Author Visits For Call Me Lion
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I'm thrilled to be able to offer author visits centred around Call Me Lion which is part of the 2023 Read for Empathy Collection. NB: Now trained to offer Empathy based visits.
Leo is a ten-year-old boy who loves dancing and dreams of being able to perform in the West End but unfortunately his Selective Mutism means this feels like an impossibility. When he finally finds a friend in Richa, the chatty girl who moves in next door, things begin to change for the better. It seems Richa might need Leo just as much as he needs her. "A heart-warming story of courage and determination in the face of adversity." For this book I created a school resources pack in conjunction with Firefly Press and KS2 teaching staff that I can use to tailor my author visit for your schools needs. I'm very experienced at author visits and can offer a physical visit for either a full (£500) or half (£350) day which will include a full junior school assembly, creative writing workshop(s) and a book signing. If you're local I can also offer one-off sessions. |
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Virtual Visit Information
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For some schools physical visits are too difficult to organise, particularly if they are far away, BUT I can still visit virtually. As mentioned above I'm in the process of handing the administration of this over to Authors Aloud UK but in the meantime I can still offer the following:
For only £150 you'll receive YouTube links to 4 short workshop videos and a live Q&A session (up to 30 mins) on your choice of platform. The videos are: Workshop 1: The Idea, Workshop 2: Developing Characters, Workshop 3: Story Structure and Workshop 4: Redrafting and Editing. If you prefer, I can arrange a Q&A virtual session of up to 30 mins for £75. It's really easy to to book, please just contact me and it's done in two emails. |
Recent feedback from a Q&A Virtual Visit to a School Book Club:
"Thank you SO much for your time and patience yesterday, I can’t really describe how powerful I think the event was for the children in Book Club. They very rarely have these kinds of opportunities and I think they felt very empowered by asking their questions and having you respond in such detail. It was really powerful to watch. They have LOVED the book (I was reading the ending as we were waiting for their parents to collect!) and XXX in particular, who struggles with many aspects of speaking/listening/writing has responded so positively to the story and to Book Club in general. I know they will be spreading the word about Call Me Lion to their friends and hopefully Leo and Richa will be inspiring others very soon."
"Thank you SO much for your time and patience yesterday, I can’t really describe how powerful I think the event was for the children in Book Club. They very rarely have these kinds of opportunities and I think they felt very empowered by asking their questions and having you respond in such detail. It was really powerful to watch. They have LOVED the book (I was reading the ending as we were waiting for their parents to collect!) and XXX in particular, who struggles with many aspects of speaking/listening/writing has responded so positively to the story and to Book Club in general. I know they will be spreading the word about Call Me Lion to their friends and hopefully Leo and Richa will be inspiring others very soon."
My History of School Visits
I think school visits are one of the best things about being a Children's Author. As my books are aimed at 8-12 year olds I've mostly had KS2 targeted visits. Each of my visits have been interactive and fun, aiming to get the children to use their imaginations, think creatively but also inspire them in their own writing. Most children want to know a little bit about me and what it is like to be a writer so I always have a Q&A session and there is an opportunity to buy signed books.
"Camilla had a lovely manner with the children. She got them on board straight away. All the children benefitted from her visit, especially those who struggle. They were all immersed in their creative writing." Jenny Meiklejohn, Y5 teacher.
"Camilla had a lovely manner with the children. She got them on board straight away. All the children benefitted from her visit, especially those who struggle. They were all immersed in their creative writing." Jenny Meiklejohn, Y5 teacher.
School Shout Out.... See if you can spot your school below:
I have visited (some more than once):
Mount Pleasant Primary School, Sandfield Close Primary School, Rolleston Primary School, Haberdashers Boys School, Bushmead Primary School, Codicote C of E School, St Dominics Primary School, High Beeches Primary School, Hertford Heath Primary School, Kimpton Primary School, The Lea Primary School, Quainton Hall School, Lockers Park School, Crabtree Juniors, Waterside Academy, St Johns CE Primary School, Townsend Secondary School, Foxdell Junior School, St James CE Primary School, Altmore Infant School, Skyswood Primary School, Springmead Primary School, Two Waters Primary School, Woodgrange Infant School, Sandringham Primary School. St Peters School, Manland Primary School, Beech Hyde Primary School, Woodend Primary School, Maryland Primary School, Bernards Heath Junior School, Cunningham Hill Juniors, Sir John Lawes School, The Priory School (met Y5 from Preston School), Whitehill School, Abbots Hill School, Aboyne Lodge Primary, St Helens Primary, STAGS, Margaret Wix Primary, Gleadless Primary School, Nethergreen Junior School, Shooters Grove Primary School, and Arbourthorne Community Primary School.
