Bumper Bundle!

Title 1: The Lost Girl
Genre: Historical Fiction - Suspense
Format: Audio CD pack - (Narrated by Carol herself)

Title 2: An Act of Love
Genre: Historical Fiction - Suspense - Romance
Format: Paperback

Title 3: The Illustrated Olive Farm
Genre: Travel - Biographical
Format: Hardback Coffee Table Edition

Dedications Available: YES
Postage & Packaging; FREE
Bids Accepted: Global

Website: http://www.caroldrinkwater.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Carol4OliveFarm

Book 1 Blurb: The Lost Girl
Since her teenage daughter went missing four years ago, Kurtiz Ross has blamed and isolated herself. Until, out of the blue, Lizzie is sighted in Paris.

But within hours of her arrival, Kurtiz sees the City of Light plunged into terror.

Amid the fear and chaos, a hand reaches out. A sympathetic stranger offers to help a terrified mother find her daughter.

The other woman's kindness - and her stories of her own love and loss in post-war Provence - shine unexpected light into the shadows.

The night may hold the answers to a mystery - but dare Kurtiz believe it could also bring a miracle?

Book 2 Blurb: An Act of Love
France, 1943.

Forced to flee war ravaged Poland, Sara and her parents are offered refuge in a beautiful but dilapidated house in the French Alps. It seems the perfect hideaway, despite haunting traces of the previous occupants who left in haste.

But shadows soon fall over Sara's blissful summer, and her blossoming romance with local villager Alain. As the Nazis close in, the family is forced to make a harrowing choice that could drive them apart forever, while Sara's own bid for freedom risks several lives . . .

Will her family make it through the summer together?
And can she hold onto the love she has found with Alain?

Book 3 Blurb:
THE OLIVE TRILOGY is the story of the love affair between actress Carol Drinkwater and television producer Michel Noll and a Provencal olive farm, Appassionata, which they fall in love with, buy and with little money and many tribulations restore with the aim of producing the finest olive oil.

In this book Carol and Michel have documented their life on the olive farm: the highs and lows of harvesting and pressing, the constant concern about water, the adoption of animals, and the anxious search for ways to diversify. Local food and wine, customs, markets and fairs, friends and characterful neighbours, the whole Provencal way of life, are richly recounted and illustrated.

Author Bio:
Anglo-Irish actress Carol Drinkwater is perhaps still most familiar to audiences for her award-winning portrayal of Helen Herriot in the BBC series All Creatures Great and Small. A popular and acclaimed author and film-maker as well, Carol has published nineteen books, and one Kindle Single, for both the adult and young adult markets. She is currently at work on her twenty-first title.

When she purchased a rundown property overlooking the Bay of Cannes in France, she discovered on the grounds sixty-eight, 400-year-old olive trees. Once the land was reclaimed and the olives pressed, Carol along with her French husband, Michel, became the producers of top-quality olive oil. Her series of memoirs, love stories, recounting her experiences on her farm (The Olive Farm, The Olive Season, The Olive Harvest and Return to the Olive Farm) have become international bestsellers. Carol's fascination with the olive tree extended to a seventeenth-month, solo Mediterranean journey in search of the tree's mythical secrets. The resulting travel books, The Olive Route and The Olive Tree, have inspired a five-part documentary films series entitled The Olive Route.

Carol has also been invited to work with UNESCO to help fund an Olive Heritage Trail around the Mediterranean with the dual goals of creating peace in the region and honouring the ancient heritage of the olive tree.
Carol has recently become an ambassador for Children in Read.

Title: Blood, Fire & Gold
Genre: History - Biography
Format: Paperback
Dedication Available:
Postage & Packaging; FREE
Bids Accepted: UK Only

Website: https://www.estelleparanque.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrEstellePrnq

Book Blurb:
In sixteenth-century Europe, two women came to hold all the power, against all the odds. They were Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici.

One a Virgin Queen who ruled her kingdom alone, and the other a clandestine leader who used her children to shape the dynasties of Europe, much has been written about these iconic women. But nothing has been said of their complicated relationship: thirty years of friendship, competition and conflict that changed the face of Europe.

This is a story of two remarkable visionaries: a story of blood, fire and gold. It is also a tale of ceaseless calculation, of love and rivalry, of war and wisdom - and of female power in a male world. Shining new light on their legendary kingdoms Blood, Fire and Gold provides a new way of looking at two of history's most powerful women, and how they shaped each other as profoundly as they shaped the course of history. Drawing on their letters and brand new research, Estelle Paranque writes an entirely new chapter in the well-worn story of the sixteenth century.

Author Bio:
Estelle is a historian and an Assistant Professor in History. She is the author and editor of five books. Her latest book, Blood, Fire, and Gold has been named "Best History Books of 2022" in History Today, "10 Best History Books of 2022" Smithsonian Magazine, Amazon's Editor Pick for "Best History Books of the Month" (December), Best Books Summer 2022 (The Times), Book of The Week (18 June 2022, The Times).

She completed her PhD in Early Modern History at University College London in 2016. She turned her PhD into a monograph that was published in November 2018 by Palgrave Macmillan Elizabeth I of England Through Valois Eyes: Power, Representation, and Diplomacy in the Reign of the Queen, 1558-1588.

She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and she is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in January 2019. She is also a co-convenor of the Tudor and Stuart Seminar at the Institute of Historical Research in London. She has been teaching at university level for the last twelve years and is dedicated to share her passion for history with the next generation. Her research interests are royal, diplomatic, women studies.

