Author Talks.

Shelley is available to visit your writing group, book club, school, or library. Her high-energy, multi-media presentations are interactive, informative, flexible, and fun. Presentations range from 30 minutes to 2 hours and can be tailored to meet your needs and audience. Check out these author talks and writing resources!

For Readers

Celebrating Strong Women On and Off the Page – Critically acclaimed mystery and suspense author Shelley Coriell offers a poignant look at the highlights and hardships of her writing journey and shares how she created three powerful and beloved storybook heroines across three generations.

For Writers

• Villains: An Author’s Best Friend – Power up your story by learning the whys and hows behind creating credible, complex antagonists across ALL genres.
• Six Secrets to Writing Successful Story Blurbs – Are you looking to perfect your pitch? Do you want dynamic and persuasive cover copy? In this interactive workshop, we’ll craft story blurbs that attract and engage readers and convert to action.
• Write On! A Writer’s Guide to Prioritizing, Goal Setting, & Time Management – Discover proven strategies designed to keep you on course and on fire about your writing. In this hands-on workshop, you will learn practical steps to prioritize your creative life, draft a writing plan to hold you accountable, and explore exercises that inspire and affirm!
• The Editing Waltz – The editing process consists of three key steps: content editing, copy editing, and proofreading. Join me, an award-winning former magazine editor, to learn the why, how, and what-happens-if-I-don’t behind this dance, which is performed across all forms of publishing. Bonus: you’ll learn the top ten line-edit mistakes that have copy editors scrambling for their red pens.
• Characters: The Heart of Good Story  – Good stories need great characters. In this hands-on workshop, we’ll analyze what makes a great character and explore three insanely simple writing exercises that will help you develop highly motivated, unique, and memorable heroes and heroines.
• LUV YAs, MGs, & PBs: Writing For Kids – Explore the world of kid lit, discovering what’s hot, what’s not and how you can improve your own writing by taking a few lessons from some of the best and brightest children’s authors of all time.

For Teens

• Hey, Dude, Where’s My Muse? – Haul out your number two pencil and start writing as you learn hands-on how to tap into your creative side. We’ll play with words and explore rhetorical devices to sharpen and enliven your writing.
• From My Heart to Your Hands: The Making of a Book – Step-by-step you’ll follow the lifecycle of a book: from the spark of an idea to writing to revising to publishing and distribution. I’ll share candid stories about the hardships and highlights behind my debut novel, Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe.
• Girl Power: Creating Strong Heroines On and Off the Page – We’ll chat about what makes a great heroine, using the eight main female archetypes and celebrate the heroine in each of us. Ideal for all-girl lock-ins, girl group meetings, and retreats.

Free Writing Resources from Shelley’s Author Talks.

• Write On Worksheet {PDF}
• PBs, MGs, YAs Handout {PDF}
• Business Planning Worksheet {PDF}
• Character Persona Poems {PDF}
• Character Three-Part Worksheet {PDF}
• Three-Step Editing Check List {PDF}
• Debut Author Tips {PDF}