An Inside Look with Natalie Lloyd
(Author of The Witching Wind)
*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)
How did you come to know Roxie and Grayson?
When I talk to young readers, I tell them collecting ideas for stories is a lot like watching fireflies. That part is so sparkly-fun for me; I get to watch and wonder and see what story I’m trying to spin. But I get most excited (and, truly, can’t even start writing) until I finally know the main character. And Roxie stole my heart.
Like Roxie, I had some moments in middle school that were tough, when people made comments about my body that still roll through my mind all these years later. And like her, I had a refuge in my family that made even the worst day of school feel a little less scary. Around the time I started writing Roxie, I read such a great tweet. Someone said, “I don’t write to heal my inner child. I write to give her a sword.” And I thought … ok. Maybe that’s what I’m doing! Maybe I’m giving my kid-self a sword via this story. Maybe I’m throwing her a lifeline to remind her it’s all going to be ok.
And then along came Grayson Patch - who was a minor character at first. She’s snarky and sarcastic, prickly on the outside with such a tender heart. We share the same disability but feel differently about it, which was really important for me to write. I like to say Grayson is me on my best day when it comes to her confidence (but I’m definitely more like Roxie). As Grayson got louder and louder (eventually getting her own point of view), helping Roxie figure out who she is, I realized that I actually wasn’t giving my kid-self a sword. She’s the one making these stories. She got us here. She’s still me. She keeps handing me a pen, not a sword, and reminding me we get to write our own happily ever after now.
So that’s a long way of saying, I met them because our hearts are a lot alike. And what they both taught me about love and friendship and moving through life’s hard seasons is an experience I won’t forget.
What do you think are their most admirable qualities?
Roxie’s most admirable quality, to me, is her deep love for her family - especially her grandmother. I also love her compassion for people. She is incredibly self-conscious but also attuned to others in a really sweet way. She certainly wants to be liked (who doesn’t?), but what surprised me about her is that she also genuinely likes people and wants to get to know them. She just doesn’t feel that in return, always.
Grayson’s most admirable quality to me, in this little part of her life, anyway, is her determination to be independent. You get to see her move through a world that is not made for her, and she does it in a very determined, take charge kind of way. She’s not shy about advocating for herself, and for underdogs, or anybody she cares about.
Is there anything you wish they would have changed or done differently in their story?
It’s always tempting for me to make a story less hard for a character. I start to feel connected to them, in a weird way, and don’t want them to experience hard things. (I realize they are fictional people. I just get attached.) But I’m lucky I get to work with such an amazing editor, Mallory Kass at Scholastic, who pushes me to push my characters - to give them a journey that really helps them see what they’re capable of becoming. Sometimes I wish the “getting there” didn’t have to be so hard for them. But I also wish life didn’t have to be so hard, and I don’t think it ever serves the story for me to try and sweeten the hard and sad parts. What I can do is illuminate all the good, beautiful parts just as much.
What do you think Roxie and Grayson can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what they went through?
My hope for readers, first, is always that they enjoy the book and get to experience reading as a fun, relaxing activity. I know what a big deal it is when a reader - especially a young reader - actually wants to finish a book they start. They’re busy people with so much on their hearts and minds. So when they email and tell me they enjoyed the story, that feels like a huge success. I’m also always thinking about readers who might be looking for a little escape and encouragement in books; I still do that, too. I hope kids who might exist in rocky family relationships, like Grayson, know they do belong and have a place in the world. I hope disabled people - like me - might find some connection in how Grayson connects with the world that they don’t often see on the page. I hope anybody, like Roxie, who has ever been teased because of their body can find a connection with her — and remember there are people out there who will love and affirm you for the amazing human you are.
One of the sweetest, and saddest, pieces of feedback from a reader came at a school visit. I was talking about Roxie and Grayson, and how their friendship reminds me of my best friend in middle school. When we got to the Q&A part, a little reader asked, “How do you find a best friend like that?”
It broke my heart but I also get it, and I told her what I remind myself sometimes: keep digging into activities you love and you’ll meet other people who enjoy the same things you do. And keep choosing to be your most genuine, weirdly wonderful self. Your best friend is out there and they’re looking for you, too.
How did you research the characters and the circumstances they found themselves in?
Around the time I was writing this story, dementia touched a beloved family member on my husband’s side. Seeing his relationship change with that person - while also seeing how he still loved and cared for them - gave me new insight to how families navigate such a hard season and hard diagnosis - and how love keeps surfacing in the sweetest ways, even in a season that’s so hard.
