Mallory O'Meara is an American non-fiction writer and podcaster.

Career

O'Meara is the author of ''The Lady from the Black Lagoon'' (2019), which serves as a biography of make-up artist

Milicent Patrick Milicent Patrick (born Mildred Elizabeth Fulvia di Rossi; November 11, 1915 – February 24, 1998) was an American actress, makeup designer, special effects artist, and animator. Born in El Paso, Texas, Patrick spent much of her early life in C ...

as well as a chronicle of O'Meara's search for information about Patrick. The book includes evidence that Patrick designed the iconic

Gill-man The Gill-man, commonly called The Creature from The Black Lagoon, or simply The Creature, is the movie monster of the 1954 black-and-white film ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' and its two sequels '' Revenge of the Creature'' (1955) and '' Th ...

from ''

Creature from the Black Lagoon ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' is a 1954 American black-and-white 3D monster horror film produced by William Alland and directed by Jack Arnold, from a screenplay by Harry Essex and Arthur Ross and a story by Maurice Zimm. It stars ...

'', and that

Bud Westmore Bud Westmore (January 13, 1918 – June 24, 1973) was a make-up artist in Hollywood, and a member of the Westmore family of makeup. Life and career Son of George Westmore, a member of the Westmore family prominent in Hollywood make-up, ...

, a member of the influential Westmore family of Hollywood make-up artists, worked to deny her credit for this achievement. The book was nominated for Hugo and Locus awards, and won the 2019

Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award ThRondo Hatton Classic Horror Award'', often called the Rondo Award, is an annual award founded in 2002 that honors journalism, scholarship and film preservation in the horror genre, particularly of classic horror film and their modern-day counterp ...

for Book of the Year. O'Meara's second book, ''Girly Drinks'', about the history of women making and drinking alcohol throughout the world, was published in 2021 by

Hanover Square Press Harlequin Enterprises ULC (known simply as Harlequin) is a publisher of romance, women's fiction and various other genres under multiple publishing imprints. Founded in Winnipeg, Canada, in 1949, from the 1960s, it grew into the largest publish ...

. ''Girly Drinks'' won a 2022

James Beard Foundation Award The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media awar ...

. O'Meara's third book, ''Girls Make Movies: A Follow-Your-Own-Path Guide for Aspiring Young Filmmakers'', was published by

Running Press Running Press is an American publishing company and member of the Perseus Books Group, a division of the Hachette Book Group. The publisher's offices are located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with many of the corporate functions taking place in ...

on May 23, 2023. ''Girls Make Movies'' is illustrated by

comic book creator developed specialized terminology. Several attempts have been made to formalize and define the terminology of comics by authors such as Will Eisner, Scott McCloud, R. C. Harvey and Dylan Horrocks. Much of the terminology in English is under di ...

Jen Vaughn Jen Vaughn (born 1983) is an American cartoonist, comic book creator, and game designer, best known for her work on licensed comics such as ''Adventure Time'' and ''Goosebumps'', her independent series ''Cartozia Tales'', and her role as a podcas ...

. Since 2017 O'Meara has co-hosted ''Reading Glasses'', a weekly podcast about reading and books, with filmmaker

Brea Grant Brea Grant is an American actress, writer, and director. She played the character of Daphne Millbrook in the NBC television series '' Heroes''. Early life Brea Grant was born and raised in Marshall, Texas. She earned bachelor's and master's de ...

. ''Reading Glasses'' is part of the

Maximum Fun Maximum Fun is an independent, worker-owned cooperative podcast and radio show production organization founded by Jesse Thorn. The organization originated with Thorn's college radio show ''The Sound of Young America'' which continued in an adapt ...

network.

and O'Meara published ''The No-Pressure Book Journal: A No-Guilt, No-Shame, No-Stress Journal to Help You Read Better and Enjoy Books Again'' through the Weldon Owen imprint of

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

on February 4, 2025. Rebecca Santo illustrated ''The No-Pressure Book Journal.'' ''Daughter of Daring: The Trick-Riding, Train-Leaping, Road-Racing Life of Helen Gibson, Hollywood’s First Stuntwoman'' was published by Hanover Square Press, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, on February 18, 2025. ''Daughter of Daring'' chronicles the life of

Helen Gibson Helen Gibson (born Rose August Wenger; August 27, 1892 – October 10, 1977) was an American film actress, vaudeville performer, radio performer, film producer, Horse riding stunts, trick rider, and rodeo performer; and is considered to be the f ...

, who excelled "in the early days of the twentieth-century silent film scene as a rodeo rider, background actor, stunt double, and eventually one of the era’s biggest action stars." From 2013 to 2019, O'Meara also worked as a writer and producer for Dark Dunes Productions in Los Angeles.

Works

* ''The Lady from the Black Lagoon'' (2019, Hanover Square Press; ) * ''Girly Drinks: A Women's History of Drinking'' (2021, Hanover Square Press; ) * ''Girls Make Movies: A Follow-Your-Own-Path Guide for Aspiring Young Filmmakers'' (2023, Running Press; ) * ''The No-Pressure Book Journal: A No-Guilt, No-Shame, No-Stress Journal to Help You Read Better and Enjoy Books Again'' (2025, Weldon Owen; ) * ''Daughter of Daring: The Trick-Riding, Train-Leaping, Road-Racing Life of Helen Gibson, Hollywood’s First Stuntwoman'' (2025, Hanover Square Press; )

References

External links

*
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:OMeara, Mallory 21st-century American non-fiction writers American women non-fiction writers Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women writers American women podcasters American book podcasters