She is also very interested in public engagement and has participated in BBC 2 / PBS The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family and Secrets d'Histoire on France 2, BBC Radio 4, and numerous podcasts (BBC History, Viral History, Not Just The Tudors, HistoryHit).

Title: The Anne Boleyn Bible
Genre: History - Biography
Format: Hardback
Dedication Available: YES
Postage & Packaging; FREE
Bids Accepted: UK Only

Website: http://www.mickeymayhew.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mickey_Mayhew

Book Blurb:
Anne Boleyn sells, but she sells in segments; a biography here, a study over there on her guilt and something else yonder concerned with where she lived or what she liked to wear. This book, covering not just her life but her life onscreen, in theatre, on TV and also the impact of the first black actress to play her, is the definitive, all-encompassing story of Anne Boleyn from 1501 (or thereabouts) to 2023. Having examined the ardent fandom of Anne Boleyn for his doctorate, Dr Mickey Mayhew is in a unique position to offer something new to say on this much-discussed 'tragic' Tudor queen and is not afraid to tackle some of the less palatable aspects of her life. Also, this book is the first to examine with authenticity the reality of Anne's relationship with the most important man in her life, the man whose name she repeated in comfort whilst facing the Swordsman of Calais on the scaffold, having spent her life promulgating his doctrine; Jesus Christ himself. As for the aforementioned executioner, Dr Mayhew's research in Calais and Saint-Omer can now lift a lid on a few of the particulars of this elusive and yet essential figure of Anne Boleyn mythos; and yes, now he even has a name as well. The Anne Boleyn Bible also offers a straightforward retelling of Anne's actual historical life, albeit one that outlines an entirely fresh and empowering perspective on her rise to prominence; this is followed by a series of considered arguments on the 'for' and 'against' in regard to her guilt & execution; then her entry into popular culture, firstly in plays and masques, before she went on to headline movies, TV series, cosplay, and now, with the first black woman to portray her, model and actress Jodie Turner-Smith. This book is simply what it says on the cover - The Anne Boleyn Bible - leaving no depiction, no religious aspect, no appearance in popular culture, from The Simpsons to the West End musical 'Six', overlooked; likewise, Dr Mayhew also turns his trademark brand of rather wry commentary toward the vast plethora of Anne Boleyn merchandising, tourist spots, rubber ducks, beanies and the wrangling question of who was the ultimate onscreen Anne; Genevieve Bujold or Natalie Dormer?!

Author Bio:
Lifelong Londoner Mickey Mayhew has a PhD concerning the online cult surrounding tragic queens; Anne Boleyn and Mary Queen of Scots. He was co-author on three books relating to Jack the Ripper, published by The History Press; The Little Book of Mary Queen of Scots was also published by The History Press in January 2015. I Love the Tudors, by Pavilion Books, was released in 2016. He has a semi-regular column in the journal of The Whitechapel Society, and was previously a film and theatre reviewer for several London lifestyle magazines. He has also worked as an assistant researcher on several projects for London South Bank University. His first book for Pen & Sword - House of Tudor: A Grisly History - was published in early 2022. Imprisoning Mary Queen of Scots: The men who kept the Stuart Queen was released in the autumn of 2022; proving that being a polymath isn't at all problematic, Rasputin and his Russian Queen: The True Story of Grigory and Alexandra was released in early 2023.

Title: Rasputin
Genre: History - Biography
Format: Hardback
Dedication Available: YES
Postage & Packaging; FREE
Bids Accepted: UK Only

Website: http://www.mickeymayhew.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mickey_Mayhew

Book Blurb:
RASPUTIN’S RELATIONSHIP with Russia’s last Tsarina, Alexandra, notorious from the famous Boney M song, has never been adequately addressed; biographies are always for one or the other, or simply Alexandra and her husband Nicholas. In this new work, Mickey Mayhew reimagines Alexandra for the #MeToo generation; ‘neurotic’; ‘hysterical’; ‘credulous’ and ‘fanatical’ are shunted aside in favour of a sympathetic reimagining of a reserved and pious woman tossed into the heart of Russian aristocracy, with the sole purpose of providing their patriarchal monarchy with an heir. When her longed-for son then developed haemophilia, she turned to the one man capable of curing the child’s agonising pain – Grigory Rasputin. Some say that between them, Grigory and Alexandra brought down 300 years of Romanov rule and ushered in the Russian Revolution, but theirs was simply the story of a mother fighting for the health of her son against a backdrop of bigotry, sexism and increasing secularism. She liked to pray and he liked to party, but when they found themselves steering Russia through the First World War, her gender and his class gave society no option but to destroy them. Bubbling with his trademark bon mots, Mickey Mayhew’s latest book breathes fresh life into two of history’s most fascinating – and polarising – figures. This is the real story of Rasputin and his Russian Queen.

Author Bio:
Lifelong Londoner Mickey Mayhew has a PhD concerning the online cult surrounding tragic queens; Anne Boleyn and Mary Queen of Scots. He was co-author on three books relating to Jack the Ripper, published by The History Press; The Little Book of Mary Queen of Scots was also published by The History Press in January 2015. I Love the Tudors, by Pavilion Books, was released in 2016. He has a semi-regular column in the journal of The Whitechapel Society, and was previously a film and theatre reviewer for several London lifestyle magazines. He has also worked as an assistant researcher on several projects for London South Bank University. His first book for Pen & Sword - House of Tudor: A Grisly History - was published in early 2022. Imprisoning Mary Queen of Scots: The men who kept the Stuart Queen was released in the autumn of 2022; proving that being a polymath isn't at all problematic, Rasputin and his Russian Queen: The True Story of Grigory and Alexandra was released in early 2023.

