
author
1884–1940
Best known for the novel Missy, this early 20th-century American writer moved between popular fiction and later inspirational writing. Her career also included work as a book reviewer, giving her a lively connection to the literary world of her day.

by Dana Gatlin
Dana Gatlin was an American author born in 1884 and remembered today mainly for Missy, the novel most often linked with her name in library and public-domain records. Reliable catalog sources confirm her life dates as 1884–1940, and surviving book listings show that she published both fiction and, later, devotional or inspirational works.
A contemporary newspaper-based profile preserved by The Independent describes her as a prolific magazine fiction writer and book reviewer, and notes that she returned to New York in 1929 to resume writing after several years spent with her mother in the Kansas City area. That glimpse suggests a working literary life shaped by both commercial writing and close attention to books more broadly.
Other archival material connected with Unity records her as Dana Elizabeth Gatlin and links her to titles such as The Full Measure of Devotion, God Is the Answer, and Prayer Changes Things. Taken together, these sources paint a picture of a versatile writer whose work ranged from storytelling to spiritual reflection.