Katherine Haviland Taylor (1891–1941) was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter whose career spanned the early twentieth century. Born in Mankato, Minnesota, to the Reverend Arthur H. Taylor and his wife, she grew up alongside two sisters. Over her decades-long career, she produced a diverse body of work that included novels, short stories, and screenplays, eventually relocating to St. Cloud, Florida, where she spent her final years.\n\nTaylor made her literary debut in 1917 with the novel Cecilia of the Pink Roses. The book achieved significant popularity and was adapted into a silent film the following year. To promote the film, the story was serialized in installments alongside movie stills, showcasing an early example of multimedia marketing. Her second novel, Cross Currents, published shortly after, was praised by contemporary reviewers as a delightful portrayal of modern life.\n\nThroughout her career, Taylor also found success in shorter fiction and screenwriting. Her 1932 short story "Failure" served as the basis for two separate film adaptations. She continued writing up until the end of the 1930s, publishing her final novel, Back Roads, in 1939. Her work remains a reflection of early twentieth-century American popular fiction and the burgeoning relationship between literature and the early film industry.
