Now scheduling through Spring 2025. Please contact me.

One of my favorite responsibilities when I worked for a public library was leading writing workshops for teens and adults! I love to pass along craft tips and strategies. If your creative writing students or book groups meet within 50 miles of Kansas City, MO, you can engage me to present in person. Or I can present virtually anywhere. My workshops are geared for small groups aged 13 and up, teens to adult writers. Groups can be a bit larger for my Author Presentation, I wasn’t born a writer. – My path to publication.

Book Clubs are another one of my favorite things! If your book club reads BridgeKeeper, and we can work out a date and time, I’ll Zoom in (virtually) free of charge.

“Thank you so much for your amazing program…. You were so engaging with all the patrons – adults and teens alike – and even though I’m not an author, I enjoyed myself immensely. Thank you for sharing your passion, your joy and your expertise with us. We are so grateful for your presentation.” – Rick Gath, Assistant Branch Manager Woodneath, Mid Continent Public Library.

“…We really appreciate presenters like you who bring enthusiasm and knowledge.” – Steph McDonald, Mid Continent Public Library, Parkville Programming Associate.

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“I wasn’t born a writer. My path to publication.”

Author Presentation – 45 – 60 minutes, PowerPoint talk with lots of discussion time built in.

Writing Workshop Topics

From Fanfiction to Your Debut Novel — Creating fanfiction is a great first lesson in the craft of writing! It can become the first step toward publishing a debut novel too. This workshop will show participants how much they’ve already learned from writing fanfiction, and how to transition to creating worlds and characters that are completely their own.

Heroes to Zeroes — Whether you want your readers to love them or fear them, the best characters are believable. Using creative research, interactive games, and shrewd descriptions, participants will create interesting, complicated characters who’ll steal readers’ hearts…or chill their souls.

The Fine Art of Critique -Joining a critique group can vastly improve your writing, but the idea of voluntarily asking people to point out the problems in your manuscript can be daunting. In this workshop participants will learn what to expect from critique, the etiquette of participating in a group, and how to give and take constructive criticism.

How to Write a Story all the way to The End! — Don’t let your stories end up stuffed in a drawer, abandoned half way through. We’ll explore how to start with a good idea – how to use scene and sequel, the building blocks of stories – and how goals and conflict propel characters’ journey’s all the way to, “The End”. This is a great workshop for NaNoWriMo.

Show Don’t Tell — The single most powerful rule of good writing. Sensory details, action and dialogue immerse readers in a story, allowing them to experience scenes along with the characters. In this workshop I’ll use fun, interactive exercises to help writers understand and hone this essential skill.

Cemeteries: They’re Not Just for Ghost Stories — Looking for character names, story ideas, or a peaceful place to write? Head to the nearest cemetery! In this presentation we’ll explore the many ways graveyards can feed a writer’s muse any time of year, no matter what your genre.

Questions? Contact me if you have another topic in mind. I may be able to customize a workshop for your group.