Remembering PHYLLIS A. WHITNEY,
by Dean James.

WHITNEY Singing Stones    Phyllis A. Whitney’s books have been great favorites of mine for as long as I remember. I discovered her juvenile mysteries about the same time that I discovered her adult suspense novels, and I read both groups of books with great pleasure. Growing up on a farm in Mississippi, I did all my world-traveling in those days through books. Miss Whitney took me to far-flung, exotic places that I could never hope to go on my own, and after I read one of her books I felt I had been to those locales, if only for a brief while.

   I found her address in a reference book, back in 1983, and I wrote her the first fan letter I ever wrote to an author. Within ten days, I received a reply. What she had to say in that letter told me that she had read my letter and thought about what I had to say, and I was touched by the time she obviously took to respond.

   Later on I had the great pleasure of meeting her in person, twice. First was in 1988 at the Edgar Awards Banquet; Miss Whitney had been named Grandmaster for that year. I found my way to her table before the festivities started, clutching one of my favorite of her books (Emerald, in case anyone is curious), and rather shyly introduced myself and told her how much pleasure she had given me over the years through her books. Her face lit up, and she was obviously so delighted by talking to a reader, she charmed me completely.

WHITNEY Emerald

   I saw her again a few years later at Malice Domestic, and Dorothy Cannell (another big fan of hers) and I stood in line waiting to get books signed, happily discussing our favorites. Once again, when I had the chance to speak to her, I received that same beaming smile and obvious joy she had when talking to readers. She was over 90 by that time, and her body might have been frail, but her mind was still razor-sharp. She delighted many people that day during the panel she did at Malice.

   Sometime last year I decided it was time to reread some of her work, and I was just as enthralled with it as I had been when I read the books for the first time. Despite the fact that she was (by this time) considerably older than her heroines, she had this uncanny ability to understand what hurdles young women of that particular decade were facing and write credibly about them.

   She told me in her letter, back in 1983, that the reason she had stopped writing historical novels was that she was far more interested in the problems of women of the present, and I think she did it with great compassion and understanding. Emerald is a prime example of this.

   Phyllis A. Whitney was a wonderful storyteller, and I will always relish the time I spent reading her books, and the times to come when I will read them again.

— Dean James