Last week’s Windsor author tour was a smashing success, but I’ve been so busy catching up on various WIPs that I haven’t had a moment to post about it. But all that changes now . . .

I hit the road last Tuesday and arrived in LaSalle, just south of Windsor around noon to talk at Prince Andrew Public School. When I got there, I was greeted by two very welcome sights. First, outside the principal’s office was this great poster featuring yours truly:

Pretty good likeness, isn’t it? As I’ve mentioned before, when I see posters welcoming me at a school, I know it’s going to be a great visit. But Prince Andrew PS and the whole Grand Erie District School Board outdid themselves when I saw who was waiting for inside the principal’s office: a CBC TV reporter. Turns out, the school board sent out a press release about my upcoming week of school visits. I quickly spoke to the reporter while I set up for my talk, but I’ll get to that in a minute.

First, I’d like to say that the welcoming art at Prince Andrew didn’t stop at the principal’s office. Inside the library, I was greeted by Max and Alison ready to solve some mysteries:

And the whole Max Finder Mystery gang:

And the crafty work didn’t stop with Max and his pals. The primary grade students at Prince Andrew got in on the fun too by making their very own Pet Tales characters:

Truly impressive stuff! And the students were even more impressive. I gave two presentations to a great bunch of enthusiastic students who had a lot of questions about comics, writing and made me feel very welcome. Thanks Prince Andrew PS!

While I was setting up for the talks, I spoke to the reporter from the CBC and another from the LaSalle Post, the local paper. I haven’t seen the LaSalle Post article yet, but I did see the report about my visit and Max Finder Mystery on CBC. Very cool!

And that was only day one.

The next day was a double-header, with me giving four talks at two schools. In the morning it was Oakwood PS, where I was one of several honoured guests, including the Mayor of Windsor. The kids were great and they had a fun time playing detective in Max Finder Mystery Theatre. At the end of my visit, the students presented me with a excellent gift package that included a really cool Oakwood T-shirt. Thanks Oakwood staff and students.

Then it was time for lunch at the second school of the day, Glenwood PS. But this was no ordinary lunch. I had the honour of dining with the library helpers from both Glenwood and Oakwood schools. These book-loving kids have helped keep their libraries running throughout the school year and they deserve all the praise they get. Great to meet you all and keep up the booktastic work!

Before I even had a chance to start lunch at Glenwood, I was greeted by this:

I knew it was going to be a great afternoon and I was right. After the lunch, the kids came into the library and the comic fun began. Thanks to Glenwood PS for making me feel so welcome (and for the great lunch, too!)

The final stop on the Windsor tour was Princess Anne PS on Wednesday morning. I had a lot of fun with the students and staff at Princess Anne, who had some really fantastic questions for me about being a writer and how Max Finder is put together.

At the end of my talks, I packed up the car and hit the road for home. I was tired, but feeling great about meeting so many comic fans. Thanks to everyone who helped make my Windsor tour a success. I look forward to visiting your schools again in the future.