Sarah Oliver – författare

Not many have managed it, but like Robbie Williams and Justin Timberlake, Zayn Malik has successfully escaped his boyband image to become a credible popstar in his own right. Zayn’s debut solo single `Pillowtalk’ topped the charts around the world and has had over half a billion views on YouTube. His album Mind of Mine debuted at no.1 in both the UK and US charts, proving that he’s on his way to becoming as colossal as the band he left behind. Not only have the Directioners remained as loyal as ever, but his fanbase has also grown as he has developed his more mature, R&B sound. With almost 20m Twitter followers, he’s certainly lost none of his popularity. Zayn’s life remains of huge interest to his fans and gossip-followers worldwide, whether for his hairstyles, comments about his former bandmates or his relationship with American supermodel Gigi Hadid. In this completely updated title, bestselling celebrity biographer Sarah Oliver charts Zayn’s incredible journey from Bradford to Los Angeles and all that’s happened in between.

Inspired by her own contact with Africa, Caroline Oliver has written biographies of five intrepid women who traveled through the interior of Africa during colonial times. Two were explorers. Alexine Tinne led her own expedition up the Bahr el Ghazal tributary of the Nile. The second sketch traces the expeditions of Florence Baker who accompanied her husband on two hazardous journeys to the lake regions of Central Africa. Oliver portrays Mary Kingsley, an intellectual who walked alone through the West African forests doing ethnographic research. The closing biographies are of two missionaries; Mary Slessor, who became the first female magistrate of the Okon district of Calabar, and Mother Kevin, who established many schools throughout East Africa. Oliver brings to her writing the special enthusiasm gained from having seen the African backgrounds in which these women lived and worked.

John McLaren has dedicated his life to rescuing mistreated donkeys. When he finds Pollyanne at a livestock auction - unloved and horribly frail - he knows immediately that if he doesn't take her home to the sanctuary he has made his life's work, she stands little chance of surviving. John soon discovers that despite her terrible start in life, Pollyanne has the X factor: she is destined for more than the local nativity play. The bright lights of the West End beckon and before long, Pollyanne is appearing onstage with opera's biggest stars.She may have hit the animal A-list, but Pollyanne's no diva. When the curtain comes down, there's nowhere she'd rather be than at home with John and her four-legged friends. Sarah Oliver's Pollyanne is a heart-warming true story of unconditional love - and a Little Donkey with star quality.

To explain women’s underrepresentation in American politics, researchers have directed their attention to differences between men and women, especially during the candidate emergence process, which includes recruitment, perception of qualifications, and political ambition. Although these previous analyses have shown that consistent dissimilarities likely explain why men outnumber women in government, they have overlooked a more explicit role for gender (masculinity and femininity) in explanations of candidate emergence variation. Meredith Conroy and Sarah Oliver focus on the candidate emergence process (recruitment, perceived qualifications, and ambition), and investigate the affects of individuals’ gender personality on these variables to improve theories of women’s underrepresentation in government. They argue that since politics and masculinity are congruent, we should observe more precise variation in the candidate emergence process along gender differences, than along sex differences in isolation. Individuals who are more masculine will be more likely to be recruited, perceive of themselves as qualified, and express political ambition, than less masculine individuals. This differs from studies that look at sex differences, because it accepts that some women defy gender norms and break into politics. By including a measure of gender personality we can more fully grapple with women’s progress in American politics, and consider whether this progress rests on masculine behaviors and attributes. Who Runs? The Masculine Advantage in Candidate Emergence explores this possibility and the potential ramifications.

