2 She went on to study music at the Schumann Conservatorium in Frankfurt am Main before taking up employment as reviewer and dramatic critic at the Glasgow Times’ sister newspaper, the Glasgow Herald from 1907 until 1915. She also worked as an assistant theatre critic for the Observer. 3 Her first novel, Open the Door, was published in 1920, selling out of all 9000 copies printed and winning a literary prize. She followed it in 1922 with The Camomile. She developed a particular interest in the life and work of Robert Burns, publishing her celebrated The Life of Robert Burns in 1930: her unsentimental account of his life upset many Burns traditionalists, however and she even received hate mail.