From 1911 to 1939, Ethel May Dell Savage, better known by her pen name Ethel M. Dell, was a British writer of more than 30 bestselling romance novels and several short tales. Dell was born on August 2, 1881, to a middle-class family in Streatham, a London neighborhood. Her father was a clerk in the City of London, and she has an older sister and brother. Dell began writing stories at a young age, and many of them have been published in popular journals. Her stories were primarily romantic in nature, set in the British Raj and other former British colonial territories. Some thought her stories were too sexual. Dell worked on her first novel, The Way of an Eagle, for several years before releasing it with T. Fisher Unwin after being rejected by eight other publishers. The book was part of Unwin's First Novel Library, a series that celebrated a writer's first novel. The Way of an Eagle was first published in 1911 and went through thirty printings by 1915. In 1922, Ethel married Lieutenant-Colonel Gerald Tahourdin Savage, who resigned his service at the time of their marriage, leaving Dell as the family's sole support. Despite negative reviews from reviewers, she built a loyal fan base and earned between £20,000 and £30,000 per year. Her husband was loyal to her and zealously protected her privacy.
