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Daily Mail
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
On Writing by Stephen King: How to write a bestseller by Stephen King
On Writing by Stephen King (Hodder & Stoughton £22, 416pp) Together with Grisham, Clancy and Crichton, Stephen King is one of the world's most successful authors, earning hundreds of millions of dollars from his stories, which are full of his trademark 'dread and wonder'. Even if you've never read one of his actual books, everyone has seen a film adaptation: Carrie, The Shining, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, or Misery, in which an Academy Award-winning Kathy Bates smashes James Caan's ankles – Caan plays an author, Bates an over-besotted fan. In On Writing, and at the risk of sounding like 'a literary gasbag,' King promises to divulge the secrets of his craft. That's to say, how 'ambition, desire, luck and a little talent' blend with one's personal knowledge of 'life, friendship, relationships, sex' to create, if not works of literature for the ages, then bestsellers. King's lessons, originally published in 2000 and reprinted in this new edition, will hold few surprises to those of us taught English Language O-Level, back in the last century, when high standards pertained. Thus, delete extraneous verbiage, especially adverbs and clumsy exposition. 'Your main job is to take out all the things that are not the story.' Secondly, be plain and direct. A fancy vocabulary is pretentious. Don't ever say 'at this point in time' or 'at the end of the day,' or assume 'my angry lesbian breasts' is clever. Obscurity belongs solely with student poetry groups. King is correct to say writers must be compulsive readers. 'I take a book with me everywhere I go,' he asserts. If you want to pull the reader in and get them to keep turning the pages, focus is essential. 'Once I start work on a project, I don't stop and I don't slow down unless I absolutely have to.' There must be no distractions in the study, such as a television set, video games, or intrusive music. Which is all well and good – highly sensible. But in the end, King can't explain how he became Stephen King. Inspiration, to him, remains a complete mystery. 'It came from nowhere . . . It arrived whole and complete, in a single bright flash,' he says of a typical novel's gestation. It's what he lives for, it's what gives him joy, 'that sudden flash of insight when you see how everything connects', and the next thing we know, King is pouring out his fables about vampires invading New England, people being trapped in cars by rabid dogs, policemen going berserk and viruses wiping out 99 per cent of the human race. King was born in Portland, Maine, in 1947 and brought up in poverty by a hardworking single mother, Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King, 'a sharecropper living a largely cashless existence'. He never knew his father (who had walked out when he was a toddler) or had a father-figure, only horrible nannies, who'd 'just all of a sudden wind up and clout the kids'. Most of his childhood recollections involve acute pain: wasp stings, dropping a brick on his foot, 'mashing all five toes'. Taken short outside, King wiped his bottom with poison ivy. Gigantic blisters appeared, leaving 'deep divots of raw pink flesh'. There are terrifying descriptions of having an infected eardrum repeatedly lanced. 'The pain was beyond anything I have ever felt since . . . I screamed so long and so loud I can still hear it.' His mother Nellie's main memory was seeing a body fall from a building. 'He splattered. The stuff that came out of him was green.' Children don't forget being told things like that – King certainly didn't. For a year, King was bedbound with complications from tonsillitis. He read loads of comics, watched lots of television and began imagining his own macabre scenarios about robot monsters, teenage grave-robbers and 'radioactive corpses that came out of the ocean and ate surfers'. He also had a penchant for anything involving 'girls in black bras who looked like trailer trash' and for watching Vincent Price's screen victim Hazel Court 'wandering around in a lacy low-cut nightgown'. King became expert in fantasy-horror and science fiction. His own works would be notable for a 'hallucinatory eeriness', and, while at school – where he edited a magazine called The Village Vomit, which got him into trouble with his teachers – King was cranking out short stories for pulp magazines. He received heaps of rejection slips before getting his first acceptance in 1967, aged 20. There were plenty of dead-end jobs: in factories overrun by rats as big as dogs; in laundries, where tablecloths and motel bedsheets 'stank to high heaven and were often boiling with maggots'. King did his writing after work, in a cubicle in a caravan, where he couldn't afford a telephone. As a janitor in a high school, he noticed the tampon machine in the girls' showers. This, coupled with his awareness of bullying ('teasing became taunting'), and something he'd read in a newspaper about poltergeist activity and telekinetic phenomena, gave him the idea for Carrie – his thriller about a misfit traumatised by her first period. The book was published by Doubleday in 1974. Paperback rights were instantly sold for $400,000. There was a classic film in 1976, starring a blood-drenched Sissy Spacek. So, farewell cubicles in caravans. 'Do you do it for the money, honey?' King was asked by an interviewer. I absolutely disbelieve him when he answered, no, the work is always its own reward. None but a blockhead writes for anything other than money, and King is no blockhead. What he was, for a spell, was an alcoholic. 'By 1985, I had added drug addiction to my alcohol problem,' he recalls. He shoved cotton wool up his nose to stem the flow of cocaine-induced bleeding. Managing still to produce novels whilst stoned, King saw himself as belonging to that proud tradition of literary inebriates – Dylan Thomas, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway. Eventually, King saw sense: 'We all look pretty much the same when we're puking in the gutter.' It's a paradox that King came nearest to death when sober and clean. In 1999, he was knocked down by a minivan, which threw him 14 ft into the air. Before losing consciousness, he just about remembers 'wiping palmfuls of blood out of my eyes' from the lacerations in his scalp. King's lung collapsed. His leg was broken in nine places, the bones turned into Scrabble tiles. His right knee was split apart, his hip smashed, his spine chipped and four ribs cracked. There were to be many operations, much rehabilitation, but King (no stranger to agony) pulled through to write many more books, win many more Lifetime Achievement awards and earn lots more money. Such vivid slices of autobiography are what make this book vastly more than worthwhile.
