Search results for ""John Blake Publishing Ltd""

There have been innumerable 'rock star' biographies and music histories before, but there is no book that presents the deepest, innermost thoughts from some of the industry's most legendary musicians on not only how they create, but what drives their creative process. Have you ever wondered how your favourite rock stars get inspired? How they write a song? How an album is put together? What made them choose a life devoted to music? Written and compiled by Jenny Boyd, who has lived at the heart of the rock world since the 1960s and experienced many of its most iconic moments, the book contains interviews with each musician to give the reader a compelling and groundbreaking insight into the creative process at the heart of each rock star's musical success. From Eric Clapton to Mick Fleetwood, Joni Mitchell to George Harrison, this is a bible of rock royalty that provides an intimate portrait of their craft. Icons of Rock is the perfect book for any fan that wants to know more about their favourite musicians and bands - or any budding composer and performer who wants a unique insight into how the world's most legendary rock stars created and delivered their greatest music.

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When shocking images emerged of Anne, Britain's last circus elephant, being beaten by one of her keepers, it sparked a national outcry. Undercover footage showed the gentle creature cowering in fear as the youth repeatedly inflicted violent attacks on her, making her wince in pain. The public was appalled and demanded that Anne be freed from the circus where she had spent nearly fifty-five years performing and be allowed to live out her final years in peace. I, a reporter at the Daily Mail, broke the story after the campaign group Animal Defenders International passed the newspaper the footage they had secretly shot. From then on, the paper, animal charities and experts worked tirelessly behind the scenes to save Anne and deliver her to safety. But there were fears for her health due to her crippling arthritis and old age and at one stage it was thought that she might have to be put down to ease her suffering. Thankfully the vets decided that they could treat her and she officially retired in 2011. It was agreed that Longleat Safari Park would be her new home and she settled in nicely.Meanwhile, her keeper is believed to have fled to his native Romania and her owner Bobby Roberts was prosecuted for animal cruelty the following year. The Daily Mail ran a funding appeal to build her a refuge at the park specifically designed for her needs and she moved in to Anne's Haven a year ago. Since she was rescued, she has gone from strength to strength and the arthritis which caused her to drag her back legs has dramatically improved. Having recovered her mobility, she is able to play and go for walks with new-found energy. Now, at last, she has the chance to live out her final years in a happy and safe place.

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When Jonathan Franklin takes two baby tawny owls back to Eton, he has no idea how chaotic the following months will be. The birds show no respect for Etonian routine and tradition. They trash his room and rule his daily life, and are known throughout the school as 'Dum' and 'Dee'. Although a keen naturalist, Jonathan struggles to understand his charges and to find the right food for them; at first meat and feathers, soon mice and rats. Even so, they nearly die of malnutrition on two occasions. Frantic, he searches for natural food. How to keep them alive is a constant worry. He watches them grow from ugly balls of fluff into beautiful adults, every change of plumage and behaviour noted. They play truant, they shock others, and lead Jonathan into hilarious adventures. They charm his housemaster and everybody who meets them. Best of all is seeing them flying about over those famous playing fields. All the time, Jonathan works to train them for eventual return to the wild. Will that be possible? He is never sure whether he will succeed.Now updated by the author to tell the end of this extraordinary story, Two Owls at Eton - very British, very witty, yet always close to the rawness of the natural world - is a story to delight everyone - whether they ever trod those playing fields, or have never wished to set eyes on the place.

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Appearing on the eighth series of Big Brother in 2007, Victoria Beckham lookalike Chanelle Hayes quickly became a national talking point thanks to her tears, tantrums and explosive relationship with fellow housemate Ziggy Lichman. As one half of golden couple 'Chiggy', feisty Chanelle was propelled to stardom and soon established herself as a darling of the British tabloid press and magazine cover girl. But despite being one of the most successful BB housemates of all time, with a flourishing modelling career and even a foray into the pop world, there is so much more to Yorkshire bornand- bred Chanelle than showbiz ups and downs. For the young mum's life has been etched with tragedy, right from the moment she was born in prison in November 1987. Just a few months old, she was orphaned when her drug-addicted mother was brutally murdered, and she was sent to live with foster parents before later being adopted. With the real reason for her mother's death shrouded in secrecy, Chanelle's teenage years were marked by an agonising quest for the truth - which saw her go to extreme and devastating lengths for answers, including attempted suicide. Her rocky past has also been plagued by eating disorders, while Chanelle's romantic history has been defined by heartache and despair. And despite doting on son Blakely, born to footballer Matthew Bates in 2010, her volatile relationship with the child's father played out through the courts to a miserable end. At times brutally honest and astonishingly sad, Chanelle's story does not make for easy reading, and she is the first to admit that she is no angel. But amidst all the heartbreak are humorous, wry observations and moving anecdotes which would soften a heart of stone. And in spite of all her troubles, Chanelle has emerged a stronger, happier woman, who has finally tackled her demons and can now embrace a brighter future with confidence.

