Connie enjoys speaking to audiences of any age about the women and children of Jamestown. Since the launch of Dark Enough to See the Stars in a Jamestown Sky, Connie has been invited to speak more than 400 times at historical societies, conferences, civic groups, book clubs, libraries, churches, colleges, public schools, private schools, and home schools. Her presentations are historically accurate and dynamic. Without notes, Connie tells you the story of the trials of these early women and children.

She will travel to speak and has also done Skype presentations. Far away book clubs may contact Connie about a speaker-phone or a Skype session with the club.

To discuss having Connie come to your group, please email Connie@ConnieLapallo.com or call 804-467-2297. Fees vary based on the distance, but Connie strives to keep her visits affordable.



Unsung Heroines: The Women and Children of Jamestown: Hurricane at Sea and Starving Time (1609 to 1611)

Based on her first novel Dark Enough to See the Stars in a Jamestown Sky, Connie tells the story of the nearly one hundred women and children who sailed for Jamestown in 1609. Why did so many women and children come? What was life like on ship for months at a time? These settlers first encountered a hurricane at sea and then were thrust into Jamestown’s Starving Time and siege.

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Forgotten Heroines: The Women and Children of Virginia Abandoned to the Spanish Threat, Brutal Martial Law, and Piracy (1610 to 1620)

Based on her second novel, When the Moon Has No More Silver, Connie follows the story of the women and children who survive the Starving Time only to find that the Virginia Company has lost both heart and funds. The Company sends over very few settlers or supplies for five years. During this time, the women struggle to birth and rear children while being whipped for the slightest infraction. Then the governor begins to loot the little they have while antagonizing the Spanish with a piracy operation. A comet with a blood-red tail predicts further disaster…

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Storytelling and Strong Writing

Connie discusses the Hero’s Journey as a means of creating a dramatic story and gives both children and adults practical tools to make their writing strong and to tell a good story.