Once "The Lost Empires of the Book of Mormon"was finished, which covers some of the history of the people who spread over a much broader area of the Great Lakes, including the Jaredties, I felt I needed to go back to the limited New York setting and make the needed refinements my years of research had brought to light. Two more books emerged, both similar, but with new insights in each. Still more study brought to light the archaeological picture of the ancient inhabitants of New York and who they evolvled into over the centuries, with links leading principally to the modern language families of the Algonquin, Iroquois, and Cherokee Indians. By piecing together various pieces of history relative to the other races who arrived in America, the Hopewell mound culture of the northeast also became much more clear, including their rise and fall, and their interaction with the Nephites and their Lamanite brothers. Thus began a new work entitled, "We Are Israel, the American Indian and the Book of Mormon" which was intended to replace the others, for it contains much the same material, only with much more information added. The accompanying DVD was put together to help make the lands of the Book of Mormon and its people come life, just as they have for me.

    I learned a lot during those long years of study. For instance, I learned many things need to be considered in identifying a people, including such things as skull types, burial customs, cultural traits, linguistics, and their places of origins and migratory routes. Such attention to detail is also needed in trying to identify the lands various migrating groups came to settle, including the Nephites. One cannot simply find a narrow neck of land somewhere, or a river, or a sea, and suggest it was the very one mentioned in the scriptures. Every landmark and geographical feature of the surrounding territory must also fit. It was my contention that if one major landmark did not fit, then the whole thing was wrong. It was only after each and every geographical description noted in the Book of Mormon was placed in its proper place beside each and every other piece of the puzzle that I felt confident enough to put forth the premise that the lost lands of the Book of Mormon may well have been found--and not more than eighty miles from the Hill Cumorah itself, with new findings in DNA and radiocarbon dates strengthening the premise.

    Years of study and research went into the work. While I cannot boast of having the same credentials as those whose scholarly works make the greatest impressions upon the Saints, my own extensive research is no less important. Over the past decade I studied skull types, linguistics, racial and physical types, including DNA, world history from the period of the tower of Babel onward, the history of Israel and her fall and ultimate scattering, and the tribes who emerged and began to sail the seas and civilize many nations. In the course of time I was able to tentativly identify many of those who made their way to the Americas, some of which  have clear ties to the Celtic tribes of western Europe.

   Yet still she was not finished. Phyllis said: "Once the Lost Lands and The Lost Tribes were finished, I thought I was finished as well, for it had been quite a struggle physically for me to complete them. But, as my mind continued to ponder the many things which I had learned, new questions came up which set me on a new course of study to find the answers to those questions as well. Thus, more research began which culminated in a huge amount of material being digested and put onto paper. That information was particularly helpful in outlining the saga of the Jaredites, for a number of Old World colonies made it to the New World during the Bronze Age, some of which apparantly became close friends and allies of the Jaredites. The culmination of that study resulted in still another book, "The Lost Empires of the Book of Mormon," a much more in depth study of the people of ancient America starting from the period of the tower of Babel and extending through the Jaredite and Nephite eras, and beyond to the Restoration—a period covering 4000 years.

    Although Phyllis has been plagued with Fibro Myalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for over 40 years, which has left her completely incapacitated at times, it has not stopped her from being productive. As her health began to interfere with her activity, and the pain made it impossible to paint any longer, (a life-time hobby), she began to write in hopes of being able to contribute something to the kingdom, however small. Her first efforts was a book on the Millennium which was subsequently published by CFI. As her grandhchildren began to reach the age of accountablity, she put together a large hard-bound book on Baptism and the Holy Ghost which Granite publishing proudly announced were two of their best sellers over the past decade until their company folded in 2011. She plans to turn them into Kindle books soon.

     It was during a period of recovery from a serious illness in 1996 that she began a comprehensive study of the Book of Mormon in response to the admonition of the Prophet to study that sacred work more thoroughly. As her study progressed, and she began to follow the journey of the Nephites and Lamanites through the various lands described in the scriptures, she began to study out the regions around the Hill Cumorah in New York State in hopes of finding an area that matched the numerous geographical description given in the scriptures. To her surprise, she found an area that matched remarkably well. A period of serious study of the geography of New York followed, which bought to light the fact that ancient seas once existed which proved to be the missing links needed in piecing together the often puzzling description of Book of Mormon territory. With the inclusion of these ancient seas, every piece of the puzzle fit together perfectly and can be studied in depth in her book, "The Lost Lands of the Book of Mormon," published by Cedar Fort Inc. in 2000. Because every detail of her work is supported by both the scriptures and geological and archeological evidence, it became a best seller. In fact, so much evidence was unearthed during her extensive research that the second book was finished just a year after the first, which gives impressive evidence that the Mound Builders of the eastern United States did indeed include the Nephites and Lamanites. Anyone interested in Ancient American history will find these books fascinating.

   Phyllis Carol Olive, author of the best-selling book, "The Lost Lands of the Book of Mormon," (CFI) and its sequel,"The Lost Tribes of the Book of Mormon," resides in Las Vegas with her husband, Ron Olive. They have a combined family of seven children and seventeen grandchildren. (Now expanded to include 6 great-grandchildren). Although Phyllis has held numerous positions in the church, her favorite has always been that of teacher which she feels helped prepare her for her authorship of the “The Lost Lands” series. Her publisher utilized her artistic talents as well by putting her own paintings on the cover of each book.