Photographer will also take part in event

A local author will take part in her first book signing on Thursday at the Briggs Lawrence Public Library Ironton.

Jennifer Julie Miller, of Ironton, will be signing copies of her works, “The Water Skippers” and “A Dragonfly’s Whisper,” from 5:30-7 p.m.

Miller, who works as a blazer at Liebert, wrote her first self-published work in 2015.

She said the idea for the first book came from a dream her husband had.

“He woke up and he wanted me to write a book on it,” she said. “He said ‘You’ve got to write this.’ It was really cool. He said ‘You’ve done 30 years of homework.’”

She had no prior background as an author, but said she always had a vivid imagination, since childhood, due, in large part from playing by herself and growing up as an only child. Still, she never had aspirations to be a writer, and is surprised at her productivity.

“If you’d told that little girl to write books in her 40s, I would have said ‘No way,’” she said.

She has just finished her second book, which can be found on Amazon as both an ebook and paperback.

Miller said all of the stories in her books take place locally, focusing primarily on the Lake Vesuvius area.

She said her father used to take her to the strip mines, where she would see water skimmers, which served as the inspiration for her books, which she said are both “magical and paranormal.”

She said the first book tells the story of a girl who died at a lake, and the water skimmers brought her spirit through time and kept her alive.

Miller said she has seen herself grow as an author for her second book, which continues the story, instead focusing on a widowed man and woman.

She said a dragonfly, which is a believer of dreams, lands on the woman’s shoulder, presenting her with a choice of continuing to live alone or opening her heart.

Miller said she hopes her books will cause people to see every things differently.

“It’s about thing we take for granted,” she said. “It’s a love story and the boy gets the girl in the end.”

Miller will be joined at the signing by local photographer Gregory Hudson, who will be signing copies of his work.

She said she will also be holding a raffle and offering “goody bags” to attendees.