Our guest is Mallory O'Meara, an author, screenwriter, and film producer who lives and works in Los Angeles. She tells us about her new book, which is a biography of Milicent Patrick -- one of Disney's first female animators and the only woman in history to create one of Hollywood's classic movie monsters: The Creature from the Black Lagoon. As was noted of this volume in a starred review in BookPage: "Fascinating.... This is a book that O'Meara was born to write, and she seamlessly meshes her own life story with that of her heroine in a way similar to how Julie Powell paid tribute to Julia Child in 'Julie and Julia'.... Even if you're not a fan of horror films, 'The Lady from the Black Lagoon' is a riveting, sincere Hollywood saga that will quickly win your heart." And further, from NPR's Fresh Air: "O'Meara's chatty, impassioned book...lifts Milicent Patrick out of the mire of obscurity. O'Meara is a dogged researcher and a fierce partisan.... Patrick's story [has] resonances for today, when women in Hollywood still find themselves in the company of monsters."
"The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick"
