Marty is an author and playwright. He’s written over 20 books for kids and nearly 100 plays for adults. He specializes in writing hi-lo fiction to encourage striving readers to pick up books. The Junior Library Guild awarded the gold medal standard to two of his novels: Haunted Hospital and Willpower. One of his early books, The Mystery of the Graffiti Ghoul, won the 2007 Diamond Willow Young Readers’ Choice Award.
Looking for a dynamic workshop on how to write scary stories? An engaging storytelling session to introduce young students to folktales and story structure? An inspiring book talk to get your reluctant readers excited to visit the library? Marty has a variety of sessions that cover Kindergarten to high school. He also provides professional development sessions for teachers who need extra help getting their students excited about creative writing.
From his virtual studio in Alberta, Canada, Marty delivers interactive writing workshops and author visits with a cutting-edge blend of special effects, humor, audience participation, writing games, and storytelling. Kids won’t be able to look away when Marty turns his pen into a lightsaber to illustrate how specifics matter. Younger students will be amazed at the behind-the-scenes look at how Marty’s picture book about his cats came together. Kids will scream their guesses at the screen as they play his version of ‘I Spy’ and learn the value of sensory details. He offers programs to schools, homeschool students, and the general public.
Since 2020, Marty has performed over 1,000 virtual sessions across North America. He can connect with classes and students via Zoom, Google Meet, MS Teams or YouTube Live.