(Book). Me and Bobby D. is the exciting coming-of-age story of two teenage boys from the Bronx Steve Karmen and Walden Robert Cassotto who meet in high school, play in the same band, and then form a singing act. The year is 1956, at the dawn of rock and roll, a crossroad in the entertainment business rarely written about. Cassotto changes his name to Bobby Darin, makes his first recording, and he and Karmen are booked on the road for their first job ever as entertainers into Club Temptation, a seedy nightclub in suburban Detroit. This is Bobby Darin before "Splish Splash," "Mack, The Knife," "Beyond the Sea" and "Dream Lover"; and Steve Karmen before composing "I Love New York," "This Bud's for You," "Hershey Is the Great American Chocolate Bar" and "Nationwide Is on Your Side." What happens to them during the two-week engagement will alter their friendship, and change both of their lives forever. Steve Karmen has been a composer/lyricist/arranger/producer of advertising music for over 30 years. In addition to the above-mentioned themes, some of his most memorable compositions are: "Here Comes the King (The Budweiser Clydesdale Theme)," "Hertz, We're America's Wheels," "Weekends Were Made for Michelob," "Sooner or Later, You'll Own Generals," "Quality Is Job One Ford," "We Build Excitement Pontiac" and "At the Nevele." He is the recipient of 16 CLIO Awards, the "Oscar" of the advertising industry; the author of Through the Jingle Jungle , the accepted textbook about the industry, published by Billboard Books; and The Jingle Man , a collection of 152 of his jingles, published by Hal Leonard Corporation. Karmen lives in Westchester, NY.

Enamored with all things Western, fatherless Wesley grew up on working in the stockyards on the prairie cleaning corrals and feeding cattle, dreaming about leaving home for adventure. Hanging onto the details of stories of a few men from the West who passed through his young life momentarily, he learns that, to live there, the first thing one must do is become strong and acquire a gun and a horse. He’s also warned to be wary of dangerous outlaws. After buying a pistol off of a down-on-his-luck cowboy traveling through town, young Wesley learns to shoot. The cowboy invites him to look him up if he ever makes it out to New Mexico, where he’s widely known. Four years later his mom’s latest beau gets transferred to Denver, and Wesley joins them eagerly at the opportunity to see the West. Soon enough he saddles up a horse and tracks down his friend Bobby McGee, the mysterious cowboy who sold him a pistol as a thirteen-year-old boy in New Mexico. After their meet-up, Wesley gets the thrill of his life as he journeys alongside Bobby through northern New Mexico chasing down a gang of ruthless bandits who stole Bobby’s cattle and murdered his friends. Along the way he meets a pretty, half-Sioux girl, and travels with her and her father, Jeremiah, to the dangerous, heavily guarded Black Hills of South Dakota in Sioux country to mine for gold. After finding love and great fortune, Wesley eventually seems to settle right into his new life. Seemingly a nobody who came from nowhere, Wesley finds his place, home, and family far away in the West. But with friends like Bobby McGee around, you never can tell what adventure you may find yourself in next. Bobby is counting on Wesley’s sharp shooting and steady nerves to help him in a standoff with a presumptuous Texan who’s hell bent on taking every rancher’s land in the Red River Valley for himself.

A performer who rivaled Sinatra, Bobby Darin rose from dire poverty to become one of the biggest stars of his generation. Dogged by chronic illness, he knew that time was not on his side, and so, in a career full of dizzying twists and turns, he did it all, moving from teen idol to Vegas song-and-dance man, from hipster to folkie and back. In Roman Candle, David Evanier offers a multilayered portrait of this brash, gifted artist, including the dark side of his celebrated marriage to America's sweetheart, Sandra Dee, and the incredible family secret that tore him apart at the end. "Compelling and revealing ... Roman Candle gives us the many lives of one of the great entertainers of all time, whose flame was extinguished way too soon." — Kevin Spacey "Informed by scores of interviews with Darin's friends and associates and written in no-nonsense, just-the-facts prose, Evanier's book paints a picture of a ruthlessly ambitious musician.... Sinatra may have had the bragging rights to 'My Way,' but Darin lived out the lyrics." — Publishers Weekly "This biography percolates with cool.... [Evanier has] written a book so charged with intimacy, so heartbreakingly ebullient with life, that you feel that any moment the pages are about to snap their fingers and break into song." — Caroline Leavitt, The Boston Globe "Darin has been the subject of several books; most notable is this new examination of the singer's life and work by David Evanier.... Evanier's portrait, true to its title, is one of a bright talent that soared quickly and erupted in a flash of glory." — David Hajdu, The Atlantic Monthly "Music fans are liable to be surprised by the Bobby Darin mania sparked by Kevin Spacey's sunny new film biography. For the slightly darker look at Darin, hole up for the holidays with Roman Candle, the latest book about Darin's rollercoaster life." — Janet Maslin, "Top Ten list of Books for Gifts" (2004), The New York Times

