Kelly Milner Halls
Freelance Writer & Speaker
(509) 954-8069
[email protected]
www.wondersofweird.com
I am a full-time freelance writer specializing in inventive, even quirky nonfiction for readers of all ages. I studied journalism in college but delayed my writing career until my kids were in school. Prior to writing, I managed records stores, sent telex messages (I know, “What’s a telex?”), camp counseled at the YMCA and tutored a 3rd grader with cerebral palsy.
1991 to 2001 – Freelance Writer
Magazine and newspaper markets (more than 1,500 published articles and book reviews) Booklist, Book Links, Teen PEOPLE, Family Fun, Writer’s Digest, New Jersey Magazine, Wyoming Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Denver Post, the Washington Post, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Spokesman Review, Highlights for Children, Boy’s Life, Ask!, Dig, Fox Kids, Scholastic Science, US Kids (more than a dozen sports cover stories), Children’s Digest, Child Life, Guidepost for Kids, Kid City, Freezone, Curiocity for Kids, Dinosaurus, the Dino Times, Guidepost for Teens and other publications.
1997 to 2003 -- Editorial
Dino Times monthly newsletter for the DInosaur Society, Dinosaurus Magazine and Dig Magazine -- contributing editor
iUniverse Author Relations -- Print-on-Demand: I helped teach indepent authors how to market their books and hosted author events with best-selling authors to help them learn from successful writers.
The Book Report: KidsReads/TeenReads Editor -- I reviewed ten books a week, wrote two author profiles a week and did two book round-ups per week to launch a children and teen's book discovery zone. I also hosted live author chats to draw in readership and to create lively content.
1999 to 2005 -- Editorial
Smart Writers -- Roxyanne Young and I created content to teach would-be writers how to write and manage their writing lives. We also ran a yearly contest to find promising children's and YA manuscripts, most published by traditional houses after their wins.
2010 to present -- Editorial
I provide editorial service to beginning writers who hope to fine tune their work on a path to publication.
2001 to present – Published Books for Young Readers
TRADE MARKET NONFICTION
Dino Trekking (1996, Wiley)
Dinosaur Mummies (2003, Darby Creek Publishing)
Albino Animals (2004, Darby Creek Publishing)
Wild Dogs (2005, Darby Creek Publishing)
Tales of the Cryptids (2006, Darby Creek Publishing)
Random House Dinosaur Travel Guide (2006, Random House)
Mysteries of the Mummy Kids (2007, Darby Creek Publishing)
Wild Horses (2008, Darby Creek Publishing)
Dinosaur Parade (2008, Lark/Sterling)
Saving the Baghdad Zoo (2010, HarperCollins/Greenwillow)
In Search of Sasquatch (2011, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Alien Investigation (2012, Millbrook)
Hatchlings: A Life Size Look at Baby Dinosaurs (2012, Running Press)
Kidtopia: Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader for Kids (2012, Portable Press)
Enchanted Toilet: Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader for Kids (2012, Portable Press)
Smell-O-Scopic: Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader for Kids (2013, Portable Press)
Tiger in Trouble (2013, National Geographic)
Courageous Canine (2013, National Geographic)
Ghostly Evidence (Millbrook, 2014)
Lie Detector: Dinosaurs (Red Lemon Press/Capstone, 2014/2017)
Lie Detector: Animals (Red Lemon Press/Capstone 2014/2017)
Death Eaters: The Science of Decomposition (Millbrook. 2018)
Simple Science Projects (Rourke, 2018)
Gross Science Projects (Rourke, 2018)
Goo Makers Projects (Rourke, 2018)
Cryptid Creatures: A Field Guide (Sasquatch Books/Little Bigfoot, 2019)
Voices of World War II: A Book for Kids about Kids (Callisto, 2020)
Voices of World War II: Heroes (Callisto, 2020)
Mysteries of the Titanic (Callisto, March 2021)
19th Century American HIstory for Kids (Callisto, May 2021)
All About Horses (Callisto, June 2021)
History of the Titanic (Callisto, Summer 2021)
TRADE MARKET FICTION
I Bought a Baby Chicken (2001, Boyds Mills Press)
Girl Meets Boy (2013, Chronicle Books)
Blazing Courage (2015, Darby Creek/Lerner)
Dive Into Danger (2016, Darby Creek/Lerner)
LIBRARY MARKET
Science Fair Projects, Rocks & Minerals (2007, Heinemann-Raintree)
Science Fair Projects, Astronomy & Space (2007, Heinemann-Raintree)
Science Fair Projects, Forces & Motion (2007, Heinemann-Raintree)
Science Fair Projects, Cells & Systems (2007, Heinemann-Raintree)
Cool Careers: Astronauts (2009, Cherry Lake Publishing)
Cool Careers: Vitual Reality Specialist (2009, Cherry Lake Publishing)
The Story of the Hover Dam (2014, Red Line)
Life During the Civil War (2015, Core Library)
MISC
Kelly's Curiosities -- a ten episode video series for Microsoft (click here to see them).
I helped create the Inland Northwest Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho with Children's Poet Laureate Kenn Nesbitt.
Public Speaking -- I've done more than 2,000 school and conference visits in the past ten years, presenting to kids and adults. And I've loved every minute. But I love my quiet time at home working just as much.
Kelly Milner Halls * 3008 W. Princeton Ave. * Spokane, WA. 99205
(Awards list and phone number available upon request.)