Title: The Spy Who Loved
Genre: Biographical History
Format: Paperback
Dedication Available: YES
Postage & Packaging; FREE
Bids Accepted: UK Only

Website: https://claremulley.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/claremulley

Book Blurb:
The Spy Who Loved brings to life the Polish-born Countess Krystyna Skarbek, aka Christine Granville, Britain’s first and longest serving female special agent of the Second World War. In 1941, the vital intelligence she smuggled across borders prompted Churchill to call her his favourite spy. She went on to make the first contact between the French resistance and Italian partisans, secured the defection on an entire German garrison in the Alps, and saved the lives of many of her male colleagues. The Spy Who Loved, for which Clare was decorated with Poland’s national honour, the Bene Merito, has been optioned for film.

Author Bio:
Clare Mulley is an award-winning popular historian, author and broadcaster, primarily focused on female experience during the Second World War.

Clare writes for various papers and magazines, reviews for the Spectator and TLS among other publications, and has twice been chair of the judges for the Historical Writers Association non-fiction prize.

Recent TV includes several history series for Channel 5, More 4, Sky, and the History Channel, as well as two series of the BBC’s Rise of the Nazis. Also guest spots on the BBC’s Newsnight, Songs of Praise, D-Day 70 coverage, BBC World News, Sky News, ITV News etc. A regular on radio and podcasts, Clare has contributed to the BBC R4’s Today Programme, Woman’s Hour and PM, as well as Times Radio and many others. She is a favourite on Dan Snow’s History Hit, James Holland and Al Murray’s We Have Ways of Making You Talk and many other pods.

Clare and is a recipient of the Bene Merito cultural honour of the Republic of Poland, and the Daily Mail Biographers Club Prize.

Title: The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho
Genre: Historical/Biographical Fiction
Format: Hardback
Dedication Available: YES
Postage & Packaging; FREE
Bids Accepted: UK Only

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ignatius_sancho

Book Blurb:
Shortlisted for The British Book Awards 2023 Discover Book of the Year

Shortlisted for The Jhalak Prize 2023

Longlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2023

Meet Charles Ignatius Sancho: his extraordinary story, hidden for three hundred years, is about to be told.

I had little right to live, born on a slave ship where my parents both died. But I survived, and indeed, you might say I did more...

It's 1746 and Georgian London is not a safe place for a young Black man, especially one who has escaped slavery. After the twinkling lights in the Fleet Street coffee shops are blown out and the great houses have closed their doors for the night, Sancho must dodge slave catchers and worse. The man he hoped would help - a kindly duke who taught him to write - is dying. Sancho is desperate and utterly alone. So how does Charles Ignatius Sancho meet the King, write and play highly acclaimed music, become the first Black person to vote in Britain and lead the fight to end slavery?

It's time for him to tell his story, one that begins on a tempestuous Atlantic Ocean, and ends at the very centre of London life. And through it all, he must ask: born amongst death, how much can you achieve in one short life?

From one of Britain's best-loved actors, Paterson Joseph, comes an utterly captivating and haunting historical novel, telling the true story of a Great Black Briton.

Author Bio:
Paterson Joseph is a British actor. He has appeared in the Royal Shakespeare Company productions of King Lear and Love's Labour's Lost in 1990. On television he is known for his roles in Casualty, as Alan Johnson in Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show, Green Wing, Survivors, Boy Meets Girl, as DI Wes Layton in Law & Order: UK, and as Connor Mason in Timeless. His film roles include The Beach, Æon Flux and The Other Man.
The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho is Paterson's debut novel.

Title: Rebel women between the wars: Fearless writers and adventurers
Genre: History
Format: Hardback
Dedication Available: YES
Postage & Packaging: FREE
Bids Accepted: UK Only

Linked-in: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/sarah-lonsdale-67b4151b
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SarahJLonsdale

The Book:
What did it mean to be a 'rebel woman' in the interwar years? Taking the form of a multiple biography, this book traces the struggles, passions and achievements of a set of 'recklessly determined' women who stopped at nothing to make their mark in the traditionally masculine spheres of mountaineering, politics, engineering and journalism. From the motorist Claudia Parsons to the 'star' reporter Margaret Lane, the mountaineer Dorothy Pilley and the journalist Shiela Grant Duff, the women charted in this book challenged the status quo in all walks of life, alongside writing vivid, eye-witness accounts of their adventures. Recovering their voices across a range of texts including novels, poems, journalism and diaries, Rebel women between the wars reveals their inch by inch gains won through courageous and sometimes controversial and dangerous actions.

The Author:
Dr Sarah Lonsdale has been a journalist for twenty five years, training on the Reading Chronicle before joining the Observer newspaper in 1990 as a general reporter. During her time on the Observer she specialised in stories concerning social justice. She is now freelance and has written for a wide variety of publications including: Observer, Financial Times, Evening Standard, Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph, Daily Mail, Independent on Sunday, Country Homes and Interiors Magazine, Observer Food Monthly, National Geographic Green and the Sunday Times. She was a weekly columnist for the Sunday Telegraph 2006 - 2015 writing about environmental issues, particularly the threat of climate change.

