about Hillary

Hillary Simpson Bolle was born in Milwaukee and grew up in Washington, D.C., and Atlanta (with sprinklings of time spent in Jamaica). Enthusiastic about all things imagined—and immersed constantly in the arts, history, and travel—she had a knack for ferreting out adventure in the everyday as she traversed the landscapes of her youth. There were years of ballet, followed by a shift into acting, and eventually—after years of telling other people’s tales—she landed on the doorstep of writing, ready to step into the role of storyteller.

Her first published work, The Wayfarers, was a play featured in Terminus Magazine. An expanded and re-imagined version went on to be performed at Essential Theatre’s Bare Essentials Play Reading Series.

Next came something entirely different—and completely unexpected. A name popped into her head one morning that sparked a scenario that became an essay that grew into a short story that expanded into a novella. She just couldn’t stop. Before she knew it, she’d built the town of Lymansville, USA, from the roots up, filled it with life, and spun the story of young wallflower raising his daughter with the help of his lovable and idiosyncratic community. She had a novel. A good old-fashioned tale about a unique place, delicious people, and a curious way of life, Missouri Magpie brings together her collected memories, observations, and experiences and celebrates the extraordinary in the everyday. Some of it is real and some is imagined. All of it is true.

Hillary lives in Atlanta with her husband and their two canine children, Gilbert and Bernice. She continues to ferret out adventure in the everyday and is currently working on what happens next for the good people of Lymansville.