I have spoken to over 6,000 students about my books and have been on CBC radio, CTV television and interviewed in numerous newspapers. I love an audience!

I am available to do a variety of workshops on writing and on the topics covered in my books. All of the workshops offered are interactive, intense, and interesting. Workshops can range from one hour sessions, to half day or full day. There is more time to do in depth study in longer sessions.

Contact me at for more information, prices and duration of my author visits. I can give custom made programs that will fit your group's age, numbers, curriculum, focus, and interests. I am also available for virtual visits.

For a discounted author visit, see the National Public Readings Program at The Writers' Union of Canada.

SCHOOL VISITS & WORKSHOPS

HOLOCAUST/WORLD WAR II PRESENTATION:

BOOKS - GRANDPA PROMISED, THE RIGHTEOUS SMUGGLER

Workshops and talks for schools, libraries, and other groups focusing on the Holocaust, World War II, anti-Semitism, racism, intolerance, and bullying.

I use age appropriate description especially since I am dealing with sensitive material. I do not want to frighten the children.

I use power point and do an interactive multi-media presentation using music and slides to introduce children to the difficult topic of the Holocaust. I talk about each slide and do some readings from the books.

I engage the children in discussion by asking them questions while I am presenting. At the end of the talk, I encourage the children to ask me questions on the topics of the Holocaust, my books and the writing process.

Humourous example: During a talk on World War II, there was a black-out in the school. I went with the situation and told the children that during war time, people had to put up heavy dark curtains and sit inthe dark just like they were doing, so that the bomber pilots would not see their light and bomb them. This realty hit home and the students were entranced.

ADVERSITY AND DISABILITY PRESENTATIONS:

BOOK - THE KAYAK

WRITING ABOUT WHAT YOU KNOW
My protagonist in THE KAYAK is in a wheelchair. In my presentation, I will relate my personal experiences of not being about to walk on three occasions:
As a child I broke my ankle skating
When I was a tween, I broke my ankle downhill skiing
While sparring in karate, I wrecked my knee and needed knee surgery

TEACHING DISABLED PEOPLE
Instructing disabled people was good research for my book. I teach:
Land yoga to people in wheelchairs.
Water yoga, water pilates, aqua stretch and aqua fit to disabled people, clients with
    diseases, and as rehabilitation.

RESEARCH VOLUNTEERING TO GET FIRST HAND INFORMATION
For research, I volunteered at CARD (The Community Association for Riding for the Disabled) for therapeutic riding.
I will talk about my experience as a sidewalker and how I incorporated my
    research into the book.

SETTING
Research also includes the setting of the book:
I will talk about the importance of accuracy and understanding the setting of your
    novel.
I have kayaked and camped in Killbear Provincial Park where the story takes place
    giving me first hand knowledge about the Georgian Bay area.

THE VALUE OF SHORT STORY WRITING
I will discuss the importance of writing short stories:
How the short story of THE KAYAK was the seed to my novel
The technique of using short stories as an outline for a novel

BOOK - BREATHING SOCCER

One of my workshops is about adversity, disabilities, fitting in, achieving goals through positive thinking, and choosing role models.

I read excerpts from the book. During my talk, I relate my own experiences as an asthmatic, and make the connection with my protagonist, who had to overcome many obstacles with her asthma in order to play soccer and have a normal life. I bring in an Epi Pen and asthma spray puffer to show the kids.

I show how a role model can have a positive influence on people from all walks of life. In the book, my protagonist chooses her role model to be Canadian Olympic rower Silken Laumann, who had a terrible accident and was told that she could never compete again and ended up winning the Bronze medal for Canada.

I talk about winning and losing. I ask the children pertinent questions like, "Does losing make you a loser? Can you grow and learn from losing? What happens if you always win?"

I incorporate drama into the workshop and have the students act out a scene. A powerful example from the book is when her soccer coach won't let Lisa play, even though her teammate is begging to come off because she is exhausted.

I end the workshop with question and answer.

YOUNG ADULT PRESENTATION:

BOOK - SCREWED

In this workshop students will learn to write for the older teen audience and keep them captivated. The focus will be writing on mature topics. We will talk about what topics teens want to read about, what other books are out there, and censorship.

I will discuss and use examples from my novel SCREWED a Young Adult novel that deals with teen pregnancy with a female and male perspective.

PICTURE BOOK PRESENTATION:

BOOK - WILMA THE WILD WHITE WHALE

For young children, during my picture book presentation, I read from the book and show the pictures. Then I tell the true story of how I met Wilma the beluga whale and my real life adventures with her, including kayaking with her, swimming and riding on her back! I use an underwater theme as we chant, sing songs, play games, and draw pictures. I do a question and answer period at the end.

For older children interested in the art of writing picture books, I read selections from the book and talk about writing about "what you know".

I explain how to do research on whales. I bring up the topic of belugas as an endangered species and what we can do to help. I take questions at the end.

WRITING TECHNIQUES WORKSHOP:

SHORT STORY - THE KAYAK

I teach students about writing techniques such as character development, setting, pacing, point of view, writer's block and research.

In my workshop, students learn, practice and fine tune their writing by participating in writing exercises, reading their works-in-progress to the group and dramatizing their stories.

Topics covered include:

	Where do authors get their ideas from?
	Story creation and structure.
	Editing and revision.
	Types of writing: different age groups, genres.
	Researching stories and writing about what they know.
	I lead group discussions and analyze each work-in-progress making sure that it has a strong beginning, middle, and end.
	I engage the students to ask questions designed to help the writers: Does the story move along? Do the characters move the story forward? Are there setbacks and obstacles facing the characters? Do things get worse before they get better? Does the writing lead up to the climax of the story?

[top]