Author Spotlight Phyllis Campbell

Welcome!

1. When did you start writing?

I won a short story contest when I was eleven.

 

2. What motivates you to write?

Several things motivate me to write. I write two bi-monthly columns for National Braille Press, and a monthly for the Blind Post. For these, I’m motivated to offer information. For fiction, many things influence me, an item in the news, a happening in the community, or in my own world. I try to keep a list of things that strike my interest.

 

3. What genre do you write in and what made you chose this particular genre?

My short pieces have ranged from romance to The Virginia Psychiatric Journal. My books have included my memoir, a mystery, Young Adult Inspirational, supernatural, and Christian (family) I think of a plot, and if I keep thinking about it, I write. As with what motivates me described earlier, many things may influence my choice of plot. For instance, some years ago, I was doing a short piece on the lot of women in the 1800s. At dinner, I wondered what it must have been for blind women, especially those who had ambition. “Like you,” a friend said. “They probably did even stay dead,” he further commented. “Out of the Night” supernatural was born.

 

4. What is your goal in writing? Do you have dreams where your writing should take you?

I think we all secretly want a bestseller, but I would be content with steady sales, bringing a reasonable income, and that perhaps, leave something meaningful with the readers.

 

5. Do you ever suffer from writer’s block and if yes, how do you deal with it?

I seldom suffer from that dread condition. My husband has been dead for almost six years, but I can still hear him saying, “Leave it alone for a while. It will come.” I do, and it does.

6. What advice would you like to give new, hopeful authors?

Try to start small. Unless you’re a JK Rowling, likely you won’t have an immediate bestseller. Be happy with that small sale, more likely small sales. Get a feel for the market, and raise the bar. Study the markets, and follow guidelines carefully. They may seem silly to us, but they’re what the editors want, and there are plenty of writers out there, who don’t care how silly they sound. Look carefully at your dreams. Be sure they are practical, and go for them. Try not to get discouraged. Look at your work, just to be sure that you haven’t missed something important. Pick yourself up, and try again.

 

7. Please, tell us about your work.

As I stated earlier, I write in many genre. If it interests me, I write about it. I have written six books, published by both traditional and self-publishers. My latest book is “Where Sheep May Safely graze” Westbow Press, available from
http://www.amazon.com/author/psc-books-all
available both in print and digital formats.
You will find a listing of my books there, along with the link to purchase. I have also written a true-crime book under contract with the family of the victim, rights belonging to them.

Thank you for being my guest. It was such a pleasure to have you here!!

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About Phyllis:

Phyllis Staton Campbell, who was born blind, writes about the world she knows best. She calls on her experience as teacher of the blind, peer counselor and youth transition coordinator. She says that she lives the lives of her characters: lives of sorrow and joy; triumph and failure; hope and despair. That she and her characters sometimes see the world in a different way, adds depth to the story. She sees color in the warmth of the sun on her face, the smell of rain, the call of a cardinal, and God, in a rainbow of love and grace.
Although she was born in Amherst County, Virginia, she has lived most of her life in Staunton, Virginia, where she serves as organist at historic Faith Lutheran church, not far from the home she shared with her husband, Chuck, who waits beyond that door called death.

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Connect with Phyllis:

Emails: Pcampbell16@verizon.net 
campbellphyllis17@gmail.com

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Phyllis-Campbell/e/B001KC40ZI/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Phyllis-Staton-Campbell-361675114286715/

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Books by Phyllis Campbell:

Where Sheep May Safely Graze

Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 Where Sheep May Safely Graze This book was wonderful. It held my attention from the first page …
ByAFBon February 24, 2018
This book was wonderful. It held my attention from the first page until the end and I did not want it to end. I hope a second book will be forth coming. Kudos to you Phyllis for the best book I have read in a long time.

Other books by Phyllis Campbell…

COME HOME MY HEART, 1985.
REPRINTED IN 2001

 

 

 

 

 

FRIENDSHIPS IN THE DARK, 1996 Reprint 1997

 

 

 

 

 

The Evil Men Do 2006, true crime, written under contract for the family of the victim.

A Place To Belong August, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

Who Will hear Them Cry, April, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

Out of the Night February, 2014