Author Visits

D. L. Diehl will customize her visit to fit the needs of your group. Whether you prefer a book reading, structured presentation, open discussion, meet-and-greet, book signing, or book sales, she will educate and entertain in a variety of topics covered in her books.

Schedule a visit button
  • Schools, summer camps, book fairs, and libraries
  • Nature centers or garden and bonsai clubs
  • Parent-child reading meetups and book clubs
  • ESL and literacy service events
  • Child therapy, foster child, and child services programs
  • Wilderness and ecology organizations

Book Reading with Discussion

Diana will read “Misho of the Mountain” followed by an interactive discussion to stimulate analytic, writing, and comprehension skills for students or Q&A for adults.

Meet & Greet with Author Signing

Complement your book fair, PTA meeting, or book club with a meet & greet with Q&A period and book signing.

Presentation Topics

Special Scheduling Days

Consider scheduling an author visit on one of these designated days to enhance your curriculum or event.

Writing & Storytelling (click for full list of topics)

Reading + slide presentation: “Writing & Storytelling: Everyone Has a Story.” Select one or more topics below to suit your audience’s interests and age group.

  • Write, write, write again: the importance of editing and revisions
  • Playing with words: vocabulary can be fun
    • Verbs are action words: find all the actions in “Misho of the Mountain”
    • Fun with adjectives
    • Can you rhyme all the time?
  • How to come up with ideas for your own story
  • Why is a story like a layer cake? (All about story elements: plot, characters, action, dialogue, theme, mood)
  • Movie scripts: a different kind of storytelling
  • How to write about something you know nothing about
  • Writing for yourself: journals, blogs, doodles, & sketching
  • From seed to tree: my writing process from idea to book
  • Why should you learn to write?  Jobs that require writing
  • Different kinds of books: with beautiful and unusual examples
  • What tools do authors use?
  • How to be a healthy writer: taking care of your body and mind
Misho Theme: Behavior & Self-Esteem (click for full list of topics)

Reading + discussion. Select one or more behavioral and social topics, using examples from the reading.

  • Feelings & emotions
  • Perseverance & grit, failure & success (includes famous people who have failed)
  • Different points of view: what is beauty?
  • Friendship and empathy: how to be a good friend
  • Trying new and different things; why it’s okay to change your mind
  • What happens inside our brains when we get sad?
  • What to do when the North Wind blows: dealing with hard times
  • How to help; how to accept help
Nature & Science (click for full list of topics)
  • Forests and trees
  • Bonsai & gardens
  • Can trees communicate?
  • How ecosystems work
  • Ancient Bristlecone Pines
  • From flying tree snakes to blind goats: animals I have known
  • Owls around the world
  • Seeds and how they travel
  • Trees in the city
Teamwork & Cooperation
  • How to work as a team: partnerships & collaboration
  • How authors and illustrators work together
  • Feb 4 (2017) Take Your Child to the Library Day
  • Feb 16 World Read Aloud Day
  • Mar 2   Dr. Seuss Day/National Read Across America
  • Mar 3   UN World Wildlife Day
  • Mar 21 UN International Day of Forests
  • Mar/Apr Arbor Day
  • April  National Park Week
  • April 22  Earth Day
  • May   US Mental Health Awareness Month
  • June   US Great Outdoors Month
  • Jun 5   UN World Environment Day
  • June 26 International Self-Esteem Day
  • September US National Wilderness Month
  • Oct 10 WHO World Mental Health Day
  • Nov 20 UN Universal Children’s Day
  • Dec 11  UN International Mountain Day

Availability

D. L. Diehl is available most times of the year for visits to local San Diego and southern California locations.

Contact us for availability outside the Southern California region.

Visit Length

Short Visit: 1- to 2- hour; one group

Half Day: 2 to 3 sessions; multiple groups

Full Day: Multiple groups plus meet & greet, book fair, or signing

A Note from the Author

Misho’s message

“Misho of the Mountain” is about grit. About reality. It’s a book with a mission. I wrote Misho’s story for children and for their parents. But really, it’s all about the kids. Life can seem unfair and sometimes downright impossible for kids. The odyssey of Misho and Tomo lets children know that they can persevere, even when they think they failed–even when they don’t meet their own expectations or don’t fit in.

They can’t get that message too early or too often.

For parents

We all want to help our kids be ready for anything that Life throws in their path. “Misho of the Mountain” is a helpful tool–a lesson guide–for opening dialogues about tough topics and as an allegory to teach how to be a good friend, how to persevere, and the importance of looking past seemingly impossible obstacles to see the next opportunity.

For Teachers

Misho’s story is multi-layered. Through presentation and discussion of poetry, process, and story elements, students learn the importance and joy of both reading and writing. The setting and actions of the characters are a launching pad to discuss ecology, botany, science, and the environment. The peril faced by Misho and the climber are a thinly veiled object lesson for the interdependence of humankind and nature and how we must save and nurture each other.

My experience

“Misho of the Mountain” is my first children’s book. However, I am no stranger to classroom presentations.

When I was a student in veterinary college, I was the Public Relations Chairman of the veterinary fraternity at the University of Illinois. Our mission was to deliver talks and demonstrations to the public to promote respect for animals. I loved bringing opossums, snakes, turtles, dogs, cats, and birds into classrooms to give lessons on everything from basic pet care to marsupials of Australia.

While in professional practice and later when I changed my career to technology, I continued to give presentations at schools and nursing homes. I have judged science fairs, aquarium contests, and 4-H competitions and participated in the judging team at the Robotics competition at Legoland. I even set up the first computers in a K-2 gifted program. We introduced basic computer usage when the concept of computers in the classroom was novel. Although I am not a teacher, I learned to relate to teachers after a short stint teaching Biology for Non-Majors at a community college.

My dream

I was first introduced to reading aloud in 5th grade when our teacher read “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeline L’engle to the class. I was mesmerized. Reading aloud has been part of my life ever since. It’s been my dream to bring Misho’s message to children through the spoken as well as the written word.

Dyslexia-friendly reading

I shared my fascination with verbal storytelling with my own children, reading to them from before birth until well after they were eager readers on their own. I am certain that, despite a reading disability, my son’s lifelong love of books grew from our family tradition of reading aloud. Once his specific obstacle was diagnosed, he jumped into reading on his own with both feet, consuming 22 middle grade and young adult books in one summer. Because I am aware of the wide range of reading abilities in grade school children, I wanted to make sure that a dyslexia-friendly version of “Misho of the Mountain” would be available to help more children have an enjoyable reading experience. My plan is to distribute a free ebook version upon request to anyone who buys “Misho of the Mountain” in paperback, hardcover, or ebook formats.

I look forward to sharing my enthusiasm for reading with your group or class in the near future.

With sparkle,

DLDiehl Logo

See author bio page

D. L. Diehl, Author

Reading books aloud opens up a doorway to a whole new story experience.

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