Frances Tiernan (née, Fisher; pen name, Christian Reid; July 5, 1846 – March 24, 1920) was an American author who wrote more than 50 novels, most notably The Land of the Sky.

She also wrote several short stories set in Mexico, notably The Pictures of Las Cruces, which appeared in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, and which was translated and published in L'Illustration of Paris.

This medal is given annually to a lay member of the Catholic Church for distinguished services in literature, art, science, or philosophy.

[3] The Fisher family was rich and lived at the northwest corner of Fulton and Innes streets in Salisbury, but lost much of its money due to the war.

[4] Her mother died while Frances was a toddler, orphaning her and younger siblings, twin boy and girl, who were then raised by a Catholic maiden aunt, her father's sister, Christine Fisher.

Later, a member of the Appleton's firm wished to see the author Christian Reid while passing through North Carolina, but could not discover such a person in Salisbury.

Today it is noted for its portrayal of life and conduct in the South, as reflected through the temperament of a sentimental, young lady of distinguished birth.

Her slight travel-sketch, entitled The Land of the Sky (1876) was highly popular, read by hundreds of thousands of people.

[8] A distinct accession of power and increased mastery of style marked the works of Christian Reid's second period of literary activity, beginning after her return from Europe in 1880.

Heart of Steel was a work approximating that of the standard English novelists, such as Anthony Trollope, in solidity of workmanship and concentration of purpose.

The book was notable for the beauty of its envisagement of a semi-tropical land, the ideality of its poetic atmosphere, and the art displayed in the comparison and juxtaposition of the fragile romance of Mexico with the hardy realism of America.

Other works of this period are: the travel-romance, The Land of the Sun (1894), one of her most interesting tales;[9] as well as Carmela, Little Maid of Mexico, A Comedy of Elopement, A Woman of Fortune, Weighed in the Balance, and Carmen's Inheritance.

[9] Other works included Mabel Lee, Ebb Tide, Nina's Atonement, A Gentle Belle, Hearts and Hands, After Many Days, Bonny Kate, A Summer Idyll, and A Child of Mary.

"[10] Early in life, Fisher was received into the Catholic Church by Cardinal James Gibbons, then only Vicar Apostolic of North Carolina.

In 2006, the entire family plot was enclosed by a brick wall, with materials and labor donated by the owners of Taylor Clay Products.

[6] The United Daughters of the Confederacy erected a monument to Fisher Tiernan in 1939 on West Innes Street in Salisbury.