On December 3 2011 teenager Hayley Okines was 14.
Nothing unusual about that, you might say?
But Hayley is unlike no other teenager. She is one of only 80 children in the world suffering from the rare genetic condition progeria, which means she ages eight times faster than the average person. It's a condition which affects one in eight million children and in medical terms she has the body of a 110-year-old woman.
The average life expectancy of progeria children is 13. Her best friend with progeria died at the age of 11. So Hayley never expected to see her 14th birthday. But thanks to her part in pioneering drug trials in America over the last four years, Hayley is now looking forward to her life as a young woman. In the new year she returns to Boston to take part in trials for a drug which has been dubbed 'the elixir of life' and which scientists hope could extend life for all humans.
To mark her special birthday, Hayley has launched her memoir Old Before My Time: Hayley Okines' Life With Progeria with Accent Press Ltd. In it Hayley and her mum Kerry, 37, describe the highs and lows of Hayley's full life, which has taken her to many places beyond the reach of a normal teenager. She has travelled the world and fulfilled many of her dreams which include meeting her pop idols Kylie Minogue and Justin Bieber, crocodile hunting with the late Steve Irwin and being a mascot for Chelsea Football Club. She even persuaded HRH Prince Charles to sign an autograph for her.
Now Hayley's dream is to become a best-selling author in time for her birthday and a Twitter campaign has been set up by her friends and supporters to get her into the book charts alongside her writing heroes. Hayley's book charted at number 11 on the Amazon best-sellers list last month on pre-order sales alone and is currently number one in its category on Amazon and No 1 in pre-orders on Play.com
Hayley says: 'I have always loved reading, so having a book about me is really cool. Writing my book has helped me to remember all the happy and sad times in my life.'
Here's what the celebs say:
'Hayley's an extraordinary girl' Kylie Minogue
'Hayley just lights up a room. She's so full of happiness she lights up a room'. Lorraine Kelly
'Hayley possesses one of the strongest life-forces we have ever encountered.' Richard & Judy
FACTFILE:
Hayley and her mum Kerry live in Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex, with her younger brother and sister, Louis and Ruby. Since the age of four Hayley has been the face of Channel 5's critically acclaimed Extraordinary People. Her films have aired to audiences of 1.7 million and by raising awareness of this cruel and incredibly rare condition she is now recognised wherever she goes. Her fifth documentary Hayley Okines: World's Oldest Teenager was broadcast on C5 last month.
Follow Hayley's blog hayleyokines.wordpress.com
Old Before My Time: My Life With Progeria by Hayley and Kerry Okines Published by Accent Press Ltd, 2011, price £9.99. ISBN: 978 1 9081 9255 4
Book review blog site, with some entertainment material from time-to-time.
Sunday, 4 December 2011
Political Wit Quips and Quotes from the Back Benches and Beyond
Political Wit Quips and Quotes from the Back Benches and Beyond is a new collection of witty remarks, devastating come-backs and quick retorts from politicians and others from the distant past to last year's news.
Steven Gauge has brought together a wide and eclectic selection of witty remarks from all sides of the political divide and some from no side of the political divide at all.
The quotations are helpfully divided into 25 different chapters that cover everything from the art of politics to civil servants, the USA, the economy, spin, conference classics, the media and much more besides.
From those you might expect (Churchill, Livingstone, Thatcher, Disraeli ) to some you might be pleasantly surprised to see quoted within this interesting and stimulating book (Leo Amey, Arnold Toynbee, Eleanor Roosevelt, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Adlai Steventon, J. K. Galbraith, Eric Idle, Ernest Benn, G. K. Chesteron, Robert Louis Stevenson, W. C. Fields, Konrad Adenauer, Boy George and Aristophanes.
Some of the remarks made really tell us more about the person uttering them, rather than their intended target. And some of the remarks show that even the great and the good amongst us can say some remarkably daft things, from time-to-time!
The book is published by Summersdale (www.summersdale.com) in hardback at £9.99 and it will make the perfect stocking filler for this Christmas.
