Judd Travers

Comment:

I am a grade 4 student at AISA (American International School of Abuja) in Nigeria. I really enjoyed your book, and we just read the part of the book that described how you got the idea for Shiloh. I have a question about Judd Travers. Who inspired the character of Judd Travers?

Phyllis replied:

Judd Travers is entirely from my imagination.  But I know that some people who have been mistreated themselves choose to work out their feelings by finding someone else to mistreat–to be the bad guy himself and let someone else be the victim.  Some take it out on their animals, who can’t defend themselves.  Or even their children.  Others, who have been mistreated when they were young, make the decision to be the opposite of someone who was cruel to them, and they “break the chain” of hurting others.  Judd was necessary for the plot of putting Marty in the position of having to figure out what was “right” and what was “wrong.”