Mount Pleasant Primary School, Sandfield Close Primary School, Rolleston Primary School, Haberdashers Boys School, Bushmead Primary School, Codicote C of E School, St Dominics Primary School, High Beeches Primary School, Hertford Heath Primary School, Kimpton Primary School, The Lea Primary School, Quainton Hall School, Lockers Park School, Crabtree Juniors, Waterside Academy, St Johns CE Primary School, Townsend Secondary School, Foxdell Junior School, St James CE Primary School, Altmore Infant School, Skyswood Primary School, Springmead Primary School, Two Waters Primary School, Woodgrange Infant School, Sandringham Primary School. St Peters School, Manland Primary School, Beech Hyde Primary School, Woodend Primary School, Maryland Primary School, Bernards Heath Junior School, Cunningham Hill Juniors, Sir John Lawes School, The Priory School (met Y5 from Preston School), Whitehill School, Abbots Hill School, Aboyne Lodge Primary, St Helens Primary, STAGS, Margaret Wix Primary, Gleadless Primary School, Nethergreen Junior School, Shooters Grove Primary School, and Arbourthorne Community Primary School.
What Children Have Said
"I liked working and thinking like an author for the day."
"I like the detail that Camilla thinks of with her characters."
Children at Hertford Primary School.
‘It was the best World Book Day we’ve ever had!’ Children of Springead Primary School.
"I really enjoyed every single minute of your talk (ending up writing two pages about everything you said), but the thing I enjoyed the most was when you talked about the characters, you really inspired me".
"I liked how Camilla interacted with us." .
"I really enjoyed hearing about how you made your character. It was really funny."
"I really loved you coming to our school to read your books. After guessing what your characters look like I have been inspired to try really hard at my writing. Thank you!"
"When Camilla visited our school she talked about how she invented her wonderfully funny characters - inspiring us all to write."
"I really enjoyed listening to Camilla's books - they were really exciting. I also learned a lot about characters."
"I really enjoyed watching you talking about your books and how you plan your characters.".
"It made me want to write a story."
"I really enjoyed listening to how you became a writer and seeing how you plan. It inspired me to write and made me realise you can do it if you try. I hope you continue to amaze other people. Good luck!"
Y6 Children at Crabtree Juniors
"I like the detail that Camilla thinks of with her characters."
Children at Hertford Primary School.
‘It was the best World Book Day we’ve ever had!’ Children of Springead Primary School.
"I really enjoyed every single minute of your talk (ending up writing two pages about everything you said), but the thing I enjoyed the most was when you talked about the characters, you really inspired me".
"I liked how Camilla interacted with us." .
"I really enjoyed hearing about how you made your character. It was really funny."
"I really loved you coming to our school to read your books. After guessing what your characters look like I have been inspired to try really hard at my writing. Thank you!"
"When Camilla visited our school she talked about how she invented her wonderfully funny characters - inspiring us all to write."
"I really enjoyed listening to Camilla's books - they were really exciting. I also learned a lot about characters."
"I really enjoyed watching you talking about your books and how you plan your characters.".
"It made me want to write a story."
"I really enjoyed listening to how you became a writer and seeing how you plan. It inspired me to write and made me realise you can do it if you try. I hope you continue to amaze other people. Good luck!"
Y6 Children at Crabtree Juniors
Teacher Testimonials
"The children were able to see comparisons with reading skills from the national curriculum and were inspired to apply the author's advice into writing."
"Thank you for making the session interactive and for pitching it well to be inclusive for all children. It allowed them to shine."
Hertford Heath School 27.2.23
"Thank you so much for visiting us at Two Waters, enabling the children of KS2 to meet a ‘real life author’! They were so excited before, during and after your visit and it’s lovely to see so many of them now reading your books and sharing their reactions to your stories. The presentation that you gave to 120 children had them all engaged and hanging onto your every word and they loved hearing about your dog and how he features in your writing! Similarly, your interactive writers’ workshop for Year 5 and 6 included all children and the class teachers will be stealing your postcard idea in the future. Everything was paced just right and it was a real pleasure to meet you and to hear about your journey and the writing process. Thanks again and come back any time!"