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Did you know that there are twice as many chickens in the world than humans, or that ONE IN THREE men picks his nose while driving? Do you want to know the average weight of a human eyeball, or how many hearts a worm has? Amaze your friends by telling them about purple animals, the heaviest sumo wrestler, and the longest bout of hiccups EVER. The first book in the Dr Dino's Learnatorium series, How Fast Can You Fart? is packed with the wildest, weirdest, funniest, grossest, brainiest and best facts about history, science, food, geography, words and much more.

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Roy Snell has been in what he calls 'Close Protection' for over 16 years, guarding international royalty and celebrities including Madonna, George Michael, Tom Jones and Frank Sinatra. A former SAS sniper and heavyweight boxing champion, Roy is Britain's ultimate bodyguard. Roy was trained at the Regency College in Herefordshire, where the royal protection squad is drilled. A 'Category A' bodyguard - a level that takes two years of training to reach - Roy is qualified to look after top level celebrity clients, for film stars to footballers, singers to royalty. Roy is also a skilled marksman trained in the use of the 9mm Bereta sub-machine gun and the 38 Snubnose - the standard issue weapon for the FBI.

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When a bomb blast buried Corporal Hannah Campbell alive while she was serving in Iraq it was the start of an incredible journey of self-discovery. From the collapse of her marriage, to suffering horrific post-traumatic stress disorder, becoming morbidly obese, addicted to prescription drugs and suicidal, she went to hell and back. Hannah, who left her toddler at home to go to war, then made the extraordinary decision to amputate her own badly damaged leg so she could learn to live again and be a mum to her four-year-old daughter Milly. Within hours of waking up from the amputation she announced she would fulfil her dream of running the London Marathon even though at that time she was unable to walk. Just two months later she put on her first of many prosthetic legs and crossed the finishing line, running into the arms of her beloved young daughter. This spurred her to lose half her body weight before spending her army compensation on a GBP52,000 cosmetic makeover which led her to find love again. In an amazing transformation of fortune, she became pregnant with miracle baby Lexi-River, astounding her doctors as this was a child she was told her she'd never have due to her blast injuries. Hannah's story is one of true heroism and triumph over seemingly insurmountable adversity. But simply it's also a story about how a mother's love for her children can conquer all.

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Ages 8 to 14 yearsA Puppy Called Dez is a charming offering for children, following on from the brilliant reception for A Dog Called Dez from older readers. Presented for a younger audience, A Puppy Called Dez takes up the story of Dez and `his human’ John from the perspective of Dez himself, as he learns the ropes at Guide Dog School as a young pup. Even with his best pal Stan to guide him, he discovers that becoming a guide dog is harder than he thought… and becoming Man’s Best Friend is another problem entirely. The story has a strong emotional core comprising offriendship, determination and learning new skills – all of which will appeal to parents.

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Eddie Maher used to spend every day guarding big bags of someone else's cash. He'd always dreamed about the big house and the sporty car, and working for Securicor wasn't getting him anywhere fast. But all that was to change. The siren song of temptation proved too much. So one day, 'Fast' Eddie Maher decided it was his time to live the dream. He reached out his hand and grabbed opportunity...in the form of GBP1.2million cash in the back of a security van. The cheekiest heist of all time had taken no longer than a minute. For a man on the run, America was the place to be. No one knew him and no one was looking for him, although that didn't stop him wearing a fake beard and outsize shades to hide his face. Eddie travelled all around the States, living the outlaw life for 20 years. Colorado, Florida, Texas; he even married an air hostess in Las Vegas, the City of Sin. The USA was Eddie's playground. But fate is fickle and the easy living just wasn't meant to last. A quick Google search told Eddie's capricious daughter-in-law Jessica King all she needed to know about the strangely wealthy Mr Maher. Give up a wanted fugitive and net a GBP100,000 reward? She didn't have to think twice. Eddie was jailed in March 2013 for 5 years, the forfeit for his outrageous roll of the dice. This is the true story of 'Fast' Eddie Maher, the man who dared and almost won.

