea can travel through writing, revising, illustrating, editing and production before finally becoming a book they can hold in their hands.
Along the way, we explore something just as important as creativity: persistence and resilience. Students discover that dreams don’t always happen straight away, things don’t always go to plan, and even authors face rejection, mistakes and setbacks. Sometimes the most important thing you can do is believe in yourself, keep trying and never give up!
But this isn’t just my story. With humour, interactive storytelling, audience participation and creative challenges, students put their own imaginations to work and discover that great stories can begin anywhere. Above all, students will leave thinking, “Maybe I could be an author too!”
Sessions are adapted for PP to Year 2 and Years 3 to 6.
🤧 MEET SNIFFLEWHIFF!
Stories, Sneezes & Sparkly Germs | PP–Year 3
Get ready for sneezes, silliness and some seriously sparkly germs! Inspired by Snifflewhiff and the Big Aachoo, this lively, laugh-out-loud author experience brings storytelling, creativity, movement and a little sneezy science together in one unforgettable session.
Then comes a very special surprise... students get to MEET one of the characters from the book! They’ll have the chance to ask questions, interact with the character and watch the story leap from the page and come to life right before their eyes. Students will hear the inspiration behind the story and peek behind the scenes to discover how Marvin McSnortle and his delightfully sneezy friends evolved from early ideas and character concepts into the colourful personalities they meet in the finished book.
Through interactive storytelling and plenty of audience participation, students become part of Snifflewhiff’s world. Then it’s their turn to become the authors as we play with characters, words, rhyme and wonderfully wacky ideas to reimagine parts of the story together. What happens when hundreds of young imaginations get involved? Anything is possible!
Then there are the germs...
A fun, controlled germ-spreading experiment, Sneeze Heroes, movement breaks and the legendary McSnortle Dabbing Challenge bring the story to life while helping students discover just how easily germs can travel and how we can help stop them in their tracks.
Packed with storytelling, creativity, humour, movement and hands-on learning, this is an author visit students won’t forget in a hurry. Perfect for younger primary students and a fun, memorable way to connect literacy and creative writing with Health and Science learning.
🦷 WIBBLY WOBBLY TOOTH: LET'S CREATE!
Stories, Wobbles & Wonderful Ideas | K–Year 2
Got a wibble? Got a wobble? There may be a loose tooth about! Inspired by Wibbly Wobbly Tooth, this playful author experience takes young children behind the story to discover where the idea came from and how an everyday childhood moment grew into a published picture book.
Through interactive storytelling, rhyme, movement and plenty of audience participation, students help bring the story to life. Together, we’ll play with ideas, sequence events and use oral storytelling to create our own wonderfully wibbly, wobbly tale.
Then it’s time to become authors and illustrators! In a fun guided drawing, every child creates their very own magical tooth character, complete with a personality and a story just waiting to be told.
Along the way, we’ll explore the story’s themes of teamwork, resilience and helping one another, with a little dental-health learning tucked amongst the fun!
A lively, creative and confidence-building author experience designed especially for little storytellers in Kindy to Year 2.
🩴 GRANDMA'S SANDALS: BEYOND THE STORY
Stories, Culture & Belonging | Year 1–Year 6
Celebrating culture, diversity, belonging and the stories that connect us, this warm and engaging author experience invites students to discover the real-life inspiration behind Grandma’s Sandals and how a simple idea grew into an award-winning published picture book.
We’ll journey behind the scenes of the book’s creation, from early manuscript drafts and developing the characters to working with an illustrator and watching words and pictures come together to create the finished book.
Through storytelling, discussion and audience participation, we’ll explore the themes at the heart of Grandma’s Sandals, including family, memories, culture, belonging and empathy, and celebrate the different stories, experiences and traditions that make each of us who we are.
Students will also experience something very special and unique to Grandma’s Sandals: a conversation between two of the book’s characters, Long and Charlie, that takes place beyond the final page of the story. Through an interactive Reader’s Theatre experience, students help bring their conversation to life, offering a unique child’s-eye view into the characters and allowing us to explore their thoughts, feelings and experiences together.
Along the way, children are encouraged to look at their own lives and discover that stories can be found everywhere, sometimes in the most unexpected places. With its celebration of cultural diversity, belonging and connection, Grandma’s Sandals: Beyond the Story is a particularly meaningful author experience for Harmony Week and multicultural celebrations, while offering rich opportunities for literacy and intercultural learning throughout the year.
✏️ FROM IDEA TO BOOK
Interactive Writing Workshop | Years 3 to 6
Every book begins with something surprisingly small: an idea. But how do writers turn that tiny spark into an entire story?
In this hands-on writing workshop, students become the authors. Together, we explore how writers develop characters, create settings, introduce problems and build events towards a satisfying ending.
Students see what real drafts look like, discover why authors change their minds, cross things out and rewrite, and learn that a first draft isn't supposed to be perfect.
Most importantly, students put pencil to paper and begin creating stories of their own.
Workshops can be adapted to complement your school's current writing focus and the needs of different year levels.
📚 YOUNG AUTHORS
Extended Writing Program | Years 4 to 6
What if an author visit didn't end after one day?
Young Authors is an immersive writing experience that gives students the opportunity to work alongside a published children's author and teacher over a series of sessions, taking their ideas from the first spark of inspiration through to a finished piece of work.
Students can experience the writing process more deeply, developing, drafting, revising, editing and ultimately publishing their work, culminating in something truly special, such as a published class book.
Perfect for schools looking for a deeper literacy experience or author-in-residence opportunity.
Author Visit Rates
(All prices are inclusive of GST)
Single Author Presentation – $300
45–60 minutes
Interactive Writing Workshop – $385
60 - 90 minutes
Half-Day Author Visit – $450
Up to two author presentations or workshops
Full-Day Author Visit – $650
A flexible combination of author presentations and workshops across different year levels
Young Authors Extended Writing Program – Quote provided
Half and full-day visits can include a combination of experiences, making it easy to create a program that suits different year levels across your school.
Extended travel may incur additional costs.
Ready to create some story magic at your school? Get in touch to discuss your students, year levels and the author experiences that would work best for you.
Book a visit here.
The props you used were amazing, and even your entry in front of the students was superb! I absolutely loved your performance.
Your act and the way you connected it to your book were absolutely hilarious, engaging and so catchy.
The students enjoyed it so much, and it was wonderful to see the teachers enjoying it just as much.
I have always known you as a wonderful teacher, but through this experience, I got to see another side of your incredible talent, as an author and a performer. You truly brought your book to life!
I loved your author visit, and I am sure many of our students will be inspired to explore your books and perhaps even discover their own love for writing and performing.
Thank you once again for such a memorable and wonderful experience. You were absolutely amazing!
