mental health – Authors' Booking Service

McLaughlin, Kate (Waterbury, Connecticut)

USA Today and Amazon bestseller. 2022 White Pine winner. 2023 White Pine nominee. Multiple American awards. Young Adult and Adult focus. In-person visits, airfare/travel + accommodation. Negotiable depending on location and event.

Virtual visits $250 + HST for 30-60 minutes. $400 for two sessions. Multiple session rate negotiable.

Kate is a multi-genre author with several pen names and more than twenty-years’ experience in the publishing industry. She has written for several big New York houses and has spoken at events such as Book Expo America, DragonCon and New York ComicCon. She has also taught writing classes and given workshops on writing and publishing. Born in Nova Scotia, Kate lived in Halifax, Ottawa and Toronto before moving to the US with her husband.

On the Young Adult level, Kate has done many in-school visits and loves talking to teens about books, writing and life in general. She is flexible with her presentation style, focusing on the needs of the audience rather than a set program. She is more than happy to work with teachers and educators if there are certain topics they wish to see covered and can quickly adapt if the situation calls for it. While her books tend to deal with heavier social issues, Kate is a very positive person and carries that vibe into her presentations.

Kate often talks about how young she was when she first discovered books and writing, how that love of fiction got her through her teen years, and how she was eventually able to realize her dream of being a writer. Having also self-published, she is able to speak to kids – and adults – not only on how to break into the traditional market, but also how to make it in the indy market as well. She also offers workshops on plotting, character and finding your voice through studying other writers. As a veteran of the publishing industry, she is able to speak on almost any topic if there is a preference.

Some possible topics of discussion based on Kate’s books include Human Trafficking and sexual assault (What Unbreakable Looks Like, 2022 White Pine winner), social media and the public obsession with serial killers (Daughter, 2023 White Pine nominee), and dissociative identity disorder and mental health (Pieces of Me, April 2023 release).

Kate has no requirements of venue, but preference is given to those that allow her to connect and interact with the audience.

Contact Kate to book a visit:

Younge-Ullman, Danielle (Toronto, ON)

Writers Union Member. White Pine Award Winner and two-time nominee, also nominated for Governor General’s award, Amy Mathers Teen Book award, Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz award, among others—a total of 18 nominations and Best-of lists. YA Author of HE MUST LIKE YOU, EVERYTHING BEAUTIFUL IS NOT RUINED, and LOLA CARLYE’S 12 STEP ROMANCE.

Danielle’s virtual visit fee is $200 per 50-60 minute session. In person visits are $300 for 1 hour presentation; $550 for 2, $800 for 3, plus travel for locations outside Toronto.

Danielle is a confident and dynamic presenter who loves talking about books with people of all ages. She attained a BA from McGill, worked for years as an actor before turning to writing, and has had a wild variety of jobs—everything from acting, to dubbing English voices for Japanese TV, to temping, to teaching Pilates, to freelance writing. Danielle lives Toronto with her husband and two daughters.

Presentations: Because of her background in theatre, Danielle is very comfortable in front of an audience and loves engaging with readers. Though she writes teen fiction, she can also adjust her presentations for groups as young as grade 5 and 6. Presentations can be geared toward each group, and can be done with more of a workshop emphasis if required. All presentations include time for questions!

Age range: grades 5 and up, but ideally grades 7-12. Danielle also loves presenting to and working with adult groups, and meeting with book clubs.

Topics:

Pantsters, Plotters & Making Soup: A discussion of the essential elements of fiction, and explanations of some of the different techniques used by writers to craft story and write fiction.

Turning Real Life Into Fiction: The process of using your own stories as inspiration for fiction is deeper, more layered, and much more detailed than it looks. In this session, Danielle will take you through the process of distilling the essence of your experiences, and using the most compelling themes and elements to create a work of fiction, using He Must Like You and Everything Beautiful Is Not Ruined as examples.

How to Pursue a Career as a Novelist: A presentation that explains the process of becoming a professional writer, from beginning writing through searching for an agent, to going through the process of being published. This presentation is great for students who are interested in the arts, and in the process of making decisions about their futures.

How to Revise the Crap Out of Your Manuscript: Danielle is an in-depth and joyfully ruthless reviser. In this session she will go through the steps she takes to revise her manuscripts in a way that can also be applied to shorter works. Subjects will include character consistency, POV, tone, tightening and/or expanding, layering in new characters and plot lines, analyzing structure, and general troubleshooting of things that aren’t working.

Equipment: podium or desk, microphone for groups larger than 40. Maximum group size: 40-60 for optimum interaction, but Danielle is also comfortable in front of larger groups. 25 or fewer for workshops.

Contact Danielle Younge-Ullman:

Groth, Darren (Vancouver)

Vancouver BC. Writers’ Union Member. Aussie adopted by Canada; Finalist in GG Lit Awards and BC Book Prizes, multi awards in Australia.

Fees: $300 for 1 session, $500 for 2, $700 for 3, 850 for 4 (plus HST). A day can be
shared between two cooperating schools. For the GTA (and Toronto bookings near GO stations), Darren can GO TRAIN (not buses or subway) travel both ways all day; he requires pick up and drop off at the GO stations. Where GO Trains are not feasible, car or taxi pick-up from Darren’s hotel is requested.

Virtual Visits: $100 plus HST, 30 minutes; $150 plus HST, 60 minutes FaceTime.

Continue reading “Groth, Darren (Vancouver)”

Krossing, Karen (Toronto, ON)

Writers’ Union Member. YA and MG fiction. Picture books (nonfiction and fiction). K to 12. Karen’s rate is $250 plus HST for one session, $450 for two, $675 for three, $900 for a full day (4 sessions). Mileage within Toronto may be waived. A virtual visit is $150 plus HST.

Karen Krossing is the author of many books for kids and teens, including picture books One Tiny Bubble and Sour Cakes, and novels Monster vs. Boy, Punch Like a Girl, Bog, and Cut the Lights. She won the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for Canada in 2015 and 2023 and has been a finalist for the Ontario Library Association White Pine Award and the Joan F. Kaywell Books Save Lives Award, among other honors. Karen has been conducting book talks and workshops since 2002, and she has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She loves meeting readers and writers of all ages.