A critically acclaimed #1 New York Times bestseller with more than one million copies in print and a major motion picture! Gritty with pain, betrayal, and brutality, this incredible true story also shines with an unexpected, life-changing love. Meet Denver, raised under plantation-style slavery in Louisiana until he escaped the “Man” in the 1960’s by hopping a train. Untrusting, uneducated, and violent, he spends 18 years on the streets of Dallas and Fort Worth. Meet Ron Hall, a self-made millionaire in the world of high-priced deals—an international arts dealer who moves between upscale New York galleries and celebrities. It seems unlikely that these two men would meet under normal circumstances, but when Deborah Hall, Ron's wife, meets Denver, she sees him through God's eyes of compassion. When Deborah is diagnosed with cancer, she charges Ron with the mission of helping Denver. From this request, an extraordinary friendship forms between Denver and Ron, changing them both forever. A tale told in two unique voices, Same Kind of Different as Me weaves two completely different life experiences into one common journey. There is pain and laughter, doubt and tears, and in the end a triumphal story that readers will never forget. Bonus material in this special movie edition includes: A new epilogue with updates on the authors since the release of the original book The amazing story behind the movie, how it got made, and the incredible experiences while filming in Jackson, MS Photos from the movie set

I was only sixteen when I bought an electric guitar and joined a band. A year later, I formed an all-girl band called the Marine Girls and played gigs, and signed to an indie label, and started releasing records. Then, for eighteen years, between 1982 and 2000, I was one half of the group Everything But the Girl. In that time, we released nine albums and sold nine million records. We went on countless tours, had hit singles and flop singles, were reviewed and interviewed to within an inch of our lives. I've been in the charts, out of them, back in. I've seen myself described as an indie darling, a middle-of-the-road nobody and a disco diva. I haven't always fitted in, you see, and that's made me face up to the realities of a pop career - there are thrills and wonders to be experienced, yes, but also moments of doubt, mistakes, violent lifestyle changes from luxury to squalor and back again, sometimes within minutes.

This book is just a part of one's life story wrapped up in an array of art, walking a particular path on a unique journey. This is The Story of Me and Bobby McGee. A life together, calling it our own, was filled with love, triumph, pain, and sorrow. At anytime and anywhere, there are others who are lost, not knowing who they are or where to go. We were in that mix. Hope in Jesus Christ is always the answer. Let me assure you of that. And, along with that, it is really the only answer. This is just a glimpse and small inside look of how two lives intertwined with one another and how faith remained a constant in getting them through the rough roads. Life stories and testimonies are meant to be shared, along with the blessings, gifts, and talents that the Lord has given each and every one of us. As believers in Christ Jesus, we are to use them to glorify God and spread His Word. My hope is for every one of us to know the love, wisdom, and forgiveness of God and His Word, which is timeless. He is the same yesterday, today, and always. He doesn't change.

Prepare to embark on a thrilling comedic adventure seen through the booze-blurred eyes of Keesey Cypher, a government-trained killer with an ill-fated abundance of classified memories who has since resigned himself to a regrettable existence, sipping away his tainted past. It is this powerful thirst coupled with Cypher¿s hunger for games of chance that leads him to New Orleans¿ coziest dive-bar the day after Fat Tuesday where one night of seeming misfortune leads to a frighteningly funny reality of subversive politics, corporate greed, backwards logic, and star (double)-crossed romance. In this gripping social satire of modern times, Me and Bobby McGee pokes fun at the inane absurdities ingrained in our society, proving that freedom is truly subjective and karma is not just a philosophy, but a fate that is unwavering. And as an added bonus, for the careful reader and music fan, there are subtle connections throughout the novel to the classic folk song that inspired its title. In a world of terrible truths and impending doom, find out what happens when the only man with the power to stop it... decides not to.