Mercy Otis was born at Barnstable, Massachusetts, in 1728, the daughter of John Otis. She married James Warren (1726-1808) in 1754. They had five sons, 1757-1766. The family made their home at Plymouth, Massachusetts. Her husband was a general in the Revolutionary War. Her life is chielfy told through her letters, especially during the war to her husband, to her children, to John and Abigail Adams, and to her brother, Samuel Allyne Otis and his wife. She died in 1814 and was buried at Plymouth.

A collection of thirteen short stories about New Hampshire neighborhoods and people, set in the fictional village of Tiverton, a farming community close to the sea.