Belinda Chassebi, Literacy Co-ordinator
Two Waters Primary School
"A superb and inspiring amount of information on the creative writing process plus great pupil interaction. The children were able to see how their own literacy work in school has some relevance to real life writing. They were also inspired to read!" Mr Tavender, Y6 Teacher, Cunningham Hill Junior School.
"The children were engaged. They enjoyed the game and liked listening to the story extract. They benefitted from understanding how long it takes to write a book and the importance of proof-reading and editing. It was a great opportunity for them to become inspired about writing." Mrs Harvey, Deputy Head Teacher, Beech Hyde Primary School.
"The children were excited about meeting a real life author. The whole drafting process is now very relevant to what the children do in writing lessons. The children who did the workshop really enjoyed the experience and were very proud of their writing. We would definitely recommend Camilla!" Lorna Stringer, Y5 Teacher, Nethergreen Junior School.
"The children were very engaged. There were lots of questions for them to answer and things for them to think about. Visuals were good too. The children would like to thank Camilla for making it fun and giving them food for thought." Miss Gray, Y5 Teacher, Cunningham Hill Junior School.
"Thank you for a fantastic assembly. The children have been buzzing with ideas." Sharon Swinscombe, Headteacher, The Lea Primary School.
"What a wonderful treat for our Year 6 children to meet an author who is as passionate about writing as we are. They loved listening to extracts from Camilla’s story and really wanted to hear more; all of the group were inspired by her demonstration of character building and have been keen to share their own character ideas as a result. Camilla was able to engage the children with humour but also made them think seriously about how they use words and how to really capture a character whilst also engaging the reader! We definitely hope to have Camilla back to inspire us further later in the year!!" Mrs Carter, Y6 Teacher, Crabtree Junior School
"The children were really engaged by your talk and you gave useful tips for them as writers. Thank you for visiting, we really enjoyed it and the children are already hooked into Jarred Dreams!" Jo Daley, English Header KS2, Shooters Grove Primary School.
"It was fantastic for the children to meet an author. To hear from a writer about the process of writing was really valuable and the children loved the game. The small group workshop worked well. The excerpt captured the imagination of the children and they were able to develop their own ideas based around this." Lorna Feverelle, Class Teacher and Phase Leader, Arbourthorne Community Primary School.
"Thank you for making the session interactive and for pitching it well to be inclusive for all children. It allowed them to shine."
Hertford Heath School 27.2.23
"Thank you so much for visiting us at Two Waters, enabling the children of KS2 to meet a ‘real life author’! They were so excited before, during and after your visit and it’s lovely to see so many of them now reading your books and sharing their reactions to your stories. The presentation that you gave to 120 children had them all engaged and hanging onto your every word and they loved hearing about your dog and how he features in your writing! Similarly, your interactive writers’ workshop for Year 5 and 6 included all children and the class teachers will be stealing your postcard idea in the future. Everything was paced just right and it was a real pleasure to meet you and to hear about your journey and the writing process. Thanks again and come back any time!"
Belinda Chassebi, Literacy Co-ordinator
Two Waters Primary School
"A superb and inspiring amount of information on the creative writing process plus great pupil interaction. The children were able to see how their own literacy work in school has some relevance to real life writing. They were also inspired to read!" Mr Tavender, Y6 Teacher, Cunningham Hill Junior School.
"The children were engaged. They enjoyed the game and liked listening to the story extract. They benefitted from understanding how long it takes to write a book and the importance of proof-reading and editing. It was a great opportunity for them to become inspired about writing." Mrs Harvey, Deputy Head Teacher, Beech Hyde Primary School.
"The children were excited about meeting a real life author. The whole drafting process is now very relevant to what the children do in writing lessons. The children who did the workshop really enjoyed the experience and were very proud of their writing. We would definitely recommend Camilla!" Lorna Stringer, Y5 Teacher, Nethergreen Junior School.
"The children were very engaged. There were lots of questions for them to answer and things for them to think about. Visuals were good too. The children would like to thank Camilla for making it fun and giving them food for thought." Miss Gray, Y5 Teacher, Cunningham Hill Junior School.
