Birthday for a Queen

Phyllis Ayame Whitney, who The New York Times once called the Queen of the American Gothics, was born on this day in 1903. For those of you doing the math, that makes this her 103rd birthday.

Best known for her young adult novels, Whitney wrote mysteries for both children and adults. She was born in Yokohama, Japan, to American parents and spent her youth in the Orient. When her father died in China in 1918, Whitney’s mother brought her to the United States. After her mother passed away a few years later, Whitney moved in with an aunt in Chicago and began writing short stories. The budding author would publish about 100 stories during this period, while working in libraries and bookstores to supplement her income.

Whitney’s first book, a young adult novel called A Place for Ann, was published by Houghton Mifflin in 1941. Once she’d achieved novel-length publication, there was no stopping Whitney and, by 1960, she was the author of 25 books. In fact, between 1941 and 1994, Whitney wrote and published a book each year, often doubling that pace in the early years. Her most recent novel, Amethyst Dreams, was published in 1997 when Whitney was 94.

In 1961, Whitney’s 26th novel, a young adult book called Mystery of the Haunted Pool, won the Edgar Award for best children’s mystery. Three years later, another young adult book, Mystery of the Hidden Hand, also won an Edgar. In 1988, the Mystery Writers of America accorded Whitney their highest honor: the Grand Master Award, which celebrates a lifetime of achievement.

The author has been published in over 30 countries and more than 50 million copies of her books are currently in print. She lives in Virginia, where, we understand, she is working on her autobiography. You can send a birthday greeting to Whitney via the official Phyllis Whitney Web site.

(Hat tip to Elizabeth Foxwell.)