Ariana:

Polly or Veronica? Which was your favorite character to write? Why?

Phyllis:

I liked the differences between them actually. Veronica is so sweet and unworldly. Polly is going through fazes. She is unsure yet plows ahead; she can be cruel which surprises her. She often only thinks of herself but she can also be scared and lonely.

Ariana:

Who is your intended audience for this novelette?

Phyllis:

Ages 16 to 110, anyone interested in the innocence of the 1950s

Ariana:

What drew you to the epistolary form?

Phyllis:

My aunt Virginia died. I had written her 1 or 2 letters a week. Suddenly I had this time when I wrote and there was nothing to do! So I began a story with letters. It became Polly & Veronica.

Ariana:

What is your favorite letter in Polly & Veronica? Why?

Phyllis:

The letter when Veronica meets Harvey’s wife. It shows the depth of Veronica s feelings and yet she will survive.

Ariana:

List five adjectives to describe this novelette.

Phyllis:

Intimate, revealing, surprising, tearful, hopeful.

Ariana:

What season would you describe yourself as? Why?

Phyllis:

Spring because I am a flower gardener. I cherish each new growth. I hover over them. I memorize them.

Ariana:

If you could visit any place in the world you haven’t already, where would you go and why?

Phyllis:

I never got to Finland. I adore the rest of Scandinavia.

Ariana:

You are a very diverse in the types of works you write. Do you feel you have a certain theme you focus on in your work, including your children’s books?

Phyllis:

I don’t plan a theme but humor plays a role for sure. I love it if a reader gets my humor. I seem to combine humor and poignancy in my children’s books.

Ariana:

What do you future projects include? Are you currently working any new books?

Phyllis:

My interest at the moment and for the last 4 years has been literary short stories.

Ariana:

Name one thing that drives you crazy as a writer.

Phyllis:

An on-again, off-again internet provider. I had one that didn’t work if it rained or if there were too many leaves on the trees, and I live in Oregon!