Meet the Author

 My name is Tina Schipfer.

The first dream that I had was to be a teacher.  It took me years of hard work to achieve that dream.  Thankfully, I did it; and I absolutely loved being a teacher! As I read stories and modeled writing for my elementary students, a new dream was born.  That dream was to write a children's book series.  The Adventures of Filly the Dolphin and J.P. the Horse is that book series.

I live on the Alafia River and have been inspired by the events that take place there and the animals (especially a dolphin named Filly).  This dolphin has been to visit me on 20-30 different occasions.  Filly enjoys fishing and playing by my dock, but I have never fed her or gotten in the water with her.  She is so friendly, but she is still a wild animal.  Many of the events in the book are taken from real life scenarios that I have witnessed, and  they are fascinating to share!

Through Hillsborough County Public Schools, I obtained a manuscript consultation with a winner of the Silver Medal for Fiction. The author had some wonderful suggestions for me, which I have already implemented. She said: "You have a terrific sense of humor and pacing.  Your characters are compelling and your dialogue is snappy and bright. Keep going!  You can really turn this into something special."  That is my goal for Filly and her friends!