THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 23, 1994 TAG: 9408230041
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LYNN DEAN HUNTER, SPECIAL TO THE DAILY BREAK
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
WHEN LINDA WIRKNER sent ``Mystery of the Blue-Gowned Ghost'' to her publisher, she knew that every historical detail, from clothing accessories to kitchen architecture, had to be meticulously correct. The tale, an entertaining blend of contemporary sleuthing and 18th century mystery, introduces young readers (ages 8-12) to Williamsburg history.
Wirkner is a former Williamsburg Historic Area interpreter - she trod the cobblestones in gown and apron, leading tours and guiding groups through the restored buildings - and the publisher is the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
In 1992, the foundation, traditionally a small, scholarly press, expressed interest in producing some books for children. Wirkner read the news in a trade publication and submitted ``Mystery of the Blue-Gowned Ghost,'' which was already a completed manuscript.
``They kept it for a year before they offered me a contract,'' the Yorktown author recalls. ``It had to go through approvals in 12 different departments.''
The plot is simple: Kelly Brennan, amateur sleuth and photographer, and her brother, Jared, spend a summer in Williamsburg with their impoverished Aunt Alma. It seems that Alma will have to sell the old family home she has inherited unless she can come up with money for extensive repairs. The roof leaks, the wiring is inadequate, and the attic is haunted.
Through research of family papers, Williamsburg archives, gravestones and architectural restoration, Kelly and Jared locate a lost treasure and solve the mystery of the ghost. Along the way, they visit Carter's Grove, Raleigh Tavern, the Peyton Randolph House and Chowning's Tavern, among other landmarks.
Wirkner, the author of more than 80 non-fiction children's articles and six other books (five in manuscript and one young adult story, ``Summer Romance''), is a former elementary school teacher who began to write in earnest while she and her husband, Jim, a civil engineer, lived in Borneo, where he was assigned to work.
``It was like living in a resort,'' Wirkner recalls. ``Maids, tennis courts. Wives couldn't get work permits. . . . At first I thought I would like it, but after a while, I could feel my mind turning to mush. We were there for four years, and that was when I really started to write.''
``If I'm writing fiction,'' Wirkner says, ``I want to do more than entertain. There should be an underlying point. In this case, it's to give children some information about history, without clobbering them over the heads with it.'' MEMO: Lynn Dean Hunter is a writer who lives in Norfolk.
by CNB