LOUISIANA, Mo. — A Louisiana Missouri High School graduate turned a second-place finish at a writing contest into a successful publishing career that reached millions of young readers.

And one of her novels features the Pike County town that would remain an indelible part of her life.

Lucy Foster Madison was one of the most prolific authors of the early 20th century, churning out 15 books and at least 200 short stories in three decades.

Though written mostly for young people, the volumes often contained characters whose voices spoke to a generation of women who wanted to chart their own destinies.

Born one day before the surrender ending the Civil War and orphaned at 14, Madison became a teacher. In 1893, she entered a writing contest sponsored by a New York newspaper. She didn’t win, but attracted the attention of publishers.

Madison’s first book, entitled “A Maid of the First Century,” was published in 1899. It proved a prototype for adventure that kids could not put down.

Madison also wrote non-fiction, historical fiction and comedy, including the tale of a man’s new wife who puts him on such a restrictive diet that he dreams he’s being chased by foods she has banned. Louisiana takes center stage in “Bee and Butterfly: A Tale of Two Cousins” from 1913.

“It was four o’clock,” the book begins. “The little town of Louisiana, Missouri, had slumbered all afternoon in the spring sunshine, but woke suddenly to life as the doors of the big brick school house opened, and the boys and girls poured forth.”

The story proved controversial when a male critic called it feminist propaganda that would lead to a “rebellious generation of young girls.” Madison countered that she thought it inspirational.

Madison returned to Louisiana periodically. First edition copies of her books sell today for up to $200. The author died at age 66 on March 16, 1932, in Hudson Falls, N.Y., a few days after having a stroke.