New Releases by Sharon Davis

Sharon Davis VandenHul grew up in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. She currently resides in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where bears, deer, rabbits, birds, squirrels, raccoons, coyotes and even bobcats visit her backyard. A former teacher, Sharon currently manages several Victorian homes. As a two-time survivor of breast cancer, Sharon encourages people with cancer to never give up, as nothing lasts forever, not even winter.

Dusty Springfield is a pop music legend. Goddess of the sixties, reluctant recluse of the seventies, enigmatic icon of the eighties and nineties, she attracted a passionate following that has remained loyal to this day. She crossed the line into soul music, her first love, but never turned her back on pop music. A perfectionist in her work, she was a shy, awkward girl off stage. Misunderstood and misquoted, that was Miss Springfield. She had a lifestyle to envy, was the original 'IT' girl and achieved, many believed, the height of decadence. But who really knew her? Who was the real lady behind the black mascara and backcombed hair? This is the story that she never had the chance to tell herself because, nearly two years after her first battle with breast cancer, the disease returned to take her life in 1999.When the end finally came, the music business descended into mourning, tributes flooded in from all over the world, ''The Daily Telegraph'' front page announced 'Dusty Springfield dies on day she was to get OBE' and her Majesty The Queen was reported to be 'deeply saddened'. Dusty Springfield was the very heart and soul of British music. Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant, who was responsible for her return to chart success in 1987, believed that 'she was the very essence of fabness'.

The seventies witnessed great changes not only in dress style but also in music. The psychedelia of the late sixties had mutated into glam rock by the early seventies, while the latter half of the decade is best remembered for the punk and disco explosions which gripped both Britain and America. The number-one singles of the decade are recalled in Every Chart Topper Tells a Story: The Seventies, from artists as diverse as Gary Glitter, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, Diana Ross, The Bee Gees, T-Rex, Commodores, Donny Osmond, The Three Degrees and Abba. It is the ideal volume both for those wanting a trip down memory lane and for serious music connoisseurs.

The '80s were a decade of musical change. As the '70s disco stranglehold was broken, rock, gay, dance and pop music competed with funk and soul, romantic ballads and political protest, computerised music and controversy. The glamour of costume, greasepaint and cross-dressing was put to good use by New Romantic groups like Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, Soft Cell, Culture Club and the Human League, while the world also looked to Britain for the most exciting pop acts such as the multi-million-selling Wham!, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Eurythmics and the Pet Shop Boys. Mainstream dance music was at its peak, spearheaded by Stock, Aitken and Waterman, and their stable of artists, including Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Rick Astley, were all chart-topping names. From the USA came the artist of the decade, Michael Jackson, while Madonna and Whitney Houston provided the 'Girl Power' of the '80s. The decade also saw the philanthropic side of the music industry as the stars responded to famine in Ethiopia with the charity records 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' and 'We Are The World'. The'80s catered for all musical tastes, no matter how bizarre, and was far more eclectic than any other decade. From bubble-gum pop with Bucks Fizz to the stadium rock of Simple Minds,'80s Chart-Toppers brings a comprehensive year-by-year, month-by-month guide to the hottest sounds of the decade.

For over thirty years Lionel Richie has never looked back as a performer. From fronting his group the Commodores - the premier R&B pop unit of the seventies - he became the most popular singer/songwriter in the world by the eighties. A decade later he was the ultimate star entertainer with a 'nice guy' image. The Lionel Richie story is about a five-time Grammy winner who has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. For nine consecutive years he had no 1 singles in America, a feat matched only by Irving Berlin. It is also the story of two broken marriages, personal insecurities, near-death experiences and an insight into the man behind a success story that broke the rules. Lionel Richie is the first book written about Lionel Richie and the Commodores and draws on Sharon Davis' unique access to the Motown archive, her numerous in depth interviews with Richie as well as her time as the Commodores' publicist.

Stevie Wonder has been a dominant figure in contemporary music for over three decades, making the transition from child prodigy to ground-breaking adult superstar with apparent ease. Acknowledged as one of the finest songwriters of all time, Wonder was also instrumental in securing the late Dr Martin Luther King Jr's birthday as a national holiday in the USA. The performer remains one of the most respected figures on the international music scene, a fact reflected in vivid detail in a book that finally does justice to the legend that is Stevie Wonder.

When Marvin Gaye was shot dead in 1984 by his own father, the world lost one of its greatest singers. Born into a Washington ghetto, the son of a pentecostal minister, Marvin Gaye rose to become one the most original musical talents of his generation. This intensively researched biography charts his extraordinary life, turbulent career and tragic death. It details his beginnings as session drummer for Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, his struggle for artistic independence, and his stormy relationship with Tamla Motown Records and Berry Gordy, its legendary head whose sister he married. It also tells of the resounding success his records had, and the lasting contribution he made to black music.

The 60s was a decade when British music reached a height of popularity all over the world with groups such as The Beatles. This book looks at the number-one singles of the decade in Britain from artists including Tom Jones, Cliff Richard and The Beatles.

Written by the First Lady of California, this charming story chronicles the adventures of Capitol Kitty, resident cat at the California State House. Capitol Kitty has always been the top cat around the California State House. Capitol Kitty is the poshest stray cat in the state -- she has her every need attended to, and spends her days lording over her vast domain. Then one day, a new cat shows up, and threatens Capitol Kitty's beloved regal routine. The newcomer, Scare D. Cat, is a wimpy little stray, scared of his own shadow. Capitol Kitty takes him on a wild trip through the Capitol building. But the two cats get more than they bargain for. It's a hilarious and educational kitty adventure!