"Thank you for a fantastic assembly. The children have been buzzing with ideas." Sharon Swinscombe, Headteacher, The Lea Primary School.
"What a wonderful treat for our Year 6 children to meet an author who is as passionate about writing as we are. They loved listening to extracts from Camilla’s story and really wanted to hear more; all of the group were inspired by her demonstration of character building and have been keen to share their own character ideas as a result. Camilla was able to engage the children with humour but also made them think seriously about how they use words and how to really capture a character whilst also engaging the reader! We definitely hope to have Camilla back to inspire us further later in the year!!" Mrs Carter, Y6 Teacher, Crabtree Junior School
"The children were really engaged by your talk and you gave useful tips for them as writers. Thank you for visiting, we really enjoyed it and the children are already hooked into Jarred Dreams!" Jo Daley, English Header KS2, Shooters Grove Primary School.
"It was fantastic for the children to meet an author. To hear from a writer about the process of writing was really valuable and the children loved the game. The small group workshop worked well. The excerpt captured the imagination of the children and they were able to develop their own ideas based around this." Lorna Feverelle, Class Teacher and Phase Leader, Arbourthorne Community Primary School.
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"The students thoroughly enjoyed the session and were so engaged, with a lot of fantastic stories being written from the afternoon, and some valuable skills being learnt about how to start writing." Mrs F Rice, Head of Discovery Centre at Townsend C of E School, St Albans.
Other Information for Teachers and/or Librarians
A number of different resources for schools, are available on my teaching resources page.
Alternatively, if you would like to download a PDF wordsearch please click on the book title of your choice: Jarred Dreams or EATS.
It might seem like an unnecessary luxury to book an author visit but the benefits to the school and the children are numerous. A study in the US by the Department of Child and Adolescent Development showed three primary benefits of an author visit:
I have put together an information pack for schools who are thinking about booking an author visit with me. It is in PDF format and you can download it by clicking here: School Visit Outline.
A number of different resources for schools, are available on my teaching resources page.
Alternatively, if you would like to download a PDF wordsearch please click on the book title of your choice: Jarred Dreams or EATS.
It might seem like an unnecessary luxury to book an author visit but the benefits to the school and the children are numerous. A study in the US by the Department of Child and Adolescent Development showed three primary benefits of an author visit:
- Motivates children to read
- Inspires creativity and expression
- Motivates children to write
I have put together an information pack for schools who are thinking about booking an author visit with me. It is in PDF format and you can download it by clicking here: School Visit Outline.
Library Visits
In addition to visiting schools I am also happy to come to libraries. There is NO CHARGE for library visits, but I ask for the opportunity to sell books. Ideally the library would stock all four of my titles, so that children who are unable to buy their own copy can loan them from the library after my visit.
As a result of visiting the Chatterbooks group in Harpenden, Jarred Dreams was nominated the children's book of choice!
"Camilla Chester, author of young people's fiction recently provided a workshop as part of our Summer Reading Challenge activities at Scarborough Library and Information Centre. Her book 'Jarred Dreams' based on a dream thief fitted in perfectly with the BFG and Roald Dahl theme. The children attending picked up some great writing tips and enjoyed the interactive games. " Heather French, Service Development Officer, North Yorkshire Libraries.
"It was a very engaging talk - Camilla had all the children eating out the palm of her hand! It covered lots of different aspects of being an author and the writing process. I loved the interactive activities - brilliant way to involve everyone and get them thinking." Ros Cloke, Assistant Customer Service Supervisor, Hertfordshire Libraries.
If you would like me to visit your library please contact me. I'd be happy to hear from you.
As a result of visiting the Chatterbooks group in Harpenden, Jarred Dreams was nominated the children's book of choice!
"Camilla Chester, author of young people's fiction recently provided a workshop as part of our Summer Reading Challenge activities at Scarborough Library and Information Centre. Her book 'Jarred Dreams' based on a dream thief fitted in perfectly with the BFG and Roald Dahl theme. The children attending picked up some great writing tips and enjoyed the interactive games. " Heather French, Service Development Officer, North Yorkshire Libraries.
