Upcoming Projects

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Books: 1, 2, 3, 4 | Magazines | Classes/Workshops/Appearances

Books

Scared Speechless:
Public Speaking Tips for the Occasional Speaker

What’s the #1 social fear in America? (Hint: I won’t make you say it aloud). That’s right, public speaking. People fear it like the plague. And yet, most of us will at some time be called upon to perform an act of public speaking, be it offering a toast, leading a PTA meeting, or reporting quarterly findings at a staff meeting.

How will this book help? The public speaking books currently on the market offer valuable, well thought out advice—advice few people will ever follow. Really, when’s the last time you conducted a two-page audience analysis before speaking in front of your co-workers? Other areas—kids, work, laundry, pets, home, yard—compete for our time. On the rare occasions we’re required to speak we dress up, pray the earth will swallow us whole on the way to our speech, and somehow muddle through it.

There’s a better way—and one that doesn’t require weeks of prep work. My workshops offer simple and manageable strategies for learning to be perceived as a confident speaker—even if you know you’re one breath away from bolting to the bathroom to lose your lunch. I’ll share those strategies through this book.

In this book you will learn:

A pre-launch blog about the book’s progress is in the works. Stay tuned for details…

A Second Cat Book

I’ve got more funny cat stories just waiting to be published. Some have appeared in magazines and some are still hiding in the filing cabinet. But if Lessons In Stalking is successful, Book II (as yet unnamed) will soon follow.

Millicent Powers Picks A Pet – (middle grade fiction)

The rule in the Powers household is that whenever anyone turns ten-years-old, they get to chose a pet of their very own. Millicent Powers’ tenth birthday is just three days away and she has a surprise for her family. Millicent wants a Sphynx—a hairless cat with soft, wrinkly, velvet-like skin, large eyes, and pointed ears. No one else she knows has such a unique pet, and Millicent loves to be stand out and be different.

There’s just one problem. Sphynx cats are expensive and Millicent’s parents won’t pay for one. They agree to pay half the cost if Millicent can come up with the other half.

Bake sales, Magic Goo, babysitting, and garage sales are some of the schemes Millicent and her best friend Ben come up with to raise funds, although not all events go as planned. They’re not allowed to use the oven so their bake sale is limited to foods prepared using either the toaster or blender. Magic Goo carpet cleaner ends up staining rugs. And when Millicent accidentally sets her sister’s four guinea pigs (Fee, Fi, Fo, and Fum) free while babysitting her little brother, there’s a race to find the lost guineas before the neighborhood cat does. Meanwhile, Millicent ignores her family’s attempts to get her to accept a more traditional cat as a pet.

Then one night a small, tired kitten finds its way to the Powers doorstep. It’s sick and needs medical attention. Even with treatment, it may not live. Will Millicent give up her hard earned money to help the small cat, or will she hold out for greater glory with the Sphynx?

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This is a book I completed last year and that is currently being reviewed (fingers crossed) by two different publishing houses.

Interesting story behind the creation of this book. I wrote a young adult novel (see below) and gave it to writer friends to read and critique. Everyone came back and said, “Oh, my teenager would love this.”

Ah, no, they wouldn’t. Because I write for adults. But after the fifth person mentioned their teen I gave in. Fine. I’ll call it a young adult novel.

I finish the novel and turn it in to a publishing house contest. It doesn’t win, but an editor contacts me and says, “We really liked your writing style. However, we think your voice is best suited for middle grade writing (ages 8-12). Would you consider writing a book for that age group?

At this point I’m thinking, “Whoa. Hold up.” I start writing what I think is an adult novel, only to be told I’m writing for young adults, only then to be told I should be writing for middle graders. It can’t be long before someone approaches me and says, “You know, with your skill level, we really feel you’re best suited for writing for children still in the womb. That’s where your talents lay.”

Now, I want to kiss that editor. I LOVED writing this book and I love writing for this age group. I’m really hoping this book finds a publisher because I’d love to write a Millicent series and have already outlined the next one.

One Less Soap Fish – (young adult fiction)

With her parents separation heading toward divorce, twelve-year-old Samantha Reece (Sam) plots to reunite them. When Sam overhears her mom discussing the suicide death of a teenager who has gained national attention, a lightbulb goes off. With the help of her two best friends Rolly and Lauren, Sam devises to convince her parents she is thinking of suicide—hoping they will reunite and everything will return to normal. Her scheme backfires when Marguerite—a shy transfer student who tries to befriend Sam—overhears Sam’s fake suicide plans and appropriates them for her own, real, suicide attempt.

Written with humor and grace, Sam’s journey is one from a self-involved almost teenager to a person who recognizes the effect her words and actions have on others.

This book is complete but needs editing and revision before being sent out. It’s been on the back burner for over a year now and I’m hoping to give it the attention it deserves sometime soon.

Magazines

Click here for a list of publications Dena has written for

Click here for a list of articles published and forthcoming

Classes/Workshops/Appearances

Click here for a list of where and when Dena is teaching/speaking.