Dr Lonsdale holds a BA (Hons) and MA from the University of Cambridge in Modern and Medieval Languages (French and Italian). She recently completed her PhD, 'The Representation of Journalists and the Newspaper Press in British Literature 1900 - 1939' at the University of Kent. She holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE). She joined City University London in 2013 after six years as a lecturer at the University of Kent, teaching at the School of English and the Centre for Journalism there.

Title: The Making of Swallows and Amazons (1974)
Genre: TV & Film Biography
Format: Paperback (First Edition)
Dedication Available: YES
Postage & Packaging: FREE
Bids Accepted: UK only.

Book Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chXkQ8m8tKM

Website: https://sophieneville.net
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sophie_Neville

The Book;
In 1973 Sophie Neville was cast as Titty alongside Virginia McKenna, Ronald Fraser and Suzanna Hamilton in the film Swallows & Amazons. Made before the advent of digital technology, the child stars lived out Arthur Ransome's epic adventure in the great outdoors without ever seeing a script. Encouraged by her mother, Sophie Neville kept a diary about her time filming on location in the lakes and mountains of Cumbria. Bouncy and effervescent, extracts from her childhood diary are interspersed among her memories of the cast and crew as well as photographs, maps and newspaper articles, offering a child's eye view of the making of the film from development to premiere - and the aftermath.

The Author:
Award-winning author Sophie Neville became inadvertently well known as a child when she starred as Titty in the 1974 feature film of Arthur Ransome's book Swallows and Amazons.

After that sunshiny time she went on to work for the BBC behind the camera on television programmes such as Gerald Durrell's My Family and Other Animals, Doctor Who and Eastenders. Having produced her own Inset series for BBC2 she was busy directing her second drama serial for children when disaster struck in the form of a mystery illness.

Fully recovered, Sophie now lives on the south coast of England with her husband. Every year she disappears for a while to ride in different parts of the world and has also been known to go sailing, but only when the sun shines.

Title: Crown of Blood
Genre: History - Biography
Format: Paperback
Dedication Available: YES
Postage & Packaging; FREE
Bids Accepted: UK Only

Website: https://nicolatallis.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NicolaTallis

Book Blurb:
”Good people, I am come hither to die, and by a law I am condemned to the same”. These were the words uttered by the seventeen-year-old Lady Jane Grey as she stood on the scaffold awaiting death on a cold February morning in 1554. Forced on to the throne by the great power players at court, Queen Jane reigned for just thirteen tumultuous days before being imprisoned in the Tower, condemned for high treason and executed.

In this dramatic retelling of an often-misread tale, historian and researcher Nicola Tallis explores a range of evidence that has never before been used in a biography to sweep away the many myths and reveal the moving, human story of an extraordinarily intelligent, independent and courageous young woman’.

Author Bio:
Dr Nicola Tallis has a first class BA (Hons) in History from Bath Spa University, and an MA in Public History from Royal Holloway College, University of London. Her PhD thesis investigated the jewellery collections of the queens of England between 1445 and 1548. Nicola has been passionate about English history all of her life, and has worked as a lecturer and historical researcher. She also worked as the Curator at Sudeley Castle, and featured prominently on BBC’s Countryfile in April 2013, guiding at Sudeley. She is currently the resident historian for Alison Weir Tours. Nicola’s debut, Crown of Blood: The Deadly Inheritance of Lady Jane Grey, was published in November 2016, and is the result of five years of research on the Grey family. Her followup, Elizabeth’s Rival: The Tumultuous Tale of Lettice Knollys, Countess of Leicester, was published in November 2017, and her third book is Uncrowned Queen: The Tumultuous Life of Margaret Beaufort, Tudor Rebel, published in November 2019.

Title: Ethel Rosenberg : A Cold War tragedy
Genre: History - Biography
Format: Hardback
Dedication Available: YES
Postage & Packaging: FREE
Bids Accepted: UK Only

Website: https://annesebba.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/annesebba

The Book;
Ethel Rosenberg's story has been called America's Dreyfus Affair: a catastrophic failure of humanity and justice that continues to haunt the national conscience, and is still being played out with different actors in the lead roles today.

On 19th June 1953 Ethel Rosenberg became the first woman in the US to be executed for a crime other than murder. She was thirty-seven years old and the mother of two small children. Yet even today, at a time when the Cold War seems all too resonant, Ethel's conviction for conspiracy to commit espionage on behalf of the Soviet Union makes her story still controversial. This is an important moment to recount not simply what FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover called the 'trial of the century', but also a timeless human story of a supportive wife, loving mother and courageous idealist who grew up during the Depression with aspirations to become an opera singer. Instead, she found herself battling the social mores of the 1950s and had her life barbarically cut short on the basis of tainted evidence for a crime she almost certainly did not commit.

Anne Sebba's masterly biography makes full use of the dramatic prison letters Ethel exchanged with her husband, lawyer and psychotherapist over a three-year period. Sebba has also interviewed Ethel's two sons and others who knew her, including a fellow prisoner. Ethel's tragic story lays bare a nation deeply divided and reveals what happens when a government motivated by fear tramples on the rights of its citizens.

The Author:
ANNE SEBBA is a prize-winning biographer, lecturer, and former Reuters foreign correspondent who has written several books, including That Woman and Les Parisiennes. A former chair of Britain’s Society of Authors and now on the Council, Anne is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Historical Research. She lives in London.

