Your Questions Answered

is love technically a choosing game?

Hello Mrs. Naylor! How are you doing? I hope you are fine and dandy. I was just wondering if love is technically a choosing game. I know nobody is an expert on love just like there’s really no expert on children, but I’ve been keeping up with the Alice blog, by the way, I’m a huge fan of yours and always turned to the Alice books for guidance while growing up. Anyways, I read somewhere where you said that in the end, Patrick chose Alice and decided that she was the one for him which if i’m just being honest, I’m glad Alice and Patrick got married and grew old together because they have the best love story I have ever read, My grandmother told me when I was little that dating is like looking for an outfit and when you decide to marry, you’ve found the right fit, is this true? I heard we don’t choose who we fall in love with but is love technically a choosing game? I understand that Alice and Patrick met other people before they both decided that they loved each other most of all, so they fell in love and chose to be together? So if you fall in love with someone, you compare your feelings and then choose whether or not you want to spend the rest of your life with them? am I on the right track? Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my questions, I very much appreciate it.

It’s not so simple as all that.  Of course it’s a matter of choosing, but there are billions of people in the world, millions in the US, and hundreds in the area where you live, but you will only feel close to a few when you are looking for a mate.  And of course you are always counting down, in a way…this person appeals to you in looks, but he’s maybe sort of snarky; this guy really listens to  you and you have some great conversations but you can’t imagine sleeping with him; this guy seems like he’s got it all, but you feel he doesn’t care as much for you as you do for him…   And then one day you meet a guy at work or on a project or in a class or friend of a friend, and just the way his eyes stay on you…the way he smiles….teases a bit….  He can talk about serious subjects and is also pretty funny…. and you begin to think that maybe this is the guy you can live with for the rest of our life…..

tips on being an author

Hi! I’m an aspiring young author and I wanted to Contact my most favorite author (YOU) and wonder is there any tips that you would give authors or would you warn young authors about anything in the Author world?

There are hundreds, thousands, of books and articles about writing and being an author.  All I can tell you is to write what you love, what appeals to you most, whether it’s stories or poems or song lyrics or nonfiction.  Look for every opportunity to enter writing contests.  Look for every opportunity to write for school newspapers or neighborhood newsletters.  Write because you like to write, not because you want to be an author.   Best of luck!

you and your characters

Hello Mrs. Naylor! I was wondering, from one writer to another, Do you think you become your characters a little bit while you’re writing about them and feel for them when you put them in certain situations or feel bad for them? When I write a story I tend to do that or when I read something, my friends tell me i’m weird so I just wanted to know if some of the world’s greatest authors are like that too 🙂

Yes, indeed.  It’s sort of like a play.  The writer has to be every actor onstage, and changes his hat each time that character appears.

Project on My Fav Author

Hello! I’m in 8th grade and I’m doing a project in school for my english class. Our teacher told us to contact our most favorite author and ask them three questions and I immediately thought of you! I have 3 sisters and we all love the Alice series and Shiloh! My first question is What is your most favorite book genre because you seem to write more than one type, My second question is When did you decide you wanted to be an author? and my final question is what book or series did you have the most fun writing? Once again, I absolutely love your books! in my opinion you are a very inspirational and phenominal author! 🙂

I probably had the most fun writing the Alice books because so many of the scenes were funny and made me laugh out loud–especially her discussions with her older brother.  I was actually studying to be a clinical psychologist, but I was helping pay my way through college by writing and selling short stories.  When I graduated with a BA degree ,however, I decided that writing was really my first love, so I gave up plans for graduate school and began writing full time.  I don’t have a favorite genre–it all depends on the plot and characters.

Author questions

Hi there! I’m 12 and want to be an author, you are my inspiration and my personal idol! I wanted to know, How long do you tend to work on a book before you’re happy with it? How do you handle criticism with your books? and finally, where do you get the inspiration for your stories? thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my question. I hope you have a very nice day and are living a very happy life!

I’ve been working for three years on the book I’m writing now, but that’s unusual.  For a book in a  series, I usually can write it in four or five months because I already know the characters and have some idea of what’s going to happen next.  I take criticism seriously, knowing that some people will always like a book more than others, and that they have different experiences with which to judge a book.  But I try to learn from them,not get upset or angry.  I’m inspired by things that happen to me, things I read about or worry about….anything at all can be the starting point for  a book.  Best of luck to you with your own writing.

Where can I buy the “Shiloh” movie DVD?

