Michael Mallory facts for kids
Michael Mallory (born in 1955) is a writer who focuses on animation and pop culture from after World War II. He has written several books, including X-Men: The Characters and Their Universe and Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy of Horror.
As an expert on animation and film history, he has written over 600 articles. Many of these appeared in famous magazines like Variety and Animation Magazine, and the Los Angeles Times. He has also appeared in documentaries and DVD extras about animation. Michael Mallory helped write the life story of animation legend Iwao Takamoto, which was published in 2009. Since the mid-1990s, he has also written the script for the annual Annie Awards, which are like the Oscars for animation.
Early Life and Career
Michael Mallory was born in Port Huron, Michigan, and grew up in Pontiac, Michigan. When he was a teenager, he acted in summer plays. He later earned a degree in Speech, focusing on theater and broadcasting, from Drury College (now Drury University).
After working as a radio newscaster, he moved to Los Angeles to become an actor. He appeared in plays and had small roles in movies like Frances and Staying Alive (both from 1982). He also appeared on TV shows such as Days of Our Lives and General Hospital. More recently, he has been seen on shows like Mad Men, Vegas, and NCIS.
In the late 1980s, Mallory decided to focus mostly on writing. For a while, he wrote for Disneyland and other theme parks. He wrote the script for a large 3-D movie attraction called Haunts of the Olde Country. This movie first showed at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1993 and played there for several years. His 2009 book, Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy of Horror, received an honorable mention from the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. Another book, Marvel: The Expanding Universe Wall Chart, won a Silver Book of the Year Award in 2009. Michael Mallory lives in Glendale, California, with his wife.
Mystery Stories
Michael Mallory also writes exciting murder mysteries. Many of his mystery stories feature a character named "Amelia Watson." She is the second (and not very well-known) wife of Dr. Watson, a famous character from the Sherlock Holmes stories. So far, five books about Amelia Watson have been published. These include the collections The Adventures of the Second Mrs. Watson (2000) and The Exploits of the Second Mrs. Watson (2008). He also wrote the novels Murder in the Bath (2004) and The Stratford Conspiracy (2012). A third collection, The Other Mrs. Watson, came out in 2016.
He also started another mystery series in 2013, featuring a detective named Dave Beauchamp, who lives in Hollywood. The first book in this series was Kill the Mother!. The most recent Dave Beauchamp adventure is Dig That Crazy Sphinx!, published in 2022.
Mallory has written more than 180 short stories for both adults and children. This includes a series of mysteries for kids starring an eleven-year-old detective named "Scotty." These stories appeared regularly in the Los Angeles Times. He also helped create and edit mystery story collections like Murder on Sunset Boulevard and LAndmarked for Murder. He won a Derringer Award in 1998 for the Best Flash (very short) Mystery Story. One of his stories, "What the Cat Dragged In," was chosen for The Mysterious Bookshop Presents the Best American Mystery Stories, 2023. He has also been nominated three times for a Pushcart Prize for his writing.
Horror Stories
Michael Mallory writes horror stories for both young readers and adults. His short novel Night Shocker was published in 1997 as part of the "FrightTime" series. This series was similar to the popular Goosebumps books. He also wrote more short horror tales for kids for the "Chiller" page on the website MysteryNet.com.
In 2012, he published his first horror novel for adults, The Mural. He also wrote another horror thriller called The Book of Diagom under the name Gordon Turcott. However, he used his own name for his book The Ambulance.
Journalism Work
Michael Mallory has written over 600 articles for magazines, newspapers, and online publications. These articles are mostly about film, animation, and pop culture. His work has appeared in well-known places like The Los Angeles Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Animation Magazine, and Mystery Scene.
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