National Post
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- National Post
Cook This: 3 recipes from Every Salad Ever, including grilled chicken souvlaki with a double-duty marinade
Article content After three decades of writing cookbooks, readers feel like they know her. 'I always say I'm the furthest thing from a food snob. I like everything, and I think people pick that up when they deal with me, when they meet me, when they read my books.' Article content Starting with Looneyspoons, the 1996 cookbook Greta wrote with her sister, Janet Podleski, all her books have been No. 1 national bestsellers — an accomplishment she doesn't take for granted. Article content Initially, the sisters self-published out of necessity, bolstered by the dream that Looneyspoons would be a hit. 'We felt like we didn't have anything to lose back then. We dropped everything, and we were so broke. At one point, I think I had $1.12 in my bank account. And that's not a joke.' Article content With each title, the sisters built connections with booksellers and a reputation for putting out bestsellers. When Greta went solo with Yum and Yummer in 2017, she had no doubt she would self-publish it — she just didn't know how she would pull it off without staff. 'But you know, you do what you have to do, and sometimes you have to be Superwoman when you're running your own business.' Article content Three decades after her first experience with self-publishing, Greta is 'thrilled' that people still love cookbooks. 'I was a little bit worried with book No. 6. There's so much free online and Instagram and everything, so many influencers, and are people going to want a hardcover book in 2025? And I think the answer is a resounding yes for me.' Article content Playing the dual role of author and publisher, Greta signed an exclusive deal with Indigo for Every Salad Ever. She set her first print run aside for the retailer, anticipating it would last well into the fall, maybe even until Christmas. In just seven weeks, her warehouse was empty. Article content Though she can't disclose quantities, Greta says they're 'huge by any standard.' When we spoke, she was on her way to oversee an 'emergency' print run at Transcontinental Printing in Beauceville, Que. 'It's important to me to produce an excellent book, and so somehow I feel it's going to be better if I'm there supervising and eating poutine.' Article content Article content In June, Indigo agreed to support the sale of the book at independent booksellers and extended its exclusive to Dec. 31. 'Indigo refers to my sales as 'wild.' That's the word they keep using. And I'm like, 'I'm okay with wild.' But I was nervous about the partnership because I'd never done it. Now it's truly one of the best decisions I've ever made,' says Greta. Article content Article content With Double-Duty, Doubly Delicious Marinade Article content Makes: 6 servings Article content Marinade/dressing: 1/2 cup plain 0 per cent Greek yogurt 1/4 cup olive oil 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 1 tbsp liquid honey 1 tbsp minced fresh dill 2 tsp Dijon mustard 2 tsp minced garlic 2 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp dried basil 1 tsp grated lemon zest 1/2 tsp sweet paprika 1/2 tsp each sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
The Sun
10-07-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Top-rated cool box is now under £50 on Amazon – ‘brilliant' heatwave buy keeps food and drink cold
An Amazon Prime Day deal has launched on a handy product that's ideal for day trips in hot weather. The Coleman Performance cool box has been slashed from £59.99 to £44.59, offering a timely saving. Coleman Performance 30 QT Kühler 28L £44.99 (Was £59.99) Hot weather is here to stay, and it's the perfect time to explore the UK this summer - whether that's a local beach day or a longer staycation. Looking to do a day out on a budget? Food and drink can be a costly downside to exploring, but taking your own supplies avoids overspending. A cool box can give you the best of both worlds, as you can pack up whatever you've got at home - or stock up on picky bits for a picnic. The Coleman Performance 30 QT Kühler 28L cool box is especially sought-after, having made it's way into Amazon's bestsellers list. Not only will it save money on buying food out, but it's also under £45 with the current discount, if you're quick enough to buy before Amazon Prime Day ends tomorrow. It has a 28 litre capacity, which is ideal for small families or groups of friends to store cans, bottles and sandwiches. The cool box has PU foam insulation, which keeps the cold air in and the heat out, protecting your refreshments from spoiling or getting warm. The easiest way to ensure the temperature remains low inside is to pop some ice packs into the cooler, although keep in mind it will add to the weight. Over a thousand shoppers have reviewed the cool box, with many vouching for its sturdiness and value for money. One shopper's five star review reads: ''Plenty of room for a family picnic, used it for the first time going to the beach and everything was kept cool and fresh.'' Another shopper commented: ''Took this camping during a 28c heatwave and with a bit of tactical placement (keeping it in the shade) and putting two bags of ice cubes in it, it managed to keep all my food cold and it still had formed ice cubes in it when home!'' A third added: ''Well made, decent size, not light though.'' There's no shortage of heatwave-ready deals in the