Exhibiting at MÂCHÉ (Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators) Conference, Rochester, MN May 17-18, 2024

Being blessed by a reader, who recognized one of my books and stopped to tell me how much she had enjoyed it. Her grandmother had bought her the book, so when she stopped at my booth she didn’t know I was the author. It was very fun getting to introduce myself and chat with her!

Connecting with a young artist who’s interested in creating graphic novels.

Meeting the president of the Minnesota Christian Writers Guild and getting to talk with him about writing and the guild.

Having a mom tell me how much she enjoyed The Voices of the Pioneers and how she keeps a second copy of the book to share with other homeschoolers.

Getting to enjoy a long conversation with a group of cousins about what they did and didn’t like in fiction. They got going on how much they dislike when a main character (human or otherwise) dies at the end of the story. I laughed and had to agree with them that in general it is quite dissatisfying when the character you have been following and/or enjoying throughout the story dies at the end.

Having a number of readers—teens and adults—tell me how much they enjoyed The Tournament’s Price and The Rebel’s Mark and how they’re eagerly waiting for the third book.

Enjoying seeing and catching up with many MÂCHÉ attendees, volunteers, and/or board members who I’ve met previously and gotten to know over the years.

Speaking and Exhibiting at INCH (Inspirational Networking Conference for Homeschoolers) Lansing, MI May 9-11, 2024

Being able to give two sessions on fiction writing and having the joy of hearing about the stories and ideas being developed by many of the writers at INCH.

Having a teenage boy, who bought The Eighth Ransom on Friday, telling me on Saturday that it was good.

Hearing from a mom that she checked out my website before the conference, bought and read all three of my books, and was now awaiting my next release.

Being blessed by so many people expressing how grateful they were that I had additional YA or MG book recommendations. People are often surprised I’m willing to promote other authors, especially since I’m not monetarily compensated for my recommendations. But the thing is my goal is to get good fiction into readers’ hands. If the fiction itself is speaking truth and benefitting the reader, then my goal is still accomplished, even if it’s not my fiction the person is reading.

Getting to encourage a mom who attended my communications to keep holding healthy boundaries with her kids and to continue to be an example to her kids of someone they can respect and count on in their lives.

Having a dad tell me how much he appreciated my communications talk. Even more of a blessing was hearing the specific part of the talk that resonated with him, because, a few days before INCH, God had prompted me to add more emphasis to that exact part of the talk. Watching God at work is always awesome!

Sharing with a busy mom that her chance to write isn’t something that will expire but rather something she can come back to in the future, because unlike a sport, you don’t get too old to write.

Speaking and Exhibiting at CHEW24 (Christian Home Educators of Wisconsin), Wisconsin Dells, WI April 4-5, 2024

Given presented two sessions at CHEW24

• Creating New and Healthy Communication
• Teaching the Wisdom of Discernment (Co-presented with Kate, a fellow homeschool millennial)

A few of my highlights from CHEW24!

—A girl previously introduced by a friend to the first book in my MARKED series being excited to purchase The Rebel’s Mark (Book 2) from me.

—A mother and daughter stopping at my booth to thank me for sharing with them last year about the Christian Worldview Filmmakers Guild. They had attended the filmmakers conference in March and loved it.

—A dad buying The Eighth Ransom from me and telling me that he’d read the first two books of MARKED and was waiting for the third book.

—Getting to share writing recourse and talk fiction writing with so many authors and writers, (teens and otherwise), including with a group of four female writers who stopped by my booth to meet me and chat writing.

—A boy coming up to my booth, checking out my books, and then leaving, only to have his dad come back a bit later and say, “My son, who doesn’t normally read, came and told me that he wants one of your books. So I’m buy it for him!”

—Many people expressing how grateful they were that I had additional book recommendations for them. (I love getting to help people find the types of books they are searching for, be that stories for younger readers, books for boys, clean romance, Christian fantasy, etc.)