"It was a very engaging talk - Camilla had all the children eating out the palm of her hand! It covered lots of different aspects of being an author and the writing process. I loved the interactive activities - brilliant way to involve everyone and get them thinking." Ros Cloke, Assistant Customer Service Supervisor, Hertfordshire Libraries.
If you would like me to visit your library please contact me. I'd be happy to hear from you.
Cubs/Brownies/Scouts/Guides
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I have visited a number of brownie and cub packs. The visit can be tailor made to what is required and is usually covered by subs (£8 per child) with each child receiving a signed book of their choice at the end. After the visit they can get their writing badge too!
"Camilla's visit was absolutely brilliant. The brownies were buzzing about it for weeks afterwards." "We went on a camp after Camilla's visit and all the brownies brought along Camilla's books to read." 
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Creative Writing Workshops and Other Work
In addition to writing and school visits, I also offer mentoring services, and deliver workshops, both for adults and children on a variety of different topics from creative writing to marketing and publication. I am a freelance Events Manager for Writers & Artists recently delivering the highly successful Children's Writers & Illustrators Festival 2023.
I'm one of the Serial Mash authors and write books for 7-11 year olds as part of their online school resources. I will also be joining the author team at Fiction Express from September 2023.
Following Call Me Lion's selection at one of the Read for Empathy Collection Books of 2023 I am also trained by The Empathy Lab to deliver talks/workshops and visits around the message of Empathy. To find out more about this you can visit my Empathy Page.
My books have quite strong underlying messages that I have also been asked to talk about and I often talk about my publishing journey or roots to publication. I'm a regular author at events for SCBWI BI including the annual conference and one summer I ran a weekend workshop for the creative arts weekend organised by the Haemophilia Society.
I've been lucky enough to be a judge in a children's fiction writing competition at the St Albans Literary Festival and for the BBC 500 Words Competition for 2020. Occasionally, I write articles or features for magazines around children's literature and I was one of the authors at the 2018 Linton Book Fest. I am a member of my local writing group Veralum Writers and, as previously mentioned, I'm actively involved with The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. I am also a member of the Society of Authors.
I have attended School Careers Fairs as a speaker/advisor:
“The Children's Author - Camilla Chester - was very inspiring and I enjoyed listening to her about her experiences and discussing questions with her.”
From January 2019 to March 2020 I worked with the Discover Children's Story Centre in Stratford on their Catching Words Project. As a spin-off from this work I was one the guest authors at The Fabula Festival 2019 at Redbridge, London and I appeared at the Children's Book Festival at the Royal Albert Docks in December 2019.
If you would like to get in touch with me about any of these roles, please contact me. I'd be happy to hear from you, but please note that any new writing contracts now need to go through my agent, Veronique Baxter at David Higham Associates.
I'm one of the Serial Mash authors and write books for 7-11 year olds as part of their online school resources. I will also be joining the author team at Fiction Express from September 2023.
Following Call Me Lion's selection at one of the Read for Empathy Collection Books of 2023 I am also trained by The Empathy Lab to deliver talks/workshops and visits around the message of Empathy. To find out more about this you can visit my Empathy Page.
My books have quite strong underlying messages that I have also been asked to talk about and I often talk about my publishing journey or roots to publication. I'm a regular author at events for SCBWI BI including the annual conference and one summer I ran a weekend workshop for the creative arts weekend organised by the Haemophilia Society.
I've been lucky enough to be a judge in a children's fiction writing competition at the St Albans Literary Festival and for the BBC 500 Words Competition for 2020. Occasionally, I write articles or features for magazines around children's literature and I was one of the authors at the 2018 Linton Book Fest. I am a member of my local writing group Veralum Writers and, as previously mentioned, I'm actively involved with The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. I am also a member of the Society of Authors.
I have attended School Careers Fairs as a speaker/advisor:
“The Children's Author - Camilla Chester - was very inspiring and I enjoyed listening to her about her experiences and discussing questions with her.”
From January 2019 to March 2020 I worked with the Discover Children's Story Centre in Stratford on their Catching Words Project. As a spin-off from this work I was one the guest authors at The Fabula Festival 2019 at Redbridge, London and I appeared at the Children's Book Festival at the Royal Albert Docks in December 2019.
If you would like to get in touch with me about any of these roles, please contact me. I'd be happy to hear from you, but please note that any new writing contracts now need to go through my agent, Veronique Baxter at David Higham Associates.