Mallory O’Meara: Early Hollywood Was a World of Women
Mallory O’Meara is the award winning and bestselling historian and writer of The Lady from the Black Lagoon, Girly Drinks, which won a 2022 James Beard Award, and Girls Make Movies, which is a 2023 Junior Library Guild Selection. Every week, she co-hosts the literary podcast Reading Glasses. She lives in the mountains near Los Angeles with her two cats. Follow her on Instagram.
In this interview, Mallory discusses how writing a different book led her to the subject of her new nonfiction book, Daughter of Daring, her hope for readers, and more.
Name: Mallory O’Meara
Literary agent: Amy Bishop-Wycisk at Trellis Literary
Book title: Daughter of Daring
Publisher: Hanover Square Press
Release date: February 18, 2025
Genre/category: Nonfiction, history, biography
Previous titles: The Lady from the Black Lagoon, Girly Drinks, Girls Make Movies
Elevator pitch: The story of America’s first stuntwoman
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What prompted you to write this book?
I was in the middle of working on my third book, Girls Make Movies, when I stumbled on Helen’s story. I was blown away that America’s first stuntwoman was not a modern figure, but instead a woman who worked over 100 years ago. I became immediately enamored with the silent era of Hollywood because it was an industry full of women.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
A couple of years! Nonfiction, at least for me, takes extra time because of the research process. This book took about six months for the research alone.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
There were loads of surprises. This book was supposed to be a straight biography, but as I worked on it, I couldn’t help but include information about how early Hollywood was a world of women. I was continuously stunned not just at the history, but that more people did not know about this incredible period of film.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
Besides hoping that readers get excited about the life and work of Helen Gibson as I am, I hope they see that women have a legacy in film. Female filmmakers and audiences were essential to the creation and shaping of the American cinematic landscape. We’ve always been here, since the very beginning.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Whoever is reading this, please stop slouching and sit up straight.
