Speaker
What do poisonous plants, suspicious deaths, senior safety, and a former ER nurse have in common?
They all make for fascinating talks, especially when the speaker has spent years answering real-life poison emergencies.
As a former Emergency Room RN and Certified Poison Information Specialist with the BC Drug and Poison Centre, I bring a rare mix of medical experience, poison expertise, and true stories from the front lines. My presentations are lively, practical, sometimes surprising, and always grounded in real information. Whether I’m speaking to writers, book clubs, seniors’ groups, or community organizations, I love sharing the strange, useful, and occasionally alarming things I learned during my years in emergency care and poison control.
During my time at the BC Drug and Poison Centre, I was frequently asked to give Poison Prevention talks to Well Baby Clinics, immigrant groups, and seniors’ groups. I loved doing those presentations, but after my retirement, a few years passed before I found my way back to the microphone.
Then my first book, 25 Ways to Commit Murder Accurately, Volume 1: Plants, was published, and I was more than ready to start giving talks again.
Recent Presentations
Phoenix Desert Sleuths – Sisters in Crime | October 2024
Topic: Poisonous Plants
This was my first presentation after retirement, and my first time presenting on Zoom. I enjoyed it very much, although I must admit I love the energy of a live audience.
Sisters in Crime – Canada West | May 2025
Panel: Between the Covers
I was invited to join two other authors on this panel, where I read for ten minutes from my nonfiction book, 25 Ways to Commit Murder Accurately, Volume 1: Plants.
One of the well-known authors on the panel had read my book and mentioned that she had used one of my poisons in her upcoming novel. How exciting!
When Words Collide, Calgary | August 2025
Topic: Poisonous Plants and Animals
I was chosen to give a presentation on poisonous plants and animals at the Calgary conference When Words Collide. I shared information drawn from my years at the Poison Control Centre in Vancouver, B.C., along with examples useful to writers who want their fictional murders to be both novel and accurate.
When Words Collide, Calgary | August 2025
Panel: Home Sweet Homicide
At the same conference, I also participated in a panel called “Home Sweet Homicide” with two other women from Sisters in Crime – Canada West. So much fun! The title referred to homicides that can occur in or around our homes. Sisters in Crime – Canada West put on the panel, proving once again that the West is still wild.
When Words Collide, Calgary | August 2025
Live Action Slush: Mystery/Crime
I also entered the Live Action Slush contest, where writers submit the first page of their novel anonymously. Three editors and agents decide whether they would keep reading, or even consider buying the book, based on that first page alone.
I won. All three gave me a thumbs up.
Crime Writers of Canada | November 2025
Topic: How to Commit Murder Accurately with Plants and Animals
I was asked to give an online talk for Crime Writers of Canada titled “How to Commit Murder Accurately with Plants and Animals.” It was a lot of fun, and I hope I helped the audience come up with some novel, but accurate, methods of murder.
The presentation drew on my first published nonfiction book and the second book in my Commit Murder Accurately for Writers series.
South Surrey/White Rock Women’s Probus | May 2026
Topic: Senior Safety and Independent Living
I frequently blog about seniors and ways to help them stay in their homes longer with greater independence, I was delighted to give a humorous and entertaining talk to this large group.
Speaking Topics
I am available for presentations on poisonous plants and animals, accurate murder methods for writers, murder mysteries for book clubs, and practical safety for seniors.
Anyone looking for an engaging speaker with real-life stories, expert knowledge, and a great sense of humour please email me at lee-anne@lhancock.ca
