Elementary School Mystery Presentation:
Jill's presentation gives children the chance to brainstorm as a group and write a mystery story together.  Jill starts her presentation off with a short reading from one of her books, and then talks about her love of mysteries and her journey to becoming a writer.  She shares the stories she wrote as an elementary school student as well as the books and writers who influenced her.  Then she pulls out her huge mystery chart and, taking suggestions from the audience, has students vote on different aspects of a mystery story--from the detective's name to the problem to the clues and the red herrings.  Jill then fills in the holes of the story and--on the spot--"reads" the students the mystery they just wrote.  After that there is a chance for students to ask Jill questions, and following that, she personalizes and autographs books for any child who has ordered one.  (She's also been known to sign writing journals, pencils, rulers, and book marks upon request.)

Middle School Mystery Writing Workshop:
In this workshop, Jill introduces students to the concept of outlining a mystery novel, teaching them the mystery writing lingo and sharing with them the process she uses to "pre-write".  Each student is encouraged to come up with his or her own detective, setting, problem, clues, etc. so that once Jill leaves, the students will be ready to continue writing and developing their mystery story on their own.

Honorarium: $750-$1,000 plus expenses for a full day; $500 plus expenses for a half day (only if local, or if she is visiting two or more schools in a row in any given location)

Maximum Number of Presentations: 3-4 for a full day; 2 for a half day

Target Grade Level: 2nd-5th grade for the Elementary School Presentation; 6th-7th grade for the Middle School Workshop