About Natalie

Homework Helper

Here’s a factofabulous collection of truths that might come in handy if you’re ever doing a book talk on one of Natalie’s novels.

• I was born on February 2, Groundhog Day. I think it’s fun sharing my birthday with such a cute rodent.
• My family and friends sometimes call me Nat. (You can too, if you’d like.)
• When I was little, I thought I could get to Narnia through my closet. I packed my favorite books in a lunchbox, climbed in the closet, and fell asleep absolutely certain I would wake up in a wintery wonder-world. My plan never worked. It hasn’t worked yet, anyway. (I still check closets for Narnia sometimes. Shhhh….)
• I was always the shortest girl in my class. When I visit classrooms now, to talk about my books, I’m sometimes still the shortest girl in attendance. (I’m 4’9”. Almost.)
• I grew up in a small town in east Tennessee. As a kid, I loved spending time with my family, reading, and befriending the multitude of stray dogs and cats that always showed up at our house.
• I was born with a brittle bone disease called osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) and used a wheelchair or walker until seventh grade. Most recently, I’ve been recovering from a femur fracture (and brand new rod) that happened in 2019. Thankfully, I’m back to walking now (sometimes with the help of a cute pink cane). While there’s currently no cure for OI, I’m grateful to live in a time with great doctors, medical advances, and more and more accessibility. You can find out more about OI by checking www.oif.org
• Some of my favorite books in elementary and middle school were: The Chronicles of Narnia, The Babysitters Club series by Ann M. Martin, anything by Roald Dahl (especially The Witches and Matilda), anything by Judy Blume, Wayside School is Falling Down, the Goosebumps series, The Wizard of Oz, The Fairy Rebel, Julie of the Wolves, Bunnicula and the Anne of Green Gables series.
• I knew I wanted to write books by the time I was in third grade. Two of my elementary school teachers, Mr. Watson and Mrs. Sexton, encouraged me to keep reading, keep writing, and keep sharing my writing. They told me I would write my own novels someday, and they were right!
• I love animals, especially dogs. I have three dogs: Samson is a 90 pound Labrador Retriever (with a cute underbite). Huckleberry is a quirky little Cockapoo who loves to steal shoes. We’ve also added Magpie to the mix — and while we’ve been told she’s a little labradoodle, we theory she’s actually a baby kangaroo. You might have also read about my dog, Biscuit, who has been in several books. Sadly, Biscuit passed away in 2019. She was a precious little friend to me and I miss her everyday. I’m thankful she’ll always be in the pages of my stories.
• I love to travel! Some of my favorite places that I’ve visited include The Rocky Mountains, the Pacific Northwest, Europe (especially England), quirky southern cities (like Savannah and Charleston) and New England (especially Maine).
• Some of my favorite things: hanging out with my husband and our dogs, roadtrips, coffee, rainy days, movie nights, chocolate chip cookies, reading, new books, old books, bookstores (….do you see a trend here?), Fall, Christmas, sunsets, history, spooky legends, stories and storytellers (of all ages).
• Some final thoughts: I believe that dogs (not diamonds) are a girls best friend. And that library cards are better than passports. I believe your words matter. And I believe that once you are a queen in Narnia you are always—always—a queen in Narnia.