Shiloh Blog

Why did the characters act that way?

Comment:

I love your book Shiloh. It was well written and had a lot of detail. My class and I just finished the book, and we get to watch the movie on Wednesday . I was wondering if you could answer a question. If you could, the question is how did you come up with the way the character’s act? What inspired you to make them act that way? Please respond soon.

 

Phyllis replied:

If the characters didn’t act that way, there wouldn’t be any story.  There has to be motivation and suspense to keep a story going.

Do you have pets?

Comment:

I am a teacher of 28 years. I have used your novel Shiloh in my classroom for many years. It is my favorite children’s book. My students just finished the novel and the movie this week. They wrote to you on here. Imagine their surprise and excitement when they saw that you had responded to their questions and comments! You have made not only our week but our year! THANK YOU for taking the time to respond to us. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2018! One question: do you currently have any pets? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

Phyllis replied:

No, I live in an apartment, and don’t have any pets currently.

why is Judd so mean?

Comment:

Did you ever cry during the book when you wrote it? My favorite part was when at the end of chapter 8 when Ma sees Marty with Shiloh and then the chapter ends. I absolutely love the suspense. Also why is Judd so mean, was he the person who was supposed to be mean to Shiloh?

Phyllis replied:

Yes, Judd was the one who was mean to Shiloh, and he was the one who was himself mistreated when he was a boy.

When does the story take place?

Comment:

You’re book Shiloh is beautifully written. Shiloh was the highlight of our day in my 4th grade classroom.Whenever my teacher stopped reading we all begged her to read more. All of my classmates tensed up at the scary parts. We cried at the sad parts, and we laughed at the funny parts. That goes to say you’re book has so much emotion.
One question after reading your book is when did it take place? I noticed that you said that the Preston’s didn’t have a phone, and there was no mention of I-phones, so I was not sure. Thank you so much for writing Shiloh,and Happy Holidays!

 

Phyllis replied:

If they didn’t have a phone in Shiloh, they did in Saving Shiloh.  I’d have to read the books again to make sure.  I guess I imagined the story taking place in the 1980’s.  It wasn’t that the area didn’t have phone service, but that the Prestons were saving all the money they could to pay for the grandmother’s nursing care.

Did you cry?

Comment:

I have been in tears many times reading your book. It is very touching.Did a german shepard really attack the real Shiloh or did you come up with that in your own?I can only imagine how sad it was to write scenes like that. Did you ever cry when you were writing some of these scenes? I have always wondered why Judd was so mean to his dogs.

 

Phyllis replied:

I imagined the attack.  And if you cry when you read it, you can be sure I had tears in my eyes when I wrote it.

Shiloh characters

Comment:

Hello, I love your book Shiloh. It is really good, it has really good detail. Me and my class just finished reading it and we really liked it. Some of my classmates even cried when bakers dog attacked Shiloh. I have a gusetion for you though how did you come up with all of the characters in your book like Judd, Marty, Shiloh, and Becky and Dara Lynn?

 

Phyllis replied:

I just made the characters up.  That’s what writers do.

More movies?

Comment:

I also loved how you made the story end in a happy ending. Also I think you need to make more movies like Shiloh but different. why was marty a boy instead of a girl. Do you feel bad for Jud.

 

Phyllis replied:

I hope you’ll watch the other two movies, Shiloh Season and Saving Shiloh.

Shiloh

Comment:

I read your book Shiloh and watched your movie. I absolutely loved it and I liked how at the end of the movie it was more intense at the end of the movie. I also have a question why was Marty,s best friend in the movie a girl therefore in the book his best friend was a boy? My final question is how did you come up with the name Judd!

 

Phyllis replied:

The movie director put another girl in the movie, not me.  I chose Judd because it was a name I felt was least likely to be the name of a reader.

Another Shiloh movie?

Comment:

hungry for another movie! I want Shiloh. It would be an amazment to meet you. I love your book Shiloh. Does Marty finally kill an animal? When did Clover pass? do you still go to your friends house? The movie made me cry seven times. Do you live in Friendly?

 

Phyllis replied:

I live in Maryland, Marty didn’t kill an animal, my friends moved to Missouri, and Clover died in 2000.  If you’re hungry for another Shiloh movie, watch Shiloh 2: Shiloh Season, and Saving Shiloh.

Super intense

Comment:

How do you think of such creative books and movies? I loved how at the end of the movie it was super intense and how Shiloh got to stay with Marty. I was crying. I also loved how Doc fixed up Shiloh. Did you like how Judd acted at the beginning to the end. Thank you!

 

Phyllis replied:

I think Judd acted exactly as he should have–all the characters, I felt, were portrayed very much as I had described them.