What was the hardest scene to write about them?
For me, there were a couple. I don’t want to spoil it for any readers, but throughout the story, Grayson is trying to get in touch with her older sister, Beanie. Around the time the kids all go camping, Grayson gets some tough news and I hated writing it as much as she hatred hearing it (even though I knew it was right for the story). (For the sensitive reader, a spoiler: nobody dies in this book.) For Roxie, there are scenes she’s teased by one person - which is an experience I remember vividly in middle school - and I was surprised how much it got to me to put myself back in that place.
Who do you think were their biggest supporters and why?
I think their biggest supporters were each other. Roxie feels very supported by her parents as well, but once Granny goes missing, her family is in full crisis mode. In that moment, she leans on her friends even more than she realizes. Similarly, until now, Grayson’s support has been her older sister, but she develops a really sweet bond with “Club YeeHaw” - a club for new kids at school who don’t really fit anywhere else. In this story, Roxie and Grayson and their friends all become a safe place for each other.
Why do you think some young people can show such resilience, strength, and courage during difficult life situations; sometimes even more than the adults in their lives?
I love this question, Patrick! I think about this a lot, as I know you do, so I might refine this answer next time we chat. But what amazes me about working with young people is that they have grown up in - and exist in - a very openly cruel world. And they still manage to stay so open-hearted and hopeful about it all. Whatever we didn’t see back in the late 1900’s (ha) because of less (or no) Internet access, young readers have full access to on their phones. The only drills I had in school as a kid were fire drills. I didn’t see five second flashes of scary news throughout the day. On that note, in this book, Roxie is bulled mostly via technology - which adds an extra sinister layer to bullying now, I believe. That said, what I consistently see when I spend time with students, is a gentle, lovely curiosity about people and the world, a penchant for such sincere kindness, and hope that hasn’t been tempered by cynicism just yet. I think kids are resilient, strong and courageous because they care. They’re determined to make the world better. And they’re actually doing it, which is really magical to see. (And FYI - whenever I’m around a group of kids, I think about how grateful I am that they have such incredible grown-ups and parents in their lives guiding them along. Thanks for what you do.)
What do you think Roxie and Grayson are doing at the present time?
I think they’ve expanded Club YeeHaw to even more new members. I think they’ve had a few sleepovers by now. Roxie is performing more with her band, getting new gigs around town. Grayson is settled in with the Cottons and happy. And I think Club YeeHaw has convinced Collette to take them camping at least one more time … because now that they’ve seen some magic and wonder in the mountains, they’re going to want to see it again. (As for Grayson’s relationship with Beanie, I’ll refer readers to the very last line of The Witching Wind … and let them draw their own conclusions.)
SEASON #SIX (Summer 2019)
Interview #122 with Tamara Bundy (Author of Pixie Pushes On)
Interview #123 with Lindsay Lackey (Author of All the Impossible Things)
Interview #124 with Tae Keller (Author of When You Trap a Tiger)
Interview #125 with Jamie Sumner (Author of Roll With It)
Interview #126 with Hena Khan (Author of More to the Story)
Interview #127 with Phil Bildner (Author of A High-Five for Glenn Burke)
Interview #128 with Leslie Connor (Author of A Home for Goddesses and Dogs)
Interview#129 with Gillian McDunn (Author of Queen Bee and Me)
Interview #130 with Jody J. Little (Author of Worse Than Weird)
