[1][2] In 1944, Byrd left radio and began a new career path, working until 1950 as an associate editor for New York literary agencies.

[1][7] Before settling down to her eventual career as a novelist, Byrd also wrote jacket copy for the publishing house Julian Messner, Inc. from 1952 to 1960.

[2] Byrd travelled to Scotland in 1953 and researched Stuart's life further, leading to the writing of Immortal Queen, which was published in 1956 when she was 43 years old.

In The Ghosts in My Life and A Strange and Seeing Time, Byrd describes the paranormal occurrences she and her husband experienced while living there, along with other spectral encounters.

[10][11] Having tired of the meticulous research she undertook for her historical fiction, Byrd wrote an autobiographical novel in 1975, titled I'll Get By, for which she won the Scottish Arts Council Book Award.

[1] Throughout her adult life, Byrd contributed articles to various serial publications, including Scottish Field, McCall's, Reader's Digest, Esquire, and Collier's.