Phyllis Hall Haislip

I've always loved history because I love stories, and history has the word “story” in it.

Readers often ask where I get my ideas, and the answer is always “history.” I find it a challenge to bring the people of the past to life.

Readers are very important to me. I love visiting schools where I personally connect with children who have read my historical fiction for middle-grade readers. I was thrilled when kids chose Lottie’s Courage for The Beacon of Freedom Award.

My books have traveled widely, and I am delighted when readers enjoy what I have written and contact me.

Readers are curious about how writers work.

Finding time to write has never been easy. My husband did the dishes every night when our son was in school so that I would have a quiet hour to work on my first children’s novel. At that time, besides being a mom, I was teaching and taking care of my mom and an elderly uncle. My husband’s support has been invaluable. That does not mean that he reads what I write.

In fact, as a beginning writer, nobody read what I wrote except for editors and publishers. Now I am more willing to share my writing with other writers.

Monday through Friday mornings, I meet two or three writers at a local coffee shop to write. Even though we are friends, we don’t talk. We say hello, open our computers, and write. When we want to catch up, we go to lunch.

While I am writing, my research continues. No matter how much I know about the period, there are always details that need to be checked.

I write on my computer. I love it, and all its capabilities, especially because I typed my doctoral dissertation on a typewriter. I edited a 1502 text in Old French and Medieval Latin. I clearly remember the day when sick with a cold, I spilled orange juice on the keys. At the repair shop, I had to confess to the repairman that when the keys stuck, I banged the keys with my fist.

For relaxation, I like to walk. My husband and I have hiked with backpacks six times on the Camino de Santiago in France and Spain. I also enjoy gardening. Gardening in Virginia is an on-going challenge because of the hot, dry summers, the hungry deer, and other bothersome critters like moles and voles.

I currently live in historic Williamsburg, a great place to write historical fiction.