Switching careers midlife has been pretty stressful
but I have also had some awesome new experiences that I wouldn’t have had if I’d
stayed at my high school media center. One
of these was organizing an author visit.
My middle school students, overall, seem to be more excited about books
and visiting the library than my former high school students. They definitely check out a lot more books. I had always wanted to have an author visit
at the high school but never felt there’d be sufficient interest. So when I discovered there was an
Indianapolis author on the cusp of hitting it big willing to come spend a day
at my school, I jumped on the opportunity.
Mike Mullins is the author of the Ashfall
Trilogy (Ashfall, Ashen Winter, and Sunrise) a fictional series about what
might happen after the eruption of the Yellowstone super volcano. The series focuses on a young teen’s experiences
during and after this catastrophic event.
With his home destroyed and his town terrifyingly unrecognizable, Alex
sets off to find his family who had been visiting out of state relatives when
the eruption occurred. Along the way he
discovers he must rely on survival skills he never even knew he possessed. He also finds first love with Darla, his
traveling companion and frequent rescuer.
In today’s glut of dystopian YA novels, Ashfall stands out because it’s
set in our world and our time and it could actually happen to US.
One of the great things about Mike’s visit
was hearing him describe just how such an event could happen. Many author
visits tend to excite primarily the language arts teachers and students who love
to read and write already. Mike is
unique in that he can discuss with some authority the science behind his books. This fact enabled me to get my science
teachers on board so that Mike ended up giving his presentation on "The
Geology of Ashfall” to all the seventh grade science classes. We also offered a “Lunch with the Author” for
sixth & eighth grade students. Overall, Mike talked to close to 250 students
that day yet his energy never faltered. The enthusiasm Mike brings to his
presentations, as well as his ability to explain difficult scientific concepts
in understandable terms, kept the students excited and engaged.
Mike also demonstrated the importance of preparation
and research by sharing his own experiences during the writing of this series. He talked about the mountains of science books
he had to read to make sure his facts were correct. Since he wanted to give Alex
self-defense skills while still keeping him an average kid, Mike actually joined a dojo and
learned Taekwondo himself. Not only did this give him insight into his
character, but it made for an exciting conclusion to his presentation. The students crowded around, even stood on
chairs, to see Mike break a concrete block in half. He autographed books for
students and staff and provided my Media Center with an autographed book and
several signed concrete blocks he had broken during his taekwondo demonstrations.
My first author visit was a rousing
success. For those old enough to
remember the Mary Tyler Moore show, I felt like Mary when she spun around and
threw her hat into the air as the opening song says “you might just make it
after all!” It was the first real bright
spot in an otherwise overwhelmingly bleak year.
So it’s no wonder that I gave Mike a big hug at the end of the day and have
been a bit obsessed with him and his books ever since. It doesn’t hurt that he’s a genuinely nice,
down to earth guy either. Would I
recommend booking him for your next author visit? Most definitely, but do it soon - it’s only a
matter of time before he and his books explode (like a super volcano) into the
next big thing.
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