Phyllis A. Whitney, one of the queens of romance and mystery fiction, passed away this week at the age of 104—perhaps confirming that doing what one loves can lead to a long life. Whitney herself said that she stayed young by writing, and published her last book in 1997 when she was in her early 90s! In her early years, she worked at the Chicago Public Library and several different Chicago bookstores while writing on the side. She divorced her first husband in part because he was not supportive of her writing. She said that she was successful in writing because of persistence and faith in her own abilities—even in the face of ridicule. (Take heart, all you romance writers.) For more, click here for the New York Times story.
She and Victoria Holt were two of my favorites when I was a teen.
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