Background
Mrs. Whitney was born on October 22, 1948, in St. Louis. Daughter of Donald Van Leer (an actor) and Margaret Eden (maiden name, Head; present surname, Windsor) Seewoster.
Mrs. Whitney was born on October 22, 1948, in St. Louis. Daughter of Donald Van Leer (an actor) and Margaret Eden (maiden name, Head; present surname, Windsor) Seewoster.
Polly Whitney received her Bachelor of Arts from the State University of New York, New Paltz, in 1982. In 1984 she earned her Master of Arts from Yale University.
Mrs. Whitney was a teacher of English at Gulliver Preparatory School, Miami, FL, between 1987 and 1991. Starting from 1991 she has become a full-time writer. She is a short story writer for the internet news group Dorothy.
Mrs. Whitney belongs to Democratic Party of the United States.
Quotations:
"I am motivated to write by a love of language and by the need to perform. If I weren’t writing novels, I’d probably be on the stage. I suppose the greatest influence on my work is twofold: my education in canonical literature at Yale, which may seem like an odd thing for a mystery writer to say; and the need to be funny, which is probably a product of sanity."
"I am compulsive and disciplined and thorough during the writing process. I revise each book at least seven times before I let it out of my hands. Behind each of my mysteries lie months of intensive research. I think mystery writers are archivists of their time, and they should present the social scene accurately."
"I write mysteries because, for me, this genre is the most suited for exploring human nature and for demonstrating how well human society is coping with human nature. We are killers and that fascinates me. I wouldn’t kill anyone, and I am constantly amazed that people kill each other quite frequently. Society seems unable to stop us."
Polly Whitney married Michael R. Whitney on October 25, 1969. She is a mother of two children: Michael James, Elizabeth Daisy.