Amazon Prime Day sale, and another stand-out discount is on insulated drinks bottles - both the Ninja Thirsti and the Stanley Quencher tumbler have dropped to their lowest prices ever. Or, if you're enjoying your garden, the Keter 30L Classic Cool Bar is a two-in-one side table and ice box for keeping drinks close by while you're relaxing outdoors. The Sun Shopping's round-up of Amazon Prime Day Live UK deals is a good place to stay up to date with what's being discounted throughout the sales period. Top 10 Amazon Prime Day deals Amazon Prime Day is running from 8th-11th July - here's The Sun's pick of the 10 best deals for Prime members. * If you click on a link in this boxout we will earn affiliate revenue Ninja Thirsti Water Bottle, £21.99 (was £34.99) - buy here Apple AirPods Pro, £179 (was £229), lowest price ever - buy here Calgon 4-in-1 Washing Machine tablets x75, £12.99 (was £28) - buy here Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K, £27.99 (was £59.99) - buy here Get 3 months of Audible FREE - buy here Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo Cordless Fan, £99.99 (was £129.99) - buy here Eufy G50 Robot Vacuum Cleaner, £99.99 (was £199.99) - buy here Remington Shine Therapy Hair Straightener, £19.66 (was £79.99) - buy here Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Digital Air Fryer, £124.99 (was £218.99) - buy here L'Oréal Paris Anti-Ageing Day Cream, £14.21 (was £29.99) - buy here Just remember: to qualify for these offers you need to be signed up to Prime. We've rounded up more great offers here:
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
You Won't Believe Amazon's 15 Most Wished for Dresses and Jumpsuits Cost Less Than $40
Online shopping can be tricky, especially when it comes to fashion items. Thankfully, Amazon has an entire section filled with popular stylish finds that other shoppers are eyeing (and purchasing) right this second. In fact, the Most Wished For hub is currently brimming with slimming jumpsuits and flattering dresses right in time for the unofficial start of summer. Our roundup includes casual rompers and date night-approved dresses with tons of five-star ratings to date. In addition to being stylish, these fun options are also functional, keeping you comfortable and cool as the temperature rises. The best part? All these picks cost less than $40. Snag your warm-weather essentials ahead. 1. Our Favorite: Prepare to indulge in your most comfortable life while wearing this bestselling romper. 2. Dressed to Impress: When formal occasions call, prepare to pull off your Sunday best in this stretchy yet chic wide-leg jumpsuit. 3. Boho Babe: The loose-fitting silhouette and wide-leg design on this flowy jumpsuit deliver a leg-lengthening look STAT. 4. All About Comfort: The butter-soft feel of this spaghetti-strap jumpsuit will make you forget you're wearing anything. It's just that comfortable. 5. Retro Chic: This smocked jumpsuit features a groovy floral color scheme and a wide-leg fit, giving it a nostalgic nod. 6. Cuff It: These relaxed overalls feature deep front pockets and a flowy leg design that you can cuff for a cropped fit. Amazon's Top 17 Trending Spring Blouses Are All Under $35 — Flowy Tunics, Linen Finds and More! 7. Round of Applause: Shoppers rave that this bestselling V-neck dress is a warm-weather staple. The wrap-style design and lightweight fabric deliver a comfortable fit for various body types. 8. Fashion Slayer: This maxi dress is an all-around stunner. It features a halter neck tie, smocked bodice and ruffled tiers from the front. This frock is just as chic from the back, courtesy of a trio of straps and an adjustable tie at the waist. 9. Midi Moment: If you ask Us, no summer wardrobe is complete without a sundress. It's only right that this sleeveless midi dress makes the cut. 10. Groovy Print: Channel the '70s era in style with this colorful, tiered skirt that has more than 3,000 five-star ratings. 11. Flirty and Feminine: Prepare to feel like a dainty princess in this spaghetti strap midi. The swing-style hem adds a fun touch. 12. Stretchy Chic: This vibrant maxi dress features cotton and rayon blend that feels soft and stretchy. 13. Resort-Worthy: You'll get the ultimate tan lines when wearing this spaghetti-strap midi with cut-outs in the front and back. 14. Gorgeous Gingham: We love the plaid print on this off-the-shoulder maxi. 15. Last but Not Least: Whether you have girls' night plans or a romantic date night, this short-sleeve LBD will make you look fab. 17 Dresses That Soften Broad Shoulders and Flatter Your Frame — Starting at $32 Us Weekly and Yahoo have affiliate partnerships. We receive compensation when you click on a link and make a purchase. Learn more!
New York Times
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Audio Fiction Books
Skip to contentSkip to site index When you purchase an independently ranked book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. SKIP ADVERTISEMENT When you purchase an independently ranked book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. Up in Rank since last week Down in Rank since last week If a book is not in a rank since the previous week, it will not have an arrow. The last few titles on the list known as the extended list, never have arrows. An asterisk indicates that a book's sales are barely distinguishable from those of the book above it. A dagger indicates that some retailers report receiving bulk orders. © 2025 The New York Times Company Manage Privacy Preferences
