A Bit of Grace:
  • Grace Livingston Hill was born on Easter Sunday in 1865.
  • Grace Livingston Hill was the originator of the "Christian Romance" genre that's so popular today.
  • Books weren't her only claim to fame. Grace wrote some poetry, too.
  • As a young woman, Grace aspired to be an artist and went to art school.
  • If you look closely, many of Grace's books use real Philadelphia streets and landmarks.
  • Grace Livingston Hill's first book was a children's story, "The Esselstynes"
  • "Lo, Michael" was set at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, where Grace taught physical education in the 1890's.
  • In Grace's books, the dear aunt with those dove-gray dresses is most certainly Grace's "Auntie Belle."
  • Grace's "Auntie Belle" was a world-famous author. Her pen name was Pansy.
  • Grace Livingston Hill never learned to drive, but Grace and her driver often used it to pick up Sunday School children.
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A Chautauqua Idyl was Grace's second book, but the first book published under her own name.

It was written to earn the money for a family trip from their home in Florida to New York for the 1887 Recognition Day at Chautauqua. Grace, her father, and her aunt (Pansy) were slated to graduate from its Literary Circle and she was determined to be there in person for the all of the pageantry of the celebration. She even read a poem written for the occasion as part of the ceremony.

Grace hand-painted the cover of her own personal copy of the book to reflect its subject—the trees, the flowers, and the animals meeting for their own Chautauqua.

Heroines by Name: 2023 GLH Reading List

This year, let's meet 12 GLH heroines who have their book named after them. Are you named after a GLH character? Let us know at stories@gracelivingstonhill.com

January: The Obsession of Victoria Gracen (1915)
February: Spice Box (1943)
March: Rose Galbraith (1940)
April: Ariel Custer (1925)
May: Patricia (1939)
June: Marcia Schuyler (1908)
July: Phoebe Deane (1909)
August: Miranda (1915)
September: Cloudy Jewel (1920)
October: Maris (1938)
November: Mary Arden (1948)
December: Astra (1941)

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All content © 2019 - Daena M. Creel