Shiloh Blog

amazed at your books

My class has read all four of your shiloh books and all I can say is that your creativity never fails to amaze me . All the detail in the books are astonishing. What was your inspiration for writing your shiloh books ?

I came across a frightened abused dog like that in West Virginia, and felt compelled to write a book about a boy trying to rescue it.

why did you make a book like that?

hi im shane i in mis youngs class every body loves your book in the class. we all hope u make a new shiloh book. i really want to now y u made a book about a dog. i am so glad you did because i love dog books. can u tell me why u made a book like that. let me guess you made it to tell everybody that don’t be scared. to face your fears. and marty and the shiloh is so cute and nice. i know you are nice because marty and judd and shiloh are nice well judd was mean but he got so sweet. in shiloh chrismas i love that shiloh brot judd dog back. if i saw you then i would freak because you are the best ather that i ever read. my favorite book was shiloh chrismas because the preacher started to be nice. and marty had something special. and i want to know if u have a son named marty thats cool. and you have real talent because you can tell a story. and i hope i can meet you one day because you have time for those books then you do not have time for a lot. i want to know if you know dona or never mine.

I’m happy that the books meant so much to you.  Actually, I wrote the book because I was so upset after meeting that little frightened, skinny dog when we were visiting in West Virginia.  Our friends told us that many people just drove up into the hills where they lived and dropped off a cat or dog that they didn’t want anymore.  But I couldn’t get this dog out of my mind, and wondered who had mistreated her to make her so frightened.  I wanted to find out how a boy might be able to get a mean man to give up his dog.

Shiloh. For. LIFE!!!!

Hey There Phyllis! I’m a elementary student who is in a class who LOVES the ultimate series…SHILOH!!! We love this series and we would love to see another shiloh book. you should be proud of yourself for inspiring kids to be like judd in shiloh christmas.

 

I’m really happy that my editor had all four books published, and was delighted when the first three were made into movies.  I’m hoping that some day the 4th book will become a movie.

Sad about Shiloh

I strongly think that the book Shiloh is amazing and wonderful. One reason why it is so good is because it is sad, and I like sad books. To add on about it being sad, Judd Travers always kicks Shiloh and is really mean to him and all his other dogs that he has.
Another reason why the story is sad is because Shiloh gets bit by the German Shepard that gets loose, that probably hurt a lot! I feel really bad for Shiloh and I bet whoever read this book would feel bad too.
What I really liked about this book was the end. I felt really relieved that Marty got Shiloh from Judd Travers. I also think that if someone read this book, Shiloh, they would love it like I did.

I was sad too when I began writing the book, because I was writing about a real dog that I had come across in West Virginia.  I was about halfway through the manuscript when I heard from our friends there that the dog was still hanging around, so they adopted her (it was a female in real life) and named her Clover.  Books that can make you feel many different ways–anger, fear, hopeful, happy, sometimes affect us the most, and I’m so glad you loved the book.

 

Shiloh question

 

I have enjoyed reading all of your Shiloh books and movies and that makes me want to visit West Virginia where the book takes place. Can you share with me what your favorite areas were so I can go visit and experience what you write about, please?

I really enjoy blogging all of my travels and this is one area that I would like to visit this summer.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Angelika

A lot of people have done the same thing.  It has been quite some time since we visited here, as my husband’s friends–who finally adopted the dog who became Shiloh in my book–moved away.  Shiloh is just a small community–not even a town.  Find Wheeling on the map of West Virginia, way up at the top of the map along the Ohio River, then follow the river all the way down to Parkersburg.   Halfway between them is the town of Martinsville.  And a little below that is Sistersville.  Starting at Sistersville, going down the river a little more, you will come to the post office of Friendly.   Ask there for directions to Shiloh, “where the books about a dog takes place.”  The paperback edition of  Shiloh (Sept. 2000) has photos in back of how the area looked then.

Can I have a book with your signature in it?

Dear phyllis Reynolds Naylor I loved your book so much that I am asking you if I can have a copy of Shiloh and with your signature in it and posters and bookmarks to go with it that’s how much I loved your book thank you for writing this book

If someone buys one of my books and wants a signature, they can mail it to me in a padded mailer addressed to me at 401 Russell Avenue, Apt. 713, Gaithersburg, MD 20877.  You must also enclose a return mailer with your name and address on it and the proper number of stamps. Get someone to help you with this.

Enjoying SHILOH book

I like your book SHILOH it is interesting for my reading class in High school

Did you have a dog name SHILOH when you were little?

No, but I had a springer spaniel named Pepper.

School Visit

Hello! We are using Shiloh to read for our One Book, One School parent involvement project. Do you do school visits? We would love to have you come talk to our students. Thank you!

I’m sorry, but I’m just swamped with a very long novel that needs a rewrite.  If you will email me at Phyllis_naylor@comcast.net and give me the school address, I’ll be glad to send a Shiloh poster and other brochures and information.

 

 

5th grader needs advice

 

I’m in 5th grade and I’m currently reading Shiloh. I was wondering if you can give me some advice about writing inspirational stories? I rescued an abused cat four years ago and her name is Tiffany. Tiffany suffers from the traumatic experience and rarely lets us pet her but over time she realized that we were not going to hurt her and she rubs our hands with her head every morning.Thank you for writing the Shiloh book, I can’t wait to finish reading it!

 

It sounds as though you are making progress with your cat.  She will love you more and more as she grows more confident that you will not hurt her.  When writing an inspirational story, start with a sentence that really catches the reader’s attention, that makes them want to see what happens next.  You need conflict in the story as well as suspense, so the reader will clearly see the problem but all the obstacles in the solving of it.  Best of luck!  Enjoy the wiring process!

My Favorite Book Series

 

I’m presently 19 years old, I just would like to say that I adore your Shiloh series I have read it through at least 5 times since my third or fourth grade. I even convinced a high school teacher to accept it for an “independent study” unit, they said it was unfit for my reading abilities, until I compared the lexile scores to what other works they assigned during the year such as Shakespeare’s Othello and Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.

You write a believable character in Marty as well as Judd, and history can prove that there are few bonds as strong as that between a boy and his dog.

I wish to conclude by thanking you for being a part in making my childhood.

 

Wow!  I love being ranked right up there with Othello!  I’m forwarding your email to the two producers of the Shiloh movies.  They’ll enjoy it too.  Thanks so much for writing to me.