• Ideas – where they come from and how I set about developing them, encouraging students to think about how they might tackle a big idea themselves.
• How I write – whether I’m a “pantser” vs “plotter”. I’ll share one of my detailed “chapter grids” involving graph paper and a mountain of post-it notes.
• Research –  how possible – and important – this is for all writers, including those of us writing “fantasy adventure”. From vampire encyclopaedias through sword-fighting lessons to exploring ships, there’s no end of ways to embark on research.
• Fun – the aspects of writing I most enjoy. Hint: it’s all about character!
• Q&A – I love answering questions from young readers and writers. Be warned: I’ll also pose questions to them throughout the session. It’s very interactive.
• Reading – every assembly includes a reading from my own work.

Booking a writing workshop is a terrific way to give your students a deep-dive into the process of writing and complementing the work you are doing in-class this term.
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My workshops are designed to build confidence as well as skills.
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We’ll kick off with a group discussion to put students at their ease and get them familiar with me. I will always model the output we will be working towards. During the workshop, students will typically work in pairs and small groups to complete discussion tasks, as well as embarking on solo writing. I allow time for a good number of students to share their work. I will provide constructive feedback and pointers for developing their work and skills further.
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I offer workshops of varying duration. With children aged 10 and older, working with one group over three-hours – delivered across two or three sessions in a school day – delivers strong results. For younger children, I’d recommend a shorter duration.
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I have delivered these workshop sessions with children aged 9-16 and group sizes ranging from 15 to 78. A group size of 30-40 is optimal. It can work fine to combine classes and age-groups, as long as you feel confident your students will work well together.

I deliver 45 minute sessions via Zoom or your meetings software of choice. I find these work really well and can be every bit as interactive as an IRL event. I can deliver all the elements of the in-person assembly but I prioritise making space in the Zoom sessions for genuine interactivity, whether that’s your students posing questions to me or me asking them. I will use a PowerPoint so that they won’t simply be looking at me on-screen for the duration.

It can work really well to book a couple of these sessions, if you are planning on reading one of my books in class in the interim and/or embarking on some project work. The first session works as an introduction and the second session is often largely driven by student questions and feedback.

Working with one of my event bookers, we can arrange for book sales attached to Zoom sessions and I can send through personalised bookplates for the students after the visit.

I find that a Zoom assembly/talk works best with either a single class or two classes located in the same space.

I am available for short and long term residencies.
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There are numerous ways we can work these to deliver the best results for you. Depending on your location, I can deliver sessions in-person or via Zoom or we can work across both in a hybrid fashion.
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The duration of residencies can start from just one week but stretch to a school term or longer, as desired.