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Melissa M. Williams
Author / Counselor
Melissa M. Williams has been writing stories since she was eight years olds. Many of her stories were inspired by real-life experiences with childhood pets she owned while growing up in Houston, Texas. Students love getting to see the real pictures of Iggy and the other animals during her school presentations.
Melissa started the Iggy the Iguana chapter book series while pursuing a Master’s degree in professional counseling. During graduate school, Melissa began substitute teaching for third and fourth grade classes, which inspired her to get the students involved in the creative writing process of her books.
Melissa’s presentations are full of energy as she focuses on connecting with the students. It is extremely important for her to leave a lasting and positive impression on young people, as Melissa encourages students to be creative and follow their dreams. In addition to writing for children, she is a published songwriter and writes with singer/songwriter, Misha Williams, her younger sister.
Check out IggyTube for Teacher and Student testimonials.
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PRESENTATIONS
Interactive involvement with
students
3rd through 6th grade
Descriptions
- Elementary School Presentation
- Book Club Visits
- Middle School, High School, and College Visits
- Creative Writing and Character Development Workshops
- Sneak Peak Discussion Groups
Melissa talks to the students about the real life inspiration behind the Iggy the Iguana series. Melissa used to write stories about her pet iguana, Iggy, at an early age. She talks to the students about making real ideas become a published piece of work. Topics include creative writing, character development, revisions, publishing, and how to follow your creative dreams. Melissa reads two chapters from the Iggy the Iguana chapter book and shows the students how to get involved in the creative writing contests on her interactive website. Melissa always takes time to answer questions and autograph books after her presentations.
Time: 45 to 60 minutes for 3rd-5th grade. 30 to 45 minutes for 1st-2nd grade
PRESENTATION 2
Book Club Visits
Melissa will come to your weekly/monthly book club group to talk about Iggy’s story. During the visit, she will discuss the story plot, lessons learned, and the way a character develops by changing through out the course of a story. There will be time for Q&A and Melissa will discuss true inspiration behind the characters. Available for 3rd to 5th grade. Book Club visits can be personalized to fit your students’ needs.
PRESENTATION 3
Middle School, High School,
and College Visits
Melissa will come to your language arts, writing related, life skills, and elementary education classes to discuss the process of writing, editing, publishing, and marketing a book. She will also talk about her own journey as an author which included a path starting in art, voice over acting, songwriting, psychology, professional counseling, which led into the development of her publishing company, LongTale Publishing, and the Iggy the Iguana Series. There will be time for Q&A, as Melissa shares secrets behind the industry and advice on how to use real-life visionary skills to make a dream become a reality.
PRESENTATION 4
Creative Writing and Character Development Workshop
Melissa offers a 5-day summer creative writing workshop and Saturday workshops focusing on the creative development of a character for a story. Melissa discusses the development of the characters in her own books during the drafting stages and how the characters eventually took on a life of their own. Attendees will have the opportunity to create and enter a character of their own into Melissa’s contest for the next Iggy the Iguana character in her series. Contact author for rates. Ages 3rd to 6th grade.
PRESENTATION 5
Sneak Peak Discussion Groups
During the writing of the Iggy Series, Melissa visits classrooms and shares her unpublished manuscripts while still in the editing stage. Melissa values the opinions of her readers and will not publish a story unless hundreds of young students have given her the final approval. Melissa shares the importance of connecting to her audience, which is why she holds the Kids Book Review Contest on Iggy’s website.
Pricing
Available In the
Texas Area
Half day: $250
Full Day: $500
Available
U.S. and Canada
Travel Expenses
Airfare if outside of Texas Area
Hotel if outside of Texas Area
Available
One Free Student Book Drawing
Flyers/Handouts
Specifics Clarified
Autographed Book Sales at presentation
Character Stuffed animals available
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PUBLISHED WORKS
The Iggy Series
Iggy the Iguana
ISBN 978-0-9818054-0-5
Soft Cover
ISBN 978-0-9818054-1-2 Hardback
Coming in June 2009
Summer League
ISBN 978-0-9818054-2-9
Soft Cover
ISBN 978-0-9818054-3-6 Hardback
Kids Books Reviews
“This book was awesome and I can't wait until there is another one! I learned a lot of things from Iggy, but the one I think is the most important would be to always be yourself. I got this from Iggy's first day of school he was him self and right away he met Lizzibeth!”
—Lily, 4th grade, Armstrong Elementary
“I loved the Iggy the Iguana book! I couldn't put it down. I got the book on Thursday afternoon, and I finished it on Saturday morning. My favorite character is Snap Shell because he has a "diggin" personality like me. He made me laugh out loud, and I really like the way he talks. I also like him because he is the catcher for his baseball team, and I am the catcher on my softball team. I can’t wait to read the next book. I also liked the book because I moved to a new school in 2nd grade, and I know how it feels to be the new kid in school. ”
—Eden, 3rd grade, Crossroads Elementary
Teacher Reviews
“I am reading this book to my fourth grade class, and they are hanging onto every word! Iggy, the main character, is a lovable character that all students can relate to. Iggy must deal with going to a brand new school, having his first crush, and staying away from the class bully. The supporting characters Snap Shell, Kit Kat, and Molly are also great for laughs. Ms. Williams sharp dialogue throughout the book gives each character its unique voice. My class always looks forward to the end of the day when it's time to read Iggy the Iguana.” ”
—Ying-Tsun Lin, Fourth Grade Teacher
“Iggy's adventures and misadventures are both entertaining and instructional. Our students can relate to his experiences and really enjoy the characters and the story. They have all known people of the types that Ms. Williams has turned into animal characters and they find the descriptions very amusing. I would highly recommend this book for elementary students as either a read-aloud book or as independent reading. I found it very entertaining and the kids loved it! ”
—Cindi Payne, Elementary Librarian
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