Booking Author Visits for Summer & Fall 2021

I have always been an avid reader and from a young age I wanted to be a writer. The thing is, it took me until my 20s to realize that being a professional writer was a possibility. When I was in elementary and high school, the closest I got to meeting a writer was getting Blue Jays outfielder, George Bell, to sign a copy of his book at a mall. Writers always felt inaccessible or, in some ways, mythical. The schools I attended made me feel it was smarter to pursue a career in accounting (trust me, you don’t want me anywhere near numbers) than one in writing movies or novels or for TV.

Introducing preteens and young adults to reading and getting them excited about books can be challenging. One of the best things you can do is invite an author to visit your classroom, even virtually, to discuss their novel, the ins and outs of a writing career and to offer some writing tips or even run some useful and fun writing exercises. At the very least, it can convince them of the value of writing on any level.

I’m always looking for classrooms and book clubs to visit. I’m happy to tailor something for your students or young readers and to make sure that the time is engaging and informative.

To learn if my YA novel, The Book of Sam, is right for your class or book club, you can read the review in the Canadian Review of Materials. You can also learn more about my novel on the Dundurn Press website.

If you’re interested in learning more, all you have to do is reach out via my contact us form.

Recipient of an Ontario Arts Council Grant for Writers

I am honoured to announce that I have received an Ontario Arts Council Grant for Writers. This grant will help support the creation of my latest YA novel.

My current manuscript might still be in the early stages but these grants really help move it forward. Organizations like the Ontario Arts Council are imperative in supporting Ontario writers to create new works. I encourage other writers to look into literary grants and apply if you meet the eligibility criteria.

While I work on my latest manuscript, you can check out my first YA novel, The Book of Sam, which is available wherever books are sold.

If you’re in Toronto, here are a few of my favourite local bookstores.

Queen Books

Another Story

Book City

Discussing my YA Novel, The Book of Sam, on Two Podcasts

Want to hear me talk about everything from The Book of Sam to Jules Verne to whether Spice World is actually a good movie?

I was a guest on the Once Upon a Line podcast with the wonderful host, Rosie Fernandez. We talk about the book passage that changed my life in some way. I chose a line from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea by the little known Jules Verne.

Click here to listen to my conversation with Rosie, and be sure to check out future episodes of this very cool literary podcast.

I also had the honour of being a guest on Pandemic Pedagogy with Dr. Samantha Cutrara, a history education strategist who is working to change the way history is taught in Canadian classrooms so that it reflects Canada’s past, present and multiculturalism. It’s an important and inspiring read that I can’t recommend highly enough.

Give a listen to my conversation with Dr. Cutrara here. You can buy a copy of her book here.

That Feeling...

It’s a long road from sitting down to write a novel to seeing it on bookstore shelves. But if you can make it, there are a ton of great moments:

• A publishing house making an offer

• Signing your publishing contract (remember to use a cool pen)

• Working with your editor

• Seeing the cover design

Another moment is when you finally get to see your novel, which was once merely a word document, as an actual book with a spine, cover and back cover.

I recently opened a box to find my author copies laying in packing paper. These are the copies that a publisher gifts the author. I had briefly seen my novel at a book signing in January but this was the first time I got to really feel it between my fingertips and flip through it. It was the first time I read the printed words of a story I spent years writing. It felt strange but it’s something I’ll remember for a long time.

For whatever reason, each book was warm. I like to think they shot out of a printer and landed right in a nondescript box and was then sealed shut. But, most likely, the delivery truck was driving around the city on a hot day and that heat warmed the box.