Valerie - Welcome to Bookworthy. Today we're talking with author Phyllis Wheeler, who has written newspapers, worked on airplanes as a mechanical engineer, worked as a publisher and editor, and raised four children doing some homeschooling along the way. Now she's writing.
Award-winning time travel fantasy tales for kids and teens. Book one of her Guardians of Time series follows Jake and Ava as a mysterious teen who takes their dog, and they must time travel to get their beloved dog back. I can't wait to introduce you to Phyllis and the fun adventures of the Guardians of Time. Welcome to Bookworthy Phyllis.
Phyllis - Hello everybody, I'm so glad to be here.
Valerie - We are so glad to have you. I'm so excited about chatting with you and about these fun little adventures through time that you've put together. But before we get started, we have to do our random question of the week. And since your book deals with time travel, I thought we'd ask, what time period would you travel to if you had that power?
Phyllis - Well, you know, I really would like to meet Jesus. I would. I would like to like that sermon on the Mount. I'd like to be there. And I'd like to go, you know, to the Sea of Galilee and watch him walk on the water. I would love all that. Yeah.
Valerie- Very, that's a very good answer. I had never really thought of that. Cause usually when you think of time periods, you think of the Romans or the Greeks, or medieval times. It's like, that's very, yes. Yes. Jesus, please. And I think that through the chosen and some of the Christian film, sets have come out, we've kind of seen new sides to Jesus, which has kind of been fun and entertaining just to kind of get an idea of what it would have been like to be back then. Well, Phyllis, why don't you tell us a little bit about your three-book series, The Guardians of Time?
Phyllis -Well, so the first book is The Dog Snatcher. Then the second book is Secret of the Lost
Dragons. And this one is Search for the Hidden Throne. Now this is a series that's kind of ongoing, know, it can just keep going forever if you want to. So, I'm writing a fourth book. And so, it is a story of Jake and Ava. So, they live here in St. Louis. Near me actually in the suburbs and they're out playing in their yard. They're 11 years old by the way, out playing in their yard with their dog and this guy comes along. He's a teenager and he grabs the dog and he runs down the street and he vanishes into thin air. Well, they don't know what to do, but they notice he has dropped a skeleton key. So they pick it up and they mess around, they turn it in the air and all of sudden, they're somewhere else. It's a time travel key. And they have entered the world of the guardians of time who are medieval alchemists who've been
granted granted long life to rescue people lost in time. So they spend the rest of the book chasing through time and space to get the dog back.
Valerie- It's a very good book. It's very engaging and fast-paced. And I love how you go to the non-typical places in time. Because usually when you read a time travel book, you kind of get a little bit of the, the big hitters of, you know, yeah, history, right? American Revolution, Egypt, you know, you know, the Roman Coliseum, you know, usually get those big things. Would you take them to the American Revolution? But you take them to Lyon, France, and Vienna, and just kind of these hidden gems of history that I really enjoyed. What made you want to kind of explore those little parts of history?
Phyllis - Well, I've actually been there. So I've been to Lyon and I've been to Vienna and I like those places. So I and when you're there, of course, they're they're very old cities. You can imagine what they were like 500 years ago or 1000 years ago or whatever. So Lyon, especially, you know, it's a Roman settlement. It's very, very old. So it has catacombs. So I had to work that in, of course. You know, there's a, so I live here in St. Louis, and it's in the story too. St. Louis has caves under the city, just like Lyon. So we have a, you know, cave thing going on.
Valerie - I love that, you know, what is it, explores the different, you know, like I said, hidden gems of history and that there is even history in our towns that we don't even know about. And I love that Jake and Ava really have that sense of adventure and curiosity to turn that key, to step through the door, to, you know, not just go looking for their dog, but to kind of ask the questions that know, young kids would ask if they were out and about in traveling through time. What was your inspiration for writing for this middle-grade kind of eight to 11 age range?
Phyllis - Well, I've always wanted to write for kids, you know, ever since I was like 13. And I'm not sure why I'm drawn to it, but I guess it's sort of a calling. But in the meantime, I was a journalist. I worked for a daily newspaper or a couple of them for a total of six years. And journalism training is, you to write short sentences, active verbs, sixth-grade reading level So it was very good training for this. So that's the way I naturally write now.
Valerie - I would imagine. Yeah, it's one of those, one of the hardest things as a writer is to write succinctly and strongly because we want to, or what is it? In school, we're often taught to elaborate and to use adjectives and adverbs, but we kind of lose the heart or the point of whatever we're communicating. So when journalism kind of trains you to write fast and sharp and quick and to get your points across, really strengthens a story, which we're not taught in school, unfortunately.
Phyllis - Right, and if you can write a description that is one sentence long and gets the person there, now that takes work. It takes a lot more work than writing a whole paragraph because you gotta cut it down. You know, leave things out, leave everything out that isn't absolutely necessary.