So many teachers have asked where they can buy the DVD of the first “Shiloh” movie, so I’m answering on two different blogs.  Amazon carries it in its “CD & vinyl” category.  I believe the selling price is $57.   They also carry some of the other Shiloh movies.  You might try, too, buying it second hand.  See if they list that choice.   Phyllis Naylor

 

Thank you

I am ten years old and live in a small town east of Toronto, Canada. I really love your books! I have re-read The Grand Escape and Carlotta’s Kittens uncountable times. Your books inspired me to write my own. I started to read more and more classic books until, I came across yours. Nobody’s books inspired me more than yours did. I love the characters in the books, and when they talk, you only use the best words to describe them. I enjoy how in Carlotta’s Kittens, Texas Jake takes Marco and Polo when little Catnip goes missing, but usually, Boots and Elvis would have gone with him. I realized that you had Marco and Polo go on the Second Mystery, the Mystery of Where Does the Water Go When it Rains, so that in the future you could make another story with it. I will let you know when I publish books of my own. Thank you so much for writing your books! They bring joy and happiness to many people, including me. I hope you are doing well!   I had a great time writing them.

 

I’m delighted to hear that you are writing your own stories!  That’s so much fun.  And I’m happy too that you enjoy the Cat Pack books so much.   I hope you were able to find all four:  The Grand Escape; The Healing of Texas Jake; Carlotta’s Kittens; and Polo’s Mother.  I had a great time writing them.

Roxie and the Hooligans

I started a book club with my students where we read the first book of Roxie and the Hooligans. They loved the adventure Roxie took them on and they would like me to add the rest of the series to our classroom library. As I was searching for the rest of the books, I noticed there is only one other book.

My class and myself would like to know if you are planning on writing more Roxie adventures?

I had hoped there would be more books in that series also, but so far it just hasn’t worked out  There is another two-book series for this same reading level that they would also enjoy, I think–  Emily’s Fortune and Emily and Jackson Hiding Out.  Lots of excitement.

How are you?

Hello, Mrs. Naylor! I’ve seen so many people asking you about your books, I’ll bet answering these questions get exhausting. My question is how are you doing? I hope you’re staying safe and are in good health. Quarantine has given me loads of time to catch up on my reading and to tell you the truth, I’ve read every Alice book you’ve written,but never read all of your other books til now. My favorite Alice book is Now I’ll tell you Everything since thats where everything unfolds and honestly I think you ended it wonderfully! Great Job! Also, I love that Alice married Patrick because they’re so great together. Did you marry your childhood sweetheart? Hope u have a Merry, jolly Christmas Mrs. Naylor! God bless you! 💖💖

I’m staying safe and am reasonably well.  Have only been quarantined once because someone in a dining room where I was eating with friends came down with the virus, so even though this person was far away from us, everyone got confined to their apartments for two weeks.  Didn’t bother me much as I got a lot of writing done. No, I did not marry my childhood sweetheart, the boy whom I played Tarzan with as described in an early Alice book.  The last I heard he had become a dentist down in Florida.  I happily married Rex Naylor in 1960 and we had a long life together before he died.  Now I’m getting ready to celebrate Christmas with grandchilden on Zoom.   Despite all the things to worry about in our country right now–the virus, the President, the climate, the riots–I’m glad to be alive and hope you are too.

 

A thank you and a couple questions

Hi again, I’m the fan who e-mailed u about “Fan needing help” on the Alice blog and I re-read the book Now I’ll tell you everything and even highlighted some parts at the end to read when I need to reassure myself that Patrick and Alice lived happily ever after. I’ve never loved a book so much before or the characters and Im slowly getting better, but how do I forget about penny and all of Patrick’s other girlfriends? Do all teens go through a faze like this where they’re obsessed with romance? And if so how do I get out of it and enjoy my last remaining year of being a teen? I also wanted to say thank you for being so patient and helping me.

It seems to me that you are looking at Alice and Patrick’s relationship as a guide to the way your own life might go, and that only a fairy tale romance will make you feel good about your future.  Patrick was very much interested in “exploring the world” and seeing things from different perspectives.  I feel much better about his love for Alice in that he allowed himself to meet and be involved with other girls and women first–than if he had dated only Alice in high school and married her shortly afterwards.   Having other relationships and traveling and living in other countries helped him see more clearly what had satisfied him most and who he missed, so that he was much more sure of himself and his love for Alice when they married. Alice on the other hand, was more insecure, having lost her mother early, but in the time Patrick was out of her life temporarily, it gave her the chance to meet other men and compare them to Patrick.   But these characters are all fiction, and you will be following your own road map–sometimes you will feel like Alice, but many of your experiences will be unique and belong only to you.  Look forward to life, and don’t let bumps along the way scare you.