October 24, 2025
I held my first author speaker event this past weekend at the Brattleboro Literary Festival.
With Tested still over five months from publication, I thought I had plenty of time to reflect on how I wanted to present myself and my book before I started doing school visits or author talks. What would I say? Something about the behind-the-scenes journey of the novel? Something about my path to becoming a writer? Something else brilliant? Plenty of time to get that figured out.
Or so I thought.
Then an opportunity dropped into my lap: Would I fill in for a middle-grade author at the Brattleboro Literary Festival who had to cancel last minute? I was in the right place at the right time, and I said yes. (Or perhaps I said, “Yes?” and then a few minutes later: “Yes!”)
I had twenty-four hours notice to prepare an hour-long presentation.
I like public speaking. I did win my eighth grade speech contest, after all, and I spent five years doing library booktalks at schools. I have fun with an audience. But I’m not a “just wing it” sort of speaker. I like to have time to prepare. I like to have time to overprepare. And then I like more time to run through the talk again.
Even without that luxury, I got my talk put together. People showed up. (I was sure they wouldn’t.) My performer switch switched on at the right moment.
I had fun, and I think my audience did too.
Was it a perfect talk? Of course not. But there was a certain energy to compensate for any rough edges. This was my first audience, and I was speaking about my book. I’m still reveling in that. And I can’t wait to do it again.