Phyllis Reynolds Naylor knew at a very early age that she wanted to be a writer. She began her career writing short stories for magazines and has since authored more than ninety books for children. Though Mrs. Naylor grew up in Ohio, she sets many of her books in West Virginia. The boys-girls battle series is set in Buckman, West Virginia, a town modeled after Buckhannon, West Virginia, where her husband spent most of his growing-up years. Mrs. Naylor has enjoyed accolades from young readers all across the country, and she has won numerous awards. She was honored with the Newbery Medal for her novel Shiloh. Born January 4 in Anderson, Indiana Previous Jobs Clinical secretary, teacher, editorial assistant Hobbies Writing, reading, singing, playing the piano, hiking, swimming, theater, and snorkeling Favorites ... foodsanything chocolate ... clothespants and shirts, or gypsy skirts ... colorsjade green and blue ... booksbooks by Southern authors and books about ordinary people caught up in extraordinary situations Inspirations for writing Absolutely everything that ever happened to me and anybody else, all mixed up with imaginings!