Your Questions Answered

Student Letter

Hi there,
I have a student who has a hand-written letter for you. Do you have an address for physical letters?

Thank you so much! 🙂
Melissa Azzaratta
4th Grade Teacher

Send it to me at 401 Russell Avenue, Apt. 713,  Gaithersburg, MD 20877

How to come up with the best ideas

Hello, I’m terribly sorry to bother you, I know you’re probably a busy woman so I’ll make this quick. I’m a young author and I just wrote 2 books and I feel I’ve used up all my best ideas for other books. How do I come up with some more best ideas? How do you do it?

You live your life.  You pay attention to what people say and do; you listen in on conversations in public; you empathize with people going through hard times; you quit worrying about “best ideas” because sometimes the small things turn into the big things, and you let them come to you.

Phyllis Naylor Autograph Request

Hi, I am a huge fan of Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. I have heard that sending an email is a great way to get an autograph. So, I was wondering if I could receive a autographed photo or bookplate. If possible, that would be absolutely amazing to add to my collection. Thank you very much and have a great 2021.

Sincerely,
Aiden

Send  your request again to me at this email address (phyllis_naylor@comcast.net) and give me your address along with it,

How to love yourself and your body

Hello! I’m one of your biggest fans and I literally grew up with Alice and Shiloh. I’m 17 years old and have struggled for years with how to be happy with my body, I’m really short (4’6) and I don’t have big curves like all the other girls and people mistaken me for an 11 year old on a daily basis. How do I be happy with my body?

If you look hard enough, you will find other girls who look very much like you do and are happy with their lives.  They concentrate on their talents, their sense of humor, their abilities to do many things, and if you were able to learn the heights and weights and curves–or lack of curves–of many of the brides you see pictured in the newspaper, you would find that many people fall in love with 4’6″ girls.

How to get over a break up faster?

Dear Phyllis Reynolds-Naylor,
I don’t know how Alice did it. For 11 months I was dating a boy who I thought I was in love with. He ended up leaving me for another girl and now I have to see them everywhere whether it’s on social media or around town or school. It’s like I can’t escape them! I feel so angry, unwanted and heartbroken. How do I get over a break up fast and land back on my feet without feeling jealousy and anxiousness?

That IS hard, no getting around it.  I don’t think you should expect yourself to  get over it fast without feeling jealousy and anxiety.  Some day you may experience the reverse and break up with a guy who was sure you loved him for real.  This happened to me once, and I still can’t forget the look on his face and the degree to which I hurt him.  I just met someone whom I thought was better for me, and  tried explaining it, but he was so upset.  Give yourself time to feel good about your good traits, and realize that someone else may like the things about you that this boy gave up.  NONE of us is perfect.

Were you in any clubs?

So we know Alice was in a lot of clubs when she was in school such as the earring club and the school newspaper and she even signed up to be a camp counselor. Were you in any clubs when you were in school?

No, but I think I would have loved to write for the newspaper.  I didn’t think I was good enough for that, though I wrote little monologues and read them aloud in speech class.  I loved (and still love) to sing, and was accepted into the acapella choir, and also the madrigals.  I also played Anne in our senior play, “Cheaper by the Dozen.”  (and was chosen Senior Class Poet on “Ivy Day.” )  I attended a huge high school (1000 in each level) and close to graduation, we put on our robes and marched around the two blocks of the school, then planted ivy to grow up the side, and I had to read a poem for the occasion, and it was dreadful.  At least I thought so.  I hope it was never published anywhere.

How do you write your books?

Hello there Mrs. Reynolds-Naylor!
I’m 18 and am publishing my first book. I actually write all my stories in a notebook and then give it to my editor. I know a lot of writers still write with type writers or with a laptop. How do you write your books?

I used to write each book three times first in longhand on a clipboard, then I got it down to two times, then one time, and now, because of pain in my hands, I type directly onto the computer.  No matter how I begin, however, I always rewrite again and again and again, until I can’t find one word to change, though an editor usually can.

How have you been?

Hello Mrs. Naylor! I wanted to tell you I’m a really big fan of yours and you are a fantastic author and I love how realistic you are. How are you doing? I hope you and your family are staying safe and are good health, What are your summer plans? I heard you’re writing a new book and I hope it’s going great. I’ll be honest and say I wish you could live forever because the world needs great authors like you with the good wisdom you have and to be brutally honest with you, My generation is lacking wisdom. Well, that’s all I wanted to say. Stay safe!

I’m quite safe, thank you, have received both shots of the vaccine, and am always writing a new book.  My sons and their families have also escaped COVID 19, and I’m hoping it won’t be long before we see each other again Meanwhile, phone calls and emails help a lot.

How to stay motivated while writing a novel

I’ve been working on the same novel for almost 3 years now and I haven’t grown bored but i’ve been so stressed with school and other things in my life that I’ve been feeling unmotivated to write anything even though writing is my life and I love it more than anything. How do I get myself motivated to write again? How do I find time on a busy schedule to write?

Well, so am I.  And I have all these emails to answer, but I don’t use them as excuses.  I keep a notebook in my purse, and if I am stuck in a waiting room at  the dentist, I write.  If I wake early some mornings, I get up and write.  If you are interested enough in the character and the plot, you just can’t wait until you can get to the story again.

Advice on life

What’s your advice to someone who wants to live a long, happy and meaningful life? -Dottie.
P.S.
I am a really big fan of the Alice books! They’re simply Marvelous!!

Number one, always: KNOW YOURSELF.   And learn to love yourself, because, hopefully, you’ll be together for a long, long time.   Accept yourself.  Short, tall, gay, straight, outgoing, introvert….When young people tell me they worry that they will never find a partner because they don’t think they are pretty enough, strong enough, funny enough, smart enough, sexy enough….  Look around you! I want to say.  Have you ever noticed how so many couples look happy who you wouldn’t think would have chosen each other at all?   I also think that you can’t have happiness if life doesn’t have meaning to you.  By that I mean that if the sum of what you do with your life is to lie around a pool in a designer bathing suit with a Mercedes in the driveway, you are going to be bored, bored, bored.  Live a life so that if you were to die tomorrow, you would be missed.   Really missed.  The neighbor children would miss the way you played baseball with them; your boss would miss your willingness to take time to orient new employees; your choir director would miss your voice; your spouse would miss your tenderness and caring; the homeless shelter would miss your check…   Learn to use every talent you have both to validate yourself and bring happiness to others.