Valerie - You said that you have traveled to Vienna and Lyon. What other places have you traveled that show up in the Guardians of Time?
Phyllis -Well, for my next book, Secrets of the Lost Dragons is set in, well, it's a bit of a spoiler, but it's somewhere in the Middle East that I have actually not been. But there are enough people that have been there that I was able to watch a million videos on YouTube. I also posted a on Facebook, and I asked all my friends who've been there and could send me their photos.
One of those people sent me some very critical photos for my visualization of the water system. It has an unusual water system. So which I was is in the book, of course. So and the same with this one here, I haven't actually been to this place either, which you could kind of guess. You see the llamas. I haven't been there, you know, I decided, I must, usually all the places I've been to are in Europe. And I didn't want a Europe-centric book series, you know, so I'm stepping outside of that going other places.
Valerie - Okay. All right. So, I love that your books don't just aren't Europe-centric because there are a lot of time travel books that kind of stay in that. Was it the Christendom area, the places that you know Christianity stayed into where most history follows, and it's been a neat process for me to explore a little bit more beyond that into the Middle East and to South America and discovering those histories as well. And I think those are areas that kids don't get a lot of in-school curriculum or even homeschool curriculum. So what made you want to explore the histories of those different countries?
Phyllis -Well, my kids had this game, computer game called Where in the World is Carmen
Sandiego? And I, it has this really cute little song. And I guess they made it, also made it, yeah, yeah. So that's kind of what I have in mind here. Like, let's guess where these kids are and not tell you immediately. Most of the series is gonna be like that. They land somewhere, they don't know where, and they get all these clues and they have to figure it out. So that's part of it.
Then, yeah, places I've been. I'm looking for, the Guardians of Time, which they become apprentices of, are rescuing people lost in time. And who needs rescuing in this piece of history, know, so I look around for somebody who needs rescuing.
Valerie - That's really neat. I Love Carmen San Diego, that video game I played as a kid. And it's something that I opened up my world and my love for different cultures and traveling. And I love that that kind of kind of is one of the foundations of what you are building with these guardians of time because it is neat for kids to look outside of their own homes in their neighborhood and to see the world in new ways. And I think that the beauty of history and studying history from all over the world is just to get a greater glimpse of the world, both God created the people God created, how creative he made us, and just how amazing the human race is.
Phyllis - Yeah, it's really good to just get more in-depth, a more in-depth feeling about the world around you and the history of the world.
Valerie - That's definitely. Now, Phyllis, did you always want to be an author?
Phyllis - Pretty much. I wrote my first book. Yeah, yeah, I wrote my first book when I was seven. So I just learned to read and it was a book about a pony who wanted a saddle and I illustrated it myself and stapled it together.
Valerie - Usually hits us pretty young, doesn't it? I think that one of the earliest memories I have in my second-grade class, they were told to make a book and I just consumed myself with it. It was just what I loved doing and what I would do at home. It, I mean, it was, I mean, a seventh grader, not a seventh grader, but a seven-year-old drawing, you know, which wasn't all that great, but it was so immersive to God created me, which was kind of neat to see it.
Phyllis - That's right. He gave me the desire and the gift, so it seems pretty obvious I should do it.
Valerie - Now you have some study guides that go along with these books as well on your website, correct?
Phyllis - Well, I've got a study guide for the first book of the Guardians of Time series for here. And that's, I think it's five weeks of a unit study. And I've also got a study guide for my other book that is not part of the Guardians of Time, my first book. It has a study guide too. So they're available on my website. And so I also have pulled together a group of authors writing in the same space, namely they're Christian authors writing for middle grade or lower middle grade for the homeschool market, and asked them to write study guides. And so, our study guides are available for free download on our joint website, which is newclassicstudyguides.com.
Valerie - That sounds like an amazing resource. What are some of the other authors that you have on there?
Phyllis - Well, let's see. John Hendricks wrote a book about, it's a biography of Dietrich
Bonhoeffer. And Alan Brockin writes a family read-aloud sort of fantasy. Susan Marlowe writes westerns. She has a girl series and a boy series. Think currently the one we have on our website is the girl series. And it's just kind of a smattering of different things. Yeah, Candy Wyatt writes dragon books. So the one that's on our website is about some teenage boys who found a dragon egg on the beach in California. And what do they do with it when it hatches and stuff like that?
Valerie - Sounds like a little bit for everybody.
Phyllis - Right, yeah, it's just kind of a potpourri, you know, and we're getting new authors regularly also. Then the way we get them is I choose them. So they have to be good books, they have to be written by Christians. And I have to, yes, I have to read them. I'm a homeschooling mom, so I have a very good idea of what homeschooling moms are looking for. Nothing political, for example.
