Delta author and creator of the International Junior Authors Contests and Conferences, Laura Michelle Thomas, will be at Chapters Strawberry Hill on Nov. 22 to meet with aspiring writers and promote her latest novel The Naked Storyteller.
The event wraps up a ten-week book launch tour of the Lower Mainland, Okanagan and Vancouver Island.
Billed as a social commentary wrapped in a contemporary romantic comedy, The Naked Storyteller is set in Vancouver during a teachers’ strike. In the book, which was released worldwide in August, Thomas said she tackled some of the big issues in education that really bother her, such as the mindless use of technology in the daily lives of children.
“I didn’t realize how much I had to say about education in B.C. and North America until I slipped into the skin of my protagonist, Harry Tyke, who has been teaching grade six at the same school for 26 years,” said Thomas.
She added, “Through imagining the changes in technology and lifestyle that have taken place over the past three decades, I realized that our screen-centred way of living is manifesting itself as anxiety and frustration both at home and in the classroom.
"I let my main character, Harry, struggle with these issues in an entertaining yet critical way.”
Thomas will be at Chapters at 12101 72 Ave. on Nov. 22 from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, check www.laurathomascommunications.com