Books with author Joe Allan

Shailene Woodley and Theo James are two stars on the rise. Playing Tris Prior and Tobias 'Four' Eaton respectively, they are set to take Hollywood by storm on the release of Divergent, the fantasy film based on the internationally best-selling novel by Veronica Roth which is set in a futuristic dystopia, produced by the makers of the Twilight Saga.Shailene, best known as Amy Juergens in The Secret Life of the American Teenager and for starring in a Golden Globe-nominated performance alongside George Clooney in The Descendants, has come a long way in a short time. Born to parents employed in education, she worked in an American clothes store while pursuing acting in New York aged 18. Now 21, her television stints, fitted in with schoolwork and paid work over the years, have paid off as she has made the jump to big-budget movie actress. Theo James is a well-educated English actor who has seen increasing success since his appearance as Jed Harper in Bedlam, featuring in The Inbetweeners Movie and Underworld: Awakening, as well as being cast as the lead role in the American crime drama Golden Boy. Both are young actors about to hit the big time, and are sure to gain legions of fans keen to read their stories.

It was a humble mountain village. With each generation more of the children from the village left than decided to stay. One day a man who had left more than a decade before returned. He was accompanied by a strange woman with pointed ears and their daughter. The family quietly worked to establish a new farm as they became part of the small community. However, they came with a secret that would bring disaster to the village and create something the lands had never seen before. The only question is, will the simple love of this family hold true and win out over the approaching tragedy.

For Sam Smith, the omens are good. When you record a song with John Legend for Comic Relief, you know you are on the way to big things. More promisingly yet, comparisons are being made to another hyper-successful Brit who sold Soul music back to America: while Sam might be bullishly rejecting comparisons to Adele, the signs are all there. With his debut album In the Lonely Hour having sold 4 million copies, he is rapidly catching the figure of 7 million to date for Adele’s breakthrough record, 19. And with four 2015 Grammy awards, three Billboard Awards, an American Music Award, and nominations for MTV Video Music Awards and BET Awards, he is on the rise. Sam Smith has massive crossover appeal, with his album going gold or platinum all across the world and his touching honesty about loneliness, love and his own sexuality coming through both in his music and his interviews to win him fans of all ages and genders.

The biography of the hottest new Australian band taking the pop world by storm. Luke, Michael, Calum and Ashton have become an overnight sensation, topping the charts in fifty-one countries and selling out their first US solo tour in just five minutes. From their humble beginnings posting videos of their songs on YouTube to supporting One Direction on tour and releasing their first album, the past year has been a roller-coaster journey for the boys. 5 Seconds of Summer: The Unauthorized Biography explores the early lives and backgrounds of the boys, their determination to gain recognition, touring with One Direction and coping with sudden international fame. This is the story of four talented, fun and down-to-earth boys who refuse to be known as just another boy band, and is a must-have for any 5SOS fan.

Sam Smith's debut album, In the Lonely Hour, sold four million copies and won four 2015 Grammy awards. In 2016, he won an Oscar for Best Original Song. The young, soulful singer has massive crossover appeal, with his touching honesty about loneliness, love, and his own sexuality coming through in both his music and interviews. While the media largely painted Smith as an "overnight success story," Sam Smith: The Biography shows the hard work that Smith put in for over a decade.Joe Allan is the author of 5 Seconds of Summer: The Unauthorized Biography and Chris Pratt: The Biography.

All there is to know about the stars of the March 2014 film Divergent, based on the bestselling novel by Veronica Roth The first installment in a trilogy, Divergent is the hottest new dystopian novel for young adults and adults alike. This must-read for fans follows the stories of the two stars of the forthcoming film. Shailene Woodley, who plays Tris Prior, is known to fans already as a star of The Secret Life of the American Teenager, and for her Independent Spirit Award-winning, Golden Globe-nominated role in The Descendants. English actor Theo James, who stars as Tobias "Four" Eaton, played Turkish diplomat Kemal Pamuk in an episode of Downton Abbey, as well as starring in the British supernatural drama Bedlam.