—My session on “Creating New and Healthy Communication” being very well attended and the multiple parents expressing afterward how much they appreciated the talk and how helpful it was to them.

—All the kids that I got to watch be excited that they were allowed to touch and even play with me booth decor.

Speaking at The Rock Homeschool Co-op, March 15th, 2024

Speaking and Exhibiting at NDHSA (North Dakota Home School Association), Bismarck, ND February 15-17, 2024

One of my biggest highlights at the NDHSA convention was getting to teach young people about fiction writing during the Young Writers Sessions I got to offer on Thursday as a pre-convention event and during the MG Flash Fiction Continuing Class during NDHSA’s main convention. I got to teach through many of the pieces of fiction writing including story influence, story structure, writing techniques, and even the use of magic in fiction. I asked the young people to rate the fiction talks I gave on Thursday and was so honored to receive an abundance of positive reviews from them. I also had the great pleasure of getting to chat with many of them at my booth after the session and hear their story ideas and answer their writing questions.

This convention reminded me of many of the reasons why I chose not just to sell my novels but also to help and encourage other writers. These young people and young writers are full of creativity, boldness, energy, joy, enthusiasm, interests, goals, hopes, plans, etc. and what they have to offer should be encouraged. Some people watch what I do, listening to teens talk about their plotlines and book ideas and marvel that I’m so patient. But you know what I am, I’m eager to see where their stories and their God-given passions take them in life, because none of us know yet where they are headed or what all they might do or be. I believe that every single one of those young people has the potential to change the world as we know it. For instance, what if one of them is a future JRR Tolkien? Or a future Jane Austin? Or a future Thomas Edison? Or a future George Washington Carver? How we respond to budding creatives and young minds matters and could change the course of the future. One of the things I told the young people during the Young Writing Sessions is, “Don’t underestimate your influence.” And I would say the same to anyone reading this. We all have a part to play in how we respond to the people around us, especially those coming after us, thus I exhort you to bear that responsibility in such a way that honors every individual God has created!

Speaking and Exhibiting at Homeschool Northland Conference, Duluth, MN April 29, 2023

People’s assumptions about me also contribute to some rather interesting questions in regard to my speaking qualifications. At this conference someone asked me to tell them more about my communication talk. I explained how in “Creating New and Healthy Communication” my main focus is helping kids and parents regain healthy ways of communicating when there’s been a breakdown in communication. The person tipped their head and asked in a skeptical and pointed tone, “And how many kids do you have?”

I answered with a version of this: I don’t have any of my own kids yet. However, I have read a lot of what experts have to say about communication, and I have the privilege of getting to condense and pass along that information to parents. Additionally, I have nannied for a number of years, which means I have first-hand communication experience dealing with both kids & parents. I’ve also served as a lay counselor to parents and teens who were struggling to communicate well with each other, and I have helped them navigate through those communication issues. These are experiences, information, and tools I get to share in my talks.

In the homeschool realm, we laud alternative means of education, but the difficulty comes when an alternative means of education isn’t reflected in a recognized title like a degree or doctorate. I’m a fiction writer who studies communication. Doesn’t sounds like much, but when it comes to the people who communicate the longest with your children and can influence them the most significantly, that would be my realm–those who write young adult books and movies. Because we have to craft all of our communication in a way that is informative and also engaging. Thus, we have to know what the communication issues are and how to solve them in unique and relatable ways.

I always appreciate conference planners who see and appreciate those elements of what I bring to the podium, because it allows me the chance to use my skills to help parents and kids.

Speaking and Exhibiting at CHEW23 (Christian Home Educators of Wisconsin) Wisconsin Dells, WI March 30-31, 2023

This was CHEW’s second year hosting a conference. They had an awesome turnout. We were quite busy at Fiction For Teens. This conference was in a new area for me, so parents weren’t familiar with my books and had lots of questions. “Are they Christian books?” is a question I often get asked. I used to think this question strange. I mean, I’m a vendor selling books at a Christian conference, but what I’ve discovered is that not all the products at Christian conferences are as well vetted as one might hope or assume and “clean” vs “Christian” are two very different things. So I’m proud of the parents at homeschool conferences who flat out ask, and I am happy to reassure them that, yes, my books are indeed Christian.

