In 1997, Locke's autobiography "The Good, the Bad, and the Very Ugly: A Hollywood Journey" was published by William Morrow and Company. In it she called Eastwood "a completely evil, manipulating, lying excuse for a man." Eastwood's lawyers sent a warning letter to the publisher, and although no slander charges arose, "Entertainment Tonight" canceled a scheduled interview with Locke. She was also bumped from "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and, in her words, "shut out of most venues to promote the book, in particular the networks." The book received a rave and supportive review from "New York Daily News" writer Liz Smith, while "Entertainment Weekly"'s Dana Kennedy dismissed the book as a "peculiar, not terribly consequential, life story."