Your Questions Answered

Thank you

Hi Phyllis – Not a question, just a thank you for your wonderful literature and for sharing so much about your life’s story on your website. As an educator, seeing your story and how the highs and lows in our lives can shape our course, even when it’s hard is inspiring to me and to students. My student will soon be reading Shiloh and is so excited. Thank you for offering this beauty. Blessings to you today.

I so appreciate your email.  It’s important to know that others have gone through tough times, and we learn from them what helps, what doesn’t.  Some day our students will tell their own stories and inspire someone else.

THANK YOU for amazing stories

I just wanted to say THANK YOU for being you. Thank you for the amazing stories you shared with the world. I’m especially fond of the Boys Against Girls Series. I got hooked on them almost 2 decades ago (yikes, how time flies)!!! Now that my youngest brother is in that preteen/teen phase, I suggested that he check them out in the library when my older brother can drive him there (we live in different cities). I remember I used to walk to the library just to check out the next book in the series or whatever remaining book there was that I haven’t read…I devoured them. Alas, times are a bit different now and we see less kids strolling down the streets to pay their neighborhood library a visit. Well, thank you for writing. May God bless you and your family with inner peace, joy, and health!!!!

It was so kind of you to write!  Those boys/versus/girls books were so much fun to write.  I’ll tell you where I got the idea:  one of my publishers asked if I would start a new series, and I just wasn’t sure I wanted to do that. There were so many single stories I wanted to write.  I told her I would think about it but I’d have to come up with some universal theme that would be appealing to all children.  Then I was speaking at school where kids were coming from two different entrances, several different classes .  They were noisy, as kids will be, and it didn’t bother me at all.  But it bothered one of the teachers and he yelled, “If you don’t be quiet, I’m going to seat you boy-girl-boy-girl….”   And instantly the large room became absolutely quiet.  I said to myself, there’s my theme.  That wonderful antagonism between boys and girls at a certain age.  And after that it was so easy, and so much fun, to think up ways they could get even with each other.

THANK YOU for BOYS VERSUS GIRLS books

I just wanted to say THANK YOU for being you. Thank you for the amazing stories you shared with the world. I’m especially fond of the Boys Against Girls Series. I got hooked on them almost 2 decades ago (yikes, how time flies)!!! Now that my youngest brother is in that preteen/teen phase, I suggested that he check them out in the library when my older brother can drive him there (we live in different cities). I remember I used to walk to the library just to check out the next book in the series or whatever remaining book there was that I haven’t read…I devoured them. Alas, times are a bit different now and we see less kids strolling down the streets to pay their neighborhood library a visit. Well, thank you for writing. May God bless you and your family with inner peace, joy, and health!!!!

Thanks so much for your letter.  I had a good time writing those books, because I was using the town that my husband grew up in–Buckhannon, West Virginia, as my location.  And it was a lot of fun thinking of what the girls would do next to get even with the boys, and what gross thing the boys had in mind.  Since I had two boys and a husband, it was fairly easy to think of what boys might come up with.  I’m so glad you enjoyed the series.

Boy/Girl Battle Series

I’ve been wondering the same thing asked below! Could Caroline and Wally really end up together?

Why not?   People sometimes change as they grow older.  Or they could find their differences charming…

Witch Series

Hi
I was wondering if it was still possible to find copies of the Witch Series anywhere. I recall reading it as a kid and loved it. I love books and have been collecting my old favourites for awhile and stumbled across this great memory and thought I’d ask.

Thank you for you amazing writing over the years

 

I get frequent questions about those books.  They were never sold as a series, so you would have to try to find each one separately.  Have you looked under “books” on my home page to find the witch series and where they might be purchased?  They would undoubtedly be in paperback only, I would imagine: Witch’s Sister, Witch Water, The Witch Herself, The Witch’s Eye, Witch Weed, and The Witch Returns.  (Gives me chills even typing some of those titles!)

Boy girl battle series

If you were to write a book about the Malloys and the Hatfords when they’re all grown up,what would it be about?

Oh, I don’t think that would be much fun.  I like them the age that they are now.

Boy girl battle series

I just discovered your website, I absolutely loved reading the battle series books as a child and I’m a teenager now,but it’s still stuck with me.
What I’ve always wondered is this- Could Caroline and Wally end up together when they’re older?

Can you even imagine Caroline and Wally as a couple?   Poor Wally.  Hmmm.  He’s  a deep thinker, though.  He might surprise us all.

The boy/girl Battle series

Hi,I really enjoyed reading your battle series books and I especially wonder what happens in the future.
I know there won’t be another book,but it would be nice if you could describe a little what your thoughts are and what happens.
Thanks for your time!

I guess you have read the twelfth and last book of the series, “Who Won the War?”  I think the readers will have a good time imagining all sorts of things that could happen next: maybe the boys’ dad decides to retire and puts his house up for sale; and maybe the girls’ dad is coming back to Buckman to coach again, and decides to put in an offer to buy the boys’ house…..!   You take it from there.

The Witch’s Sister – Film & TV Rights

Dear Mrs. Naylor. I reaching out in my capacity as producer with Danish production company Drive Studios. We have tracked the rights to the Witch’s Sister which were obtained by Blue Marble back in 1979. We love these books and would hope to make the whole series into a TV Show. Would it be possible to speak to you about a Author’s Release and process around Drive Studios potentially obtaining the rights for the first book?

Best,
Anders N. Berg

I wish I could say yes, but a number of producers have inquired about a TV series of the witch books, and no one has been able to tract the permission as far back as it needs to go. Evidently Blue Marble’s rights reverted to somebody else which were reverted to somebody else, and that person refused, and I truly don’t know who has the rights now.  If anyone ever manages to track down who owns those rights, I think they will have a great production on their hands.  You might check with Moses Cardona at John Hawkins, Associates in NYC and see if he has any further ideas.  Thank you for your interest.

Famous Hoosier Project About Phyllis.

Where was your school education? What are your character traits? What are your hobbies? Do you still Live in Indiana? And can you share some interesting facts with me about you? Thank you!

I have a bachelor’s degree, majoring in psychology;  I suppose my character traits are that I’m a hard worker, I worry too much, I have a good sense of humor, I have more fun with my family or a close bunch of friends than I do attending some big event; my work is also my hobby, because I absolutely love to make up stories, but I also like to make and eat anything chocolate.  I now live in Maryland, not Indiana.