Margaret Horton Potter
Margaret Horton Potter was an American novelist, specializing in historical fiction. Her first novel, A Social Lion, was published while she was still a teenager.
Early life
Potter was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Orrin Woodard Potter, a wealthy steel manufacturer, and Ellen Owen Potter, who was active in women's clubs.She was educated at a local prep school and "pursued advanced studies under a private tutor".
Career
Potter was a teenager when R. R. Donnelley and Sons published her novel A Social Lion, under the pseudonym Robert Dolly Williams. It features a wealthy Chicago writer who "lives in fear... that a past alliance will be discovered and bring him social disgrace." Modeled on actual people and events in Chicago society, it was considered such a scandalous tale that her family tried to prevent its publication.Her other novels include Uncanonized: A Romance of English Monachism ; The House of de Mailly: A Romance ; Istar of Babylon: A Phantasy ; The Castle of Twilight ; The Flame-Gatherers ; The Fire of Spring ; The Genius ; The Princess ; and The Golden Ladder. Most of them are historical fiction, with romance plots and exotic settings for American readers, though A Social Lion and The Golden Ladder are set in Chicago. There are fantasy elements in some of her novels, such as supernatural characters and the transmigrated souls in The Flame-Gatherers.
Potter also wrote short stories and poems that appeared in Harper's Magazine. She and Wallace Rice co-wrote The Devil's Choice, a play that was produced in Chicago in 1909.