The ISBN is 978-1-84953-188-7.
This book is available through the That's Books Amazon book store on this site.
Steven Gauge has brought together a wide and eclectic selection of witty remarks from all sides of the political divide and some from no side of the political divide at all.
The quotations are helpfully divided into 25 different chapters that cover everything from the art of politics to civil servants, the USA, the economy, spin, conference classics, the media and much more besides.
From those you might expect (Churchill, Livingstone, Thatcher, Disraeli ) to some you might be pleasantly surprised to see quoted within this interesting and stimulating book (Leo Amey, Arnold Toynbee, Eleanor Roosevelt, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Adlai Steventon, J. K. Galbraith, Eric Idle, Ernest Benn, G. K. Chesteron, Robert Louis Stevenson, W. C. Fields, Konrad Adenauer, Boy George and Aristophanes.
Some of the remarks made really tell us more about the person uttering them, rather than their intended target. And some of the remarks show that even the great and the good amongst us can say some remarkably daft things, from time-to-time!
The book is published by Summersdale (www.summersdale.com) in hardback at £9.99 and it will make the perfect stocking filler for this Christmas.
The ISBN is 978-1-84953-188-7.
This book is available through the That's Books Amazon book store on this site.
Badger the Mystical Mutt
Badger the Mystical Mutt is a special dog. A very special dog indeed. He is magical, though his magic doesn't always work out in quite the way Badger intends.
Badger is aided in his magical shenanigans by his red and white spotted neckerchief which is very magical indeed. And is known as chief.
Badger has a thing about towers of freshly buttered toasted bread (EDITOR: I am warming to Badger already, I have a thing about towers of freshly buttered toasted bread, too!) and helping other people with his magic.
The book begins with some prose that is rather magical in itself: "It was a quarter past midsummer."
Pet Idol has come to the town in which Badger lives. And the favourite to be the winner is Hamish, who is a floppy-eared spaniel. But this brings attention to the lane and this is attention that is most unwelcome to Top Dog, who is the leader of a gang of stray dogs. They blame Hamish for the fact that the Dog Catcher is hunting them down.
And then, Badger the Mystical Mutt steps in to save the day. Can Badger and his uncertain magic save Hamish from Top Dog and his gang? Can he help ensure that Hamish becomes Pet Idol?
But what is the significance of the crystal cave and what they see inside it? What is the meaning of the scruffy toy unicorn? Can the dogs be saved from the Dog Catcher?
This book is very well written and it is filled with magical, wild events and will be ideal for parents to read with their children. It is MUST HAVE Christmas present. It is a moving and joyful story and did warm the heart of this cynical old journalist. Was there a slight tear of joy towards the end of the book? Maybe this old, cynical journalist is younger at heart than he realised and not nearly as cynical as he thought!
This book is written by Lyn McNichol and Laura Cameron Jackson and is published by the Lunicorn Press in paperback at £5.99. (An extremely low price for such a fantastic book to my mind, but then, what do I know?!) The ISBN is 978-0-9569640-0-7. This book can be ordered through the That's Books Amazon Shop.
You can find out more at www.badgerthemysticalmutt.com
And please check out these videos!
You can find out more at www.badgerthemysticalmutt.com
Badger is aided in his magical shenanigans by his red and white spotted neckerchief which is very magical indeed. And is known as chief.
Badger has a thing about towers of freshly buttered toasted bread (EDITOR: I am warming to Badger already, I have a thing about towers of freshly buttered toasted bread, too!) and helping other people with his magic.
The book begins with some prose that is rather magical in itself: "It was a quarter past midsummer."
Pet Idol has come to the town in which Badger lives. And the favourite to be the winner is Hamish, who is a floppy-eared spaniel. But this brings attention to the lane and this is attention that is most unwelcome to Top Dog, who is the leader of a gang of stray dogs. They blame Hamish for the fact that the Dog Catcher is hunting them down.
