Lauren Bacall's life has been widely covered by the media ever since her screen debut in To Have and Have Not with Humphrey Bogart in 1944. This volume is a comprehensive critical guide to all aspects of Miss Bacall's career in film, radio, television and stage. Her personal life, no less extraordinary with marriages to Bogart and Jason Robards, is documented in a biographical essay. This volume provides cast and production credits, plot synopsis, review excerpts of all film, radio and stage appearances, with a detailed, annotated bibliography for additional research. Lauren Bacall is a living screen legend. She has excelled in all aspects of show business from movies to her first love, the Broadway stage. Her romance with Bogie thrilled the nation. Dubbed "The Look" by the press, her every move was well-recorded in the papers and fan magazines. Though she was more famous as Mrs. Bogart, she continued to act in films. After Bogart's death in 1957, Bacall put their two children and her work above all else. Standing on her own merits, rather than as half of a famous team, she achieved critical acclaim on Broadway in Applause and Woman of the Year.
When I sat down to write my first novel, I had no idea there would be a monkey in the book. But I remembered the age-old advice, "Write what you know." At the time, I was studying primatology at Cal State Fullerton, working part-time observing orangutans at the Los Angeles Zoo, and volunteering on weekends as a chimpanzee caregiver at a wildlife sanctuary. So what I knew was apes and monkeys. Before long, Holly, the protagonist of Monkey Love, became the babysitter of a mischievous monkey.
My childhood ambition to study chimpanzees in Africa with Jane Goodall eventually gave way to "more realistic" goals of becoming either an actress or a writer. At thirteen, I moved with my family to Venice, Florida, and was accepted into the Sarasota Visual and Performing Arts Center at Booker High School. After graduation, I moved to New York City, where I studied acting and worked a series of odd jobs while awaiting my "big break"--which never came.
Eventually I moved to Los Angeles and turned my attention to writing and editing. I've worked in the publishing industry for nearly 15 years, including stints as an editor of pop-culture books, and assistant managing editor for a medical publisher. I've written everything from books and magazine articles to DVD liner notes, movie reviews, and encyclopedia entries. And I've abridged over 100 books for audio, by a diverse range of authors including Al Gore, Stephen J. Cannell, Edith Wharton, Mary Kay Andrews, Fern Michaels, and Janet Evanovich.
My career came full circle in 2004, when I became director of publications for the Los Angeles Zoo. Being able to combine my love of writing with my passion for animals has been a dream come true. And you can bet that animals will figure prominently into the plot of my next novel!