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Thrust into the international spotlight at the 2012 Olympic Games thanks to her moving performances of 'Abide with Me' at the opening ceremony and 'Read All About It (Part III)' at the closing ceremony, Emeli Sande is now an international superstar. However, her breakthrough came much earlier, in August 2011, with the release of her first single, 'Heaven', which peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Since then Emeli has been unstoppable, releasing her debut album 'Our Version Of Events' in 2012 to critical acclaim - an album which went on to be the UK's bestseller in 2012. What many don't realise, though, is that Emeli is more than just a singer. An avid pianist and songwriter from an early age, Emeli has co-written songs for a huge number of artists including Tinie Tempah, Alesha Dixon, Cheryl Cole, Professor Green, Leona Lewis and even Susan Boyle. And while music has always been her first love, Emeli is a firm believer in the importance of education, and was studying for a degree in medicine at Edinburgh University before deciding that music had to take precedence, Winning the Critics' Choice Brit Award in 2012 has confirmed the young Scottish singer as one of the great musical talents of a very talented generation, and while publicly 2012 was a hugely successful year for Emeli, privately it was too as she married her long-term boyfriend Adam Gouraguine in his home country of Montenegro.

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When Kate married gangster Ronnie Kray, he introduced her to the most deadly criminals ever known. She persuaded them to talk about their crimes, fears and dreams. The result is a book offering an authentic, shocking and gripping insight into the criminal mind. In this true crime classic, Kate Kray delves into the world of some of Britain's most dangerous prisoners, conducting first-hand interviews with them in order to better understand their crimes. From cold contract killings to crimes of passion, this is a fascinating insight into the minds of murderers who have been punished with the longest sentence of all.

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'Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it...' So wrote Cole Porter in his famous song from 1928, 'Let's Do It, Let's Fall In Love'. To which Bruce Montague, author of this enlightening and amusing collection, silently replied, 'Yes, but how do they do it?' Birds, Bees and Educated Fleas is an amusing A - Z of the courtship and mating habits of animals - including Homo sapiens sapiens. From well-hung South American drakes to shy camels arranging secret love trysts, female chameleons whose skin darkens when they're no longer in the mood to giraffes who swing their hips and swish their tails when they're feeling frisky, oysters that can change sex pretty much at will to stud rhinoceroses that can copulate three or four times a day for a week, this is a wide-ranging, light-hearted but well-researched look at the world of animal love and lust. Arranged alphabetically by species, here is the perfect handbook for any peeping Tom or Tomasina who wants to know what goes on in the animal world behind the - metaphorical - bedroom curtains.

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In Tangled Vines, bestselling true crime author John Glatt reconstructs the rise of the prestigious Murdaugh family and the shocking double murder that led to the downfall of its patriarch, Alex Murdaugh.Among the lush, tree-lined waterways of South Carolina low country, the Murdaugh name means power. A century-old, multimillion-dollar law practice has catapulted the family into incredible wealth and local celebrity--but it was an unimaginable tragedy that would thrust them into the national spotlight. On June 7th, 2021, prominent attorney Alex Murdaugh discovered the bodies of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, on the grounds of their thousand-acre hunting lodge. The mystery deepened only months later when Alex himself was discovered shot in the head on a local roadside.But as authorities scrambled for clues and the community reeled from the loss and media attention, dark secrets about this Southern legal dynasty came to light. The Murdaughs, it turned out, were feared as much as they were loved. And they wouldn't hesitate to wield their influence to protect one of their own; two years before he was killed, a highly intoxicated Paul Murdaugh was at the helm of a boat when it crashed and killed a teenage girl, and his light treatment by police led to speculation that privilege had come into play. As bombshells of financial fraud were revealed and more suspicious deaths were linked to the Murdaughs, a new portrait of Alex Murdaugh emerged: a desperate man on the brink of ruin who would do anything, even plan his own death, to save his family's reputation.

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