Wendy Leigh – författare

A magical, heartwarming memoir from one of Hollywood’s most beloved icons   Over the past four decades, the landmark NBC hit television series I Dream of Jeannie has delighted generations of audiences and inspired untold numbers of teenage crushes on its beautiful blond star, Barbara Eden. Part pristine Hollywood princess and part classic bombshell, with innocence, strength, and comedic talent to spare, Barbara finally lets Jeannie out of her bottle to tell her whole story.   Jeannie Out of the Bottle takes us behind the scenes of I Dream of Jeannie as well as Barbara’s dozens of other stage, movie, television, and live concert performances. We follow her from the hungry years when she was a struggling studio contract player at 20th Century Fox through difficult weeks trying to survive as a chorus girl at Ciro’s Sunset Strip supper club, from a stint as Johnny Carson’s sidekick on live TV to tangling on-screen and off with some of Hollywood’s most desirable leading men, including Elvis Presley, Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman, and Warren Beatty. From the ups and downs of her relationship with her Jeannie co-star Larry Hagman to a touching meeting with an exquisite and vulnerable Marilyn Monroe at the twilight of her career, readers join Barbara on a thrilling journey through her five decades in Hollywood.   But Barbara’s story is also an intimate and honest memoir of personal tragedy: a stillborn child with her first husband, Michael Ansara; a verbally abusive, drug-addicted second husband; the loss of her beloved mother; and the accidental heroin-induced death of her adult son, just months before his wedding. With candor and poignancy, Barbara reflects on the challenges she has faced, as well as the joys she has experienced and how she has maintained her humor, optimism, and inimitable Jeannie magic throughout the roller-coaster ride of a truly memorable life.   Illustrated with sixteen pages of photographs, including candid family pictures and rare publicity stills, Jeannie Out of the Bottle is a must-have for every fan, old and new.From the Hardcover edition.

Madonna up close, by the brother who knows her better than anyone. Christopher Ciccone''s extraordinary memoir is based on his forty-seven years of growing up with, working with, and understanding the most famous woman of our time, who has intrigued, scandalized, and entertained millions for half a century. Through most of the iconic star''s kaleidoscopic career, Christopher played an important role in her life: as her backup dancer, her personal assistant, her dresser, her decorator, her art director, her tour director. If you think you know everything there is to know about Madonna, you are wrong. Only Christopher can tell the full scale, riveting untold story behind Madonna''s carefully constructed mythology, and the real woman behind the glittering façade. From their shared Michigan childhood, which Madonna transcended, then whisked Christopher to Manhattan with her in the early eighties, where he slept on her roach-infested floor and danced with her in clubs all over town -- Christopher was with her every step of the way, experiencing her first hand in all her incarnations. The spoiled daddy''s girl, the punk drummer, the raunchy Boy Toy, Material Girl, Mrs. Sean Penn, Warren Beatty''s glamorous Hollywood paramour, loving mother, Mrs. Guy Ritchie, English grande dame -- Christopher witnessed and understood all of them, as his own life was inexorably entwined with that of his chameleon sister. He tangled with a cast of characters from artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, to Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Moss, Demi Moore, and, of course, Guy Ritchie, whose advent in Madonna''s life splintered the loving relationship Christopher once had with her. The mirror image of his legendary sister, with his acid Ciccone tongue, Christopher pulls no punches as he tells his astonishing story. Life with My Sister Madonna is the juicy, can''t-put-it-down story you''ve always wanted to hear, as told by Madonna''s younger brother.

For almost thirty years, Patrick Swayze has been an icon of masculinity and sex appeal, strong but sensitive, romantic yet dangerous. In this intimate and revealing biography, bestselling author Wendy Leigh shares the inspiring untold story of Patrick's incredible life: his show business childhood, his fairy-tale love affair with wife Lisa Niemi, his catapult into alcoholism after his father's untimely death, the daredevil exploits that almost killed him, and his courageous fight against pancreatic cancer. Ever since the steamy low-budget film Dirty Dancingskyrocketed Patrick to fame and cemented his place in the hearts of audiences around the world, he has been one of our most cherished public figures. Based on interviews with countless sources who have never spoken about Patrick before - from the Texas beauty who shared his first kiss, to the woman he almost married, to the manager who worked closely with him from his teen idol days until his romantic tour de force in Ghost- and many more, Leigh unveils surprising details about the charismatic actor's life on- and off-screen. This groundbreaking biography of the un-forgettable entertainer is the mesmerizing, enduring, and definitive story of a man who captured our hearts.

A heartwarming, in-depth portrait of the beloved star whose sensational performances in Dirty Dancing and Ghost seduced a generation, and whose courage in the face of illness captivated millions For almost thirty years, Patrick Swayze has been an American icon of masculinity and sex appeal, strong but sensitive, romantic yet dangerous. In this intimate and revealing biography, New York Times bestselling author Wendy Leigh shares the inspiring untold story of Patrick''s incredible life: his show business childhood, his fairy-tale love affair with wife Lisa Niemi, his catapult into alcoholism after his father''s untimely death, the daredevil exploits that almost killed him, and his courageous fight against pancreatic cancer, a fight that has off-ered hope and encouragement to others grap-pling with similar life-threatening illnesses. Ever since the steamy low-budget film Dirty Dancing skyrocketed Patrick to fame and cemented his place in the hearts of audiences around the world, he has been one of our most cherished public figures. Based on interviews with countless sources who have never spoken about Patrick before -- from the Texas beauty who shared his first kiss, to the woman he almost married, to the manager who worked closely with him from his teen idol days until his romantic tour de force in Ghost -- and many more, Leigh unveils surprising details about the charismatic actor''s life on- and off-screen. Beginning with his training as a dancer with his choreographer mother and spanning his remarkable -- and at times challenging -- career, this groundbreaking biography of the un-forgettable entertainer is the mesmerizing, enduring, and definitive story of a man who captured our hearts.

Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, the Thin White Duke. Gender Bender. Rebel. Songwriter. Fashion Icon. Rock God. One of the most influential creative artists of his generation, David Bowie morphed from one glittering incarnation to the next over the course of five decades—an enduring superstar who remained endlessly enigmatic and always ahead of his time. Discover the man behind the myth in this intimate and in-depth biography—featuring a full-color sixteen-page photo insert.David Bowie passed away after an eighteen-month battle with cancer on January 10, 2016. Few knew of his illness, and Bowie flawlessly orchestrated his last goodbye with the release of his final (and some say best) album, Blackstar, featuring the haunting song “Lazarus,” and its accompanying video, a farewell message to his millions of fans. Throughout his iconic career that included such hits as “Let’s Dance,” “Space Oddity,” “Heroes,” “Modern Love,” and “Life on Mars,” Bowie managed to retain his Hollywood star mystique. Through in-depth interviews with those who knew him best, New York Times bestselling author Wendy Leigh reveals the man behind Bowie’s myriad images—up to and including his role as stay-at-home dad, happily monogamous in his quarter-of-a-century-plus marriage to supermodel Iman. In this “sizzling” (Radar Online) new biography, Leigh brings fresh insights to Bowie’s battles with addiction; his insatiable sex life—from self-avowed gay to bisexual to resolutely heterosexual—and countless conquests; his childhood in a working-class London neighborhood and the troubling family influences that fueled his relentless pursuit of success; and much more. This exploration of an artist beloved by so many reveals the man at the center of the mythos.

“Unraveled by Him is one of those books where you think you know which direction the book is going to take, but when you read it, it’s completely unexpected.” –Once Upon a Twilight Heralding the sensational next step beyond Fifty Shades, New York Times bestselling author Wendy Leigh laces mystery and intrigue with dark pleasure and intoxicating passion in Unraveled by Him, the first in the groundbreaking and addictive Unraveled trilogy.When celebrity ghostwriter Miranda Stone’s unpublished erotic manuscript accidentally gets sent to the elusive and all-powerful billionaire Robert Hartwell, she’s determined to do whatever it takes to get it back. Little does she know that Robert will demand that she surrender to him completely, and that he will test the limits of her submission to the maximum, and push her limits until she becomes the complete sexual submissive she was born to be. Unable to deny the magnetic pull between them, Robert and Miranda embark on an all-consuming and utterly addicting sexual adventure, only curtailed when the ghosts of their pasts come back to haunt them and threaten to shatter their love and their passion irrevocably. New and daring BDSM erotica, the Unraveled series will captivate fans of Tiffany Reisz’s Original Sinners series, and Anne Rice’s Sleeping Beauty trilogy.

“Oh my goodness! I think my kindle was smoking during parts of this book!” –Cocktails and Books, on Unraveled by Him Wendy Leigh’s Unraveled trilogy combines spellbinding intrigue, heart-stopping romance, lashings of glamour and BDSM in a riveting plot that transcends traditional erotica boundaries...In Unraveled by Him, born submissive Miranda met her perfect match in billionaire widower—and dominant—Robert Hartwell. After passing five of his BDSM tests, she thought she’d discovered her own happy ending...until she was abducted from his side at the pinnacle of their erotic fulfillment. The story continues in Unraveled by Her, as Miranda awakens, bound and imprisoned by a mysterious woman—one who has the power to thwart Miranda’s every happiness. Can Robert find her in time? And even if he does, will the secrets Miranda kept from him destroy them? “Unraveled by Him is one of those books where you think you know which direction the book is going to take, but when you read it, it’s completely unexpected.” –Once Upon a Twilight

The seductive final part of New York Times bestselling author Wendy Leigh’s “white hot and titillating” (Alice Clayton) erotic series that unlocks the intoxicating world of BDSM to reveal the sexual power games between a headstrong submissive and the dashing billionaire who dominates her…Forced apart by betrayal and deception, Miranda and Robert are certain their relationship can never recover from Miranda’s dangerous secrets. But why did she hide the truth from him for so long? As devastated Miranda reluctantly tries to move on by revisiting the demanding lover who nearly broke her—an alluring man she never expected to see again—Robert struggles against his wild impulses to reclaim his enticing sexual submissive and take her to heights of pleasure she never imagined. His dark desires lead him on a journey into Miranda’s past to piece together a surprising, heartbreaking puzzle about her life—and his—that only makes his urges to control her grow. He will take her to the edge of ecstasy and hold her there until they can take the anticipation no longer…but first he must find a way to forgive.