General information
I offer visits that combine science and writing using my background as a career scientist and my hobby as an author. My visits are informative and engaging – and sometimes a little chaotic. Students will come away with a greater understanding of science, having learnt new concepts, along with an appreciation of what it takes to write and publish a book.
My visits are best suited to years 5, 6, 7 and 8 (with the content tailored to match the year group). Visits can be half a day or a full day if there are multiple groups.
I offer:
- Presentation on science and writing
- Practical
- Acting out scenes to understand character motivation
- Spinning cups of water to understand gravity
- Throwing balls to understand orbit
- Workshops
- World building
- Creating a bad guy/girl
- Q&A
- Anything they can think of about science and writing
To facilitate the presentation, I will require access to a laptop and a projector/screen.
Me in action
Locations
I am based in Winchester and can offer visits to schools in Hampshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire and Surrey.
Cost
I do not charge for my visits and only request that I have an opportunity to sell my books (and possibly get a cup of coffee and a biscuit).
Credentials
- Master’s degree in physics
- Chartered physicist with the Institute of Physics
- 18+ years working as a physicist
- 16+ years volunteering as a scout leader
- Enhanced DBS with the Scout Association – certificate available on request
Science topics
- How long would it take to drive to the nearest star (and why it’s not a good idea)
- The speed of light and time dilation (how time is shorter for the traveller)
- How you get gravity on a spaceship (spinning cups of water)
- How dangerous is a grain of sand (KE = 1/2mv2 discussion and the value of velocity)
Girls in STEM
The Girl Who Sold Time follows 12-year-old Violet as she struggles to find her father and unlock the secrets of the time marbles. She is an inventor who lives with her robotic best friend, Jackdaw, and, as such, is a positive role model for girls interested in STEM subjects.
As a byproduct of her interest in technology and curiosity, V S Nelson has created a great fictional role model of a girl interested in STEM subjects, (an added bonus one of her key descriptors are her beloved brightly coloured skirts, preventing her from falling into a “tomboy” stereotype).
LoveReading4Kids
An obvious selling point here is the courageous and relatable main character, who is dealing with issues that will undoubtedly resonate with the target audience, such as the meaning of family, the power of friendship, and finding one’s place—or purpose—in the world. But Nelson’s impressively deep worldbuilding and backstory, which give the narrative an undeniable timeliness and thematic gravity, is arguably even more of a hook. The author also excels at exploring complex scientific theories and making them palatable for young readers.
Kirkus Reviews
The Girl Who Sold Time is a must-read for fans of imaginative sci-fi, strong female leads, and razor-sharp storytelling. If you like stories with survivalist grit, fast-paced adventure, and a touch of dark humor, this one’s for you.
Literary Titan
Testimonials
Year 5 & 6 pupils (and staff) at the Priory Primary School would like to sincerely thank you for a fun, fact-filled, interactive and inspirational presentation. You covered some quite advanced scientific concepts but in a way that everyone was able to access and enjoy them. The children loved being chosen for demonstrations and of course, they relished the chance to throw balls around the hall and to swing water around too! Your world-building workshop really brought out the creative side of our pupils, and it was amazing to see their storylines, characters and book covers develop across the afternoon. The highlight for many – including myself- was the use of ChatGPT to design actual book covers for their stories. That really did inspire a sense of awe and wonder. It left a lot of our pupils eager to go home and write the actual story!
Year 5 teacher – The Priory Primary School
We found your visit and the stories behind your books truly fascinating. You inspired us to become interested not only in your books, but also in the scientific ideas that influenced and inspired your writing.
What made your visit especially memorable was how interactive it was. Unlike some other authors who have visited our school, you involved us in a variety of engaging activities, including creating our own AI-generated images, taking part in role-playing exercises, and exploring water physics. These activities were both enjoyable and educational.
Your approach made us feel included throughout the session and helped bring your ideas to life. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, creativity, and enthusiasm with us. We thoroughly enjoyed your visit and learned a great deal from it.
Year 8 pupils – Danebury School
We had an amazing visit from V S Nelson! He showed us the books that he had written and how they are made. He also created some fun, interactive sessions where we learned the power of orbit! One of the funniest things was when we ‘drove in a car’ into space and worked out how much money and fuel you would need, and the time it would take to get to the moon! We used our imagination to design our own futuristic world and even had a go at putting our ideas into AI to create some book front covers- the results were very interesting! Thank you so much for your visit! It was the best day ever!
Year 6 pupil – Romsey Primary School
Thank you so much for all the time you spent at Romsey Primary School. The children and adults all had a blast, and we learnt so much! You went above and beyond by staying until the end of the day and supporting one of the classes when you could have left whenever! Thank you!
Year 6 teacher – Romsey Primary School
Last week, Year 6 welcomed author V. S. Nelson, who brought a fascinating mix of science and storytelling to the classroom in a workshop that truly ignited the children’s imaginations. V. S. Nelson, began by introducing the idea of how science can inspire stories—from futuristic technology to exploring the wonders of space and the unknown. He showed pupils how scientific ideas can be the spark for incredible fiction, encouraging them to think creatively about the “what ifs” of the universe.
During the session, children explored the process of how to write a book, learning how stories are built step by step and how to link events in their own stories to make the plots exciting and meaningful. With this foundation, Year 6 set off on their own science fiction journeys, creating detailed and imaginative worlds of their own.
Kings Worthy Primary School
Nelson also gave the children a behind-the-scenes look at the writing and publishing process, explaining that a finished book takes years of planning, writing, editing and re-editing. He shared how it’s normal to face rejection, criticism and changes along the way, but reminded everyone that great stories are built through perseverance and passion.
The visit left Chaffinch Class buzzing with ideas and excitement. They asked thoughtful questions about science, writing and character creation – and many left saying they now wanted to write their own stories.
Longparish Primary School
We were delighted to welcome Nelson into our Year 5 classroom for an author visit. He captivated the children with an engaging presentation about his book The Girl Who Sold Time and offered a fascinating insight into his writing process. The session was fun and interactive, with exciting props that brought the ideas to life. Nelson made thoughtful links to our current topic on space and gravity, helping the children connect their learning in a meaningful way. The class especially loved receiving bookmarks and a 3D‑printed model that he gifted us (it has become a treasured addition to our room). It was an inspiring experience that left the children buzzing with enthusiasm for reading and writing.
Nightingale Primary School
To launch our Science Fiction month in the Library, we were delighted to welcome Author and Chartered Physicist V S Nelson. Nelson delivered presentations to pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9, blending his engaging science expertise with creative writing insights and real‑world STEM career advice. Students were encouraged to ask plenty of questions and also had the opportunity to purchase a copy of his new book, The Girl Who Sold Time.
Nelson’s workshops were fun and informative, and the content was perfectly aimed for each year group. Pupils enjoyed throwing balls around to understand orbit and spinning cups of water whilst discussing gravity! My personal favourite was trying to imagine a road from Earth to Space and working out how long it would take to get there and how much money it would cost – in Nelson’s own words – not a good idea!
Mrs Emma Needs – Librarian – The Romsey School (Secondary)
Book a visit
If you are interested in a school visit, please contact me at vsnelson0@gmail.com.