2026 Book Tour

Shello folks! Are you ready for some good news?

This year I'm planning to take my ocean adventures on the road with a brand new book tour that will cross the country and help me reach hundreds of new readers, as well as their families, teachers and other community members.

This three month tour will include 20 appearances in over 10 cities, leaving from my home state of Michigan and traveling all the way to the southernmost point of the United States: Key West, Florida.

I will travel in my 2023 Chevrolet Bolt, and I will document my journey across the country. I want to promote this form of low carbon travel as viable option for people. Many cities and counties have adopted carbon neutrality plans to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Reducing carbon emissions plays a big role in that.

I want to explore what’s possible and promote the further development of EVs and carbon neutral or carbon free transportation in the USA.

The total journey will travel over 3,000 miles roundtrip. Carbon offsets for my transportation along the tour will be provided by my non-profit partner, We Are Neutral. I also have assistance from my non-profit partners at the Jane Goodall Institute and Florida Keys Wild Bird Center to schedule tour dates and support my communication efforts with local community members.

If your organization, school, community group or otherwise would like to collaborate with me for this tour, I would LOVE to hear from you!

I am excited to connect with my audience while on tour. I look forward to receiving their feedback, as well as presenting them with fun ocean learning games and activities from the “Deep Dive” extension materials. I also expect to gain insight and valuable connections with teachers, librarians and families while on tour.

There are many ways you can help support this book tour:

Event Partner

Are you a school, library, community center or other organization that serves

Middle Grade readers (ages 10 - 13)? I am still accepting invitations for speaking

events between March and June 2026. Please feel free to reach out!

Sponsor Accommodations

One of my biggest expenses on tour is accommodations. Although Florida offers a variety of low cost lodging options like camping all year round, a 24/7 high speed internet workspace that will allow me to meet tight deadlines, as well as access to a private bathroom, will definitely go a long way on this 3 month tour. If you can help in this regard, I would love to hear from you.

Contribute to the Tour

There are also multiple ways to contribute and help fund this tour. With

permission, your kindness and generosity will be remembered forever in the

dedication pages to all subsequent releases of Beneath the Surface. I will also post special announcements on website and other social medial channels to express my gratitude for your support.

Global Impact

Ultimately, I hope the Blue Marble Series and the materials developed for teachers and readers to dive deeper into the topic of marine life protection will help improve ocean literacy and eco-mindfulness, one activity at a time.

 This tour will help expand my audience and allow me to connect with hundreds of readers, ages 10 – 13, across the country, from the North to the South, in various communities. Every purchase of Beneath the Surface goes towards providing free access to all of the books and learning extension materials to my non-profit partner, Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots (Global).

The mission of Roots & Shoots is to empower young people to affect positive change in their communities. (https://www.rootsandshoots.org)