If you plan to invite an author to your school, you may be able to coordinate with another librarian in the area to share expenses. Let us know by posting a message to the GISL mailing list. 

Finding Authors 

If you have an author in mind, searching Google with the author's name will usually locate her/his website. Most authors who visit schools will provide information about their visits on their websites.

If you don't have an author in mind yet, take a look at these web directories for ideas:

• The Author Village gets a lot of positive reviews from librarians

• Reader Meet Writer southern author list

• Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators use the search box on the left to find authors by state

• Author School Visits Kim’s got a list of authors along the left side of the blog, but some aren’t located in the state where listed, so check them out before you contact them

Georgia Authors

• Lynn Cullen is an established author of YA, adult and picture book historical fiction -- I Am Rembrandt's Daughter is her YA title. http://lynncullen.com/

• Marie Marquart - author of Dream Things True, a cross-cultural romance that also illuminates the situation of undocumented immigrant workers in Georgia. http://www.mariemarquardt.com/

• Terra Elan McVoy. http://terraelan.com/

• Aisha Saeed - author of Written in the Stars, about a Pakistani-American girl taken back to Pakistan by her traditional parents for an (unwelcome) arranged marriage. http://www.aishasaeed.com/p/main-page.html

• Vicky Alvear Shecter, who's written historical fiction about Cleopatra and Pompeii, in addition to several non-fiction titles on similar topics. http://www.vickyalvearshecter.com/

Author Recommendations

If you had an author visit who you thought was excellent, please add his/her name here along with what made him stand out or how her presentation was wonderful as well as your contact information. To add an author, just click on the "Edit this Page" button and go to work, or click on the discussion button above and post your thoughts.

• We had Tiffany Olivia and Debbie Olivia visit us this week. They are the authors of Wishy Life Buddies: The Original Easter Tradition. They were wonderful! Their book is about a “Bunny Buddy” who gives treats, rewards, and encouraging messages to well-behaved children during the Easter season. Our children enjoyed the program so much! The book comes in a beautiful box with a “Buddy”, Wishy Stem, Wishy Dust, and seven empty Easter eggs. Check out their website at www.wishylife.com . - Dona S

• We had Alex Sanchez (author of Rainbow Boys and many others) last week-- he was great. Highly recommended for schools willing to discuss gay/lesbian & diversity issues. - Anna W.

• Laurie Halse Anderson just spoke to our 8th graders and she was absolutely fabulous!!! She's great at relating how she writes and researches her books to the kids and she's got a great personality...very teen-friendly! I highly recommend her for middle and high schools. Donna K.

• Many authors have joined Paul Janeczko into the virtual world! Below are some links to help you find an author willing to Skype a visit as well as sites offering tips on making the whole thing work. Skype author visits are cheaper and, sometimes easier to organize because they can be done on a class by class basis. If you can't find the author you are looking for on any of the sites below, just go to their web pages and check there. Sometimes you can contact them personally and they will set something up.We had Dan Gutman visit and he was fantastic. He engaged the students and got them even more excited about reading. Stacy Brown

  • Skype and Author Network

  • Virtual Author Visits: The good, the bad, and the ugly & the awesome

  • An Author in Every Classroom (article from SLJ)

• Alex Sanchex (Anna Watkins-Paideia)

• Laurie Halse Anderson (Donna Knott)

• Dan Gutman (Stacy Brown-Davis Academy)

• We highly recommend several authors...We have had, among others, Kay Heath (www.KayHeathBooks.com) and Patsy Smith Roberts, who illustrates the story with her photos of African animals, and really enjoyed them. June Wood

• Alan Gratz lives in Asheville, and used to live in Atlanta. He was fabulous when he visited Paideia several years ago, and affordable. His most recent novel, Code of Honor, is a thriller about an American-Muslim teen caught in intrigue when his West Point-graduate brother is accused of aiding Al Quaida. http://alangratz.blogspot.com/