Shiloh Blog

Shiloh

Comment:

Why are you so scared of Judd Travers?

Phyllis replied:

Do you mean me, personally?   Or the reader?  If a man is cruel and cannot be trusted, that seems like a pretty good reason to me.

Shiloh books

Comment:

The Shiloh books and movies helped change my life. I’m 39 years old and have down syndrome. It taught me about kindness and that people like Judd can change than others can change to. A little I would like to write you a letter sometime so I may get your address and do that period thank you so much for writing the Shiloh books And for making the movies. My whole family loves them

Phyllis replied:

I’m so glad that you like the Shiloh books and movies.  People enjoy them for many different reasons, and I’m always glad to get letters.  You may write to me at 401 Russell Avenue, Apt. 713, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20877

5th grade teacher

Comment:

I am a fifth grade teacher in Colonial Heights, Virginia. I have been teaching for 30 years, and your Shiloh trilogy has been a very important part of my classroom. I have read these books to the children for almost 20 years now. I have included so many valuable life lessons from the characters in your book. I just finished another season of reading Shiloh to my class, and wanted to take the time to let you know just how much these books mean to me as an educator. The children never forget to show kindness to those that isn’t easy to like. I’ve watched them “teach kindness” to the Judd Travers in their life. Thank you for the inspiration to the classroom that your books provide. It will always be a HUGE part of my class.

Phyllis replied:

I so much appreciate your telling me so.  I hope you were able to include the final Shiloh book, “A Shiloh Christmas”, which tells how the whole relationship between Marty and Judd work out.

Shiloh

Comment:

Why did you want to write the book Shiloh?

Phyllis replied:

Because I felt it would make a good story.

Thank you for the wonderful Shiloh books

Comment:

Thank you for the wonderful Shiloh books. I read them when I was in elementary school in the 1990s and they are fond memories indeed. Congrats on getting the movie adaptations off the ground and on still working. My sincerest condolences about your husband. I wish you the very best and thank you for the quality literature you gave me to read as a child.

Phyllis replied:

Thank you for your email and your condolences.  Yes, my husband died seven years ago, and I miss him in so many ways.  He was the first one to read each of my manuscripts when I had finished writing them, and had excellent advice and criticism.  A very kind and generous man.

My Name

Comment:

This might be a little odd, but I thought you might want to hear it. I am transgender, and I’ve been trying to settle on a name for myself. I finally chose Shiloh, in large part because of how much I loved your book when I was little. Thank you, so much, for everything.

Phyllis replied:

I think that Shiloh is a lovely name for either male or female.  I hope you have a chance to read all four books in the Shiloh quartet.  I believe you’d like them all.

A Shiloh Christmas Movie

Comment:
I just finished reading “A Shiloh Christmas”, and I really enjoyed it.
Do you know if there would be a movie about that one yet?
With all the stuff that went on in that book, I think it would be a great addition to the amazing Shiloh movies series.

Phyllis replied:

I don’t know yet.  The directors keep talking about it.  I certainly hope so.

My Life with Dogs

Comment:

I enjoyed the book Shiloh that you created it matches a lot of certain types of things in my life with dogs and congratulations on making this book a medal for best children books

 

Phyllis replied:

I appreciate your writing to me.

 

Shiloh–the gray areas

Comment:

thank you for the humanity in this book. i read with 4th graders, as a volunteer. it’s so important for all of us to see the gray areas in people, in life. people are not just all good or all bad–the children can see this in your wonderful story.

Phyllis replied:

I’m so gratified that this was the essence of the story for you. Since I really had found such a dog in West Virginia, I simply set out to see how an eleven year old boy could possibly persuade such a man as Judd to let him have his dog.  It was in this search and discovery that I realized the whole point of the story was the difficulty we often face in deciding what is right and what is wrong, what is true and what is false, what is brave and what is foolhardy…and so often, there is no completely “right” answer.

 

Shiloh Movie

Comment:

My class is reading SHILOH and I wanted to show them the movie, but I can’t seem to find the movie anywhere. Do you know where it can be purchased or rented? I’ve tried Amazon, Netflix, Barnes & Noble, all over the internet.

Phyllis relied:

I’m so sorry  you’re having this problem.  I wen to Netflix too and found my request in the “saved” category also, with availability unknown.  I emailed one of the producers of the Shiloh movies and asked if he knew where we could find copies.  He hasn’t answered, and I imagine he has sent the same request to his business office and hasn’t received an answer yet.  So I don’t know if the movie has sold out and they are not making any more or whether he would know where you might find them.  I’m saving your email so if I get an answer, I’ll let you know.