For more than a decade, Derek Philpott and his son, Dave, have been writing to pop stars from the 1960s to the 90s to take issue with the lyrics of some of their best-known songs. But then, to their great surprise, the pop stars started writing back... Dear Mr Pop Star contains 100 of Derek and Dave's greatest hits, including correspondence with Katrina and the Waves, Tears for Fears, Squeeze, The Housemartins, Suzi Quatro, Devo, Deep Purple, Nik Kershaw, T’Pau, Human League, Eurythmics, Wang Chung, EMF, Mott the Hoople, Heaven 17, Jesus Jones, Johnny Hates Jazz, Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine, Chesney Hawkes and many, many more.
This book "renders the singular arc of a woman's life through letters Mary-Louise Parker composes to the men, real and hypothetical, who have informed the person she is today. Beginning with the grandfather she never knew, the letters range from a missive to the beloved priest from her childhood to remembrances of former lovers to an homage to a firefighter she encountered to a heartfelt communication with the uncle of the infant daughter she adopted"--
I'm in desperate need of James Butler's help. There's one issue—he's my ex. The last time I saw him, I told him, "I never want to see your crazy a** again." But he is one of the best lawyers in town, and I know he can help with my poor dad's lawsuit problem. To my surprise, when I go to James, he is willing to help me. I offer him money in exchange, but he doesn't want cash. Instead, he wants me. Specifically, he wants me in his bed... ***The third standalone book in the OTT Enterprises series featuring alpha male businessmen and the women they want to make theirs.*** WORD COUNT: 5,800 Excerpt: James stands up and grabs my arm. "Just tell me what you need. You wouldn't have come to me if you had other options." The jerk is right. "My dad's getting sued," I say. "As you know, we don't have much money. I contacted you because I hoped you would be his lawyer. Obviously, we can't afford to pay you at your regular rates, but we can give you some money and we'll throw in free dry cleaning for the rest of your life. If you want me to go on my knees and beg, I'll do it and whatever else you want me to do." To my relief, he doesn't laugh in my face and say, "Absolutely not. Get the hell out of my office." His green eyes look into mine. "You'll do whatever I want you to do?" I nod. "Anything." "Tell you what," he says. "I'll help your dad for free." I exhale. "Thank you. But let us give you some money—" "I make six figures a year. I don't need your money." "What do you want then?" A heavy ball of dread forms in my stomach. Is he going to make me do something humiliating like clean his apartment in a skimpy French maid costume? My ex wouldn't be above that. He draws me to him till our bodies are a mere inch away from touching. "I want you in my bed." I narrow my eyes. "Jesus, you're a slime-ball." "Well, I am a corporate lawyer."
Bought to the printed page on the back of the cult internet sensation and an immensely successful Crowdfunding campaign contributed to by many of the artists involved, ''Dear Mr. Kershaw'' is the result of 7 years' surreal and quite bonkers work. ''Derek'', with help from his friend ''Wilf'', is a retired gent who back in 2008 set out on a bizarre crusade, writing good old-fashioned letters to pop and rock stars regarding lyrical inaccuracies and ambiguities in their most famous songs and often hilariously getting the wrong end of the stick. The letters are eminently publishable in their own right, mixing sharp wit, confusion and biscuits with trips to the shops and unarguable logic in relation to questioning the offending chart hits under scrutiny. What makes this book an essential purchase however is that, with the missives online for all to see on what was becoming a hugely popular website, the artists quite unexpectedly started to reply. ''Dear Mr. Kershaw'' features over 65 of the best and funniest letters and responses from famous and legendary names spanning every reach of the pop, rock, metal, prog and punk spectrum, all relishing their involvement ''in character'' and revealing their own in many cases hitherto unknown humorous sides. Amongst those to be saluted for their great sportsmanship are Noddy Holder, Billy Bragg, Was Not Was, The Stereo MCs, Dave Stewart of The Eurythmics, Saxon, Tom Robinson, Stiff Little Fingers, Rick Wakeman, Paul Heaton, Squeeze, Toyah, Howard Jones, The Divine Comedy, Kim Wilde, and of course the gentleman himself Mr Nik Kershaw Also includes 100 ''mini-letters'' and Polymer Animal Popstars Highly recommended to anyone who likes music and laughing
When 12-year-old Krish finds out his mum is dying, he is desperate to give her more time to live. This leads to a deal with a devil-like creature to travel to another realm, Ilir, and collect the Myrthali - the essence of time itself. Ilir is a tiny desert world where the days are a handful of hours long and there is magic and treachery on every corner. Here Krish is set three impossible challenges by the brutal King Obsendei to win from him the Myrthali. He joins forces with the razor-tongued, young girl-wizard Balthrir, who hopes to free her parents from the Black Palace; a living, breathing structure built entirely out of those subjects who have incurred the wrath of the King. But as Krish battles these impossible tasks he may be about to learn that there is more than his mother's life at stake as he gets embroiled in a blood-thirsty fight for power in Ilir that will push his friendship with Balthrir to its limits.
An extensive biographical and critical survey of more than 300 jazz and popular singers is comprised of provocative, opinionated essays that incorporate the views of peers, fans and critics while assessing key movements and genres.
This book is Nick Carter’s autobiography and self-help hybrid in which he chronicles his struggles with a dysfunctional family and the unimaginable rigors of becoming an internationally successful pop-star at the age of 12. From his battle with addiction to serious health complications and the pain of his younger sister’s tragic death, Nick leaves nothing to the imagination and offers true and heartfelt advice to help readers overcome obstacles in their own lives.
While on summer vacation, five-year-old Emily thinks she sees a whale in her garden pond and writes to her teacher, Mr. Blueberry, to ask for advice on how to care for it.
Onion is snatched. She wakes up chained to an armpit of a river city, earmarked for a skin-trader called The Toymaker. Surrounded by a creeping rot she has just three days to escape before the sold sticker becomes a brand. Forced into a knife fight with a world that has just pulled an AK47 on her, all Onion has to fight with is; a sewer for a mouth, a rusted up moral compass and a spanking anger that can sucker-punch kindness at twenty paces. She might survive but probably not. Sour Fruit is a dark dystopian novel set in northern Britain, in a river city called Kingston; a rotting scrap yard of misery. The VOIDs are forced to live there not by walls or fences but by being invisible in the new digital world. The novel explores ideas about what is home, how friendship can come from strange places and the debts we can’t ever pay back.
Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of Julian Henby. For some time now, Julian, the Bridget Jones of letter writing, has been badgering decent, hard-working celebrities with a barrage of frankly absurd correspondence, often relating to his dysfunctional family and pets. Dear Celebrity is a compilation of some of his finest work and includes many of the best celebrity responses. So, can Matthew Kelly find Henby's mother a job as a Bearded Lady? Will Professor Lord Robert Winston be able to do anything to help Julian's hamster, David, whose locomotion is severely impaired by his erection which drags along the floor like a fifth leg? Will Joanna Lumley find the time to visit Julian's elderly uncle to talk about her career? And why does Sir Jimmy Savile insist on being the Loch Ness monster? The answers to these and many more questions are to be found here...
