Several students from Northwestern Elementary School recently enjoyed lunch in their school library with guest author Margie Palatini.

They were chosen through the submission of reward tickets they received for exhibiting positive behavior at school.

Palatini asked the students which one of her books was their favorite.

Some students mentioned "Bed Head, Stinky, Smelly Feet and Moos-ekitos."

The author told students she liked to character play when she was young.

"It is much like writing because you are creating a dialog between your characters, only you are not formally turning those words into a written story," Palatini said.

Palatini is currently working on an adventure story, a style new for her.

"The character came into my head and I wanted to create this story," she said, adding the character has not yet shared his name with her.

"Sometimes, the character wakes me up in the middle of the night telling me to get up and start writing."

Palatini initially planned to be an illustrator but while attending Rutgers she went to a workshop hoping to find authors who were looking for an illustrator.

The instructor gave the students a writing assignment and Palatini was surprised to discover she was able to write.

After lunch, students returned to their classrooms while Palatini autographed books for students and staff.