Mar 21

Today I returned to Brinker Elementary in Plano, TX! I lived in Plano for several years while writing for the PBS TV show Wishbone and it’s always fun to come back and visit. And today I got to visit a whole new batch of Brinker Bears—Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade, to be precise.

The Bears had loads of great questions and did a wonderful job with all the animal sounds—even better than the last time I was there!

Thanks to Mrs. Tewolde, Mrs. Tamez, and the Brinker PTA for having me out. Thanks to Mrs. Pearson for the use of the library and the fun lunch conversation. But the biggest thanks of all goes to the Brinker Bears themselves. Remember what I said, if you think of any more questions, have your parents email me and ask away!

Oct 25

My very first in-person author visit in over a year had me at Blanchard Elementary in Blanchard, Oklahoma. It was great to be out again and answering many great questions from students in person for a change. I was not only greeted by a bunch of smiling faces but also some amazing art including characters from my work and the phrase everyone should remember!

Thanks to Mr. Heitt for having me out, thanks to Mrs. Clark for all the help and kind words, and a big thanks to all the amazing students at Blanchard Elementary. I hope you enjoyed my presentations as much as I enjoyed getting back out in the world and doing them for you!

May 26

Returning to Long Island (virtually anyway), I had an exciting morning when I spoke to the fine students of Fork Lane Elementary in Hicksville, NY! I’m sorry I didn’t get a screenshot during one of my three sessions, but I DID get some questions emailed to me right away from a few of the students. Very cool!

Thanks to Mrs. Hudson and Mrs. Guiliano for inviting me. Thanks to Mr. Callender, Mr. Friedman, and Mr. Kerkenides for tech support. And the biggest thanks of all goes to the wonderful students at Fork Lane Elementary. Keep those questions coming, and don’t forget the four words!

Feb 23

Today I had my very first virtual author visit, and it couldn’t have been with a nicer group of kids. I got to share my screen with some of the students and teachers at Eagle Charter School in Salem, Oregon! And, thanks to the pandemic, the students were all visiting virtually as well. I was at home, they were at home … we all sat at home in comfortable clothes and learned about special effects, novelizations, and just how many animals an author can stuff into one home!

Thanks for letting me share your screen, and I hoped you enjoyed my special Career Day presentation. Keep those questions coming, and remember to get your parents’ permission and email me any more to: ant@masteele.com.

Thanks to Mrs. Herring and Dr. Ballance for inviting me, and thanks to all the Eagle Charter students (and some parents) who participated in my very first virtual visit. You all made it a lot of fun!

Feb 19

Today I crossed just north of the border into Oklahoma to spend the day with all the 3rd and 4th graders at Altus Elementary!

I met a bunch of young writers and future screenwriters—true superheroes in the school!

And I know where they get their inspiration . . . it was a treat to visit their superhero-themed library. Very cool!

Thanks to Mrs. Salafia for inviting me. Thanks to Mrs. Bishop for all the help. And the biggest thanks of all goes to all the great kids at Altus Elementary. Keep reading, keep writing, and don’t forget about Batman . . .

Feb 14

Today I had the honor of headlining Shadow Ridge Middle School‘s career day! I was one of many speakers who came in to tell the Shadow Ridge Panthers all about the different careers out there.

I met hundreds of energized students who had all kinds of inciteful questions. I hope the other speakers had as much fun as I did!

Thanks to Avery and Devon for the directions. Thanks to Precious for the fun One Piece talk. Thanks to Charles for not only asking a great question during my visit, but also being the first student brave enough to send me an email!

Thanks to Mrs. Hall for inviting me. Thanks to Mr. Gibson, Mr. Thakur, and Mrs. Sawyer for all the help.

And the biggest thanks of all goes to all the Shadow Ridge Panthers! I hope you were inspired by one of the speakers today. And if you were, remember the four words, “I Can Do That!”

Dec 13

I had a wonderful time today during my stay at Beckville Sunset Elementary (home of the Bearcats!), in the East Texas town of Beckville!

Everyone was wonderful, students and teachers alike. And, for the first time ever, I was given a whopping 90 minutes for each of my presentations!

So, after my shows, there was plenty of time to meet everyone, take pictures, and sign tons of books! It was quite a treat!

Thanks to Mrs. Wilkerson for inviting me out. Thanks to everyone who bought books; I hope you enjoy them! And a big thanks to all the Bearcats at Beckville Sunset Elementary. You were an exciting way to end the year!

Nov 20

This morning I had tons of fun with the Gators when I returned to Gardens Elementary in Pasadena, TX! Since I just visited Gardens last year, I spotted many familiar faces and even got to receive updates on a couple of writing projects! Keep up the good work, everyone!

After lunch, I swung over to visit McMasters Elementary where we enjoyed my two presentations in the quiet (but-not-so-quiet-today) school library with all the McMasters Mustangs! I signed a bunch of books for the school and met even more young writers and a few future screenwriters!

Thanks to Mrs. Betancourt for inviting me back to Gardens. Thanks to Mrs. Black for helping me setup again. Thanks to Mrs. Eddleman for inviting me to McMasters. And the biggest thanks of all goes to all the Gators and the Mustangs! Be sure to check out some of my books in the library. And when you’re finished with those, check out even more books, no matter who wrote them!

Oct 31

Today I had the honor of returning to Vaughan Elementary in Allen, TX! But not only did I get the chance to visit with the Vaughan Vikings again, my visit was on Halloween. How cool is that!

I performed three shows, visited a few classrooms, and enjoyed seeing all the cool costumes!

I even got to see Hunter again. Being older, he looked a little different of course, but also because he was dressed as the Joker. Coincidentally, I’m in the middle of writing a Batman and Joker book right now!

Oh yeah, and Vaughn was the first school to experience my brand new banjolele!

Thanks to Mrs. Almond and the Vaughan PTA for having me back. And thanks for the great lunch at Coney Island Hot Weiner Shop–great chili dogs! Thanks to Mrs. Smithwick (AKA Mary Poppins) for the introductions (I’ll see you at TLA). Thanks to Mr. Garth for all your help. And a big thanks to all the Vaughan Vikings! It was great spending the day with you again!

May 16

For my last school visit of the school year, I had the honor of returning to East Chambers Elementary in Winnie, TX!

The 4th and 5th graders missed my appearance almost a month ago, but I got to meet each and every one of them this time!

And… they each got a copy of my Night of the Dragons book. I signed 250 copies today!

After my presentation (and the books signings between), I gave a writing workshop to all the 3rd graders. I met them the last time I visited and now they’ll hopefully have a head start on their writing for next year!

Thanks to Mrs. Campbell for inviting me back and for lunch (we took your recommendation, Emily). And thanks to all the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders I met today. I hope you enjoy my book and thanks for making my last author visit of the school year a special one!

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