School Visits and Finding Inspiration
1000 students, vacation, and puppy spam
Well it’s been a month since I last wrote here so I think we can safely say this is no longer a “weekly” note. It’s a “when I remember to write this” newsletter!
By the way, if you’re reading this as an email it might get cut off, so pop over to Substack where you can also leave a comment or a ❤️ if you’d like.
I’ve had to trawl through my iPhone photos to remember what I’ve done in the past month as it’s been a busy one.
I visited four schools and talked to at least 1000 kids over several assemblies, presentations, and classroom visits. I love this part of my job. And even though it can be exhausting, it’s also inspirational and fun! (Psst educators - there’s more information about my school visits for 2025/26 below.)
Also in April I went to one of my favorite stores, Linden Tree of course, to celebrate Independent Bookstore Day and catch up with the wonderful author/illustrator Cindy Derby. If you don’t know Cindy’s books you’re in for a treat. My 10 year old adores them and still reads them regularly and little ones love them too. We celebrated the launch of her newest book, Wheetle with a wonderful interactive story time.
May helped me a lot with writing this month by falling asleep in lots of very distracting and cute positions.
In early May I took a non-writing related trip to Palm Springs where I did a lot of reading by the pool. But despite it not being a writing retreat I did have a breakthrough on a picture book idea I was thinking about. In fact it was inspired by a grown up book I was reading (Emily Henry’s newest).
It’s true what they say, take a break and do something else when you’re stuck on your writing. You don’t have to go on a 5 day trip, just an afternoon in a museum or a hike can do the trick. Speaking of museums, I loved exploring the art in Palm Springs (not least because it was 105F outside).
This past month I also ran a 5K with my youngest as part of Girls on the Run, did a lot of dog training, and cheered for my eldest at her track meets.
p.s. some of the links below might be bookshop.org affiliate links so I can earn a small commission if you buy from them, but as always I encourage you to visit your local independent bookstore instead. This month I’ll be donating any affiliate earnings to Girls on the Run.
- and I have posted lots of great content on Kidlit Survival Guide this past month. If you have a topic you’d like us to cover, let me know!:
School visits are one of my favorite ways to connect with readers and educators. After a fantastic 2024/25 year I’d love to book even more virtual and in-person visits for 2025/26.
You can find more information on my website. I can present to kids of any age from TK to middle school about all aspects of writing from first drafts, research, and revision to keeping going when it gets hard. I can also tailor workshops for your students’ needs.
Here are some testimonials:
It was wonderful to have Christine meet with my students and chat with them about what it's like to be a children's book author. They were excited to meet the author that wrote "Evelyn the Adventurous Entomologist", a book that they are familiar with! We really enjoyed her presentation and the students are really inspired to write their nonfiction children's books - Kari Emerson, 7th grade ELA teacher, Miller Middle School, California
Wow! Thank you SO much for such an incredible reading experience. Our 2nd grade students were so engaged and loved your books…Thank you again for taking the time out of your day to read to us and connect with our future authors! - Taylor D'Avanzo, 2nd grade, Branchville Elementary School in Ridgefield, CT
As mentioned above I did a lot of reading while on vacation including:
Emily Henry’s Great Big Beautiful Life - this was a bit different from her previous books. As well as a romance storyline, of course, there’s also a dual story about the life of the woman the MC is writing a biography about.
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune - an easy breezy pool/ocean/lake side read with lots of heart.
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy - imagine a future where all the animals are dying but one migratory bird, the Arctic tern, survives. A woman’s journey to follow the birds from the Arctic to the Antarctic where she also has to confront her secretive past and the uncertain future.
What are you reading right now?
With love,
Christine xo
Buy my books from your favorite local independent bookstore, my local indie Linden Tree Books, Bookshop.org, or other online retailers.
The puppy!!!! And I'm so curious about a picture book inspired by Emily Henry!