On the morning of 9 February 2014, when Sam Smith woke up and saw the four statuettes he’d taken home from the previous night’s Grammy Awards Ceremony, it must have felt like a dream come true. At only twenty-two years old and coming just eight months after the US release of his debut album, In the Lonely Hour, calling Sam Smith’s victory an ‘overnight success story’ seemed wholly appropriate.In fact, Sam had been working towards releasing his own music for over a decade and training his voice for even longer. After falling under the spell of Whitney Houston and Chaka Khan as a child, straining his voice to imitate them and match their incredible vocal ranges, tuition from a local jazz singer and time spent in a local theatre group and youth choir encouraged Sam to pursue singing as a career.But Sam’s first attempts to become a professional singer floundered and left him disillusioned and jaded. By the time he turned eighteen, Sam had seen six different managers come and go, he’d recorded a whole album’s worth of songs which were never released and he was beginning to think he’d never get his big break.Then in 2010, giving himself one more year to make it, Sam moved to London. After spending a year working full-time in a bar, a chance encounter with Elvin Smith, a fellow musician turned artist manager, changed Sam’s life forever. In just over eighteen months, Sam’s voice had featured on a number-one song and he was about to sign his own major label deal.The songs Sam wrote for his debut album would go on to capture the hearts of a massive international audience. Along the way there were celebrity friendships, number-one records, world tours and the inevitable press speculation about his personal life. In this revealing biography, Joe Allen charts the meteoric rise of Britain’s singing sensation. With his multi-platinum debut barely scratching the surface of what we can expect from Sam in the future, the next decade is sure to be as eventful as the last.

The biography of the hottest new boy band taking the pop world by storm Luke, Michael, Calum, and Ashton have become an overnight sensation, topping the charts in 51 countries and selling out their first U.S. solo tour in just five minutes. From their humble beginnings posting videos of their songs on YouTube to supporting One Direction on tour and releasing their first album, the past year has been a roller coaster journey for the boys. This book explores the early lives and backgrounds of the boys, their determination to gain recognition, touring with One Direction, and coping with sudden international fame. This is the story of four talented, fun, and down-to-earth boys who refuse to be known as just another boy band, and is a must-have for any 5SOS fan.

All there is to know about the stars of the March 2014 film Divergent, based on the bestselling novel by Veronica Roth The first installment in a trilogy, Divergent is the hottest new dystopian novel for young adults and adults alike. This must-read for fans follows the stories of the two stars of the forthcoming film. Shailene Woodley, who plays Tris Prior, is known to fans already as a star of The Secret Life of the American Teenager, and for her Independent Spirit Award-winning, Golden Globe-nominated role in The Descendants. English actor Theo James, who stars as Tobias "Four" Eaton, played Turkish diplomat Kemal Pamuk in an episode of Downton Abbey, as well as starring in the British supernatural drama Bedlam.

The biography of the hottest new boy band taking the pop world by stormLuke, Michael, Calum, and Ashton have become an overnight sensation, topping the charts in 51 countries and selling out their first U.S. solo tour in just five minutes. From their humble beginnings posting videos of their songs on YouTube to supporting One Direction on tour and releasing their first album, the past year has been a roller coaster journey for the boys. This book explores the early lives and backgrounds of the boys, their determination to gain recognition, touring with One Direction, and coping with sudden international fame. This is the story of four talented, fun, and down-to-earth boys who refuse to be known as just another boy band, and is a must-have for any 5SOS fan.

Zak takes on his first mission for a top secret government organization in the second book of this action-adventure spy seriesZak's training is cut short when he is sent on his first mission. The King of Montevisto and his family have been threatened and the secret services believe the attack will take place on the family's forthcoming visit to the UK. It's vital that the trip goes smoothly and Zak is in charge of protecting the king's son. He soon finds he needs all his training and talents to outwit the enemy and save lives.