Your Questions Answered

School presentations/Visits

comments:

We have a Young Author’s Conference here in May. We like to have an Author’s presentation for our students. It is preferred to have an author that connects with our 100% free lunch population.
Do you come to schools?

Phyllis replied:

I have no idea where your school is located.  Yes, I connect well to students who are on a  free-lunch basis, but I have to save most my time now for my writing.  There are just so many books in my head, waiting to be written.  I do still speak at conferences and once in a great while, I’ll make a school visit.

Could You Write About This?

Comment:

Could you make a book on a girl who’s parents get separated?? Because I think other people should know about what it feels like. I love your Alice books.

 

Phyllis replied:

I did.  In the  Alice series, Pamela’s parents separate, and a number of the books deal partly with Pamela’s feelings about it.  Alice on Board is a good example.  I also wrote a book, The Solomon System, about two brothers whose parents are separating, the anger and sorrow the brothers feel, and how they deal with it.  I’m so happy you like the Alice books

FaceTime???? OBOS

Comment:

Hi! My elementary students, staff, and families are loving Marty and Shiloh as we share the text through One Book One School. Any chance we could FaceTime with you? Thanks for even considering my request. Signed, A Hopeful Reading Teacher

Phyllis replied:

I love hearing that your school is using Shiloh for your One-Book-One-School selection.  I truly wish I had time to meet all the requests.  I do occasionally agree to have a 15 minute Q/A with a class after they have read the book, if your school can set up a speaker phone in your classroom.

I Want to Become Writer

Comment

I want to become an author just like you and write children’s books when I am older. Would you say this is a great career or does have some pros and cons? 2) Why do you think people gave you so many rejections? I personally would say you wouldn’t deserve any! 3) I LOVE to read! Are there any books you would recommend? 😉 Love, a Shiloh addict

Phyllis replied:

Like all careers, this has pros and cons:  it is a very competitive field.  When I first began submitting manuscripts, you could send it right to an editor.  Now, most publishers insist that manuscripts come to them through an agent.  Also, I wrote short stories for church magazines for 15 years before I ever attempted to write a novel, and I learned a great deal this way.  Yes, I  received over 10,000 rejection slips, but this was a time that I could send out multiple copies of a single story, and because Baptists didn’t read Methodist publications, and Methodists didn’t read Catholic story papers, church editors didn’t mind.  So a single story may have received eleven rejections, and nine acceptances.  I was able to support myself in this way.  So many of my friends are writers, it’s hard to recommend any one book over the others.  I loved Katherine Paterson’s the Great Gilly Hopkins. Also Jerry Spinelli’s Wringer.  And Gary Paulson’s Hatchet.  If you liked Shiloh, make sure you read the other three books in that series.  You might also enjoy Faith, Hope and Ivy June; Jade Green; The Boys Start the War, and the 28 books of my Alice series.  As to  your own writing, write from the heart.  Try taking events from your own life that affected  you emotionally and use these as starting places.  Turn them over to your imagination and see where they take you.  And don’t give up!

Teenage Love Troubles

Teen Love Problems

Comment:

I know you are quite the woman of wisdom and so I really need your insight. I am currently sixteen and a half years old, I have a boyfriend, whom I’ve been with for about 8 months, but I have been crushing on him since the 5th grade. I became best friends with him about a year and half ago. And at this time, he was crazy about this girl, and she played with his feelings like a baby plays with a rattle. She had three boyfriends (not all at once) and kept them from him, but continued to lead him on. I was friends with her before this, but she lied to me and lost all of my trust. And at one point, something really awful happened and she hurt him too. I was there for him and she didn’t care how much she hurt him. And he knows that I strongly dislike her and that I really don’t trust her. He has talked to her in the past (while we have been dating) and he kept it from me for a while. His reasoning was because he knew how much I didn’t like her and that he thought it would upset me to talk about her. We’ve gotten in a few arguments over this. And the most recent one was the worst. He told me that he thinks of her everyday. That really hurt. He told me that he worded it wrong and that what he meant was that he didn’t like ending on bad terms with her and shutting her out of his life. Well, she doesn’t want to be his friend. She has pushed away all of her friends because all she wants is to be with her boyfriend. She actually quit her job to spend more time with him. He seemed to blame me for them ending on bad terms. I had texted her politely asked her not to talk to him because it upsets him and makes me feel insecure and uncomfortable because I know how much she meant to him and I sometimes feel like I can’t live up to those expectations. I just want him to be over her, even if he says he is, I just don’t know. I want to trust him on that but I feel so fragile. I found out that next semester, he will for sure have a class with her (I was told by one of my friends). And I want to mention something to him but I feel like he’ll get mad at me for bringing it up. What should I do? His says he understands, but I feel like he still just thinks of her and it makes me feel insignificant, which I have told him. Any advice on how to approach him on this sore subject?

