Natalie Pope Boyce

Like her sister, Mary Pope Osborne, Natalie Pope Boyce grew up in a military family, and they moved every few years. One of the most beautiful places they every lived was in Salzburg, Austria. She and Mary could see a castle from their windows and often took walks on the lovely old street where Mozart grew up. Their time in Austria later inspired Mary to write Moonlight on the Magic Flute. In fact, Natalie says the research guides have been fun to write because many bring back memories of places where they've lived. For example, when it was time to work on Dolphins and Sharks, she remembered seeing dolphins leaping out of the water when her family's house was on the ocean in Virginia. The sight of them never failed to exciter her and her brothers and sister.

After Natalie grew up, she continued to travel. While living in Ireland for a year, she learned about Irish folklore. This made it so fun to write Leprechauns and Irish Folklore. Natalie also once lived in Hawaii, which was good preparation for writing Tsunamis. She was used to hearing tsunami warning sirens on all the beaches and had always been fascinated by their power and wondered what caused them. Natalie thinks that living in different places is a great education. She also thinks that books give kids an amazing chance to have their own adventures... and they never have to leave home!