Usually I sell more copies of The Eighth Ransom at conferences, but at CHEW there was more interest in MARKED, my series set in the medieval time period.

I gave two workshops at this conference: “Growing Your Child’s Communication Skills” and “How to Make Writing Fun Using Flash Fiction.” (You can find descriptions of these talks on my Speaking Topics page.)

It’s always interesting getting to chat with the attendees who stop by my booth. Whether we talk about what I write, what they enjoy reading, book recommendations, spelling, fiction writing, writing coaching, book publishing, resources for writers, communication, magic in media, book cover designs, the influence of stories, or something else entirely, it is a pleasure conversing with them and also learning from them.

Per usual, the favorite of my booth decor was my dagger. I laugh because kids will brush their fingers over it to see if it’s real, and when they figure out it’s metal, they will often give me a look that says, “Am I allowed to touch it?” I always respond, “You may handle it. You may even unsheathed it if you like.” Their eyes usually get big, and as they pick it up, they often comment on how heavy it is. One little kid at CHEW hauled his dad all the way across the exhibit hall so they could take a picture together with the dagger.

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Speaking on “Growing Your Child’s Communication Skills” at the Fall Rally for (HEY) Home Educated Youth, St. Cloud, MN Sept. 8, 2022

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Speaking and Exhibiting at (MÂCHÉ) The Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators Convention, Arden Hills, MN June 3-4, 2022

It was awesome being back at MÂCHÉ as an exhibitor. I had a number of teens stop by my booth who had bought The Eighth Ransom from me back in 2019 and were excited to purchase the books in my newest series. I also had lots of people visit my booth who had never attended a homeschool convention before. It was fun getting to welcome them to the convention and share with them about myself and my books.

Since MN is my home state, it was also a weekend full of familiar faces and old friends. I even got to re-connect with John and Lynn Cooke, a wonderful couple (pictured above) that I met years ago while putting together the commissioned project The Voices of the Pioneers: Homeschooling in Minnesota for MÂCHÉ. The Cookes are homeschool pioneers and past MÂCHÉ board members. One of the comments they made that has stuck with me over the years is that it’s the personal touch that really matters to people and how we need to not lose sight of that. The Cookes do this so well as a couple, making people feel seen and cared about, and it has been my goal to try to emulate them.

Additionally, at MÂCHÉ, I had the great privilege of being a Featured Speaker for the convention. I gave three talks, one of which I co-presented with a good friend of mine, Kate (see picture above). Kate and I have known each other for over 25 years and are both millennials and homeschool graduates. We co-presented the session Teaching the Wisdom of Discernment (see talk description below) and were wonderfully surprised to have so many people attend the session that every chair was full and people were standing in the back. I had the joy of also presenting a talk on fiction writing. I love seeing who attends this session and hearing the questions that they ask. It’s usually a mix of parents of writers, adult writers, and young writers.. My third talk, a session on communication, is a topic that I have become very passionate about. More and more I’ve encountered parents and kids who are struggling in their relationships with each other because of issues in their communication. Being able to give this talk to parents interested in improving their communication with their kids was such a joy.

Help! My Child Wants to be a Fiction Writer, And I Don’t Want Them to End Up a Starving Artist. What Do I Do?
In this talk about writing, Given Hoffman shares ten reasons why you should encourage your student in their pursuit of good fiction writing and how this training will provides your child with a number of highly marketable skills that will benefit them no matter which career they choose.

Presented at MÂCHÉ June 3, 2022

Teaching the Wisdom of Discernment
As homeschoolers we are often accused of “sheltering” our children, but sheltering means a place of temporary protection. So, how do we use our homes —our places of protection—as a way to teach our children how to handle what they will encounter when they leave that protection? In this talk about discernment, millennial homeschool graduates and long-time friends, Given and Kate, will discuss how to teach your children the art of godly decision making in a world that demands blind acceptance.

