Weatherly, Myra 1926-

(Myra S. Weatherly)

PERSONAL: Born June 26, 1926, in Spartanburg County, SC; daughter of Odell and Minnie Sloan; married Owen M. Weatherly, June 20, 1948; children: Pamela Weatherly Carter, Marcia Weatherly James, Jan Weatherly Valle. Ethnicity: “White.”Education: Furman University, B.A. (cum laude); Converse College, M.Ed.; also attended University of Chicago, Temple University, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Hobbies and other interests: Travel (Europe, the Middle East).

ADDRESSES: Home—GGreer, SC. E-mail—RillaM@aol.com.

CAREER: Writer. Worked as a teacher at elementary, middle, and high schools; director of a summer program for gifted students; presenter of workshops and seminars to children and adults.

MEMBER: Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (Carolinas chapter), National Education Association, Delta Kappa Gamma.

AWARDS, HONORS: Selection for “book of note,”TriStar Young Adult Review Group, 2007, for Women of the Sea: Ten Pirate Stories.

WRITINGS:

JUVENILES

Inhalants, Enslow Publishers (Springfield, NJ), 1996.

Women Pirates: Eight Stories of Adventure, MorganReynolds (Greensboro, NC), 1998.

Ecstasy and Other Designer Drug Dangers, EnslowPublishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2000.

William Marshal: Medieval England’s Greatest Knight, Morgan Reynolds (Greensboro, NC), 2001.

(Under name Myra S. Weatherly) Tennessee, Children’s Press (New York, NY), 2001.

(Under name Myra S. Weatherly) Nebraska, Children’s Press (New York, NY), 2001.

(Under name Myra S. Weatherly) South Carolina, Children’s Press (New York, NY), 2002.

The Taj Majal, Lucent (San Diego, CA), 2003.

Dolley Madison: Unforgettable First Lady, Morgan Reynolds (Greensboro, NC), 2003.

South America: Geography of the World, Child’s World (Chanhassen, MN), 2003.

(Under name Myra S. Weatherly) The New Jersey Colony, Child’s World (Chanhassen, MN), 2004.

(Editor) Living in Elizabethan England, Greenhaven Press (San Diego, CA), 2004.

The Lure of Mountain Peaks, Child’s World (Chanhassen, MN), 2004.

Benjamin Banneker: American Scientific Pioneer, Compass Point Books (Chanhassen, MN), 2005.

(Editor) Living in 1920s America, Greenhaven Press (Farmington Hills, MI), 2005.

Elizabeth I: Queen of Tudor England, Compass Point Books (Chanhassen, MN), 2006.

Women of the Sea: Ten Pirate Stories, Morgan Reynolds (Greensboro, NC), 2006.

Yo-Yo Ma: Internationally Acclaimed Cellist, Compass Point Books (Chanhassen, MN), 2007.

Teens in Ghana, Compass Point Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2008.

Business Leaders: Ralph Lauren, Morgan Reynolds (Greensboro, NC), 2008.

Work represented in anthologies, including Success Stories for the ‘90s and Twenty More Ideas. Contributor to periodicals, including Cobblestone, Gifted Child Today, Challenge, Prufrock Journal, and Byline.

Some of Weatherly’s books have also been published in foreign translations.

SIDELIGHTS: Myra Weatherly once commented: “My love of reading led to my dream of becoming a writer. I was an early reader. As a child I sneaked a flashlight under the covers to read.

"I didn’t actively pursue getting published until the 1970s. In fact, it was after a bout with breast cancer that I decided if I were ever to realize my dream of writing, I had better start now. One weekend, I wrote an article, mailed it to an international gifted journal, and waited. The wait wasn’t long—only a few days. The article was accepted and published without any revisions. I had no idea at the time how unusual that was. I know now that I did the right things—though at the time it was just beginner’s luck. I followed the advice I often give would-be writers: write what you know from experience or research, and know the intended publisher.

“My goal in writing for children and young adults is to make extraordinary characters and significant events in history come to life.

“Looking back, do I regret putting my writing efforts on hold? I probably could have entered the publishing field earlier, but my experiences as a teacher, wife, mother, and survivor have made me a better writer.”

Weatherly also told CA: “I am thrilled that children and young adults around the world now have access to my writing.”

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 15, 1998, Carolyn Phelan, review of Women Pirates: Eight Stories of Adventure, p. 1443; January 1, 2001, Carolyn Phelan, review of William Marshal: Medieval England’s Greatest Knight, p. 954.

Book Report, May-June, 2001, Cynthia Lee Valler, review of William Marshal.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, March, 2001, Elizabeth Bush, review of William Marshal.

Publishers Weekly, December 22, 1997, review of Women Pirates, p. 60.

School Library Journal, July, 1998, Janet Woodward, review of Women Pirates, p. 112; March, 2001, Lana Miles, review of William Marshal, p. 280.

Voice of Youth Advocates, October, 1998, Nancy Eaton, review of Women Pirates, p. 304.