And then, Badger the Mystical Mutt steps in to save the day. Can Badger and his uncertain magic save Hamish from Top Dog and his gang? Can he help ensure that Hamish becomes Pet Idol?
But what is the significance of the crystal cave and what they see inside it? What is the meaning of the scruffy toy unicorn? Can the dogs be saved from the Dog Catcher?
This book is very well written and it is filled with magical, wild events and will be ideal for parents to read with their children. It is MUST HAVE Christmas present. It is a moving and joyful story and did warm the heart of this cynical old journalist. Was there a slight tear of joy towards the end of the book? Maybe this old, cynical journalist is younger at heart than he realised and not nearly as cynical as he thought!
This book is written by Lyn McNichol and Laura Cameron Jackson and is published by the Lunicorn Press in paperback at £5.99. (An extremely low price for such a fantastic book to my mind, but then, what do I know?!) The ISBN is 978-0-9569640-0-7. This book can be ordered through the That's Books Amazon Shop.
You can find out more at www.badgerthemysticalmutt.com
And please check out these videos!
Historical Tweets
What if Tweets had been available to our ancestors? What if famous people of long ago had been able to send messages of no more than 140 characters?
Alan Beard and Alec McNayr took this wild and somewhat wacky proposition and have turned it into a hilarious and sometimes eye-opening book which will make a fantastic Chirstmas stocking filler!
What would Plato have had to say in 140 characters or less? Merlin? Henry VIII? Gandhi? Shakespeare? Billy the Kid? Oscar Wilde? Albert Einstein? Marie Curie? Marilyn Monroe?
Sometimes funny, sometimes insightful, sometimes both, this will keep the recipient chuckling or LOLing for many happy hours!
It is published by Summersdale at £9.99 in hardback and the ISBN is 978 1 84953 232 7.
Available from the That's Books Amazon Store at a discounted price.
Alan Beard and Alec McNayr took this wild and somewhat wacky proposition and have turned it into a hilarious and sometimes eye-opening book which will make a fantastic Chirstmas stocking filler!
What would Plato have had to say in 140 characters or less? Merlin? Henry VIII? Gandhi? Shakespeare? Billy the Kid? Oscar Wilde? Albert Einstein? Marie Curie? Marilyn Monroe?
Sometimes funny, sometimes insightful, sometimes both, this will keep the recipient chuckling or LOLing for many happy hours!
It is published by Summersdale at £9.99 in hardback and the ISBN is 978 1 84953 232 7.
Available from the That's Books Amazon Store at a discounted price.
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
1,000,000 Free e-books every single month
In the beginning the internet was free: information was available for all at the click of the mouse.
Over the past ten years quality information has become increasingly expensive with surfers being asked to 'join up', 'subscribe' or pay a one-off fee to find what used to be free.
Now, to reverse that trend need2know books have launched the big book giveaway with one million e-books covering more than 100 titles free every month.
Ian Walton, need2know publisher says "we launched the initiative for two main reasons: the altruistic one; to make the information free to those who cannot afford to buy the printed book and the commercial one, to build 'brand awareness' in the people that can".
In the first two days over 1000 books were downloaded, the most popular titles so far are: Bullying - a parents guide; Asthma - the essential guide and Applying to university.
Ian also added, "Whilst most publishers are working on web sites to SELL e-books we have spent a lot of time and money building a site to give the books away.
With the diversity of subjects in the need2know range covering health, education, social and leisure issues there is a book that can be helpful to everybody.
The plan is to make www.bigbookgiveaway.com a permanent part of need2knows future marketing strategy.
Over the past ten years quality information has become increasingly expensive with surfers being asked to 'join up', 'subscribe' or pay a one-off fee to find what used to be free.
Now, to reverse that trend need2know books have launched the big book giveaway with one million e-books covering more than 100 titles free every month.
Ian Walton, need2know publisher says "we launched the initiative for two main reasons: the altruistic one; to make the information free to those who cannot afford to buy the printed book and the commercial one, to build 'brand awareness' in the people that can".