[email protected]
Freelance Writer & Speaker
(509) 954-8069
[email protected]
www.wondersofweird.com
I am a full-time freelance writer specializing in inventive, even quirky nonfiction for readers of all ages. I studied journalism in college but delayed my writing career until my kids were in school. Prior to writing, I managed records stores, sent telex messages (I know, “What’s a telex?”), camp counseled at the YMCA and tutored a 3rd grader with cerebral palsy.
1991 to 2001 – Freelance Writer
Magazine and newspaper markets (more than 1,500 published articles and book reviews) Booklist, Book Links, Teen PEOPLE, Family Fun, Writer’s Digest, New Jersey Magazine, Wyoming Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Denver Post, the Washington Post, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Spokesman Review, Highlights for Children, Boy’s Life, Ask!, Dig, Fox Kids, Scholastic Science, US Kids (more than a dozen sports cover stories), Children’s Digest, Child Life, Guidepost for Kids, Kid City, Freezone, Curiocity for Kids, Dinosaurus, the Dino Times, Guidepost for Teens and other publications.
1997 to 2003 -- Editorial
Dino Times monthly newsletter for the DInosaur Society, Dinosaurus Magazine and Dig Magazine -- contributing editor
iUniverse Author Relations -- Print-on-Demand: I helped teach indepent authors how to market their books and hosted author events with best-selling authors to help them learn from successful writers.
The Book Report: KidsReads/TeenReads Editor -- I reviewed ten books a week, wrote two author profiles a week and did two book round-ups per week to launch a children and teen's book discovery zone. I also hosted live author chats to draw in readership and to create lively content.
1999 to 2005 -- Editorial
Smart Writers -- Roxyanne Young and I created content to teach would-be writers how to write and manage their writing lives. We also ran a yearly contest to find promising children's and YA manuscripts, most published by traditional houses after their wins.
2010 to present -- Editorial
I provide editorial service to beginning writers who hope to fine tune their work on a path to publication.
2001 to present – Published Books for Young Readers
TRADE MARKET NONFICTION
Dino Trekking (1996, Wiley)
Dinosaur Mummies (2003, Darby Creek Publishing)
Albino Animals (2004, Darby Creek Publishing)
Wild Dogs (2005, Darby Creek Publishing)
Tales of the Cryptids (2006, Darby Creek Publishing)
Random House Dinosaur Travel Guide (2006, Random House)
Mysteries of the Mummy Kids (2007, Darby Creek Publishing)
Wild Horses (2008, Darby Creek Publishing)
Dinosaur Parade (2008, Lark/Sterling)
Saving the Baghdad Zoo (2010, HarperCollins/Greenwillow)
In Search of Sasquatch (2011, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Alien Investigation (2012, Millbrook)
Hatchlings: A Life Size Look at Baby Dinosaurs (2012, Running Press)
Kidtopia: Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader for Kids (2012, Portable Press)
Enchanted Toilet: Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader for Kids (2012, Portable Press)
Smell-O-Scopic: Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader for Kids (2013, Portable Press)
Tiger in Trouble (2013, National Geographic)
Courageous Canine (2013, National Geographic)
Ghostly Evidence (Millbrook, 2014)
Lie Detector: Dinosaurs (Red Lemon Press/Capstone, 2014/2017)
Lie Detector: Animals (Red Lemon Press/Capstone 2014/2017)
Death Eaters: The Science of Decomposition (Millbrook. 2018)
Simple Science Projects (Rourke, 2018)
Gross Science Projects (Rourke, 2018)
Goo Makers Projects (Rourke, 2018)
Cryptid Creatures: A Field Guide (Sasquatch Books/Little Bigfoot, 2019)
Voices of World War II: A Book for Kids about Kids (Callisto, 2020)
Voices of World War II: Heroes (Callisto, 2020)
Mysteries of the Titanic (Callisto, March 2021)
19th Century American HIstory for Kids (Callisto, May 2021)
All About Horses (Callisto, June 2021)
History of the Titanic (Callisto, Summer 2021)
TRADE MARKET FICTION
I Bought a Baby Chicken (2001, Boyds Mills Press)
Girl Meets Boy (2013, Chronicle Books)
Blazing Courage (2015, Darby Creek/Lerner)
Dive Into Danger (2016, Darby Creek/Lerner)
LIBRARY MARKET
Science Fair Projects, Rocks & Minerals (2007, Heinemann-Raintree)
Science Fair Projects, Astronomy & Space (2007, Heinemann-Raintree)
Science Fair Projects, Forces & Motion (2007, Heinemann-Raintree)
Science Fair Projects, Cells & Systems (2007, Heinemann-Raintree)
Cool Careers: Astronauts (2009, Cherry Lake Publishing)
Cool Careers: Vitual Reality Specialist (2009, Cherry Lake Publishing)
The Story of the Hover Dam (2014, Red Line)
Life During the Civil War (2015, Core Library)
MISC
Kelly's Curiosities -- a ten episode video series for Microsoft (click here to see them).
I helped create the Inland Northwest Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho with Children's Poet Laureate Kenn Nesbitt.
Public Speaking -- I've done more than 2,000 school and conference visits in the past ten years, presenting to kids and adults. And I've loved every minute. But I love my quiet time at home working just as much.
Kelly Milner Halls * 3008 W. Princeton Ave. * Spokane, WA. 99205
(Awards list and phone number available upon request.)
[email protected]
