She was born on September 27, 1874, in Norwood Park, Chicago, Illinois, the youngest of her parents' three children and their only daughter.

She graduated from the West Division High School, Chicago, where she edited the school's newspaper called The Voice, during which time she corresponded with James Sydney McCullough, a young Irish-Canadian who was editing a college newspaper in Toronto.

Paradise Flat, the residence in which she died, was burgled during her funeral; among the stolen items were several de luxe or signed, slipcased, limited-edition novels written by the decedent.

A famous epigram of Myrtle Reed, taken from Threads of Gray and Gold, declares: "The only way to test a man is to marry him.

Composer Lola Carrier Worrell based one of her songs,"Waiting: Love Lyrics #1," on words by Reed.