On April 12th, I made my first public appearance as an author —speaking about my book to several classrooms at Envision Science Academy in Wake Forest, North Carolina. There were lots of great questions from the kids about writing, career choices, education, and life in general that turned into engaging discussions.
There were even some aspiring writers among the groups, who introduced me to some of their own works. A couple of children shared with me that they were writers of various fan fictions, and one child read me a poem he wrote that was articulate, witty, and overall impressive for someone of such a young age.
During the presentations, I passed around concept art of characters from my book, which really piqued the interest of the kids. Upon seeing the concept art, they began asking me questions about my characters, and immediately wanting to know more about them.
The children were also excited when I told them that they could contact me anytime with their own ideas or fan art at my author email, j@jedwardsholt.com. Since then, I’ve received a number of emails telling me how they enjoyed different parts of my book and what they liked about certain characters.
Overall, speaking at Envision Science Academy was a great experience. The children were interested and hungry for learning, and I got to meet some amazing future authors, artists, and journalists. The staff was also very kind and welcoming, and made me feel at home throughout the entire process.
Upon leaving the children, I gave them some final words of advice: “Follow your dreams no matter what. Work hard to pursue what you love. But remember, no matter what you want to be in life, an education is essential to achieving your goals. Work hard in school, go for your dreams, and you’ll achieve all that you’ve ever wanted.”
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