Author: Marsha

I write historical fiction, mostly from the perspective of young people who are thrust in the midst of war.

WRAD — eleven schools!

I did ten virtual WRAD sessions today, plus the one on Monday night with Tashkent International School. Fantastic students, fantastic questions. Great organizing by educators! The top pic is from Highland MS, Libertyville IL. The bottom is from Allendale MS, MI. The bottom pic shows two books that I think students will enjoy reading. Sheryl Azzam’s Red Flags and Butterflies, and Chrystyna K. Lucyk-Berger’s Swimming With Spies.

#OLASC 2026 — Signing for Standoff

The Ontario Library Association’s annual Superconference is one of my favourite places to be! It’s an opportunity to meet up with my fellow authors in the flesh. We see each other a lot, but it’s usually virtually! It’s also of course fantastic to chat with librarians and teacher-librarians. No one supports books and authors more than librarians and educators.

Also, it’s just so utterly fun to walk around the tradeshow and snap pics of my friends. Authors are invariably by nature introverted so we all do what we can to promote each other. Take a look at all the friends I ran into just in half a day! I actually ran into more than this, but couldn’t always take pics.

Thanks, Lorna Schultz Nicholson for taking this pic!
It was lovely to meet this teacher-librarian whose heritage is Polish-Ukrainian!
Sylvia McNicoll’s book won the Hamilton Literary Award this year!!! I’m holding my late friend, Sheryl Azzam’s book, which was a finalist for the William C. Morris Award.
With the one and only Barbara Reid!
This is Mary Macchuisi, president of Pembroke Publishing. We have now known each other for 3 decades. She gave me a kind and helpful rejection when I was prepublished back in the 1990s, and I showed her letter during presentations. We seem to encounter each other once a year!
With Sylvia, Jean E Pendziwol and Ali McDonald! Jean E gave the opening keynote at CANSCAIP’s PYI, which was a bookend to my closing keynote! I first met Ali when she presented at our Brantford Book Camp about 19 years ago! We’ve corresponded ever since!
Helaine Becker!!
Signing at the Scholastic booth
Lana Button and Suharu Ogawa signing at the Orca booth!
Me and Helaine!
Kathy Kacer and her fans!
Lorna Schultz Nicolson at the CANSCAIP booktasting!
another shot of Lorna!
Barbara signed 100 books!
I LOVE this pic of Joanne Levy!
Rebecca Bender and her newest book!
Barry Jowett, my first novel editor, and dear Sheryl’s editor!
Julien Chung goes beyond just an autograph when he signs books!
Heather Camlot!
Natalie Hyde!! It’s been SOOOO long since we saw each other in person! Former kidcritter!
Natalie, Lynne Leitch and me!
Mary Jennifer Payne! Former kidcritter.

Riverside Elementary and why we read

Thank you, Kristin and Beth for the opportunity to speak with 5th grade Riverside Elementary students last Friday. This new crop of 5th grade students were as inquisitive, enthusiastic and respectful as always. I loved the opportunity to talk about how I wrote Making Bombs for Hitler and why I write on such serious topics for a young audience.