About
A fashion journalist, she also wrote several popular novels intended for young women, including The Misdemeanors of Nancy and For Love of Mary Ellen.
Before Fame
She began as a fashion writer for the New York Sun. Early in her career, she also contributed to Ladies Home Journal and The Saturday Evening Post.
Trivia
Her books focused on brave adolescent women, often orphaned, who overcame great adversity.
Family Life
Her parents, Louisa Smith and Walter Hoyt, were prominent abolitionists. She married attorney Charles Brainerd in 1904.
Associated With
Her most popular novel, How Could You, Jean?, was made into a silent film starring Mary Pickford.