Interview #131 with Jenn Bishop (Author of Things You Can't Say)
Interview #132 with Kaela Noel (Author of Coo)
Interview #133 with Rebecca Stead (Author of The List of Things That Will Not Change)
Interview #134 with Gae Polisner (Author of Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me)
Interview #135 with Emily Blejwas (Author of Like Nothing Amazing Ever Happened)
Interview #136 with Joy McCullough (Author of A Field Guide to Getting Lost)
Interview #137 with Kim Baker (Author of the Water Bears)
Interview #138 with Erin Entrada Kelly (Author of We Dream of Space)
Interview #139 with Jess Redman (Author of Quintessence)
Interview #140 with Melanie Conklin (Author of Every Missing Piece)
Interview #141 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of Brave Like That)
Interview #158 with Rebecca Ansari (Author of The In-Between)
Interview #159 with John David Anderson (Author of One Last Shot)
Interview #160 with Tracy Holczer (Author of Brave in the Woods)
Interview #161 with James Bird (Author of The Brave)
Interview #162 with Marcella Pixley (Author of Trowbridge Road)
Interview #163 with Barbara O'Connor (Author of Halfway to Harmony)
Interview #164 with Alan Gratz (Author of Ground Zero)
Interview #165 with Lisa Fipps (Author of Starfish)
Interview #166 with Ann Braden (Author of Flight of the Puffin)
Interview #167 with Kimberly Willis Holt (Author of The Ambassador of NoWhere Texas)
Interview #168 with Elana K. Arnold (Author of The House That Wasn't There)
Interview #169 with Erin Soderberg (Author of The Great Peach Experiment)
Interview #170 with Donna Gephart (Author of Abby, Tried, and True)
Interview #171 with M. Evan Wolkenstein (Author of Turtle Boy)
Interview #172 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of Bea is for Blended)
Interview #173 with Jess Redman (Author of The Adventure is Now)
Interview #174 with David Levithan (Author of The Mysterious Disappearance of Aiden)
Interview #175 with Chris Grabenstein (Author of The Smartest Kid in the Universe)
Interview #176 with Ali Standish (Author of The Mending Summer)
Interview #177 with Holly Goldberg Sloan (Author of The Elephant in the Room)
Interview #178 with Jeff Zentner (Author of In the Wild Light)
SEASON #ELEVEN (Fall/Winter 2021)
Interview #179 with Katherine Applegate (Author of Willow)
Interview #180 with Padma Venkatraman (Author of Born Behind Bars)
Interview #181 with R.J. Palacio (Author of Pony)
Interview #182 with Kyle Lukoff (Author of Too Bright to See)
Interview #183 with Barbara Dee (Author of Violets are Blue)
Interview #184 with Anne Ursu (Author of The Troubled Girls of Dragonmir Academy)
Interview #185 with Margaret Finnegan (Author of We Could Be Heroes)
Interview #186 with Jasmine Warga (Author of Shape of Thunder)
Interview #187 with Joseph Bruchac (Author of Rez Dogs)
Interview #188 with Kathryn Erskine (Author of Lily's Promise)
Interview #189 with Elly Swartz (Author of Dear Student)
Interview #190 with Heather Clark (Author of Lemon Drop Falls)
Interview #191 with Veera Hiranandani (Author of How to Find What You're Not Looking For)
Interview #192 with Elizabeth Eulberg (Author of The Best Worst Summer)
Interview #193 with Cathy Carr (Author of 365 Days to Alaska)
Interview #194 with Carol Cujec and Peyton Goddard (Authors of REAL)
Interview #195 with Gillian McDunn (Author of These Lucky Stars)
Interview #196 with Alyssa Colman (Author of The Gilded Girl)
Interview #197 with E.L. Chen (Author of The Comeback)
Interview #198 with J.M.M. Nuanez (Author of Birdie and Me)
SEASON #TWELVE (Winter/Spring 2022)
Interview #199 with Jamie Sumner (Author of One Kid's Trash)
Interview #200 with Chad Lucas (Author of Thanks a Lot, Universe)
Interview #201 with Jenn Bishop (Author of Where We Used to Roam)
Interview #202 with Rebecca Caprara (Author of Worst-Case Collin)
Interview #203 with Leslie Connor (Author of Anybody Here Seen Frenchie?)
