Ruth MacLeod

Ruth MacLeod (December 29, 1903 – February 22, 1990), born Ruth Isabel Pickerill, was an American writer in the romance genre, especially in the subcategories of gothic and nurse romances.

Ruth MacLeod
A newspaper photograph of an older white woman, wearing glasses.
Ruth MacLeod, from a 1964 newspaper.
Born
Ruth Isabel Pickerill

December 29, 1903
Hanford, California, US
DiedFebruary 22, 1990
Fresno, California, US
Other namesRuth Derby (after first marriage)
OccupationWriter

Early life

Ruth Pickerill was born in Hanford, California,[1] the daughter of William Oscar Pickerill and Myrtle Sutton Pickerill. She attended Eugene Bible College in Oregon,[2] and studied creative writing at the University of California.[3]

Career

Ruth MacLeod wrote short stories to supplement her family's income during the Great Depression. She sold her first story in 1931. During World War II, she stopped writing and worked for the Civil Aeronautics Administration in Seattle.[4] After the war, she returned to selling "true confession" stories to pulp magazines,[2] and started writing novels in the medical romance and gothic subgenres. "The world is full of ideas," she explained in a 1966 interview, "and the more research you do, the more subjects you find."[5] She also played piano and organ, and was active in church work.[3]

Personal life

Ruth Pickerill married Guy Herbert Derby; he died in 1953. She remarried to Horace MacLeod in 1954, and the couple lived in Arizona. She moved back to California when he died in 1964.[1][5] She had three daughters and one son.[4] Ruth MacLeod died in 1990, aged 86 years, at a hospital in Fresno.[6] Her papers are archived at the University of Oregon.[7]

Selected bibliography
  • Murder on Vacation (1962)
  • A Nurse for Dr. Sterling (1962)
  • Dr. Grayson's Crisis (1962)
  • Waikiki Nurse (1963)
  • Cheryl Downing: School Nurse (1964)[8]
  • Nurse Ann in Surgery (1965)
  • Bitter Legacy (1966)
  • Arlene Perry, Orthopedic Nurse (1966)[9]
  • Mistress of the Shadows (1967)
  • Born to Be a Nurse (1969)
  • A Love to Cherish (1969)
  • Buenos Dias Teacher (1970)[10]
  • Mendocino Menace (1973)
  • Make Way for Love (1973)
  • Hawks of Glenaerie (1974)[11]

References
  1. "Former Hanford Woman Writes Novel Set in San Joaquin Valley". The Hanford Sentinel. 1964-04-30. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-09-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. Casperian, Bette (1965-11-29). "Make Believe is Work (continued)". The Fresno Bee The Republican. p. 11. Retrieved 2020-09-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. McFarland, Lois (1970-05-26). "Author Ruth MacLeod Looks to Fresno, Own Life, for Stories". The Fresno Bee The Republican. p. 18. Retrieved 2020-09-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Casperian, Bette (1965-11-29). "Make Believe is Fresnan's Work". The Fresno Bee The Republican. p. 10. Retrieved 2020-09-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Author Returns to Write Book". The Hanford Sentinel. 1966-03-15. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-09-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Obituary for Ruth MacLeod (Aged 86)". The Hanford Sentinel. 1990-02-27. p. 2. Retrieved 2020-09-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Ruth MacLeod papers, 1953-1965, University of Oregon Libraries.
  8. MacLeod, Ruth (1964). Cheryl Downing: School Nurse. J. Messner.
  9. "Review of Ruth MacLeod, Arlene Perry, Orthopedic Nurse". Kirkus Reviews. 1966. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  10. MacLeod, Ruth (1970). Buenos Días, Teacher. J. Messner.
  11. MacLeod, Ruth (1977). Hawks of Glenaerie. Manor Books.
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