Books:

here's where we get busy... our highlights!

A Killer Story by Maya Ismael

“reminded me of Money by Martin Amis” best selling author Donald Wheal

“I was there, incredibly visual, it gave me the horn.” Jon Obermeister, Change Agency

“A fantastic story” Hollywood legend Terry Kaiser

"Far away the sexiest and most shocking thing I've seen in years.  I'm hooked." Jack La Perla, US Critic.

What happens in the mind of a TV celebrity newsreader who thinks he is a God?  This staggering piece of work is both erotic, shocking, intense, but amazingly easy to read, funny, and English black humour at its height.  The story is incredible, the characters will blow you away.  It is a first person perspective story of a national TV newsreader who is brilliant, popular, but quite mad. 

Determined to build his audience, which he sees as his congregation, he decides to not just report on the news, but create it by killing people.  He invents an imaginary Islamic fundamentalist called The New Prophet who he blames the killings on. 

It's a great story but, perhaps the real life story behind it is as equally as extraordinary as the book.  The book involves an Islamic fanatic, and a pompous drug-taking minor member of the royal family, the fictional Prince Jeremy.  It's a satire on organised religion, the media, celebrity obsession, the drugs and booze culture of London and includes scenes of a sexual and violent nature that are not gross, but are truly riveting and extreme. 

Incredibly, it has been written by a young British Muslim woman, yoga teacher and model Maya Ismael.  She takes up the story:

"I had a brief and secretive affair with a very famous guy, a TV star, after giving him a few yoga lessons.  During that time I was introduced to minor members of the royal family, drug dealers and who knows who else.  I was amazed, when exposed to that life, to find what the hell goes on behind closed doors, and the arrogance some celebrities and privileged people have... and what they get away with.  It inspired me to write a book about someone who takes that principle to its extreme.  I researched the marketplace of media and news, getting under the skin of the life of a journalist, and developed the idea of a news broadcaster, a character traditionally very trusted in society, as a highly abusive, yet charming and funny psychopath."

But there was a problem.  September 11th came along, and suddenly Islamic extremism was back in the spotlight, and Maya wasn't sure what to do.

"I put the book away for a while.  It was bad enough thinking what my family would say, because they are all very strict Muslims, and here I was writing about sex and violence from a man's point of view, when my family still thinks I am going to have an arranged marriage, but suddenly I felt if I published this book, some extremist might take offense.  But I've made my decision, and I'm sticking to it.  I know it's a full-on book, but it's ultimately a moral lesson.  All my mates who tried it say it's a cracking read, so that's enough for me."   

It is indeed extreme at times both in terms of plot, humour and of course sex and violence....

"I read American Pyscho and remember thinking how gross some of it was, and also to be honest, how boring it was.  But I also admired the honesty of the prose, and felt I could write stuff with more impact but much less crass gore.  So that's what I've done.  His book was a symbol of eighties consumerism.  Mine is a symbol of British hopes and fears in early C21 society.  It pushes the buttons of the middle classes and will shock people too."     

A film script is in development.  Think a fun version of Ian McEwan after a late night out with Martin Amis and Brett Easton Ellis!!!

Believable rating: *****

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Out of Time by Manuel de Costa

The amazing story of the ancient Mayan (Aztecs to you and me) god Quetzalcoatl, a DJ, and the rise of a new and sinister drug and religious cult.  A classic thriller with a supernatural edge that kept us on the edge of our seats.  Kind of like Anne Rice meets JG Ballard.    

Believable rating: ****

The Streatham Stories by Bert Pitt.

Starring Streatham the streetwise bear, these are truly hilarious kids books with a moral twist set in a bizarre land under the sink, where the public transport system are huge gas powered snails and the place is ruled by a Newt who thinks he is Robert de Niro.

The books were developed after the original stories made their way via the writer’s girlfriend to her workmates who had kids in Lambeth Social Services.  When the kids started asking what happened next, it was time to write them down….

Believable rating: ****

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Hybrids by Travis Dapple.

This is a great fun book!  Imagine crossing a wombat with a chicken.... what do you get?  A combat of course!  This is the perfect coffee table illustrated silly bit of fun.  200 daft animals from the combat, to the fog (fox and a dog, not to be confused with the dox...) to the male (an unusual blend of midge and whale...)

And so it goes on!  Illustrated, with each hybrid being developed in terms of its diet, courtship rituals... etc.