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Betty Cavanna
Betty Cavanna (June 24, 1909 - August 2001) was an American writer.
Born Elizabeth Allen Cavanna in Camden, New Jersey, to Emily and Victor Cavanna, she grew up in Haddonfield, Ne...view moreBetty Cavanna (June 24, 1909 - August 2001) was an American writer.
Born Elizabeth Allen Cavanna in Camden, New Jersey, to Emily and Victor Cavanna, she grew up in Haddonfield, New Jersey, just a few miles from Philadelphia. She majored in journalism at the New Jersey College for Women in New Brunswick from 1925-1929 and received the Bachelor of Letters degree. She also took art classes in New York and Philadelphia. Cavanna’s first job was as a reporter for the Bayonne Times from 1929-1931. In 1931 she joined the staff of the Westminster Press in Philadelphia and over the next ten years served as advertising manager and art director, buying illustrations for the Presbyterian story papers, Sunday magazines for children, short fiction and serials. She also wrote and sold material to Methodist and Baptist publishing firms. In 1940 she married Edward Talman Headley with whom she had a son.
Cavanna had been writing short stories at night for some time before she became a full-time writer in 1941. She authored more than seventy books under the name of Betty Cavanna, as well as the pseudonyms Betsy Allen and Elizabeth Headley. She also wrote a nonfiction series called Around the World Today about young people living in various countries. The exotic settings of Cavanna’s fiction and nonfiction books reflect her travels to the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, South America, Australia, Japan, the South Seas, Iran, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, China, eastern Africa and other locales.
In the 1970s Cavanna turned to writing mysteries. Two of her books were runners-up for the Edgar Allan Poe Award: Spice Island Mystery in 1970 and the Ghost of Ballyhooly in 1972. Going on Sixteen and Secret Passage were Spring Book Festival honor books in 1946 and 1947. She also held an honorary membership in Phi Beta Kappa for her outstanding contribution to the field of juvenile literature.
Betty Cavanna passed away in 2001 at the age of 92.view less