SCHOOL VISITS/ AUTHOR TALKS

I love talking with kids, adults, and aspiring authors about books and writing. With nearly 20 years of teaching writing at the college level, and years of speaking at all types of schools, workshops, conferences, and events, I have a lot to say about writing!

Want me to come to your school, or give a talk at your library or conference? Check out my offerings below, and then fill out this form so we can get started.

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School Programs

FOR KINDERGARTEN

INTERACTIVE PRESENTATION: FICTION, NONFICTION, FACES & FEELINGS

A 30-minute interactive presentation where we learn about the true-life stories behind CAPTAIN'S LOG (Shackleton's expedition and the winter of 2015), and examine how the illustrations in the book reveal how the characters are feeling. Classrooms must have read the book before the visit. Teachers must be present.

FOR GRADES 1-3

INTERACTIVE PRESENTATION: FICTION, NONFICTION, WORDS & PICTURES

We will learn about the true-life stories behind CAPTAIN'S LOG (Ernest Shackleton's expeditions and the winter of 2015), and discuss how the text and illustrations work together to tell the story. 

FOR GRADES 3-5

CREATING CHARACTER: A WRITING WORKSHOP

This interactive workshop shows how I create some of my characters and set up their problems in a story. Students will write and respond to prompts. Suitable for smaller groups, teachers must be present.

PRESENTATION: FROM IDEA TO BOOK: THE WRITING PROCESS

Using my notebooks, drafts, and cover comps, we'll go through the process of creating a novel from start to finish. We will talk about how all writers, from students to published authors, follow the same steps. We'll discuss writing as a process (brainstorming, drafting, editing) and the value in revision. Suitable for most group sizes, teachers must be present.

PRESENTATION: BEST. JOB. EVER. OR,  HOW I BECAME AN AUTHOR

From the time I was six years old, I wanted to be a writer--but I had no idea what they did. This talk is about my journey to getting published--the wrong turns, the right teachers, and finding my voice. Suitable for large groups. Teachers must be present

FOR GRADES 6-8

PRESENTATION: FROM IDEA TO BOOK-THE WRITING PROCESS

Using my notebooks, drafts, and cover comps, we'll go through the process of creating a novel from start to finish. We will talk about how all writers, from students to published authors, follow the same steps. We'll discuss writing as a process (brainstorming, drafting, editing) and the value in revision. Suitable for most group sizes, teachers must be present.

PRESENTATION: FACT INTO FICTION

So many times, funny/dramatic/silly things happen and we think, “that would be perfect in a book!” But transferring reality to fiction isn’t as easy as it appears. Using real-life examples from my novels MODELS DON’T EAT CHOCOLATE COOKIES and NOTES FROM AN ACCIDENTAL BAND GEEK, I expose what it’s really like to put fact into fiction, and the process I went through to do so. Best suited to small-to-midsize groups. Teachers must be present.

WORKSHOP & PRESENTATION: MAKING A MYSTERY

This interactive discussion and writing workshop details the ingredients and steps involved in writing a mystery novel. We'll talk about detectives, villains, clues, red herrings, and solving the crime. I'll explain the real-life mysteries that inspired my 14 DAY MYSTERY series, what drew me to these puzzles and how I created the Moxie, Ollie and their adventures. Together, we'll start writing our own mysteries. Suitable for small-to-midsize groups. Teachers must be present.

PRESENTATION: BEST. JOB. EVER. OR, HOW I BECAME AN AUTHOR

From the time I was six years old, I wanted to be a writer--but I had no idea what they did. This talk is about my journey to getting published--the wrong turns, the right teachers, and finding my voice. Suitable for large groups. Teachers must be present

WRITING WORKSHOP: IN MEDIA RES

In this interactive workshop we talk about what makes a strong beginning to a story, how to hook your reader, and then we craft our own beginnings. Suitable for small groups. Teachers must be present

Library? Virtual Visit? Keynote?

ADDITIONAL OPTIONS

VIRTUAL VISITS

I am more than happy to Skype in to your classroom and chat about writing and my books. As a matter of fact, I’ll do a 20-minute casual conversation for free! For a longer conversation or a specific presentation, please contact me for more information.

LIBRARIES • BOOK CLUBS • ETC

I'm happy to speak at your library, or to your book club or writers' group. Contact me and let's discuss!

CONFERENCES • KEYNOTES

Speaking at conferences and writing-related events is a thrill for me. I've presented at library conferences, teacher conferences, and many writing workshops. Contact me with your needs.