For Schools and Librarians

I am a fantasy author licensed teacher and love to do events at schools, and other community meetings. I offer a variety of presentations, or can create a new presentation to fit your group’s needs.. Here are some details you might find helpful. I love to speak at career fairs, school assemblies, and give workshops at conferences. I am also available for virtual classroom visits.

Book: The Canticle Kingdom

Genre: Fantasy

Reading Level: Young Adult

Synopsis:

When a young blacksmith’s apprentice named Johann discovers that his homeland is contained entirely within a small music box, it s up to him to protect the only home he s ever known. With the help of an impossibly ancient knight, his best friend, Brigitta, and his trusty homemade sword, Johann races to find the only people who can who can stop the dark power that threatens to destroy the Canticle Kingdom an unsuspecting family and an old woodcarver from the outside world. Enter a world full of magic, danger, loyalty and bravery in this exciting debut from Michael Young, and discover that even the most ordinary objects and people might be hiding something truly wonderful inside.

Book: The Last Archangel

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Reading Level: Young Adult

Synopsis:

Doomed to serve as a destroying angel until the end of the world, the fallen angel Xandir sometimes wonders what is taking so long. In thousands of years, he has only cared about one person and he was forced to destroy her along with her entire city in the line of duty.Then a secret brotherhood approaches him and claims that together they can end the world and reunite him with his lost love. To do so, he must enter an ancient sunken city and emerge with a seed from the noxious tree at its center. With the seed’s poison they could construct weapons to bring down the curtain on Earth’s final act. Xandir’s journey takes him around the world, both above and beneath, sending him rushing in where most angels fear to tread.

Series: The Chess Quest Series (Starting with Paladin:Pawn)

Genre: Fantasy

Reading Level: Middle Grade

Synopsis:

When nerdy Rich Witz unwittingly becomes a Paladin, a white knight, in training, he is thrust into a world where flunking a test can change the course of history and a mysterious bully is playing for keeps with his life.Rich’s grandmother leaves him with one thing before disappearing for good: a white chess pawn with his initials engraved on it. The pawn marks him as the next in an ancient line of white knights. He must prove himself in a life or death contest against his Nemesis, a dark knight in training, all while dealing with math homework and English projects. With the ghost of an ancestor for his guide, he has seven days to complete four tasks of valor before his Nemesis does, or join his guide in the realm of the dead.As Rich rushes to complete the tasks, he realizes the chilling truth: his Nemesis is masquerading as someone at school and will stop at nothing to make him fail. As the tasks grow ever harder, the other knights reveal to him that his failure will break a centuries-old chain and bring the Paladin order to ruin. If he fails, the dark knights win the right to control the fate of the world, a world without hope or the possibility of a new dawn. So this is one exam Rich has to ace, with no curve and no extra credit

Series: The Penultimate Dawn (Starting with The Hunger)

Genre: Fantasy

Reading Level: Young Adult and up

Synopsis:

In a distant land, political upheaval shakes civilization. Poverty and corruption run rampant. Three great clans stand on the brink of war.

The god Rahim has abandoned mankind.

Azil the scholar enjoys a life of wealth and comfort while he studies the nature of Rahim. But uncovering long-hidden truths leads Azil to a mysterious woman who wants to do more than learn. She wants to change the world. Claiming to be a divine messenger, she promises Azil all the answers he is looking for if he helps her steal the sacred gems of Sustenance, which are guarded in forbidden fortresses across the land. The gems are the key to restoring Rahim and ushering in a golden age for the world.

But the journey will be treacherous; bloodthirsty bandits, floating cities, and ravenous mage wraiths bar the way. And even more troubling is the gems’ volatile magic—magic so strange and powerful it could turn its wielder into the darkest of villains.

Presentations:

The Road to Becoming an Author:
The Life Cycle of an Idea: How an
idea goes from a thought in your mind to a full-fledged, published work.
Hooking Your Reader: How to keep your reader turning pages.
Organizing Your Writing: How to pre-write using outlining and other topics to avoid writer’s block and help your stories flow.
Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing: The differences between self and traditional publishing, including workload, benefits and risks, and current trends.
Brainstorming and Using Your Imagination (Jumpstart Stories):
Sentence Fluency:
Avoiding Cliché Like the Plague: How to make your writing fresh by twisting cliches into something surprising
Crafting and Selling Short Stories: A class on what makes short story writing different, some tips about how to write and where/how to submit them.
Creating Your Own Audio Versions of Your Writing: a step by step guide to creating and distributing your own audio versions of your fiction.
Blowing Your Writing Goals Out of the Water: A class about how to set ambitious writing goals and then to defy even your own expectations.
Painless Outlining: How to use outlining to improve your novel even if you’re not big into outlining.
Query Letters: The do and don’ts, the nuts and bolts.
Crafting Book Trailers: where hardware, software, and artistry combine to help promote your book.
Adding Poetry to Prose: How to use the techniques of poetry to strengthen your prose.
Dealing With Rejection: common sense tactics to thicken your skin and get you back on your feet. Other topics by request

Rate: I suggest a donation of $100/day, though this is negotiable, especially if you are requesting multiple days. Having been an educator, I know how short many school budgets can be, and I do not money to be the reason that you do not invite me. Any donations will be used to support my writing.

Please let me know if you would like me to bring copies of my books to be available for purchase. I can sign books and make them available for a steep discount off of the cover price. Advance orders are appreciated.

Testimonials:

What a wonderful experience we had with Michael Young at Roy Elementary. Over a two
day period, he presented Six Traits in every classroom . The students loved him
and the teachers felt it was a very positive experience. He inspired our
students to become authors.

Janene Salt,
Roy Elementary,Reading Specialist

We had Michael Young come and speak at our school in April of 2010 and just loved his
presentation and his wonderful ability to talk and converse with the students. He has a
great PowerPoint presentation that helps to understand how he came to be an
author and the important points of writing. I have since used these points as I talk about other authors and books to the kids.

The students had lots of great questions for Mr. Young and responded well to his
answers with great enthusiasm. We had him come to the 3rd through the 6th grade classes. They came into the Library one grade at a time which helped make his presentation more personal for each age group. His book the Canticle Kingdom, is flying off the shelf. It is very well written and the students seem very pleased by the content. I recommend that if you can bring Mr. Young to your school and or library please do it. You will not be disappointed but greatly impressed.

Virginia Miller
Lomond View Elementary Media Center/Library

Mr. Young came to speak in my classes on May 6, 2010. He was well prepared for all
of my classes, even though he had to have several different presentations.
He talked about revision with my Creative Writing classes, and was dynamic and
elicited participation even from reluctant students. He had them laughing
and enjoying themselves, yet they were learning the whole time. My German
students loved his presentation about Germany’s influence on us, and were
talking about it for days afterward. He was professional, fun, and worked
well with the students. I highly recommend Mr. Young as a guest
speaker–he will help motivate and energize your students!

Christina Nelson, Roy Jr. High
German and Creative Writing teacher

For Librarians:

Books by fantasy author Michael D. Young

Fiction:

The Canticle Kingdom Series

The Canticle Prelude: ISBN: 979-8522596484

Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/3t2TDPM

“The Canticle Kingdom” ISBN:  978-1599553627

Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/3zBCQpu

The Frozen Globe: ISBN: 979-8504616681

Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/2WHwPci

The Skyward Isle: ISBN: 979-8748180535