Why did you become a writer?

Comment:

In the book Shiloh why does Marty have such a strong love for Shiloh? What inspired you to become a writer? I’m your biggest fan!

Phyllis replied:

Marty simply has a big heart, and he wanted to save this frightened little dog.  I think I became a writer because my parents read aloud to us every night, almost until we were in high school.  Of course we could read for ourselves, and we did, but when my parents read aloud, especially Mark Twain’s books–Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn– they were very dramatic, and it was almost like watching and listening to a performance.  I loved stories so much I decided to write them, and had my first story (not book) published when I was 16.