Valerie - Well, kind of it, I'd imagine so it definitely is a different mindset. I have some friends at homeschool and I'm amazed at the books that they have their kids reading and you know, just the depth that they go to to explore the topics that these books bring out. So I love that you've provided resources, not just for your books, but a resource for other homeschooling families to find good Christian books to do the same. So that's really neat. Now, if you could communicate One thing through this series to kiddos, what do you hope they walk away with?
Phyllis - I hope they walk away with, you know, when you're in a tight spot, you should pray for help. That's what my kids do. So, my books are not obviously Christian. I'm trying to be winsome to a non-Christian. So, I never use the word Jesus, but these. So I gave God a different name. He's the guiding hand in this series. And the kids and he set up the Guardians of Time Guild and called them and put them in situations. And so it's very natural for them to say, this is a tight spot. I don't know what to do. Help, Lord, or help guiding hand. And so they get some help.
Valerie - I love how you've woven in the idea of a higher power and the idea that there is someone in control. There is someone who watches and is mindful of how we spend our time, where we're spending our time and the things that are important to us. It's subtle, but it's sweet the way that you've woven that into your stories for sure.
Phyllis - Thank you. I'm trying. It's hard to straddle two worlds, I'm trying.
Valerie - It's one of those things that comes naturally to talk about Jesus and, you know, the Bible and, you know, God's all powerful, all sovereign, but it's not a common language for those that may not be in a space where they have faith in their family or, know about God and the Bible as well. And so I love how you're just kind of introducing ideas that kind of make kids question, make that have them ask questions, not just about history, but what they believe in. And those are important questions for kids in that eight to 11 range to start asking.
Phyllis - So in that book, the first one, the dog snatched our young hero Jake tells a lie to his dad at the beginning. And it takes him the whole book to apologize, but he does. So it's, you know, trying to work in the Christian life, Christian living kinds of things also.
Valerie - Yes, it's one of those, you know, what those 11-year-olds are kind of when you reach that age, you're kind of just starting to see the consequences for your actions and, you know, secrets and, you know, being honest, such big parts of that preteen age of deciding, okay, who am going to be? What kind of person am I going to be? Am I going to be the person that speaks the truth to my family? Am I going to be the one that cares for my sister? Know, those things that our young kids are trying to develop in their selves and they get to walk with Jake and Ava as they're kind of going through those same struggles too. Now, since you've been a homeschooled mom for a while, and you are so in-depth with all the books, what's been one of your favorite books that you went through with your kids or that you've enjoyed?
Phyllis -Well, my favorite book of all time is The Lord of the Rings. When I started, I first.
Picked it up when I was about 14 and I read it through. And then, you know, I was kind of a sickly kid. I'd get sick pretty often. Every time I got sick, I would read The Lord of the Rings. It took me, you know, about three days to read it. Non-stop, you know. And so that's about how long I'd be sick. It's about three days. Anyway, so I've probably read it a hundred times. And right now I'm listening to the audiobook and I'm so enjoying it again. It's just sort of like my happy place. It seems kind of odd, but because it's a book about war and stuff, it's also got so many other things going on.
Valerie - That's amazing. It is such a rich book that you could read and connect with a different character each time and go on a different journey each time, you know, no matter, even though it's saying the same words. And I think that's the beauty and the power of the Lord of the Rings for certain. Now, what is something we can expect next from you Phyllis?
Phyllis - Well, I'm working on book four, which doesn't have a name yet. It is set in pre-Christian Ireland, at least partly. And I'm going for a launch date of July 1st, 2025.
Valerie - Very neat, not St. Patrick's Day.
Phyllis - No. It's too soon. I won't be ready.
Valerie - Okay. There we go. Sorry about that, but I'm Irish. And so we do a lot of St. Patrick's Day celebrations in our home and, you know, talking, focusing more on the missionary efforts of St. Patrick in those early Christian times of Ireland and pre-Christian times of Ireland. And so I look forward to seeing what you come up with in that fourth book for sure.
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Phyllis - Yeah, thank you.
Valerie - Well, where can people find out more about you and your book, Phyllis?
Phyllis - Well, you have to go to my website, which is phylliswheeler.com. And here's how you spell it. You spell it any old way and you put it into Google. Phyllis Wheeler. And then there it is, my website.
Valerie -Yep, we'll include it in the description of this episode so that people can easily find it. But you were the first one to pop up when it comes to Phyllis Wheeler, so it's kind of neat to have a unique name so that people can easily find you. Well, thank you so much for joining us today, Phyllis.
Phyllis - Yeah, I enjoyed it, Valerie.
Valerie -And thank you for joining Phyllis and me on this episode of the Bookworthy Podcast. Check the show notes for any books or links that we discussed. And in the comments, what time period would you travel to if you had that power? Be sure to like and subscribe so we can discover more great books together.
Happy reading!
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