When most 9-year-olds are learning their time tables or reading books that build their vocabulary, Jacksonville, Fla., native Ytearie Milliona DeValt is on the road to becoming an accomplished author.

“Milli,” as she’s called by family and friends, made a stop in Selma Thursday morning to promote and sign autographs for her first work “Princess Milliona: All About Me and Activity Book,” to a crowd of area children.

Milli, who started writing at the tender age of 5, wanted to do something that would inspire her peers to dream big.

“I felt like I wasn’t known by the world, so I wanted to write a book,” DeValt said. “My mom encouraged me to write my book. I wanted to encourage other children to read a lot, to be yourself and also make things the world can see.”

DeValt said she began writing her book at age 6, and it took one year to publish.

“It really didn’t take that long to write,” DeValt said. “The book is not about ‘me’ but about yourself. The book made me feel like I was important.”

And though DeValt is an aspiring author, she has much bigger dreams for her future.

“I want to be a model and a singer,” DeValt said. “I praise dance for my church and sing in my church choir. I can sing opera too.”

In addition to loving to write, DeValt also enjoys her core subjects.

“Math is my favorite subject,” DeValt said. “I think science is cool because you get to do experiments.”

For her peers following in her footsteps, DeValt gives this advice for future success.

“Just have fun and achieve everything that you want because life is short,” DeValt said.

To check out DeValt’s book, log on to www.princessmilliona.com.

DeValt and her parents lived in Selma for a year and currently live in Panama City, Fla., where they moved in 2009.