Coincidentally, notice the lovely Gator-green dress Kate is wearing?
A “Gatorriffic” session!
Once the “Gator Aides” (PTA volunteers) got everything set up and everyone quietly settled in the multi-purpose room, the students at Gayton Elementary School politely listened to author Kate Hall with rapt attention as she read them Richmond Rocks!
Then came the really fun part: The Q&A. Apparently one particular part of the book had really caught their attention today – it was the fact that there used to be real live alligators living in the marble pools in the Palm Court at the Jefferson Hotel. In fact, the first five minutes of questions were all alligator-related!
How big were they? How did they get there? How did they keep them from escaping… and so on.
You see, Kate hadn’t realized that Gayton’s school mascot is the Gayton Gator. (Probably those Gator T-shirts in the audience should have tipped her off.) So, that’s why that section of the book particularly spoke to them.
After politely fielding alligator questions for a while, Kate finally said, “You guys are cracking me up! I think you’re all going to be zoologists! Now, do we have any non-alligator questions?”
Moving on to other topics…
Remember kids, if you really do find a Civil War artifact you should probably take it to a museum!
Fortunately, they did have plenty of very good non-alligator questions and comments as well. It was a lively discussion.
Questions about the creative process: After you brainstormed, how did you decide what to leave out? How did you pick which statues from Monument Avenue to illustrate? How long have you been a writer? What does it feel like to be a writer? How much is this book based on your actual life?
Questions about local history: Is Stonewall Jackson in this book? What about the Powhite Indians? What would you do if you really found a civil war soldier’s button? How long ago did they have the alligators at the Jefferson? (Okay, that last one was kinda alligator-related.)
Suggestions for future books: Why don’t you write a book about a different city? Why don’t you write a book about Virginia? Why don’t you write a book about the whole country? (Maybe US alligator habitats? Just kidding!)
Speaking of future books…
And speaking of future books, Richmond Rocks! The Spooky Sequel will be coming out soon! It’s an exciting collection of tales about local ghost stories! (But sorry, no alligators.)
Would you like to have a free author visit/fundraiser at your school?
Would you be interested in doing a fund-raising book event at your school (or community organization)? It’s easy, and your school gets to keep 20% of pre-tax book sales!
Questions? Contact: Suzanne Sherif, Richmondmom.com: suzanne_sherif@hotmail.com.
Disclaimer: No alligators were harmed in the making of these books.
