Maureen Daly burst onto the literary scene with her captivating young adult novel, Seventeenth Summer, published in 1942. Remarkably, she hadn't yet turned twenty. The novel soared to best-seller status, amassing over 1.5 million hardcover copies sold, alongside countless paperback editions. However, Daly's literary prowess did not begin with this iconic work. At just fifteen, she penned "Fifteen," earning third place in Scholastic magazine's short story contest. The following year, her talent was further recognized as "Sixteen" clinched the top prize, earning a coveted spot in the 1938 O. Henry Memorial Award collection and reappearances in Redbook. This celebrated tale has since graced over three hundred anthologies and been translated into a dozen languages, woven seamlessly into Acts of Love as a discovery by Retta Caldwell in an attic trunk.

Daly began her journey in 1921 in Castlecaufield, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Her father, dreaming of new horizons, moved the family when his three daughters were all under the age of three, settling in the picturesque town of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, near the tranquil Lake Winnebago. It was here that Daly's roots deepened, culminating in her high school graduation. Despite early triumphs in storytelling, she pursued journalism, carving out a distinguished career as a reporter-columnist for the Chicago Tribune and later as an associate editor for Ladies Home Journal. Her path intertwined with fellow writer William McGivern at a Seventeenth Summer autograph event in Chicago, leading to their marriage in 1948. The couple's shared passion for words took them to Europe to freelance, a journey that lasted until their children, Megan and Patrick, approached adulthood. The family eventually returned stateside, first embracing life in Pennsylvania, then moving to the sunlit expanses of California.

Life's poignant chapters rekindled Daly's pen for young adult fiction. The loss of her husband to cancer in November 1983, followed by her daughter Megan's battle and subsequent passing thirteen months later, fueled the creation of Acts of Love. This book served as an emotional release, with Megan and McGivern inspiring the characters of Retta Caldwell and her father. Daly captured a period when the family resided in Pennsylvania, before a new highway cleaved their land, prompting a move to California. The novel explores young Megan's first brush with love, weaving real lives into fictional fabric. Daly has expressed intentions to chronicle Megan's true story in Megan: A Different Love Story once time eases the pain of writing. In 1990, Daly continued the journey in First a Dream, further exploring the romance of Retta Caldwell and Dallas Dobson following their relocation to Thirty-nine Palms, California.

Daly's writing delves deeply into the essence of her own experiences. Her hometown of Fond du Lac serves as the backdrop for Seventeenth Summer, with each of her young adult tales rooted in personal history. Her gift lies in vividly capturing emotions and sensations, forging an immediate connection with readers. As Judy Blume notes on the dust jacket of Acts of Love, the poignant longing and yearning of Angie Morrow in Seventeenth Summer linger long after the last page. This enduring appeal is evidenced by the fact that the book, now fifty years old, remains in print. Acts of Love and First a Dream mark the much-anticipated return of a pioneering writer who significantly shaped the young adult novel into a respected literary genre.