Co-Presented with Kate D. at MÂCHÉ June 4, 2022

Creating New and Healthy Communication
Seeing unhealthy habits forming in your child’s communication? Not sure how to help them re- engage in a healthy way? In this talk, Given Hoffman will highlight common failings in communication and present practical solutions for helping you and your child create new and healthy patterns.

Presented at MÂCHÉ June 4, 2022

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Speaking and Exhibiting at (CHCSD) The Christian Homeschool Convention of South Dakota, Sioux Falls, SD, May 5-6, 2022

South Dakota was a new convention for me, and yet I was wonderfully surprised to run into all kinds of people that I knew there, including a number of vendors from other conventions and states and two families I had interacted with years ago while volunteering at my own state homeschool convention in Minnesota. One family I met through their daughter, I encountered Maggie while doing security at the MN convention. She had gotten turned around and couldn’t find her way back to the session her mom was attending. She and I hung out until we located her mom and some even after that. The other family, I got to know when I joined a table where the kids were hanging out. I started up a conversation with them and in true homeschool fashion we socialized quite nicely across multi-grade levels for probably a half hour and then connected again later that same convention. It was awesome getting to reconnecting with both these families and share my fiction with them.

I spoke with lots of readers at CHCSD. I also chatted with a teenage girl who loves writing poetry, a dad who has a speculative novel he would like to publish, and a fellow blogger. I happened upon Aleta Lindell, Sioux Falls, Ms South Dakota International 2022 when I was away from my booth. She struck up a conversation and asked me how I was connected to the convention. I told her I was a vendor, and she told me she was there with a booth too. We laughed to discover we were in booths right across from each other.

My talk (see title and description below) generated a lot of very interesting conversations. Several of my fellow vendors asked me for the two-minute version of my session since they wouldn’t be able to attend, and after giving my talk I had a handful of fascinating conversations with people who had come to listen.

The Issue of Magic: Lord of the Rings vs Harry Potter

There has long been division in the Christian community in regard to the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter series. Some families embrace both, other families won’t let their children read either, and even more families embrace the LOTR but reject HP. Why all this controversy? Well, the issue is the magic. In this talk, Author Given Hoffman will address the questions: Is the magic in HP actually that different from the magic in the LOTR? And if it is or isn’t different, what should be our response as Christians?

Presented at CHCSD

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Exhibiting at Called To Teach with (THCS) The Texas Homeschool Coalition’s Convention in Allen, TX, April 21-23, 2022

Flying to Texas for this convention was a bit of an adventure, but it was great getting to be somewhere I’d never been before and meet lots of news teens and a some fellow authors, like Gillian Bronte Adams (pictured in orange), Candace Kade, J. Aaron Gruben, Jarod Dodd, etc. The exhibit hall also had a few unusual guests, like Sam Huston from the Alamo, a medieval knight from Post Tenebras Lux Books, and a stormtrooper (pictured above). At one point the stormtrooper and knight were both standing at the NASA booth, which made us vendors laugh.

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Speaking and Exhibiting at (NDHSA) The North Dakota Home School Association Convention in Fargo, ND, March 10-12, 2022

It was a joy to be back in North Dakota. Lots of new teens were at the convention, and it was fun to get the chance to connect with them. I added maps from my new medieval series for sale in my booth, They were a bit hit. As usual everyone loved my dagger. Lol. The boys always look disappointed that it isn’t sharp, and the girls and moms always look relieved. There were a number of teens who had read and loved The Eighth Ransom and were excited to discover I had more books out. I had a number of conversations with teen writers and always find it so interesting all the different areas of interest. I had the honor of speaking at this convention and got to present on communication. This was my first time giving this talk in person, and I was hugely blessed and encouraged to hear from attendees afterward that it was helpful to them.