Title: Our Daily Bread
Genre: Biography - Lifestyle
Format: Hardback
Dedication Available: YES
Postage & Packaging: Free
Bids Accepted UK Only

Website: http://fralexfrost.co.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexdjfrost

The Book:
‘No one cares, that’s the real pandemic’

A warmly funny, intensely moving and startlingly personal account of the lives of an urban parish priest and his parishioners.

Father Alex Frost was not always a man of the cloth. He found his calling while running an Argos store in his native Burnley, moonlighting as a stand-up comedian and die-hard fan of The Clarets and Depeche Mode.

But having achieved his profession, Fr Alex quickly recognised the 17,000 inhabitants of his new parish were in dire need of help. Burnley is typical of many towns across Britain: a place of run-down council estates, severe poverty litter, crime and drugs, but also a place where the sacred sits alongside the secular in an intimate and personal way. And so it was that he found himself running a food bank from a car park, helping the desperate amid his flock as the pandemic raged.

Fr Alex’s down-to-earth style of ministry struck a chord with people of all faiths, cultures and class at a time when the divide between rich and poor is widening cataclysmically. But amid the tragedy, addiction, appalling loss, illness and neglect, there also lies hope, joy and moments of comedy. Our Daily Bread is as much the story of the rich cast of characters that cross the threshold of any church as it is our vicar’s. Through them it shows the continued relevance of the church for those in peril: the poor and the marginalised.

This heartfelt and moving book seeks to give a voice to the voiceless, charting the tragedy and pain, humour and hope which are ever-present in his community. It is ultimately about modern poverty – and how we all can, and should, espouse Christian virtues of love, kindness, tolerance.

The Author:
Fr Alex Frost is the vicar of St Matthew’s the Apostle, Burnley, where he grew up. He describes himself as the ‘fundamentally unemployable’ host of The God Cast, a podcast devoted to issues of faith and spirituality, which has featured celebrities such as Eamonn Holmes, Alastair Campbell, Edwina Currie, Dom Joly, George Galloway, Anthea Turner and football legend Lou Macari. Ordained in 2012 after a mixed career working as a football referee, manager at Argos and a stand-up comic, Fr Alex was recently appointed to the General Synod for Blackburn Diocese. He is married and has three children.

Fr Alex made headlines when he featured in a 2021 BBC documentary The Cost of Covid – One Year On, which has been viewed over 12 million times since it was aired. Running a food bank from a car park in Burnley, helping the desperate amid his flock as the pandemic raged, Fr Alex’s down-to-earth style of ministry struck a chord with people of all faiths, cultures and classes across the UK in a time when the divide between rich and poor widens cataclysmically. The Church of England priest, who sports tattoos of his favourite band Depeche Mode, has become the last bastion of support for many in the aftermath of austerity measures, Government cuts and Covid 19 upon a community already ravaged by poverty, addiction and neglect. ‘No-one cares, that is the real pandemic,’ Fr Alex says about his 17,000 parishioners whose souls he has care of at St Matthew’s, yards from the estates which have been abandoned and forgotten.

Title: Fearless, The Story of Daphne Caruana Galizia
Genre: Children & Young Adults, Non-fiction, Journalism
Format: Hardback
Dedication Available: YES
Postage & Packaging: FREE
Bids Accepted: Global

Website: https://fearlessdaphne.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Gattaldo

Book Blurb:
For budding young activists, the true story of an intrepid Maltese woman who followed her calling to be an investigative journalist—and refused to back down.

As a little girl, Daphne wanted to be a writer, to be brave and use words and pictures to share important stories about her country, Malta. Growing up, she always had her nose in books, which she said taught her never to let other people think for her. As she got older, when she saw bad things happening in her country, she believed she could change people’s lives through peaceful protest. She would ultimately follow her dream by working for a national newspaper, becoming an influential and courageous political journalist who took on criminals the only way she knew how—through her writing. In the end, despite increasingly dangerous—and ultimately fatal—efforts by her adversaries to silence her, Daphne made a difference and was an inspiration to all who believe in freedom of speech and the power of the press. In this compelling picture book, followed by a biographical note, author-illustrator Gattaldo explores the life and legacy of Daphne Caruana Galizia, a fearless advocate for truth and justice.

Author Bio:
GATTALDO is an award-winning Creative Director and illustrator. He studied art in Florence and now lives and works with his partner in London. Fearless, The Story of Daphne Caruana Galizia is Gattaldo's first children's picture book. He was inspired to create a book about the journalist when he saw how the story of her fearless journalism stirred the imagination of his young niece and nephew. Gattaldo wrote and illustrated ‘Fearless' for other children the world over to appreciate the importance of journalism.

Book Title: It’s All In The Mind: The Life and Legacy of Larry Stephens
Genre: Biography
Format: Hardback
Dedication Available: Yes
Postage & Packaging: FREE
Bids Accepted: UK Only

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VathenaUK
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lsggbg

Bonus: Julie will also include an Order of Service from the Celebration of the Life of Eric Sykes in 2013; a programme from the 2014 Southend Film Festival at which ‘The Lost Films of Peter Sellers’ were premiered following their rescue from a skip; 5” x 6.5” print of a photograph of Larry Stephens taken by Graham Stark and a 7” x 5” print of Larry Stephens’ wedding day photograph at which Tony Hancock was one of the witnesses.***

Book Blurb:
2023 marks 100 years since Larry Stephens was born and British popular culture would have looked very different without the major contribution he made to it. We could now be living in a world without the Carry On films or Monty Python and we may never have heard of Tony Hancock, Peter Sellers or Spike Milligan.

