Welcome to "Meet the Authors & Illustrators." Here you'll find a quick one-page biography for our authors and illustrators, as well as links to their brochures and websites.
Darleen Bailey Beard says she’s “a tall gal who writes short books” and claims to be an eighth-cousin to Franklin D. Roosevelt and to have slept in the same bed as Teddy Roosevelt, though he was NOT in the bed at the same time she was!
Visit her website for everything you’ll need to plan, promote, and prepare for a school author visit, including 30-Minute Bulletin Board Packets, announcement posters, a photo biography, readers’ theaters, ready-made book order forms and reminder notices to send home with students, a full-length play, craft and writing activities, information on how to order books at a 20-40% discount, videos, and much more!
Darleen fellin love with writing in fifth-grade when her teacher asked her class to write stories with their spelling words. She knew then that when she grew up, she wanted to be a writer. She graduated from Noble High School in Noble, Oklahoma, and received a BA in Professional Writing from the University of Oklahoma. She has performed in hundreds of author visits, conferences, festivals, university panels, and book-related events throughout the nation. She enjoys speaking to ALL GRADE LEVELS and has many fun-filled and inspiring sessions to choose from with over 30 “kid-tested and teacher approved” HANDS-ON WRITING WORKSHOPS guaranteed to get students excited about writing and to prepare them for their statewide testing. Some of her workshops include costumes, food, music, and props.You just never know what she'll do to capture students’ interest. Read More...
Website:DarleenBaileyBeard.com Upcoming Books:Annie Glover is Not a Tree Lover , chapter book, August, 2009 Available for Speaking:Yes Brochure:Darleen's Brochure
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Kim Doner was left by Gypsies on the front porch of Betty and Otto Doner on July 21, 1955 (at least, that was always their claim).As a small child, her favorite day was Saturday and her favorite activity on that day was to rise early (the only phase in her entire lifetime to have such a requirement) and watch “Jungle Theater”.This usually afforded her a weekly fix of a favorite character, Tarzan of the Apes (the only true Tarzan being the actor Johnny Weissmuller).She, too, wanted to live in a jungle treehouse and call elephants for taxi rides when she grew up.
Kim had big dreams of becoming a Ballerina Veterinarian Artist as an adult, and although she has not evolved in such concrete terms, she actually DOES perform on stage, rescue animals and create books!She is a Big Supporter of nurturing dreams, and is not shy about encouraging anyone and everyone to do the same. Kim snuck in the back door of publishing when, several years ago, a Tulsa-based small press approached her to illustrate their first picture book venture.She waffled her way into a contract, busted her fanny to learn all she could about the business, and hasn't looked back.Always one for a good story, Kim realized her place in life was to become an illustrator and writer.She is, and always will be, in the process of that “becoming”. Read More... Website:http://www.kimdoner.com Upcoming Books: a companion handbook to the series "The House of Night" by P.C. Cast, Spring 2010 Available for Speaking: Yes Brochure: Kim Doner's Brochure
