Maud Hart Lovelace (April 25, 1892 – March 11, 1980) was an American writer best known for the Betsy-Tacy series.

She went on to the University of Minnesota but took a leave of absence to go to California to recover at her maternal grandmother's home from an appendectomy.

It was while in California that she made her first short story sale – to the Los Angeles Times Magazine.

[1] While spending a year in Europe in 1914, she met Paolo Conte, an Italian musician (who later inspired the character Marco in Betsy and the Great World).

[1] Later, the couple divided their time between Minneapolis and New York (including Yonkers and Mount Vernon) for several years.

[2] Lovelace's first book was The Black Angels, which was published in 1926 and is a historical novel set in Minnesota.

The Betsy-Tacy books take place mostly in the fictional town of Deep Valley, Minnesota, which is based on Mankato.