I offer the following author presentations and workshops. Please read through the available selections, and contact me with questions or to make arrangements for an author appearance.

School Visit Presentations and Workshops:
I offer a wide variety of workshops for students in grades K-12 outlined on the inside of my school visit brochure.

See my School Visit Brochure

Interactive Presentation for Groups of Youth/Teens:

Write for your Life Presentation:

A 35-45 minute interactive presentation in which youth act out and observe a role-play, learn about the 10 Deadly Sins of Writing, and interview fellow students to find out the suspect, motive, and scene of a writing crime. This presentation requires an hour’s advanced preparation with a smaller group of volunteers or selected participants.

Writing and/or Literature Workshops for Adults/Teens:

Choreographing Dialogue:

A 60-90 minute interactive workshop in which participants use theatrical techniques to create strong prose dialogue. Participants write short scripts, participate in a group role-play of a scene, and revise their scripts into dialogue for prose by adding setting, action, and emotion.

Create Your Own Character:

Free yourself! And go back to the basics: character motive, obstacles, strengths, and flaws. Come prepared to cut, paste, color, and create your own character in one 45-90 minute hands-on workshop!

Settings that Pop!

Open your scene. Put your character in place. And bring the setting alive! Come learn why every setting is different based on the character’s mood. Tackle the challenges of using fantastical or exotic places that you’ve never been. And practice writing your own settings that pop!

Sweat the Small Stuff:

A 45-90 minute hands-on workshop focusing on the small things that make the difference between a good manuscript and a polished one: transitions, word choice & pacing, details, descriptions, and making minor characters pop! Participants will write.

What’s to Love About YA:

A 30-90 minute discussion about the joys—and challenges—of writing young adult literature. Versatility, complexity, pacing, and the ever-challenging adventure of working with teenage characters!

Author Talks/Lectures:

Use Your Voice:

A 30-60 minute inspirational presentation about the road to becoming a published author, listening to the characters in your head, and using your writing voice. Includes music and brief author readings.

What’s to Love About YA:

A 30-60 minute speech and/or discussion about the joys—and challenges—of writing young adult literature. Versatility, complexity, pacing, and the ever-challenging adventure of working with teenage characters! (Another version of this talk is adaptable as a writing workshop.)

Educator Presentations:

Author's Toolbox:

A 1-2 hour hands-on workshop about the art of teaching writing. Wish you could help your students learn to write like real authors? Come learn techniques for doing just that. Give students real purpose, help them tackle advanced skills, and free their imaginations. Come practice and learn how to create your own author’s toolbox!

Small Group (Library, Book Club, Writing Group, etc.)
Presentations for Participants of All Ages:

Unveil the Mystery:

A 30-60 minute author-led presentation which includes at least one author reading, an interactive activity to introduce characters in the reading, details about the author’s life, tips for participants interested in becoming published writers, and an open-ended question and answer session in which participants ask their own questions of the author. Participants’ reading of the author’s book prior to this session will result in a higher-level of interaction and discussion.