Britney Spears, Kardashians and Graham Norton: Best and worst books written by celebs
GRAHAM Norton’s Irish based book Holding made its way to the small screen last week when a four-part comedy drama based on the best-selling novel was screened on ITV.
he tale is about the discovery of a body in a small community in west Cork, and the series will be screened by Virgin Media next month.
Actress Kathy Burke directs the series, which stars Conleth Hill (Varys in Game Of Thrones) as local Garda Sergeant PJ Collins.
Holding came out in 2016 and the Corkman has since written another three books, selling over half a million copies.
The TV presenter is not the only celebrity who’s put pen to paper for a best-selling work of fiction.
Graham Norton photographed at the Dylan Hotel.
BRITNEY SPEARS
BRITNEY Spears was only just 19 when she had clocked up two platinum albums, headlined huge tours and scored a string of awards – so why not become a novelist too?
In 2001 the pop star released A Mother’s Gift, which she co-wrote with her mum Lynne, and it tells a semi-autobiographical tale about a small town girl in Mississippi (Holly Faye Lovell) who dreams of being a superstar singer and relies on the help of her mother when she’s accepted into an acclaimed school of music.
While a portion of the proceeds from the book went to the Britney Spears Foundation, which operates performing arts camps for disadvantaged kids, one reviewer said it would be better to send the money directly to the Foundation and said: “I’d pay them to take this book off my desk”.
KARDASHIANS
KIM, Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian’s named their debut novel Dollhouse after a fan contest.
Courtney Powell, who came up with the title, also won a guest cameo in the book as part of the prize when the tome was released in 2011.
This semi-autobiographical story follows three sisters who are working hard to help their family’s struggling restaurant survive and find themselves thrust into the spotlight when one of the sisters is discovered by a model agency boss and becomes famous.
“It is based on our lives but we’ve added a lot of crazy fictional twists and turns,” Kim once said. “You’ll have to decide for yourself which storylines are true to life, and which ones we dreamed up.”
GORDON D’ARCY
Leinster Rugby player Gordon D’Arcy and writer Paul Howard having some fun at the launch of their book
Wexford rugby player Gordon D’Arcy has 82 caps for Ireland, including a Grand Slam, and has won the Heineken Cup three times with Leinster.
When he approached best selling author Paul Howard to team up on a children’s book, the Ross O’Carroll Kelly creator’s first reaction was how do I get out of this?”
D’Arcy recalls: “I was out walking with my sister one day and we were just chatting about kids and kids’ books and she said, ‘you should do a kids’ book.’ And literally the idea kicked on from there.”
The result was Gordon’s Game – an exaggerated tale released in 2019 about D’Arcy’s breakthrough into rugby. It sold so well that they have released two follow-up books.
DAVID WALLIAMS
David Walliams pictured in Eason O Connell Street where he was signing copies of his new book, The Ice Monster
Comedian David Walliams seems to have his finger in many pies, ranging from his initial success with Little Britain to becoming a judge on Britain’s Got Talent.
But in November 2008 he released his first children’s novel, The Boy In The Dress.
The story recounts a neglected 12-year-old boy called Dennis and his search for a female role model, his friendship with the popular girl in school, and the ways in which relationships develop along gender lines.
Walliams has gone on to release a further 13 books, shifting a mind-boggling 37 million copies worldwide.
“I haven’t read any of my own books, but I do hope to one day. I hear they are wonderful,” he quipped last year.
NIALL ‘BRESSIE’ BRESLIN
Mullingar musician Niall ‘Bressie’ Breslin made some inroads with his band The Blizzards but he became a household name thanks to starring as a judge on The Voice Of Ireland.
But Bressie also has a huge interest in mental health and has a Masters in Mindfulness-Based Interventions from UCD.
While it was no surprise he would release a best-selling book on mental health, Me and My Friend Jeffrey, he did throw a curve ball by releasing children’s picture storybooks aimed at helping kids overcome various anxiety issues, namely The Magic Mushroom and Take Five.
TYRA BANKS
Tyra Banks became one of the world’s top models during the 1990s and later turned her hand to acting and TV presenting.
But in 2011 the beauty rocketed up the New York Times bestsellers list with her young adult novel, Modelland.
Her sci-fi book takes place on an “alternative Earth,” where amateur models compete to attend Modelland, an elite school where students are trained to be an “Intoxibella”- a supermodel.
Tyra described the story as Harry Potter, Hunger Games and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory meets America’s Next Top Model.
CLAUDIA CARROLL
FAIR City is where Claudia Carroll became a household name thanks to her scheming character Nicola Prendergast and her doomed relationship with husband Paul Brennan.
But while starring on the hit soap for 14 years the blonde used her dressing room to write her first novel, He Loves Me Not…He Loves Me, which was released in 2004.
Claudia has gone on to write a further dozen books. She has said: “When I was a miserable 17-year-old in UCD, my friend’s dad said to me, ‘The secret of life is find what you love to do more than anything else and then see if you get paid for it’. I stuck to that every day and I feel like I never worked a day in my life, even though I work very hard. It was the best advice.”
Claudia still makes the odd guest appearance as Nicola in Carrigstown.
TOM HANKS
Tom Hanks attends a book signing for his new book “Uncommon Type” at Waterstones Piccadilly on November 2, 2017 in London, England
TOM Hanks is regarded as an American cultural icon and scored two Oscars for Best Actor for two years in a row, Philadelphia in 1994 and Forrest Gump in 1995.
But the actor is also a gifted writer and his work has appeared in the likes of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker.
In 2017 Hanks released his debut fiction book, Uncommon Type, a collection of 17 short stories. Among his characters were a newspaper columnist with old fashioned views of the world and a World War II veteran.
While the book got critical praise it was also chastised for not having a “fully fleshed out female character.”
RICHARD OSMAN
Richard Osman (Matt Crossick/PA)
HE’S famous as the nerdy fact checker and assistant on BBC quiz show Pointless and Richard Osman is also a regular panellist on various comedy shows.
Viking Press, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House, acquired the rights to Osman’s debut crime novel, The Thursday Murder Club, for a seven-figure sum in a 10-publisher auction in 2019.
The story is set in a luxury retirement village in Kent where four residents gather to investigate crime cases, including a “live” murder mystery. The punt massively paid off as when the book was released in September 2020.
It went on to sell over one million copies in the UK and Steven Spielberg has acquired the film rights.
Osman has since released another book, The Man Who Died Twice, and has said this series will contain four novels.
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