When a student has the advantage of meeting an author, listening to them speak, and is given the opportunity to ask the author questions, they realize authors are people, too. Many times, kids think authors are people from faraway places who rattle the keyboard and in the blink of an eye, a book is written. Rooster dispels these misconceptions and explains how he started writing and why-and how he goes through many edits before his books are published.

Rooster believes habits are one of the most important things in a person's life. If people develop good habits, they achieve their goals. Rooster tells the students that when he was a boy, he had a desire to play the fiddle. How does a child without a music teacher become a Smithsonian-recorded fiddle player? He learns to make a habit of practicing the fundamentals and enjoying the practice. Rooster shows the kids the pay-off--rocking fiddle music that brings the lesson home.

This hour-long performance begins as Rooster demonstrates how he became his own teacher in learning to play the fiddle when he was a boy. He explains how music led him into other important disciplines and then students are invited to the stage to sing along with Rooster and perform in character.

Animated storytelling, character voices, and sound effects immediately draw the audience into the saga of Axle Galench on his adventure-filled journey on Planet Mizmoe. Rooster weaves songs and poetry into his storytelling as he seamlessly begins reading from one of his books. Rooster thrives on the audience's response so there are many opportunities for student interaction.

To help students understand the personal value and benefits of listening to stories, reading stories, and writing their own stories, Rooster has written the Axle Galench series as living proof of the adage, "If I can do it, you can do it better!"

Rooster finishes up the conference with a Question & Answer session with students. The students leave the video conference excited about reading, motivated to create, and confident in themselves and their abilities.