Long ago, I saw Natalie Lloyd’s middle grade magical realism book, A Snicker of Magic in the Scholastic booth at a conference. I finally snagged my copy of it this year, along with her newest book, THE WITCHING WIND. Natalie Lloyd is an author who understands the rhythm of words in a way that makes them very fun to read aloud, and her stories have a unique charm that keeps readers engaged. Have a look:
Eleven-year-old Roxie was excited to start sixth grade… until a mortifying incident at a pool party turns her into a middle school laughingstock. Roxie can’t imagine enduring a full year of bullying and body shaming, so when her country music star Granny invites Roxie to join her on tour, she jumps at the chance to leave her troubles behind. But then Granny–who’s been struggling with memory loss–goes missing, leaving Roxie without an escape plan… and without her best friend.
Grayson doesn’t mind being sent to yet another foster home. Her older sister, Beanie, is about to turn eighteen, which means she’ll be able to become Grayson’s guardian. It won’t be long until they live in the same house again. It won’t be long until they get to be a real family. But when Beanie’s birthday finally arrives, she doesn’t show up to collect Grayson. She doesn’t respond to calls or texts. It’s almost like she’s just… vanished.
Roxie knows Granny would never leave without saying goodbye. And Grayson is certain Beanie would never abandon her. So when the new friend learn about the Witching Wind that “steals” what people love most, Roxie and Grayson are certain they’ve discovered the truth. Granny and Beanie didn’t just disappear–they were taken. And it’s up to Roxie and Grayson to outwit the Witching Wind before it’s too late.
According to your website, you knew you wanted to write books by the time you were in third grade. What originally brought you to this decision?
Third grade was when books took on an extra element of magic for me, and that happened thanks to two people: my mom (who loved to read with me and picked out great books) and my third grade teacher, Mr. Watson. He read to us every single day after lunch and I couldn’t wait. I was an anxious kid and knowing there was a “pause” in the day when I didn’t have to remember for a test, didn’t have to socialize, just got to sit and hear a story … it felt like such a gift. It helped me see that reading could be comforting, fun, and help me emotionally regulate. And it showed me what my imagination was capable of doing.
Writing, for me, was an extension of how much I loved to read. Making up my own characters and worlds was fun. I don’t even remember when I started writing, or the first fictional line I wrote, but I know the process it felt like the most right, satisfying thing I’d done. Sharing those stories with my family (and Mr. Watson) was so exciting for me, too. And when he told me that I could absolutely be a writer like Ann M. Martin someday, it was like he handed me a sunburst to hold and keep. (For the record, writing feels just as magical as I thought it would … even if it’s harder than I thought it would be.)
Ann M. Martin inspired me to write books too! And I love how the wind steals characters in THE WITCHING WIND. How did this concept originally come to you, and how did you know this book needed it?
I live in Tennessee and spring is a MOOD around here; the wind goes rebel wild. And we get a lot of Tornado warnings. Several years ago, a tornado blew through and I remember the feeling of it spinning over my house – how the hair on my arm prickled, how the air changed around us to something so thick and charged, how loud the sky roared. Thankfully, we were all fine and my house wasn’t damaged. But I remember going outside after it passed, and seeing so much random stuff. I found a picture that had blown into the yard from who even knows where. And I thought: “It’s like the wind is looking for something.” And that little part of my heart, the one forever searching for a story, thumped back a quick question: “… what if it was?”
So I’ve been holding onto that idea for a long time. I just wanted to find the perfect characters to match the wildness of the wind, and I found them in Roxie Darling and Grayson Patch.
I’ve never experienced a tornado, but it sounds super scary! I’m glad you and your family were safe! You do such a great job with auditory language in A SNICKER OF MAGIC, another of your middle grade books. What do you love most about words and what they can do?
I’m obsessed with the rhythm of language and I think, partly, that comes with being Appalachian. Oral history is still – even firmly in a digital age – how so many memories are treasured and passed down in the mountains. On the wall of my office, I have this art my mom made for me: a frame full of photos of generations of women in my family. We’re all connected on it, which is how I feel about how story has always connected me to those incredible lives. I grew up hearing about how strong, kind, smart and creative those women were. I’m so grateful my mom passed their stories to me.
And honestly, how people tell a story is what makes it special to me. Young readers love to ask me my favorite reading genre or topic. And I do have favorite genres, but what really draws me to a story (the ones I read and the ones I want to tell) is voice. I want to hear the character. I want to know the people in her world. I want the sentences to disappear into the story … but still have a satisfying sizzle to them, if that makes sense. And, again, I’m an Appalachian girl at heart, and there’s a singsong, storybook sound in how people talk and tell stories that feels like home to me. It’s an honor to try to catch that sound and share it.
Your writing definitely has that satisfying sizzle! What are some of your current projects?
Let me start by saying how grateful I am to have projects I’m excited about. Like anybody, there are seasons (and days and months…) when my creativity feels flat as a pancake. And while I will forever and always love writing, the process of publishing can burn out creative hearts real quick. But these days I’m writing stories I’m genuinely excited to go back to everyday, and I can’t wait to be able to share more details. I’m working on a couple of middle grade projects right now. One is similar to what I’ve done before. One is a completely and totally different format than anything I’ve done. I still have to be a little vague about it since it hasn’t been announced, but it has been such a cool experience. (And when I do sneak and tell young readers about it, they get very excited.)
I’m also working on something that’s completely different from anything I’ve shared before. Writing it has been a wildly unexpected source of joy for me. My awesome agent also loves it, and that makes me hopeful (…and cautiously optimistic), I’ll get to share it someday, too. Everybody needs a love story every now and then.
For more about Natalie Lloyd and her books, go to https://natalielloyd.com/
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