Although she had written stories since she was seven and had earned a good living as a screenwriter, O'Hara thought of herself primarily as a composer. She was born on July 10, 1885, in Brooklyn Heights, New York. After her mother's death, O'Hara and her siblings lived abroad for several years with their grandmother and aunt before returning to their father and new stepmother.

Much against her father's wishes, O'Hara married her cousin Kent Parrot; they had two children. They were divorced, and O'Hara moved to Hollywood, where she became a successful screenwriter for MGM studios. Here she met and married Helge Sture-Vasa, a Swede who became an actor after a period working with horses in the army remount service. She and Helge bought a ranch in Wyoming, where for many years they raised horses and ran a summer program for boys. From these years, O'Hara...