The day after the Harbourfront hoopla (or was it more of a hootenanny?), I hopped on the GO train to meet more students in Ajax… Another fun day with wonderful authors and fabulous readers.
Tag Archives: events
Forest of Reading Trip: the final chapter
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Forest of Reading trip: On to Toronto!
After London we all traipsed into Toronto. I visited a couple of libraries and chatted with students… a very lively group at the Danforth/Coxwell branch had a ton of great questions for me, grilling me mercilessly about how I wrote my book, and about the cartoon shows I’ve worked on.
Then it was time for the Main Event – the big big big Festival of Trees at Harbourfront.
A total zoo. In a good way. And here was the most astonishing thing of all… Continue reading
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Forest of Reading Trip, first stop London!
Wow, what a week I’ve had! From my quiet country life to the raucous, celebratory hullabaloo that is the Forest of Reading Festival! And now that I’m back home, on my sunny deck listening to the wee birdies twitter (actual birds, not the 140-character ones), I’m ready to share my adventures.
First stop was the mighty city of London, Ontario, and their first-ever Festival of Trees event.
Kevin Sylvester (author of the Neil Flambe series) and I arrive at the Progress Building fully caffeinated and ready to go. (photo by Kevin)
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Travelling! Next week’s events…
So on Sunday I’m off to Ontario for the OLA Forest of Reading Festival events! Here’s what I’ll be up to…
May 12 – Forest of Reading, London
May 13 – school talk at the Danforth/Coxwell library branch, Toronto
May 14 – school talk at Northern District branch, Toronto
May 15 – Forest of Reading Festival at Harbourfront, Toronto
May 16 – Forest of Reading, Ajax
Holy marimba, by this time next week I’m going to be tired! But it will be a good kind of tired, the best kind, after meeting about a zillion eager young readers and talking about storytelling and books. I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to this!
Unfortunately, however, preparations for my trip have left little time for other things, like posting on this blog… sorry! I promise I’ll have lots of photos and stories when I get back. Until then, keep writing!
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Summer Camps 2014!
Hi everyone! I’ve got some information to share about the Summer Camps I will be teaching this year. Both camps will be held at my home on Salt Spring Island, just a five-minute drive south of Ganges.
Summer Writing Camp
ages 11-14
July 7 – 11
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
$175
(Early bird deal: $165 before June 20)
This was a big hit with participants last year. Story ideas, character development, plot structure, dialogue, setting, genre, theme, style, and much more! Discussions about favourite books and movies, vocabulary builders, technical tips, games, exercises and prompts. Whether you are working on a project and need a little advice or are looking for inspiration to get started, this camp is for you.
Bring your own lunch, notebook and pen. (Computers ok too.)
“It was so much fun – I learned so much and I’m actually writing the book I’ve been planning to write for a long time.” – Holly
Junior Writers Camp
ages 8-10
July 14-18
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
$175
(Early bird deal: $165 before June 30)
For younger writers, this is a very active version of the older kids’ camp, focussing on games, exercises, and storytelling, with a bit of acting, art and puppetry thrown in for good measure. We’ll make up crazy group stories and talk about our favourite books and movies. With a little less emphasis on actual words-on-paper than the older camp, this week is designed to get kids thinking about story, characters and plot in fun ways.
Bring your own lunch, notebook and pen. (Computers ok too.)
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We Have a Winner! Eldritch Contest Results
Thanks to everyone who entered the Eldritch Contest! The winner of the contest is… drum roll please…
Sarah (Gr 6) from Lackner Woods Public School in Kitchener, Ontario! Sarah sent me a wildly imaginative story called “The Curse of Agatha’s Knife”. Congratulations, Sarah!
Among other prize items, Sarah will have a character named after her in the sequel to Eldritch Manor! More details on that to follow…
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Upcoming Talk at SSI Library
Looking forward to this!
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Big News! It’s a Contest!
Huzzah! I’ve been meaning to have a contest on this site for a while now, so here it finally is. A contest for all school-age Writers and Artists: write a short story (any length) about a Senior Citizen with a secret identity/amazing past OR illustrate any scene from Eldritch Manor. Or do both, if you’re super ambitious.
For all the details on prizes and where to send entries go here.
I can’t wait to see what you can do… just be sure to enter before March 15, 2014!
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School Talks, Day 3!
I’m finally putting up photos from last Monday and my last batch of school talks. First stop was Allenby Public School, where we had a VERY full house! An extremely enthusiastic bunch, these kids sure LOVE to talk about stories! Thanks for a fun morning, Allenby!
Next I made my way to another stately old library – the Bloor Gladstone branch, which has undergone a beautiful update and reno…
And there I talked to kids from two nearby schools, Pauline and St. Sebastian.
Some terrific questions from this group, about graphic novels, and book series, and self-publishing, among other things. I’m pretty sure there are some future authors in this bunch!
I really enjoyed talking to all the school groups on this trip. I can’t tell you how great it is to meet so many kids who get excited about books! These kids LOVE to read!
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Gorgeous bookstore
Last Saturday I had a great time signing books at the Chapters Runnymede store. I was kept so busy chatting to parents and kids, as well as friends who dropped in to visit, that I didn’t take any photos! It was great fun, and when I left we’d almost almost sold out… the manager told me I left only one lonely copy on the shelf!
This store is a centrepiece for the whole Bloor West Village strip and I’ve always loved it. I knew it used to be a cinema, but I’ve just learned it was also a vaudeville theatre!
Here’s a wonderful account of the history of the theatre and the Chapters makeover.
And now for the Bad News… Only a few days after my book signing rumours started floating about that Chapters will be moving out! How disappointing if the place gets turned into condo’s or something…
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