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I love traveling and speaking to teens who've read my books. Lately, I've been a lot of places, including Indiana, Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, Texas, and all over Florida, New York, and Connecticut. I've been a featured speaker at State Library Associations in Missouri, Maryland, Florida, and Washington. I have a lot of visits planned this year too.
I can tailor a visit to fit your needs. Usually, I speak to readers in middle and high school about my books and the writing process. I also offer writing workshops to a smaller group and love speaking to adult groups at teacher conferences and SCBWI. To arrange a visit, please
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(Note: If you do not receive a response within one week, please try again. AOL has been blocking some e-mail addresses). For discounted books for school visits, please contact
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. Thank you!
Click on the Calendar for some of my planned appearances. If I'm near your town, visiting someone else, perhaps you can arrange to share travel cost with them for the same time period.
Please note that my schedule is full for the month of April, 2007 as well as the last two weeks of March, for non-South Florida school visits. I may be able to schedule local (Miami-Dade to Indian River counties, upper Keys and Collier) visits for April, and I have availability for March 30 if you are near Columbia, South Carolina. Otherwise, my spring school visit openings are for January, February, early March, and May. I will consider conferences if the date is available.
I have 2007 Teen Read Week availability still, and if you are near Chicago, Illinois, I will be in that area November 2-3, so I please contact me for a November 1 visit with possible shared expenses.
MIDDLE OR HIGH SCHOOL
I have spoken about my books to students in grades 6-12, from gifted "magnet" students to "at-risk" schools and everything in between. I will be happy to provide references.
Book Talk Program:
Suitable for all size groups. Focuses on my books, the publication process, and how I get my ideas. Dating violence, the focus of Breathing Underwater, is a topic unfortunately faced by many middle and high school students. School violence, and peer taunting, the focus of Breaking Point, is on many students' minds. I can lead a discussion of these topics in the context of the book and will answer questions. I will share my experiences writing her books and being published. Time and group size permitting, I will lead the group in a writing exercise on using memories to create character emotions.
Discussion group guides for my books can also be utilized and are available on this site.
Young-adult Writing Program:
Suitable for smaller groups (30 or fewer). A "ten-minute fiction" workshop, featuring writing exercises on Plot, Characters, and Setting, combined with a general talk on writing and what makes a good book.
FOR ADULTS:
I can speak to large or small groups about "Researching Reality: How an Author Researches," "The Safe World of a Book: Why Teens Need Realistic Fiction," or "How to Get Started on Your Young-Adult Novel." Upon sufficient notice, I can also tailor a talk to your group. The writing workshop format is good for adults also, either as a teacher presentation (to share exercise ideas for your students) or for aspiring writers.
Honorarium/Planning:
(Includes up to three presentations per day)
Local School Visits (Miami-Dade to Indian River County and upper Keys): Negotiable. Please contact me. I am in Miami-Dade County. However, I do not do free school visits. Vero Beach schools -- I have accomodations in the area in the fall and late spring months, but not the peak winter tourism season.
Other Florida: Central/North Florida or Lower Keys - $1,250.00 per day (Key West is negotiable if you have a really cool place to stay), plus expenses. If your school is more than three hours from South Miami-Dade County, airfare is required.
Out-of-state: $1,500.00 plus expenses. There is a discount for multiple days, so it can be helpful to join forces with another school. I will consider a lower rate for months other than April or October. Multi-day discounts are available.
Conferences/Workshops/SCBWI: Negotiable. Please contact me.
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