A Tribute to Phyllis A. Whitney

Kaitlyn Dunnett/Kathy Lynn Emerson here. Back in the 1970s, when I was first starting out and trying to write mysteries for middle-grades readers (ages 8-12), Phyllis A. Whitney’s Writing Juvenile Stories and Novels was one of the go-to how-to books on the subject, along with Joan Lowry Nixon’s Writing Mysteries for Young People and Jane Yolen’s Writing Books For Children. A little later, branching out into romantic suspense, I added Whitney’s Guide to Fiction Writing to my shelf of writing books. And, of course, I’d been reading Whitney’s romantic suspense novels for years. Between 1943 and 1997, thirty-nine of them were published, along with twenty juvenile mysteries between 1949 and 1977 and fourteen novels for young people between 1941 and 1972.

I won’t say I took all her advice. For one thing, she was a plotter, advising wannabe writers to make extremely detailed outlines before starting to write each book. That never worked for me, although I did give it a try. What she did do was inspire me to think I could write in more than one genre, mix up the genres a bit, and have a long writing career. She died in 2008 at the age of 104. In 2024, a great many of her titles are still readily available in electronic, audiobook, large print, hardback, and paperback formats. That’s one heck of a legacy!

I never met Ms. Whitney in person, but I do have a lovely note from her in response to my request for a blurb for one of my children’s books. She declined, since she was no longer writing for that age group, but offered words of encouragement that I cherish. She and I, and the then fledgling Sisters in Crime, also had something in common—a desire to advance the careers of women mystery writers. Later, when a small group at Malice Domestic founded the now inactive American Crime Writers’ League, she was an avid supporter.

It was while going through one of my scrapbooks that I recently found a copy of the ACWL newsletter, the BULLETin, in which was printed a letter Ms. Whitney had written to another prominent member, the late Margaret Maron, someone I did have the good fortune to spend time with on numerous occasions. Since she gave permission for Margaret to share it, I feel comfortable doing the same.

That sentiments in that letter, written in 1998, stand in stark contrast to the way writers today feel about what they must do to promote each new book. And they go a long way toward explaining why I feel the way I do about self-promotion. Once upon a time, it was the writer’s job to write and the publisher’s job to get the word out about the result. Of course, once upon a time, it was also possible for a mid-list writer to make a living by writing books.

Opinions are welcome, but please take the time to read the two letters that accompany this post before you comment.

Kathy Lynn Emerson/Kaitlyn Dunnett has had sixty-four books traditionally published and has self published others. She won the Agatha Award and was an Anthony and Macavity finalist for best mystery nonfiction of 2008 for How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries and was an Agatha Award finalist in 2015 in the best mystery short story category. In 2023 she won the Lea Wait Award for “excellence and achievement” from the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance. She was the Malice Domestic Guest of Honor in 2014. She is currently working on creating new omnibus e-book editions of her backlist titles. Her website is www.KathyLynnEmerson.com.