In the first two days over 1000 books were downloaded, the most popular titles so far are: Bullying - a parents guide; Asthma - the essential guide and Applying to university.
Ian also added, "Whilst most publishers are working on web sites to SELL e-books we have spent a lot of time and money building a site to give the books away.
With the diversity of subjects in the need2know range covering health, education, social and leisure issues there is a book that can be helpful to everybody.
The plan is to make www.bigbookgiveaway.com a permanent part of need2knows future marketing strategy.
Sunday, 27 November 2011
Elisabeth Sladen Autobiography Released
When Elisabeth Sladen first appeared as plucky journalist Sarah Jane Smith in the 1973 Doctor Who story The Time Warrior, little did she know the character would become one of the most enduring and fondly remembered of the series' long history.
The years that followed saw Elisabeth traverse time and space alongside classic Doctors Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, whilst a generation of children crouched behind the sofa, terrified but transfixed as their tea-time heroine found herself menaced by Daleks, dinosaurs, Cybermen, Egyptian mummies, actors in green Bubble Wrap and even the Loch Ness Monster. By the time she quit the TARDIS in 1976, making front-page news, Elisabeth had become one of the most familiar faces of a TV golden age.
But you don't just walk away from Doctor Who. Elisabeth was asked to reprise her role many times, appearing in anniversary specials, an marginally successful 1981 spin-off with robotic sidekick K-9, radio plays, and for the BBC's Children in Need.
She also toured the weird, wide and wonderful world of Doctor Who fandom and became one of the series' all-time favourite companions. So when TV wunderkind Russell T Davies approached her to come back again, this time to a show backed by multi-million-pound budgets and garlanded with critical plaudits, how could she refuse?
This warm and witty autobiography, completed only months before Elisabeth died in April 2011, tells her remarkable story, from humble beginnings in post-war Liverpool, through an acclaimed theatrical career working alongside stage luminaries such as Alan Ayckbourn, to Coronation Street, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em and the furthest reaches of the Universe.
A unique insider's view of the world's longest-running science fiction series, and of British television yesterday and today, Elisabeth's memoir is funny, ridiculous, insightful and entertaining and a fitting tribute to a woman who will be sadly missed by millions.
Elisabeth Sladen played Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures. She also appeared in Coronation Street, Z-Cars and Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em among others, and enjoyed a long, successful and very happy career in the theatre. She died in April 2011.
Elisabeth Sladen: the autobiography is published by Aurum Pressat £18.99
www.aurumpress.co.uk
Rabbitwood
If you travel beyond the seven mountains, traverse through many enchanted valleys, make your way over or around a variety of lakes and rivers, you will, eventually, find yourself on the very edge of a large, ancient woodland.
Here, you will find Rabbitwood. Which is the home of the oldest rabbit family in the entire world.
It is the Hobblestones. Tobbit of Hobblestone is the eldest member of the clan. And Tobbit has a very special desire, he wishes to ride like the wind through the very forest itself, even as swiftly as the humans do on their mighty horses!
Whilst he is searching for a suitable steed, he meets and befriends a tiny fox. But foxes and rabbits can never be friends! Surely their natural instincts will take over? Or must that always be the way?
Read this beautiful book to discover for yourself!
An ideal Christmas present as it is perfect for reading to the little ones and has some splendid illustrations. It is published by Far, Far Away Books at £12.99. www.farfarawaybooks.com
Here, you will find Rabbitwood. Which is the home of the oldest rabbit family in the entire world.
It is the Hobblestones. Tobbit of Hobblestone is the eldest member of the clan. And Tobbit has a very special desire, he wishes to ride like the wind through the very forest itself, even as swiftly as the humans do on their mighty horses!
Whilst he is searching for a suitable steed, he meets and befriends a tiny fox. But foxes and rabbits can never be friends! Surely their natural instincts will take over? Or must that always be the way?
Read this beautiful book to discover for yourself!
An ideal Christmas present as it is perfect for reading to the little ones and has some splendid illustrations. It is published by Far, Far Away Books at £12.99. www.farfarawaybooks.com
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