School Visits Rock!

My favorite parts of being a YA author are getting to work in my pajamas, receiving email from readers, hanging out with cool authors, and visiting schools.

Today I got to visit Grantsville Middle School in Utah, along with 5 other authors, an illustrator, and a photo journalist. Right when I walked through the doors, I was pleasantly surprised to see a lovely young lady holding a "Wendy Toliver" sign like chaffeur drivers do at airports. Kyra took me around the whole day, letting me know what to expect and keeping me from getting lost. First up was a delicious dutch oven lunch in the library, followed by an assembly in the cafeteria where the talented Jessica Day George (of Dragon Slippers fame) had the students in stitches when she explained that her 8th grade teacher told her she was such a great writer she could just quit school. Which didn't go over too well with Jessica's mom, needless to say.

Next I was taken to a classroom where I gave a talk to two separate groups of students. They asked some great questions and I hope they learned something from me, or at least were somewhat entertained by my sleep-deprived presentations. I had a personal first when one of the guys offered to be my agent. Finally, we had a book signing in the gym. In addition to books, I signed countless bookmarks, pieces of paper, foreheads, and hands. It was a wonderful day and I'm thrilled to have been a part of it.

School Visits

Do you know what I like even more than writing?

I love visiting schools! My first experience visiting a school as an author was last year, in my oldest son's first grade class. This year, I visited his second grade class and we wrote the cutest story:

The Big Fat Hairy Troll

by Mrs. Vaatuitui's 2nd grade class with the wonderful help from the amazing Mrs. Toliver (haha, that's me!)

Once there was a fat, stinky troll. His name was Hairy and he liked to eat greasy bugs. He loved scaring kids until one day when he met one. This kid, whose name was Hunter, scared the troll by jumping from behind a corner and jumping on his back. Hairy said, "Ahhhhhhhh!" and ran away. Hairy the Troll never came back for 100 years and never ever scared kids again. The end!

I've also had the pleasure of visiting Snowcrest Junior High in Utah, and Clair E. Gale Junior High and Rocky Mountain Middle School in Idaho Falls. And this Friday, I'll be in Colorado visiting Powell (where I went!) and Newton Middle Schools. My favorite part of visiting schools is the Q&A part. I love hearing the questions and comments the students have. Afterwards, I really enjoy getting emails from them, telling me they learned something or have more questions or just want to say hi. And of course, if they happened to adore The Secret Life of a Teenage Siren, I like hearing that too! :)

On another note, if you're interested in joining a fun YA book club, check out this one. And if you live in the Denver area, I'd love to see you at the Tattered Cover in Highlands Ranch on Monday, March 24 at 7PM.