Growing Your Child’s Communication Skills

Looking for ways to teach communication in the midst of a busy homeschool life? In this talk, Given Hoffman shares practical steps for training your child in communication no matter what age they are. Be empowered to enjoy your children while in the process growing their ability to communicate.

Presented and recorded at NDHSA

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Exhibiting at (GHC) The Great Homeschool Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio, August 12-14, 2021

With 200+ exhibitors at GHC, I wasn’t sure what to expect as a first time vendor at this convention. As you can see by the pictures, I didn’t have trouble drawing people into my booth and making new friends. : )

The convention was a good experience, and it was fun getting to chat with a number of other exhibitors and writers who were also at this convention like: Tim Shoemaker (author of Code of Silence), Josiah Smith son of S.D. Smith (Author of The Green Ember series) Glenn McCarty (Author of Tumbleweed Thompson), Chuck Black (Author of The Kingdom Series, etc.), and James Hannibal at Realm Makers Bookstore..

I had some awesome conversations with several young homeschool writers, and it was fun to see how excited they are about pursing fiction writing.

Best moment of the convention was when a mom came back to my booth, Fiction For Teens, and said she had bought The Eighth Ransom the day before and had started reading in the evening thinking she would only read for a minute or two. She found herself still reading a good while later and came to the booth the next day to say with a laugh: It’s true. It’s hard to put down!

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Exhibited at (RMHC) The Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference and participated in their “Redeeming the Arts” event in Denver, CO, June 17-19, 2021.

There were a lots of teens at the Colorado conference, and it was a joy to get to meet and talk with many of them. It was also very fun to see that lots of them were readers and were excited to find new novels written for them.

Attentional I had the privilege of being invited to be part of the conference’s “Redeeming the Arts” event which was a session created specifically to encourage teen artists in using their gifts for the Lord. Several of us adult and young adult artists from the exhibit hall (writers, photographers, etc.) were invited to attend the event and speak to the teens about what we do as Christian artists.

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Spoke and exhibited at (CAPE-NM) The Christian Association of Parent Educators-New Mexico Convention in Albuquerque, NM, June 11-12, 2021

It was a joy to be back at an in person convention. I’d never been to the state of New Mexico before, let alone to their homeschool convention, it was fun to see new sights and meet new people. It was also fun to run into friends there from other places like Vicki Bentley (HSLDA) and Brian and Betsy Ray (NHERI). Fiction For Teens brought YA suspense and action/adventure novels to the exhibited hall, and I had the privilege of getting to offer a talk on writing entailed “Fiction Writing Goals.”

Fiction Writing Goals

Well-crafted stories have a uniquely powerful way of impacting people’s lives. In order to utilize this very effective means of communication, a storyteller must master certain goals in how they create their stories. These goals are what storytellers use to engage and influence story consumers. In this talk Given Hoffman will present what makes stories powerful and how a responsible storyteller can use that power to craft stories that speak into people’s lives in God-honoring and honest ways.

Presented at CAPE-NM

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Exhibited at The Spring Market in Brainerd, MN, May 8, 2021

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Spoke at (APACHE) The Association of Peoria Area Christian Home Educators online conference, March 27-28, 2020

Given presenting a three-part teen track entitled “More Than a Story” talking about the power of story telling, the method of story development, and specific techniques of story writing. She also presented two adult talks: “How to Make Writing Fun Using Flash Fiction” and “Growing Your Child’s Communication Skills” (Due to the mandatory shut down of all in person events across the U.S., this convention was shifted online rather than launched in person in Peoria)

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Spoke and exhibited at (NICHE) The 2019 Homeschool Iowa Conference in Des Moines, IA, June 6-8, 2019

It was a glorious 82 degrees for Homeschool Iowa’s Conference. The only teens present at NICHE’s Conference were those either working at other booths or volunteering, but as you can see we still managed to find time to chat. I spoke on “How to Make Writing Fun Using Flash Fiction.” It was standing room only in the workshop, which blew me away. Parents came to my booth afterward and said they really appreciated the talk, which really blessed me.

