School Visits

I love to speak to students, aspiring authors, and educators! Here is a list of some of the presentations I offer:

Historical Fiction as Time Travel

I’ve always found writing historical fiction to be about as close to time travel as a person can get. Whether iyou are describing the scent of whale oil burning in a lamp, the clip clop of hooves on cobblestones, or the tight grip of a calloused palm in your own, it’s the human observations from the past that help us create believable dialog and fully formed characters. Join me as I discuss how my grandfather’s family story inspired my novel The Runaway’s Gold, and how, by coupling primary sources with what might have happened, you can transport yourself deeper into personal history than you ever thought possible.

Using Scent Imagery to Electrify Story

Most authors work hard to include sensory descriptions in the work. So why do so many of us neglect scent? I’ve read entire novels when it was ignored altogether! One reason is there aren’t a lot of scent words in English. At least not in comparison to words for the other senses. But here’s the thing: when our characters breathe in odors, they experience powerful emotions such as love, fear, attraction, and longing, to name only a few. The very emotions that can electrify scenes, chapters, or even an entire storyline! Join me as we explore the power of the human olfactory system, build our own scent description portfolio, and learn how to pay closer attention to the unwashed world that surrounds us. 

Climate Science and Story

I enjoy talking with young writers about climate science, the peril of our rapidly melting Arctic permafrost, and the often overlooked idea that all scientific solutions are built on the failures that precede them. Join me as we discuss my novel Dominic Bean and the Mammoth Melt, science success stories, and how learning to take risks and face failure are some of the most important steps to addressing today’s seemingly insurmountable climate change challenges.