Using unrivalled access to Larry Stephens’ personal archive of letters, photographs and artwork, plus interviews with Stephens’ many notable friends, family members, comrades and colleagues, ‘It's All In The Mind: The Life And Legacy Of Larry Stephens’ tells the story of a boy from the Black Country whose short life had such an enduring impact. The book also contains a 'lost' script for the first episode of a proposed Tony Hancock sitcom, 'Vacant Lot' plus a 'Goonopedia' with information about all of the Goon Show episodes.

Author Bio:
Julie Warren is a virtual assistant specialising in research. Her first job was as a turkey-plucker. She lasted approximately 10 minutes in this role and earned 2½ pence. After realising a career removing feathers from poultry wasn’t her thing, she became the communications and community manager for a high street bank where she produced the staff magazine and won a Chairman’s Award for Community and Diversity. After realising a career in banking wasn’t her thing, she spent a number of years living in Greece and this means she is now able to both cook and pronounce kolokythokeftedes. She currently lives in Essex and pretends to channel Larry Stephens on Twitter.

Title: The Real Coco Chanel
Genre: Biography
Format: Hardback
Dedication Available: YES
Postage & Packaging; FREE
Bids Accepted: UK Only

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoseSgueglia

Book Blurb:
Coco Chanel lived her own life as a romantic heroine. Fuelled by 19th century literature, she built a life which was partly myth and, partly, factual. She was the fashion designer everyone admired. The business woman whose fortune was impossible to track. She was also a performer, lover of many high profile intellectuals and, as believed by many, a nazi spy. Her life was, extraordinarily, affected by history (the nazi movement and World War II), symbolism and literature. This biography explores her life from her troubled and poor past to the opening of her first hat shop, passions and secrets; the biography also draws parallelisms between myths and facts and how, and if ever, they match at all. The biography also features chapters on the Chanel Maison and the creation of her iconic trademark as well as her little black dress' and Chanel No 5'. Finally, the biography ends with a reflection on how the myth of Coco Chanel is represented today in pop culture.

Author Bio:
Rose Sgueglia is a writer, journalist and marketing consultant based in Cardiff. She is the founder of Miss Squiggles, a digital magazine and content agency. Her work has been published in different publications including The i Paper, Stylist, Saga, GQ, La Repubblica, Yahoo and WI Life (a magazine for members of The Women’s Institute). She holds a BA in Journalism, Film and Media and a Post Graduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism from Cardiff University. She is currently working on her PhD in Media Studies with a research project on transmedia branding in Chanel.

Title: Everything is Everything: A Memoir of Love, Hate & Hope
Genre: Autobiography / Memoir
Format: Hardback
Dedications Available: NO
Postage & Packaging: FREE
Bids Accepted: UK Only

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CliveMyrieBBC

Book Blurb:
As a Bolton teenager with a paper round, Clive Myrie read all the newspapers he delivered from cover to cover and dreamed of becoming a journalist. In this deeply personal memoir, he tells how his family history has influenced his view of the world, introducing us to his Windrush generation parents, a great grandfather who helped build the Panama Canal, and a great uncle who fought in the First World War, later to become a prominent police detective in Jamaica.

He reflects on how being black has affected his perspective on issues he's encountered in thirty years reporting some of the biggest stories of our time (most recently from Ukraine), showing us how those experiences gave him a better idea of what it means to be an outsider. He tells of his pride in his roots, but his determination not to be defined by his background in dealing with the challenges of race and class to succeed at the highest level.

Moving, engaging, revealing, Everything is Everything is a story of love and hate - but also hope.

Author Bio:
Clive Augustus Myrie is an English journalist, newsreader and presenter who works for the BBC. Since August 2021 he has been the host of the long-running BBC quiz shows Mastermind and Celebrity Mastermind.

Title: Whats The Worst Thing That Can Happen
Genre: Autobiography/Memoir
Format: Paperback
Dedication Available: YES
Postage & Packaging; FREE
Bids Accepted: Global

Website: https://jamesmcdonaldauthor.co.uk
Twitter; https://twitter.com/AuthorJamesMcD

Book Blurb:
In 2006, I was told by a spirit guide that I would write a book. Yes, I see spirits. “That sounds good but what story had I to tell? Tell the story of how you came from the slums of Glasgow, pushed away your gifts of ‘sixth sense’ and rediscovered them as an adult.” Okay, from the slums of Glasgow to discovering that you’re a psychic in your late forties sounds good but the part in between might sound uninteresting. “Think about it,” I was told, “You will soon be given the opportunity to write.” My life was to follow two paths; communicating with spirit and learning to replace fear with love. My guidance came from two sources; spirit and dreams. My childhood had been a ‘lie’ and I came to realise that much of my adult life was a ‘lie’ also. I wasn’t quite the person that I thought I was. During my childhood I had been the victim of abuse from an adult who I trusted. Unfortunately, I continued with this habit as an adult and would have difficulty facing up to anything. I had two options: run, as I had been doing, or face the truth about myself. I opted for the latter. Today I do not acknowledge negativity. I learn from every experience and think positively. It does help somewhat when the guidance that I receive is ‘out of this world!’

Author Bio:
James McDonald left school at 15 and spent most of his life working as a turner in engineering before returning to education and studying counselling. In 2010 he began working with vulnerable and often traumatised children. As well as his new-found knowledge the author used his experiences of his own childhood abuse to help guide children as well as adults. James does not acknowledge negativity but sees everything as a learning opportunity and passes this knowledge onto others at every opportunity. He believes strongly in the power of the mind and has the gift of clairvoyance as well as healing.