To explain women’s underrepresentation in American politics, researchers have directed their attention to differences between men and women, especially during the candidate emergence process, which includes recruitment, perception of qualifications, and political ambition. Although these previous analyses have shown that consistent dissimilarities likely explain why men outnumber women in government, they have overlooked a more explicit role for gender (masculinity and femininity) in explanations of candidate emergence variation.Meredith Conroy and Sarah Oliver focus on the candidate emergence process (recruitment, perceived qualifications, and ambition), and investigate the affects of individuals’ gender personality on these variables to improve theories of women’s underrepresentation in government. They argue that since politics and masculinity are congruent, we should observe more precise variation in the candidate emergence process along gender differences, than along sex differences in isolation. Individuals who are more masculine will be more likely to be recruited, perceive of themselves as qualified, and express political ambition, than less masculine individuals. This differs from studies that look at sex differences, because it accepts that some women defy gender norms and break into politics. By including a measure of gender personality we can more fully grapple with women’s progress in American politics, and consider whether this progress rests on masculine behaviors and attributes. Who Runs? The Masculine Advantage in Candidate Emergence explores this possibility and the potential ramifications.

If you've ever dreamt of meeting Justin Bieber then this is the book for you! Author Sarah Oliver has the inside scoop from Justin's biggest Beliebers from around the world, including all the gossip about what happened when they met Justin, Scooter and Kenny...and tour secrets you won't hear anywhere else. Sophie from Iluka is the leader of the Perth Bieber Team and arranges the Australian events and parades for Justin. She travelled all the way to New York for Justin - find out what stage manager Scrappy said about it. Anna from Sankt Veit an der Glan took part in a flashmob to 'All Around the World' and was Justin's Austrian One Less Lonely Girl. Discover what it's like to be serenaded on stage by Justin. Kaelyn from Los Angeles met Justin at his dance studio and was thrilled when he surprised her and his other Beliebers with a special gift. Discover just what Justin's dancers are like - and the special performance they did at Atlanta airport. Sarah Oliver reveals all this and much more, including which countries Justin, his dancers and his crew love the most and some of the crazy things they get up to when they're not on stage. Sit back, relax and follow in the footsteps of Justin as he goes around the world!

Miley Cyrus first shot to fame at a young age playing Hannah Montana but she has long-since said goodbye to her good girl image, and is now best known for pushing the boundaries - both on and off stage. This biography tells of Miley's extraordinary upbringing; what it was like growing up with Billy Ray Cyrus as her dad and how she coped with being a multi-millionaire by the time she was 15. It tells of her ups and downs, her relationship breakups and her difficult search for friends who wouldn't betray her. From childhood all Miley wanted to do was perform, whether that be singing or acting. She has had to fight to get where she is today and has had to face many battles over the years: she was bullied relentlessly at school; she lost the person she was closest to in the world and she has had to deal with a stalker who thinks he is married to her. Fortunately, Miley shares a tight bond with her siblings, who share her love of music, and she enjoys spending family time with them and her parents whenever she can. Find out why she will never regret her controversial MTV VMA performance with Robin Thicke and how she felt as she performed her Bangerz tour around the world in this in-depth biography written by one of Miley's biggest Smilers.

If you've ever dreamt of meeting Taylor Swift then this is the book for you! Author Sarah Oliver has the inside scoop from Taylor's biggest Swifties from around the world, including all the gossip about what happened when they met Taylor, her mom Andrea and her publicist Tree...and tour secrets from Loft '89, Club Red and T-Party you won't hear anywhere else. Chloe from Southampton was invited to listen to 1989 months before its release at a top-secret session event for Taylor's biggest fans. She also found out that Taylor loves stalking fans on Twitter. Marley from Piedmont, Alabama spent hours hanging out with Taylor, enjoying a pizza party in her penthouse apartment. She met her cat Olivia and found out what the real Taylor is like - away from the spotlight. Kristen from Bloomfield, New Jersey became infamous after a photo of her shaking with excitement at a Red concert went viral in the Swiftie community. Initially mortified, it did mean that she got to meet Taylor two years later.Sarah Oliver reveals all this and much more about the life of one of the most exciting pop stars today including: which countries are Taylor's favourites and why; what she likes to do on her days off; and some of the incredible things she's done when not performing. Sit back, relax and follow in the footsteps of Taylor as she goes around the world!