Events
Saturday, March 29, 2025, 10 am – 3 pm Carol will be at the Poughkeepsie Children’s Book Festival
Dutchess Community College, Falcon Hall
March 1st Carol will be at NerdcampCT for a day of literacy! Winthrop STEM Elementary Magnet School 74 Grove St, New London, CT 06320
February 17th at 1:00 p.m. Carol will be at Felixology Bookstore, 2 Walnut St., Maynard, MA with two other authors. Come visit please!
December 7th from 2-4p.m. Carol is part of the Local Author Book Fair: Holiday Edition at the Woburn Public Library, Woburn, MA
November 23, from 1-4 Carol will be at the Local Author Fair at the Lucius Beebe Memorial Library in Wakefield, MA
November 21, from 1:00 - 2:15 p.m. - Carol will be on an NCTE panel discussing Professional Writing Methods for Reluctant Young Writers at the NCTE Conference, Boston, MA
November 16th , 10:00 a.m.- 12:00 PM Carol will be part of a Children's Author Book Fair at the Peabody Institute Library of Danvers, MA
November 9th, 2024, 10:30 a.m. - Carol will be doing a storytime with author/illustrator Jannie Ho (Chickengirl Design) at Molly's Bookstore in Melrose, MA
September 22nd, 2:00 p.m - Carol's TRUCKER KID will be performed by the Open Book Players for the Reading Rumpus event at Johnson Hall Opera House in Gardiner, Maine. Other titles will be performed as well. Book signings to follow the event.
School Visits
I am a retired fourth grade teacher with 35 years experience. I have my Masters’ degree in reading and language, and have been a published author since 2008. I do an interactive presentation for one classroom or an assembly, talking about writing and tips for improving a student’s writing, the writing process, revision, being an author, etc., including many points I know are important for elementary students to hear. Writing, reading, and language standards will be touched on during this program.
Grades 3-5: 60 minutes, with time for Q and A.
Grades K-2: 30-45 minutes, with time for Q and A.
Fees:
Please contact me for availability and rates. Let me know if you are local or out of state. A basic school visit includes three presentations per day and a book signing if possible. We can negotiate a fee to go back into individual classrooms to work on writing with the students on a different day.
For schools more than 50 miles from Andover, MA a moderate flat fee (to be discussed) will be added for mileage, meals, and lodging if needed.
Skype visits are also available if an in-person visit is not possible. Contact cekster@aol.com to discuss author visits further.
Carol is also available to present the workshop - "Using Picture Books to Enhance Curriculum for Elementary Students," at faculty meetings, workshops, or conferences.
AWARDS AND HONORS
Some Daddies was a finalist for the SCBWI Crystal Kite Awards 2022 in the Northeast Region.
You Know What? was a finalist for the SCBWI Crystal Kite Awards 2018 in the Northeast Region.
You Know What? received a literary award: CLEL (Colorodo Library Early Literacy) Bell Picture Book Awards Nominee for Talk (2018)
Before I Sleep: I Say Thank You, Pauline Books and Media, 2015 went into its fourth printing!! It received 3rd place for the Catholic Press Association's Book Awards 2016, and was a finalist for ACP's Excellence in Publishing Awards 2016.
Children's Literary Classics selected Ruth the Sleuth and The Messy Room to receive the Children's Literary Classics Seal of Approval. The CLC Seal of Approval is a designation reserved for those books which uphold the rigorous criteria set forth by the Children's Literary Classics review committee, a team comprised of individuals with backgrounds in publishing, editing, writing, illustration and graphic design.