Title: Ann Walker: The Life and Death of Gentleman Jack's Wife
Genre: Biography - History - Philosophy
Format: Hardback
Dedication Available: YES
Postage & Packaging: FREE
Bids Accepted: UK Only

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thetravellinghistorianclub

Book Blurb:
Lesbian. Lover. Lunatic. These are just some of the words usually used to describe Ann Walker, the oft overlooked wife of Anne Lister, better known by some as Gentleman Jack. Ann was one half of England’s first same-sex marriage and yet the rainbow plaque that marks their historic union on the wall of the Holy Trinity Church, York, features Ann’s name in a font only half the size of her wife’s. Her story has been long forgotten. Born into wealth and privilege Ann was one of the most eligible heiresses in 19th century Yorkshire and the question on everyone’s lips in 1830’s Halifax was why a respectable young heiress, with property, fortune and connection risked everything, even her freedom, to become entangled with the notorious Gentleman Jack? The answer to this question reveals a woman of immense courage, faith, and determination, but her voice has remained silent….until now. Within the depths of Ann’s diary - discovered by Diane Halford in 2020 - the answers to some of the above questions can be found, as can insight into Ann as an independent woman. The life of Ann is worthy of its own narrative and it is time for Ann to step out of the shadow of Gentleman Jack and tell her own story.

Author Bio:
Rebecca Batley is an archaeologist and historian, with a particular interest in women's history. Her work can be found in numerous publications including New Scientist, Gay and Lesbian Review and AHM. She regularly writes for Ancient Origins and has worked for, amongst others, MOLA and Wessex Archaeology.

Title: Crossing Fifty-One: Not Quite a Memoir
Genre: Family History
Format: Paperback
Dedication Available: YES
Postage & Packaging: FREE
Bids Accepted: U.S.A. Only

Website: https://debbie-russell.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DebbiesStories

Book Blurb:
Three Generations of Family Secrets and Midlife Crises All Set the Stage for One Dream to Come True.

A week before Christmas 1951, Dr. Ralph Russell risked everything to voluntarily enter a locked federal drug-treatment facility known as a "narcotic farm."

Sixty-five years later, Dr. Russell's granddaughter Debbie suffers a debilitating crisis of identity when her father (Dr. Russell's oldest son), always her biggest fan, is accepted into hospice.

Debbie's investigation into her paternal lineage reveals family secrets and ignites her mother's volatile outbursts, propelling her into therapy.

When therapy fails her, the grandfather Debbie never knew saves her, and she collaborates with her dying father one last time to make her biggest dream come true.

Crossing Fifty-One pulls back the curtain on the internal struggles of midlife and provides a blueprint for redefining one's self beyond the constraints of addiction and dysfunctional family dynamics.

Author:
Debbie Russell is a lawyer turned writer. She spent twenty-five years as an Assistant County Attorney in Minneapolis, prosecuting numerous high-profile cases and fighting off several nervous breakdowns. At age fifty-five, Debbie took early retirement, giving up a full pension for the freedom of time. She now spends that precious time writing, restoring her property to native prairie and wetlands, and training her rambunctious retrievers.

Debbie’s first published article appeared in the Minneapolis Star Tribune in 2001. After that small triumph, her writing focused primarily on legal briefs and memoranda, which were consigned to district court files. Debbie resumed creative writing in 2014 when she began her storytelling blog, sharing personal stories and professional experiences that have touched her life in a significant way.

In 2021, Debbie completed her first full-length story entitled Crossing Fifty-One: Not Quite a Memoir, which will be released in June of 2023.

Title: For the Love of Animals: Stories from my life as a vet
Genre: Biography - Dog Care
Format: Hardback
Dedication Available: YES
Postage & Packaging: FREE
Bids Accepted: UK Only

Twitter: https://twitter.com/drjgreenwood

Book Blurb:
Animals have been part of James' life for as long as he can remember, from pulling lambs on a hilltop farm as a child and having stick insects crawling out of his school uniform in class, to renting a flat behind a zoo in Jersey and finding himself treating a newborn baby elephant as a newly qualified vet. Written with his trademark warmth and humour, James offers a fascinating insight into the world of veterinary medicine with tales of treating cats and dogs, horses, pigs and cows, as well as delving deep into his relationship with his beloved and much-missed, one-eyed Labrador, Oliver.

However, the path to realising his childhood ambition has not always been easy and at times he has questioned whether it truly is the best job in the world. Through all of the challenging lows and extraordinary highs, it has been the animals themselves that have spurred James on to want to continue vetting and helping him find his calling as a GP vet.

Author Bio:
Dr. James Greenwood BVSc MRCVS is a practicing small animal vet in Bristol. Originally from Yorkshire, James grew up with a passion for helping animals and this led into a career in veterinary medicine.

He has been in practice for over ten years- treating everything from parrots to donkeys, dogs, horses and even a 2 day old baby elephant.

James is a passionate advocate for the veterinary profession, animal welfare, conservation, mental health awareness and for LGBTQ equality.

James started out in television as a contestant on the first series of ‘The Great Pottery Throwdown’ (Love productions) on BBC 2 where he gained popularity and went on to star in the BAFTA nominated children’s show ‘The Pets Factor’ (True North) on CBBC.