Interview #204 with Caroline Gertler (Author of Many Points of Me)
Interview #205 with Margaret Finnegan (Author of Susie B. Won't Back Down)
Interview #206 with Shawn Peters (Author of The Unforgettable Logan Foster)
Interview #207 with Aisha Saeed (Author of Omar Rising)
Interview #208 with Adrianna Cuevas (Author of Cuba in my Pocket)
Interview #209 with Jennifer Swender (Author of Stuck)
Interview #210 with Brenda Woods (Author of When Winter Robeson Came)
Interview #211 with Danya Lorentz (Author of the Book Of a Feather)
Interview #212 with Saadia Faruqi (Author of Yusuf Azeem is Not a Hero)
Interview #213 with Ellen Hopkins (Author of What About Will)
SEASON #THIRTEEN (Summer 2022)
Interview #214 with Nora Raleigh Baskin and Gae Polisner (Authors of What About the Octopus)
Interview #215 with Lauren Wolk (Author of My Own Lightning)
Interview #216 with Rebekah Lowell (Author of the Road to After)
Interview #217 with Gillian McDunn (Author of Honestly Elliott)
Interview #218 with Dan Gemeinhart (Author of The Midnight Children)
Interview #219 with Melanie Conklin (Author of A Perfect Mistake)
Interview #220 with Kyle Lukoff (Author of Different Kinds of Fruit)
Interview #221 with Tracy Edward Wymer (Author of The Great and Mighty Benjamin Teller)
Interview #222 with Louise Hawes (Author of Big Rig)
Interview #223 with Paul Acampora (Author of In Honor of Broken Things)
Interview #224 with Shannon Doleski (Author of Gabe in the After)
Interview #225 with Jennifer Ziegler (Author of Worser)
Interview #226 with Natalie Lloyd (Author of Hummingbird)
SEASON #FOURTEEN (Fall 2022)
Interview #227 with Celia C. Perez (Author of Tumble
Interview #228 with Greg Howard (Author of The Visitors)
Interview #229 with Rob Buyea (Author of The Daredevils)
Interview #230 with Sashi Kaufman (Author of Sardines)
Interview #231 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of The Real Deal)
Interview #232 with Margaret Finnegan (Author of New Kids and Underdogs)
Interterview #233 with Amanda Rawson Hill (Author of The Hope of Elephants)
Interview #234 with Jasmine Warga (Author of A Rover's Story)
SEASON #FIFTEEN (Winter/Spring 2023)
Interview #235 with Varsha Bajaj (Author of Thirst)
Interview #236 with Torrey Maldonado (Author of Hands)
Interview #237 with C.C. Harrington (Author of Wildoak)
Interview #238 with Margi Preus (Author of Windswept)
Interview #239 with Dayna Lorentz (Author of Wayward Creatures)
Interview #240 with Katrina Nannestad (Author of We are Wolves)
Interview #241 with Anika Fajardo (Author of Meet Me Halfway)
Interview #250 with Sally J. Pla (Author of The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn)
Interview #251 with Chris Baron (Author of The Gray)
Interview #252 with Dusti Bowling (Author of DUST)
SEASON #SIXTEEN (Fall 2023)
Interview #253 with Sarah Everett (Author of The Probability of Everything)
Interview #254 with Andrea Beatriz Arango (Author of Something Like Home)
Interview #255 with H.M. Bouwman (Author of Gossamer Summer)
Interview #256 with Kaija Langley (Author of The Order of Things)
Interview #257 with Elaine Vickers (Author of Half Moon Summer)
Interview #258 with John Gaspard (Author of The Curious Mysteries of Eli Marks)
Interview #259 with Dana Kramaroff (Author of The Do More Club)
Interview #260 with Jessica Vitalis (Author of Coyote Queen)
Interview #261 with Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko (Authors of Dog Town)
SEASON #SEVENTEEN (Winter/Spring 2024)
Interview #262 with Chad Morris and Shelly Brown (Authors of The Wild Journey of Juniper Berry)
Interview #263 with Anne Ursu (Author of Not Quite a Ghost)
Interview #264 with Erin Soderberg Downing (Author of Just Keep Walking)
Interview #265 With Kate Albus (Author of Nothing Else But Miracles)
Interview #266 with Robin Gow (Author of Dear Mothman)
Interview #267 with Toni Buzzeo (Author of Light Comes to Shadow Mountain)
Interview #268 with John Schu (Author of Louder Than Hunger)
Interview #269 with Allie Millington (Author of Olivetti)
Interview #270 with Amanda Rawson Hill (Author of Once Upon a Family)
Interview #271 with Lynne Kelly (Author of The Secret Language of Birds)
Interview #272 with Lisa Yee (Author of The Misfits)
Interview #273 with Lisa Fipps (Author of And Then, Boom)
SEASON #EIGHTEEN (Fall 2024)
Interview #274 with Jasmine Warga (Author of A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall)
Interview #275 with Lois Lowry (Author of Tree.Table.Book)
Interview #276 with Rob Buyea (Author of Carter Avery's Tricky Fourth Grade Year)
Interview #277 with Gayle Forman (Author of Not Nothing)
Interview #278 with Kate O'Shaughnessy (Author of The Wrong Way Home)
Interview #279 with Shifa Saltagi Safadi (Author of Kareem Between)
Interview #280 with Jamie Sumner (Author of Deep Water)
Interview #281 with Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic (Author of Hummingbird Season)
Interview #284 with Kimberly Newton Fusco (Author of The Secret of Honeycake)
Interview #285 with Alison McGhee (Author of Telephone of the Tree)
Interview #286 with Anica Mrose Rissi (Author of Wishing Season)
