Eleanor de la Vergne Risley (1868-1945) was born to Philip Stanton Doss and Anne de la Vergne in Nashville, Tennessee. Risley spent most of her youth in Brownington, Missouri, but also lived in Tennessee and California. At the turn of the century, she married her first husband, Allan Douglas Risley, and settled in Kansas City. Ten years later, the Risleys moved to Nevada, Missouri, where they lived in an abandoned orchard. This place inspired Risley to write her book, An Abandoned Orchard, published in 1932. From Nevada, Missouri, the Risleys moved to Fairhope, Alabama, where they traveled extensively throughout Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee; these travels inspired her book, The Road to Wildcat, published in 1930.

In 1926, Risley moved to the then-booming city of Phoenix, Arizona. Seeking quieter surroundings, she decided to return to the South. Risley finally settled in Ink (Polk County), Arkansas, a small village near Mena, where she wrote the abovementioned books, as well short stories, plays, and poetry. Around 1939, Risley moved to Eureka Springs (Carroll County). Until her death in 1945, Risley was a focal point for artists and writers who lived in Eureka Springs.