Children’s book author Natalie Lloyd visited with third through fifth grade students this morning. 

Mrs. Lloyd, an author, adventurer, dog lover and aspiring “professional otter snuggler,” shared with students details about how she wrote each of her eight published books. She’s always been an avid reader and she loves the feeling of “book magic,” whereby “everything around you disappears.”

“Ideas are like fireflies,” she told students. “They sparkle and then they are gone. You have to catch those ideas.” She encouraged students to capture their ideas and ask “what if?” to explore ideas through writing – and revisions. She explained that revisions often take many months, but they make the store better. And even then, rejection may come. 

Her first book, A Snicker of Magic, took about two years to complete. An editor at Scholastic loved her manuscript and her dream of being a published author became a reality. To her surprise, the book was purchased by then-President Barack Obama at a local bookstore in Washington D.C. during Small Business Saturday in November of 2015.

Since that time, Mrs. Lloyd has published a total of eight printed books and one audio-only book. A Snicker of Magic has been optioned for television. 

Students were able to purchase her latest book, The Witching Wind, and have their copies signed.