This has led to further appearances across the CBBC brand including ‘Blue Peter’, ‘The Dengineers’ and ‘Top Class’ and in 2020 he became the resident Vet on BBC One’s ‘Morning Live’.

He writes for various titles, has appeared at multiple festivals and worked on high profile media campaigns (eg the RSPCA ‘Adoptober’ month, MSD ‘Tick Awareness’ and the annual James Wellbeloved ‘Scruffts’ dog show, championing the nations cross bred and rescue dogs).

He currently lives on a smallholding in North Somerset with his partner Mark and their rescue Labrador Dolly, plus hens, sheep and a couple of pigs. His first book, For the Love of Animals is out in July 2023.

* Limited Edition Cover*

Title: Different Aspects
Genre: Autobiography - Memoir
Format: Hardback
Dedication Available: NO
Postage & Packaging: FREE
Bids Accepted: Global

Website: https://www.michaelball.co.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrmichaelball

Book Blurb:
UNLOCK THE MAGIC OF THEATRE THIS CHRISTMAS - GO BEHIND THE CURTAIN WITH WEST END LEGEND, MICHAEL BALL IN HIS FIRST MEMOIR

'Love, laughter and tears abound in this warm, entertaining read' Woman and Home

'Glittering' Daily Mail

'Wonderful' The Sun

In 1989, a young Michael Ball landed the lead role in the musical Aspects of Love. It was a moment that changed his life forever. It was the first time he worked with legends of the stage like Andrew Lloyd Webber and Trevor Nunn; the show featured his smash hit song,Love Changes Everything, which rode high in the charts for 15 weeks; it was then, also, that he first met his long-term partner Cathy McGowan and battled back against the stage fright that had threatened his career. Over three decades later, Michael returned to a new production of the same show where he made his name, and with a lifetime's worth of stories to tell.

InDifferent Aspects, Michael takes us backstage inside the making of a West End hit, while also diving back into his memories to share untold anecdotes and explore a glittering career that has made him a household name - from his first stage experiences in Les Misérables and Phantom of the Opera, to delighting and shocking his audiences in equal measure in Hairspray and Sweeney Todd, as well as his chart-topping musical success (and some howlers too!). Exploring Michael's life, career and relationships alongside the pitfalls and pratfalls of modern theatre, Different Aspects is the story of a life lived on the stage. There will be laughter, tears and an abundance of heart. There's even some Roger Moore, though, famously, not quite enough.


Take your seats ladies and gentlemen, the lights are dimming, the performance is about to start.

Author Bio:
Michael Ball OBE is a singer, actor, presenter and now author. He's been a star of musical theatre for over three decades, winning the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical twice, he's also won two BRIT awards and been nominated for a Grammy. Michael regularly sells out both his solo tours and his Ball & Boe shows with Alfie Boe and has multiple platinum albums.

Book title: Close to where the heart gives out.
Genre: Biography : Memoir
Format: Paper back
Dedication Available: Yes
Postage & Packaging: FREE
Bids Accepted: UK only

Website: Beechwoodlife.com

Social media links:
Insta: malcolm_ontheisland

Book details:
A description of the book - CLOSE TO WHERE THE HEART GIVES OUT: A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF AN ORKNEY DOCTOR - Michael O'Mara - 2019
As a young boy, Malcolm Alexander knew exactly what, and who, he wanted to be. He dreamed of becoming a doctor; he was mesmerized by the process of illness and obsessed with preventing it. He wanted to help others.

In his thirties, Malcolm gave up his job in suburban Glasgow when a persistent seed that had been growing inside him started to bloom, disrupting the foundations of his life. When he saw the job advert, 'urgent: island doctor needed', he applied immediately. What he didn't anticipate was how much Orkney would affect his family, for better or worse.

In stories that range from the humorous to the deeply moving, Malcolm describes what it's like adjusting to life without modern conveniences and to the extreme - and constantly changing - weather; and what it means to be providing the best medical care to the local population with limited resources. Which often includes the wildlife as well.

Malcolm's journey evokes the awe that the Orkney landscape can inspire, as well as the challenges of island life and the demons that the dark, cold winter months can give birth to. Gripping and beautifully written, Close to Where the Heart Gives Out reminds us of the importance of listening to our heart, as well as to the rhythms of the landscape

Author bio:
A bit about yourself
Dr Malcolm Alexander graduated from Edinburgh University in 1980 with the single thought of becoming a General Practitioner in a rural setting and nothing more. Life had other plans and in time he became Clinical Director and then Medical Director for Orkney Health Board, before working as Director of Strategy for the Scottish Executive Remote and Rural Initiative. He finished his career working for 11 years as Associate Medical Director for the Scottish National Telephone Triage service, NHS 24, before finally returning to face to face practice as a locum in his local GP practice on one of the Scottish islands. His medical interests are widespread and include training in homeopathy, medical hypnosis, pre-hospital care as well as his expertise in clinical algorithm and computer systems development, a field where words and their use is critical to success. During his time in Orkney he also trained as a Reader in the Church of Scotland and lead worship in several congregations across the islands. He has always been deeply interested in people and in the relationship between their whole well-being and the physical illnesses. An acute observer of people and places he blends all his training and experience together when working as a GP.
When not actively being a doctor he likes to try out many creative and outdoor pursuits. He is an able singer, knitter, fisherman and spends a lot of time ripping out and repairing his old Victorian home where he lives with his wife and eight children, six of his own and his nephew and niece.