How to Make Writing Fun Using Flash Fiction
Looking for solutions to get your reluctant writers writing? In this talk about flash fiction, Given Hoffman presents a fun, creative, and easy way to get your student past “I don’t know what to write” and into writing short story that will teach them not just how to put together sentences but also how to craft clear and concise messages for all areas of their life.

Presented and recorded at MACHE and presented at Homeschool Iowa

I received my first referral from another exhibitor at Homeschool Iowa. It was a huge honor. The exhibitor sent a mother to me who had questions about creative writing.

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Spoke and exhibited at (MÂCHÉ) The Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators Conference, St. Paul, MN, April 12-13, 2019.

Despite a blizzard descending upon St. Paul, MN, the MACHE conference was a busy event. I often laugh watching parents and their teens approaching my booth. Parents read my sign about stopping to chat me with me if you’re a writer, and they start nudging their teen. Meanwhile, their teen has the “I’m not ready to actually admit I write fiction” look on their face (which was totally me when I was a teen writer). Usually at that point though, either the parent starts a conversation with me, or I start a conversation with the family. Within a couple of minutes of chatting, the teen usually admits they do like writing and pretty soon we’re talking away about stories and book genres. It’s so fun watching these teens open up about their work and to see their excitement and passion for their writing.

I love getting feedback at the conferences: Jon (the boy in the orange above) came back to my booth on Saturday just to tell me he had started The Eighth Ransom the day before and was liking it. (Now, If I could only get these guys to actually write me reviews. ; )

Given presented two talks at MÂCHÉ

How to Make Writing Fun Using Flash Fiction Looking for solutions to get your reluctant writers writing? In this talk about flash fiction, Given Hoffman presents a fun, creative, and easy way to get your student past “I don’t know what to write” and into writing short story that will teach them not just how to put together sentences but also how to craft clear and concise messages for all areas of their life.

Presented by Given Hoffman at MÂCHÉ April 12, 2019.

Help! My child wants to be a fiction writer, and I don’t want them to end up a starving artist. What do I do?In this talk about fiction writing, Given Hoffman shares ten reasons why you should encourage your student in their pursuit of good fiction writing and how good fiction writing provides your student with a number of highly marketable skills that will benefit them no matter which career they choose.

Presented by Given Hoffman at MÂCHÉ April 13, 2019.

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Exhibiting at (APACHE) The Association of Peoria Area Christian Home Educators Convention in Peoria, IL, March 14-16, 2019.

We had some very nice warm weather for the APACHE Conference. I’ve decided traveling south in March for conventions definitely has its advantages.

The APACHE Conference was a lot of fun. There were lots of teens interested in The Eighth Ransom and many with questions about fiction writing. It was a joy getting to talk to them, to hear about their stories, and to share writer recourses with them.

At one point, I looked over the edge of my table and realized a teen was sitting on the floor reading my book (pictured above). I smiled and left him alone to see what he thought. A couple of minutes later, he got up and declared matter of factly, “It’s good.” He bought a copy.

One woman bought three copies of The Eighth Ransom as gifts because a teen she knew at the conference had bought The Eighth Ransom the day before, started reading it, and told the friend how much she liked it.

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Exhibiting at (NDHSA) The North Dakota Home School Association Convention in Jamestown, ND, Feb. 28-March 2, 2019

North Dakota had some frigid wind chill temperatures, but it was quite warm inside the NDHSA’s convention center and people were very friendly. There were lots of parents and teens interested in The Eighth Ransom. There were also many teens with questions about writing, and it was a pleasure getting to share resource and writer tips with them.

The model helicopters I have at my booth were a favorite for the little boys. They would come and stare at my Blackhawk and Jayhawk. At which point I’d laugh and tell them, “Yes, you can play with them. But no, you can’t take them from the booth.”