 

Phyllis replied:

I doubt there are many people, male or female, who haven’t at some time suspected that the person they are with might like someone else better.  You’ve analyzed it correctly–that the thought that he is still thinking about her a lot makes you feel insecure and uncomfortable because you’re not sure you can measure up.  Do you really think that if he promised you he’d quit thinking about her, it would stop the thoughts from coming?  You really can’t ask or expect someone to quit liking another person just because you’re uncomfortable–that’s on you to deal with.  But I can tell you for sure that bringing up the subject again and again makes him think about her all the more.  Here are two things for you to think about:  Realize that there are obviously some things he likes about you or he wouldn’t be spending time with you at all.  And second, if you were not so dependent on his affection–if you could devote more time to other activities or people and talk about other things–you would be more attractive to him.  Dating for most teens is a roller-coaster affair, but the more confidence you can have in yourself, the less dependent you will be on this or any other boyfriend.

The witch saga

Comment:

I would just like to say, that I love the 6 books about Mrs. Tuggle. I have read them since I was very young, 13 I think. And am.now 31. I am from Denmark, and read them in Danish. They were my favorite books, and I have read them all so many times. I tried.to find them in Danish when I got older, but it was impossible to find them all. So I gave up. Until one day, a person answered an old request in a Facebook group and she had five of the books, just like I remember them from when I borrowed them at the school library when I was a teenager. I will keep them forever they are a reminder of when I was young and had a very magical imagination. Love them so much. They are such amazing book’s and You told the story so great. Thank you for writing them. They are my favorite books.

 

Phyllis replied:

You are a true fan, to have loved these books so long.  I really enjoyed writing them, although some of those chapters gave me goose bumps.  The girls in the house alone when all those cats and crows are clawing to get in….   The girls in the cellar, drawing a protective circle in chalk around them….  I can remember not wanting anyone to walk behind my chair while I was writing the books.  I knew I would rise up out of my chair if anyone had touched my shoulder.  Thanks so much for your email.

Witch Books

Comment:

I read your “Witch” books as a child, and they introduced me to the horror genre. I thank you for that.  I’m now 34 and I feel a strong urge to read them again. Unfortunately I live in Denmark and the books are nowhere to be found. Are there any chance at all, that this series will be available as E-books?

Phyllis replied:

I wish I could answer that, but I just don’t know.  All six of the witch books, however, are available from Amazon.  I just checked.  Witch’s Sister,  Witch Water, The Witch Herself, The Witch’s Eye, Witch Weed, and The Witch Returns.

 

Thank you for your Witch Books!

Comment:

I am writing to say that I’m a big fan of your witch book series. Some of my favorite children’s books are Witch’s Sister, Witch Water, and the Witch Herself. I especially enjoy reading them in October with the crisp fall air and Halloween coming up. I recently recommended your Witch series book to my 11 year old niece. She’s recently become interested in witchcraft and spells, and I’m sure she’ll love reading your books.

Phyllis replied:

Thank you for your email.  I’m delighted that you loved those books.  Did you know that they are really part of a six-book series?  The next three books–to be read in this order–are The Witch’s Eye, Witch Weed, and The Witch Returns.
Creepy to the very last!

Could I have two photos?

Comment:

Dear Phyllis Reynolds Naylor,

I´m a great fan and admirer from your books. I would therefore be very happy,
if you can sent me two handsigned autographed photos from you.
Can you personalize one of them? Thank you very much.
I would be very pleased if you could fulfill my wish.Many thanks in advance for your kindness. I wish you all the best for the future.

Phyllis replied:

I see that your address is Germany, and I’m happy to be sending you the signed photos.

Do you ever sign book plates?

Comment:

I’m 22 and I’ve been reading Alice since I was 12 years old. It’s my favourite series of all time, as I’m sure you’ve heard from many other girls like me. I was just wondering, do you ever have time to sign book plates if they are mailed to you? I found these beautiful book plates for my Alice collection and was hoping that maybe you would be able to sign one?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and I completely understand if you’re too busy! I just wanted to also take a chance to tell you thank you so much for writing these books, they mean so much to me!

Phyllis replied:

I’m happy to sign book plates or even plain labels that readers can put inside their books, rather than sending me the book plus a mailer.  To send book plates, please place them in an envelope, along with an envelope with your return address and postage, and mail it to me at 401 Russell Ave., Apt. 713, Gaithersburg, MD. 20877.  I’m delighted to know you’re a fan of the Alice collection.